Each year, 4A’s StratFest brings together the thinkers, dreamers, and doers who define where our industry is heading next. This year’s theme, “Adapt or Die,” couldn’t have been more fitting. As technology accelerates and cultural tides shift, strategists are being asked to evolve faster than ever, balancing data with instinct and automation with humanity.
As I reflected on my experience at StratFest, one message stood out: survival isn’t about keeping up. It’s about redefining how we think, create, and connect. Here are a few takeaways from this year’s sessions that stood out.
AI Is The Copilot, Not the Driver
AI wasn’t just a buzzword this year; it was a recurring character in nearly every conversation. From Google’s AI Mode and Gemini to GrubHub’s data-driven reinvention, the takeaway was clear: AI is here to stay, and it’s already reshaping the strategist’s toolkit.
But it’s not about replacement, it’s about partnership. AI is not just for basic automation, but rather (and perhaps more valuably) about amplification. AI can unlock insights faster, personalize storytelling, and free strategists to focus on what only humans can do — find meaning and emotion in the data and story.
As one speaker put it, “The best ideas will come from machines that think fast and humans who feel deeply.”
Forget Generations, Focus on Mindset
For years, marketers have relied on generational boundaries to define their audiences. But as one session expanded upon, that model is starting to crack more and more. A Crowd DNA study showed that 80% of consumers identify more with their mindset than their age, and 72% say their passions define them more than demographics ever could.
Brands like Invisalign and Hellman’s are already proving that focusing on values over age can spark a real connection. Hellman’s repositioned itself around fighting food waste, while Invisalign built a cultural ecosystem around confidence and individuality.
The message? People don’t have to be categorized by their age, but by their communities. To adapt, brands need to identify where those communities live and what truly binds them together.
Strategy Needs a Rebrand
During an engaging session about strategic planning, one speaker shared a sobering stat: 10% of strategists believe they’ll be impactful by 2030. Our discipline seems to be at a crossroads. We’ve become so focused on tools, templates, and deliverables that we risk losing the clarity that makes strategy matter.
The call to action? Simplify. Get back to the craft of clear thinking and confident storytelling. As strategist Hannah Schweitzer put it, “Do less — but mean more.”
At its best, strategy doesn’t live in the back office; it leads the room. And to stay alive, it has to reclaim its voice.
Move at The Speed of Culture
If 2024 was about finding a shared language, 2025 is about finding our rhythm. The most successful brands today aren’t waiting for culture to come to them. They’re moving with it.
The big shift? Strategy is no longer a phase; it’s an operating system. To truly adapt, strategists need to immerse themselves in their clients’ worlds, understand the business beyond the brief, and move as fast as the audience they’re trying to reach.
The Big Takeaway: Evolve on Purpose
StratFest 2025 reminded us that adaptation isn’t about panic; it’s about purpose. The industry will continue to change, but the strategists and brands who thrive will be the ones who evolve with intention: blending data with empathy, innovation with insight, and technology with humanity.
Because in this business, the only constant is change and the best of us aren’t just surviving it. We’re designing it.