Director of Strategy
Dallas–Fort WorthCody Simmonds / Director of Strategy
I lead brand, social and customer strategy. My work spans research, positioning, creative briefs and the plans teams use to bring an idea to market.
01 / Work
Mastercard Brand & Social Strategy
I developed and presented the Moments and Platforms chapters of Mastercard’s 2023 social strategy at McCann New York.
Nike APLA Trainer Playbook
Content guidance and briefs for Nike’s APLA trainer network, with shared brand direction and room for each trainer’s expertise and voice.
Freelance Senior Strategist / Conscious Minds / 2024
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Starbucks Social Vision
A social strategy that brought coffeehouse conversation and local relevance into channel and content planning.
Freelance Senior Strategist / Conscious Minds / 2024
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Snapdragon Marketing Playbook
A marketing playbook connecting audience priorities, messaging, product launches and channel roles.
Associate Strategy Director / Swift / Wunderman Thompson / 2021–2022
View full case02 / More work
Led category and consumer research as Strategy Director, helping define a positioning that treated vintage as something players make—not something brands preserve.
Official product launchMcKinney / 2023 / Freelance Strategy Director, Influencer
Illustration created for this portfolio.
Used Gen Z influencer research to separate reach from actual brand and purchase influence, then translated the findings into talent, use-case, channel, and problem/solution frameworks.
Laundry Service / 2018 / Strategy
Illustration created for this portfolio.
Oversaw content strategy and community engagement across Intel’s 5G, drone, and esports activations for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Laundry Service / 2020 / Strategy
Image: Amazon.
Helped define social’s role around a retail experience people had never encountered before.
Struck / 2016 / Strategist
Illustration created for this portfolio.
Helped turn discovery into brand architecture, messaging, and ecommerce direction.
03 / Experience
Targetbase / Critical Mass
Lead customer, journey, lifecycle, and campaign strategy for enterprise accounts, aligning senior clients and cross-functional teams around decisions they can execute.
From 2022 to 2024, I worked on freelance strategy assignments with these agencies.
View full résuméConscious Minds
2024Freelance Senior StrategistNike, StarbucksDagger
2023–2024Freelance StrategistCox AutomotiveMcCann New York
2022–2023Freelance Strategy DirectorMastercardMcKinney
2023Freelance Strategy Director, InfluencerSamsungElephant
2023Strategy DirectorChevronMcGarrah Jessee
2022Strategy DirectorFenderR/GA
2022Strategy DirectorNikeSwift / Wunderman Thompson
2021–2022Associate Strategy DirectorQualcomm / Snapdragon, IBM, PayPal, SalesforceLaundry Service / Wasserman
2017–2021Associate Strategy Director / Senior StrategistNike, Jordan, Foot Locker, Amazon, Adobe, Intel, Microsoft, WynnBETLiquid
2017Senior Strategic PlannerWalmart, Sitecore, Informatica, Silicon Valley BankStruck
2015–2016StrategistKodiak Cakes, Jack in the Box, Uinta Brewing, Squatty Potty, Utah Office of TourismThe Marketing Arm
2013–2015Account PlannerDannon, Frito-Lay, Hasbro, Anheuser-Busch, L’OréalThe Integer Group / TBWA
2012–2013Account PlannerMillerCoors, Blue Moon, IZZE, Naked, O.N.E., P&G, PolarisThe Richards Group
2011–2012Brand Planning InternBrand planning internship across major national accountsFirehouse
2012Junior Account PlannerEarly strategy work04 / About
I work with researchers, creatives, analysts and clients to turn what we learn into a direction the team can use. That means being involved in the research, writing the brief and helping people put the plan into practice.
Brand positioning, audience research, customer journeys, creative briefs and go-to-market planning.
I managed four strategists at Swift and three at Laundry Service.
I present recommendations, lead workshops and help teams agree on what to do next.
WRITING
A weekly brief for agency brand and social strategists. What changed, the tension, the read, and what I'd do Monday. $5 a month.
Read The RationaleThe Strategist Kit and The CRM Journey Kit: Figma templates for briefs, social strategy and lifecycle email. Both come with a paid subscription to The Rationale, or you can buy them separately for $39 each.
Templates and plugins for creative briefs, content planning and design checks.
Browse on Figma05 / Contact
Have a brand, social or customer strategy challenge? Tell me what you’re working on, where you need help and your timing.