How we do it is less relevant than the actual outcome. So whether we help clients strengthen their online brand, develop an e-commerce approach or social media program, the bottom line is, if it doesn’t help them compete and reach their business objectives, it’s not strategic. If it doesn’t make your brand more relevant to your customers or if you can’t measure its success, chances are, it’s probably not strategic.

Whatever the process one uses, there are two key components to developing a strategy: Analysis + Synthesis. They’re the intertwined yin and yang of thinking that are required to create a successful strategy.

Analysis is required to uncover the real problems, to come up with options, apply the rigor and to devise a methodology to making decisions. In my field, this involves consumer insights, business requirements and stakeholder interviews. Too little of it and you run the risk of overlooking important factors, while too much and you get stuck spinning your wheels in “analysis paralysis.” Synthesis is new thinking that solves the problem. Random ideas that aren’t based in any kind of rationale aren’t likely to succeed, or more commonly, end up being solutions looking for problems.

But before any of all that, I advocate applying something my marketing professor advocates — common sense(!) At the end of the day, you can come up with a brilliant ivory tower strategy but if you’re plan doesn’t sound irresistibly compelling or it takes more than 30 seconds to explain, it’s probably too complicated or simply off the mark.

In a time where companies are under pressure, employees are getting stretched, and there are myriad distractions, focusing on the basic essentials to compete is a core competency everyone needs.

The writers covered many of the issues that face the U.S. from the economy, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, energy and so forth. What struck me though, was the final two paragraphs that simultaneously praised Obama’s use of technology and took a dig at blogs:

Mr. Obama rode to the White House partly on his savvy use of new technology, and he has a staff-written blog on his presidential Web site. Even so, he said he did not find blogs to be reliable, citing the economy as one example.

“Part of the reason we don’t spend a lot of time looking at blogs,” he said, “is because if you haven’t looked at it very carefully, then you may be under the impression that somehow there’s a clean answer one way or another — well, you just nationalize all the banks, or you just leave them alone and they’ll be fine.”

A few points of interpretations of this statement:

• The NY Times is trying to convey that it still has more journalistic integrity and accuracy. This is a fair point and not to be taken lightly. Journalists are held to a higher standard while bloggers generally are not. Yet, when it comes to influence, many bloggers enjoy broad audiences who may think the blogger has done a “good enough” job doing due diligence.
• I wonder how bloggers go about establishing credibility. Once a blogger has established a sizable audience, accuracy and validity seem to be assumed and taken for granted. Obama’s comments suggests bloggers need to apply more analytical rigor to their analyses and before he will be take them more seriously. If the problems the U.S. faces were really that straightforward as some bloggers illustrate, there would be straightforward answers. Clearly, this is not the case.
• Bloggers are not necessarily problem solvers. It’s kind of like how critics are not the creators or restaurant reviewers are not chefs. Unless a blogger has actually tried to fix some of these issues, he or she would understand the complex landmines on the road to any successful resolution. Talking the talk ain’t walking the walk.

Whether or not Obama’s right by ignoring the blogs isn’t the point. What he is asking for is legitimate analysis and thoughtful proposals. Those don’t come out of thin air or armchair CEO-ing. But I think it ought to begin with bloggers pledging to take a fair and honest approach and even some sort of oath or accreditation. Sure, people will balk and cry foul but this is a win-win for everyone. Readers get better content and bloggers get more credibility. In a future post, how a bloggers oath might play out.