Mattia Bellomo: "Once You Master the Rules, You’re Free to Break Them"

Mattia Bellomo is a international strategic planner director at BETC Paris. He started his career in Italy at Publicis Milano in 2010 before moving to Paris at TBWA\G1 in 2019. He joined BETC in 2023 where he worked on various international accounts and new business pitches.

Q> What do you think is the difference between a strategist and a planner? Is there one?

Mattia> Honestly, I don’t find labels that useful. Strategic Planning isn’t about titles - it’s about mindset. Our job as planners or strategists is to make complexity simple, so let’s not make it more complicated by arguing over definitions.

If you feel you have a strategic mind - the ability to connect dots, ask the right questions, and bring clarity - just go for it. Whether someone calls you a planner or strategist shouldn’t matter. What matters is the way you think.

Q> And which description do you think suits the way you work best?

Mattia> For me, strategy is mastery that unlocks freedom.

Only when you know your tools - how to look, where to dig, what questions to ask, in short when you master the rules you gain the freedom to break them.

Discipline is what makes you spot the problem, there is always a problem as there’s no need to communicate without one. Even when a brand is healthy and full of opportunity, there’s still a challenge to define. That’s where the mastery comes in: knowing where to look, what to question, and what to uncover.

Then comes empathy the ability to step aside, observe the world, and truly understand people. The world doesn’t need more data it needs more interpretation, how you read emotions, behaviour, and culture.

This is the freedom, stepping sideways, looking at people, culture, and behaviour through a different lens, and finding the meaning behind it all.

Q> We’re used to hearing about the best creative campaigns, but what’s your favourite historic campaign from a strategic perspective?

Mattia> One that always stays with me is IKEA’s 'Every Other Week.'

It started from a simple problem - all IKEA products look the same. Instead of hiding it, the strategy turned that into an advantage: “So you’ll always feel at home.” Then it tapped into a deeply human truth - the lives of kids moving between two homes after a separation.

As someone who experienced that, it felt both personal and universal. That’s great strategy: clarity, humanity, and truth in perfect sync.

On a different note is BETC’s positioning for Lacoste: 'Life is a Beautiful Sport'.'

Lacoste is a brand deeply rooted in sport, but it also carries cultural and lifestyle associations. The strategy managed to expand the brand’s identity without losing its essence. It reframed sport as a philosophy and a way of living - something aspirational, inclusive, and culturally resonant - while staying true to Lacoste’s heritage

Q> What part of your job do you enjoy the most?

Mattia> Without doubt it’s the search for insights. At BETC, insight is our obsession; it’s the cornerstone of work that truly resonates. It’s the art of striking the balance between being simple but never shallow, deep but never abstract. When you find something that makes people nod because it feels true. Because it talks to them.

That’s the moment planners can let their imagination breathe, but only after the groundwork is done. Research, observation, and interpretation all lead here, and when done right, the right insight reveals itself almost as if it were waiting to be discovered.

Q> What strategic maxims or principles do you find yourself going back to?

Mattia> I’m not a big framework person, but I follow a few simple rules:

1. You are not your audience: Your worldview, tastes, and logic don’t universally apply. Step outside yourself and truly see the world through others’ eyes.

2. Don’t fall in love with your ideas: Strategy is exploration. Always share your thinking — especially with people who aren’t on the project. Fresh eyes keep you honest.

3. Don’t over-polish insights: Trust your gut. Don’t overwork insights. If something feels true, it probably is. The more you twist it to sound clever, the less human it becomes and people don’t speak in “I need/I want/I feel” statements.

4. You’re not here to write the prettiest line: You’re here to inspire creative excellence.

Q> When your idea sparks great creative work - that’s when strategy truly succeeds.
What sort of creatives do you like to work with?

Mattia> The ones that think like strategists. They challenge the brief but do it to make the work stronger.

I love when creatives and strategists work as co-authors - when one thought, one word, one piece of data becomes a trampoline for something far bigger.

When strategy is the starting point, not the instruction what you planted as an idea evolves into something unexpected yet completely right.

Q> There’s a stereotype that strategy validates creative ideas rather than inspiring them. How do you flip that dynamic?

Mattia> It starts with planners claiming their role back. We need to stop diminishing our contribution with sentences like, 'I’ll just do a quick intro.' That makes strategy sound secondary.

At the same time, we need to stop writing 40-slide decks that repeat the same point, it doesn’t make the work smarter, just slower.

Strategy isn’t the prelude to creativity. It’s part of the creative act.

We should be close enough to the work that we can help shape it, not by policing it, but by giving it a foundation strong enough to evolve.

Q> What do you look for when recruiting or nurturing strategic talent?

Mattia> I look for an instinct for perspective. Rigour and frameworks can be taught, but the ability to spot patterns and connections is innate.

When I recruit, that mindset comes before pedigree. Skills can be learned; this natural way of seeing cannot.

I encourage young planners to not hold back their ideas and share them, even if they’re rough or unfinished. A single word, a concept, or a subtle insight can trigger something and spark a conversation.

Perfection isn’t the goal, it’s the thinking behind the idea that matters. Lateral thinking inspires more than polished sentences, because it gives us something to build on.

Q> Do you have any frustrations with planning as a discipline?

Mattia> Sometimes strategy becomes too ego-driven. We fall in love with our clever lines or complex thinking and forget that our role is to make things clearer, not harder.

The smartest person in the room isn’t the one who writes the wittiest sentence, it’s the one who helps everyone else see the idea more clearly.

Q> What advice would you give to anyone starting a career in strategy?

Mattia> AI is your friend, but not your saviour. Too often, young planners rely on it to do the thinking for them. It should be a sparring partner, a tool to test ideas and expand thinking, not a shortcut. In strategic planning, there are no shortcuts.

And be patient. This job takes time to understand, to navigate, and ultimately to master. Early on, you’ll probably experience an existential crisis or two questioning whether you’re too creative, too analytical, or too undefined. That uncertainty is part of the process.

But here’s the reward: once you’ve gone through it, once you’ve truly learned the craft, you unlock freedom. You can move with confidence, explore without hesitation, and make choices that feel instinctive rather than constrained.

Strategy sits at the crossroads of art and science, of logic and imagination. It’s the best seat in the house from which to look at the world.