STRATEGY SUPPORT

Emil Valdemar Madsen
About Strategy Support

Hi! I'm Emil Valdemar Madsen

I've spent 15 years helping global brands develop breakthrough concepts, enduring platform ideas and marketing plans that cut through complexity.

If you need big-agency thinking without the big-agency price tag or bureaucracy, I can bring that expertise directly into your team.

Trusted By

Approach

I learnt my craft in the strategy departments of London and New York agencies, so my approach is simple: it starts with the truth behind your business, your customers, and your competition.

I don’t do fluff. I provide clear direction that teams can actually execute.

This has shaped global work for brands like Burger King, Huawei, and Pepsi, and built enduring platforms such as Barclays’ ‘Make Money Work for You’ and Saxo’s ‘Be Invested’.

How I Help

I help brands and agencies cut through complexity. My work typically falls into three core areas:

01

Brand Definition

I help you articulate what makes you different and why it matters, defining your brand's purpose, positioning, and personality so every touchpoint builds long-term differentiation.

02

Marketing Strategy

I diagnose where you are, identify your biggest opportunities, and build focused annual plans and go-to-market strategies that put your resources where they create impact.

03

Creative Planning

I help you reframe your problem and uncover insights that change how people think, then translate them into communications platforms and briefs that spark the kind of ideas creatives get excited about (and that actually work in market).

Selected Work

DSV Logistics Strategy

DSV is the world's largest transport and logistics company. I'm helping them develop a marketing strategy that unifies six industry verticals, four product divisions, and multiple customer segments across 90+ markets into a coherent approach that works for global, regional, and local stakeholders alike.

Working directly with the global CMO, I'm building frameworks grounded in what actually drives purchase decisions in B2B logistics, from acquisition and retention through to how the brand shows up at trade fairs and major industry moments.

I'm also supporting organisational design, process development, and AI implementation.

Saxo Bank Brand Platform
Problem

Saxo wanted to grow brand awareness and preference among experienced investors and traders globally. But in a crowded, price-driven category full of bland, bank-like ads, Saxo needed to stand out in a way that felt equally relevant in Asian, European and American markets.

Insight

For investors, money isn’t just something to save, it’s something to activate. And with more tradable instruments than competitors, Saxo gives your money more things to do.

Solution

Dramatise the product benefit of 75,000+ tradable instruments by showing that if your money had a choice, it would choose Saxo.

Burger King UK Campaign
Problem

Burger King had launched a new global brand strategy pivoting Have It Your Way to Be Your Way. But in a market where celebrating diversity was starting to become the norm, the platform risked feeling generic and imported.

Insight

Burdened by expectations, British youth feel most themselves when being cheeky – taking what's expected and adding their own twist.

Solution

Position Burger King as the destination of cheeky detours.

What Clients Say

“ If you need a marketing strategist that also has flair for tactical execution there is no one better than Emil. I cannot recommend Emil highly enough. ”

John Veje
Group CMO, Danske Bank

“ Emil is a thoroughly modern strategist, combining the rigour of insightful strategic thinking with the ability to execute effortlessly across any channel. He thinks laterally and inspired creative teams with his briefings. ”

Vicki Holgate
CSO, FCB Inferno London

“ Emil is a brilliant strategist. His work is meticulous and his approach is rigorous, his presentation and communications skills are second to none. ”

Nathan Cook
Global Director, Unilever

Contact

If you have a challenge or a problem and need Strategy Support, I am here to help.

[email protected]
Denmark, travel and remote.