Leading with Strategy – A Unified Back-to-School Vision

Client: Newell Rubbermaid
Services: Strategic Planning • Brand Architecture • Seasonal Campaign Development • Cross-Category Marketing

Challenge:
Before great creative can launch, it must be built on a strong strategic foundation. Newell Rubbermaid approached us with a challenge: how to unify multiple brand categories under one cohesive Back-to-School marketing strategy. With a wide range of products spanning school supplies, organization, and writing tools, the opportunity to win was massive—but it required a connected, category-wide point of view.

Approach:
We led with strategy—our sweet spot—developing a clear, actionable Point of View (POV) that outlined how Newell’s brands could work together across channels and retailers. Our approach focused on cross-category alignment, shopper insights, and a messaging framework that could scale across product lines while feeling cohesive and customer-centric.

In the video, we walk through:

• The strategic discovery process

• How we identified key opportunities across Newell’s brand portfolio

• The integration of creative thinking to bring the plan to life

• Real-world examples of how strategy and execution aligned to support seasonal goals

Results:
The final strategy provided Newell with a powerful roadmap to activate its brands in a unified way—maximizing shelf presence, storytelling, and consumer impact for one of retail’s biggest seasons.

Keywords: strategic marketing, cross-category planning, back-to-school campaign, CPG strategy, seasonal retail marketing, brand unification, shopper insights, marketing execution, creative strategy