Beyond the Brief: Honouring Great Strategy and Unpacking What It Takes

The 4As Jay Chiat Awards, now in their 28th year, recognise strategic excellence in marketing, media and advertising. For 2025, the recognition spans 12 categories: Emerging Trend – AI, B2B, Brand Pivot, Connection, Experiential, Gaming, Healthcare, Local, National/Multinational, Nonprofit/Social Cause, Product/Service Launch and Public Relations. Agencies from around the world submitted their best thinking across these 12 categories, offering a clear view into how the discipline is evolving. The awards will also recognise two outstanding strategists from a pool of nominees.

The winners will be announced on October 6th, and on October 7th, 4As StratFest will continue the momentum with inspiring speakers, hands-on workshops and real conversations about where strategy is headed. One event honors the work; the other unpacks how it’s done. Together, the Jay Chiat Awards and StratFest elevate the craft and shape its future, making this two-day experience packed with value and not to be missed if your work touches strategy.

In a year defined by AI breakthroughs, mounting noise and shifting cultural signals, the 2025 jury saw work that didn’t just adapt, but pushed ahead. From breakthrough uses of emerging tech to enduring truths about human behaviour, the entries reflected a sharp look at how today’s strategists often lead the charge. The shortlist reflects just how tough the competition was  the jurors didn’t have it easy.

Mike Czuba, VP, head of account planning, AbelsonTaylor Group and 2025 Head Juror of Healthcare Strategy recently reflected on his experience as a juror: “Yes, we admired beautiful craft, clever storytelling, and brave brand moves - but what elevated the best work was its ability to move people. To change how they think, act, or advocate for their health. That’s where creativity earns its keep.”

We asked some of this year’s jurors what stood out as they assessed entries, how strategy is evolving and why programs like StratFest and the Jay Chiat Awards matter more than ever. Their responses reveal a shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of strategic thinking by embracing innovation, grounding ideas in human truths and fostering collaboration across disciplines to shape the future of the craft.

Read part one featuring this year's Visionary Strategist nominees here and part two featuring Emerging Strategist nominees here. 

Q> In a world flooded with data, noise and trends, how can strategists keep their thinking clear?

​Corbin Brown, chief strategy and transformation officer, Giant Spoon​

2025 Jay Chiat Awards Head Juror, Connection

Go talk to the actual customer. Good ole fashion qual and quant. Then once you have a foundation straight from the source, layer on the noise and the trends. And please please please don’t use AI or synthetic research as a substitute.

Elijah Kleinsmith, technology and innovation director, Signal Theory

2025 Jay Chiat Awards Head Juror, AI

The noise to signal ratio has never been higher, but in this chaotic time, one thing remains evermore apparent: strategists who regularly practice curiosity and imagination in the pursuit of human truths like comfort, joy and meaning, will find themselves grounded in turbulent times. The best strategists know that beneath every trend cycle lies a fundamental human need that hasn't changed. By anchoring their thinking in these timeless truths rather than chasing every shiny new platform or methodology, they can discern which signals actually matter and which are just noise dressed up as insight.

Q> One uncomfortable truth about strategy more people need to hear

Corbin Brown> Is your strategy simple, clear and sticky enough that you can literally explain it in an elevator? Yes, you need to show your homework in a pretty 20+ slide deck…but the only thing that really matters is if the strategy passes the Elevator Test.

Elijah> Those who think they can exclude the AI zeitgeist from their work are making a mistake. This collective anxiety around artificial intelligence has manifested as stunted imagination for what the future could be. Stigma and misunderstanding blind us to possibilities that are already within reach. The builders of the future will be optimistic, imaginative individuals who understand that to achieve great things, one must go through immense transformation. This is a generation-defining moment of cognitive dissonance. We must take our medicine each day and learn to love it if we have any hope of building a world we can be proud of.

​Suzanne McGee, director, communications, Jack Morton​

2025 Jay Chiat Awards Head Juror, Public Relations Strategy

Strategy doesn’t only belong in one department. While it may originate with strategists, today’s landscape demands that strategic thinking extends across teams and throughout the entire process - even post-launch. This mindset is especially critical in PR, where the outdated practice of blindly sending out pitches or news no longer works - though it's arguable that it was never a smart idea. For communications to be effective, PR strategy must be tightly aligned with the broader campaign strategy, ensuring relevance and impact.

Q> Thoughts on your experience as a juror and your view of programs that focus on strategy like StratFest and the Jay Chiat Awards - why do they matter?

Corbin> From the outside, award season can look like agencies duking it out. But in reality, this is one of the few spaces where competitors get to be our colleagues. These shows provide an unbelievably rare chance to swap notes, get to know one another, and learn about what peers at different agencies value and how they approach similar challenges.

Elijah> The 4As always runs a tight show, and that shines through particularly during the Jay Chiat Awards judging, planning and preparation phase. There's a serious admiration and respect for the sacred history and meaning Jay Chiat represents for our entire industry by everyone participating in the process. These awards matter because they elevate strategy from back of house work to celebrated craft, reminding our industry that the best creative isn't just serendipity, but the result of rigorous strategic thinking that deserves recognition.

Suzanne> Serving as head of the PR jury gave me a unique opportunity to explore how strategy shapes PR planning and outreach and how that translates into real-time campaign impact. Our jury had rich discussions about how strategy informs storytelling, but also how strategists may overlook the nuances of PR. This is where communications pros step in, shaping narratives in tandem with strategy to ensure the work resonates with the press. Programs like StratFest and the Jay Chiat Awards are important because they create space for these critical conversations, spotlighting the strategic PR thinking that drives meaningful, effective work.

Q> The Jay Chiat Awards are among the rare recognitions for the strategic thought behind projects. In reviewing the entries, how did you find the craft of strategy evolving and challenging long-held assumptions and underscoring this year's StratFest theme: Adapt or Die?

Elijah> For the AI category in particular, Adapt or Die meant doing what was previously impossible. The strategies enabling the work we reviewed this year would have quite literally been inconceivable to execute just a year prior, as new technologies enable a new class of creativity altogether. High performing strategists in 2025 understand how to leverage new technology not just to gain efficiencies, but unlock entirely new categories of opportunity never before dreamed of.

Elijah will also be leading a workshop at StratFest: The Strategist’s AI Playbook
Workshop space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis to registered attendees.

Secure your spot at 4As Jay Chiat Awards and StratFest, happening October 6th and 7th in NYC.