Narrative and content strategy
Helping organisations clarify brand positioning, shape narrative and build communication systems that work in practice
For more than twenty years I’ve worked with complex global organisations, helping teams make sense of strategy, articulate clear narratives and build communication systems that work across markets, channels, and formats, including for:
Microsoft · PwC · EY · WPP · Bayer · Aon · HSBC · Intel · BBC
Approach
Most organisations don’t struggle because they lack ideas, but because communication becomes fragmented as organisations grow.
Different teams interpret strategy in different ways. Messaging shifts across business units, markets and languages. Content proliferates, but focus and meaning drift away from the original intent.
The rise of Generative AI has only accelerated this longstanding challenge.
Much of my work focuses on restoring coherence – clarifying positioning, structuring narrative, and strengthening the systems that allow communication to travel reliably across teams and regions.
The aim is simple: helping audience interpretation match organisational intent.
Current Work
Through Nosemonkey Ltd, I advise organisations on brand narrative, content strategy and communication systems.
Recent work includes acting as strategic lead for an independent B2B technology publisher, helping reshape editorial strategy, audience positioning and publishing workflows. I’ve also been advising senior leaders at marketing agencies on effective GenAI integration, and am always open to conversations about projects that could prove interesting.
The company is named after my old, long-standing, and once quite influential political blog, Nosemonkey’s EUtopia (2003-15), the archives of which remain live on this site.
Writing and Thinking
To help shape my own thinking, I write essays and shorter notes examining the ideas and narratives that shape media, marketing, technology, society and culture.
Much of modern strategy is built on frameworks, models and received wisdom. These can clarify complex problems – but as ideas travel between disciplines and organisations they are often simplified, misapplied or treated as universal truths. Context and assumptions can radically change how ideas are interpreted.
Longer pieces dive deep, shorter observations act like field notes as I work out what I think.
Previous Roles
PwC and WPP
Earlier roles included Global Technology Content Lead at PwC, helping shape global messaging frameworks and thought leadership programmes across the firm’s international network as GenAI started to impact the world.
Before that I spent eight years leading EMEA content strategy and production at Group SJR, part of WPP, working with clients across financial services, technology, life sciences and professional services.
Microsoft
At Microsoft I led multi-market editorial planning, production and publishing systems for MSN International, supporting more than one billion monthly pageviews across 55 markets and 27 languages.
The role focused on aligning editorial teams, platforms and workflows so content could travel consistently across regions and products, from developing a Digital Asset Management system to advising on back-end UX for a CMS redesign.
Journalism
I began my career as a journalist and editor, including writing for the Times Literary Supplement and working for BBC Worldwide, AOL UK, Gibson Square Books and Archant. Those years shaped the approach that I still try to keep at the core of my my work: combining critical and systems thinking with clear language and a focus on audience needs.
During this period, I won the European Parliament Prize for Journalism.
Get in touch
Have an idea or a project you’d like to discuss? Drop me a line via james [at] nosemonkey.agency, or reach out on LinkedIn.