Shouldn’t all strategists be digital?

Jared Gruner has a really good point (as well as Amber Finlay who came up with the better title) on the controversial job title of “Digital Strategist”. I strongly recommend his post and also Heather’s findings on this matter, in her 2009 Planner survey:

About 100 people who took the survey describe themselves as digital planners. To the vast majority of them, they are simply taking similar skills and applying them to new media. The difference o’en is in who drives the overall brand strategy. That generally is the responsibility of the above the line agency. This also means less strategic research that the digital folks get to steer.
“As a digital planner, I like to think what I do in the digital space isn’t any different, at least in approach. I consider a planners job to understand the intersection of culture, business and creativity – and I strive for that across the board…
On a down note, not being AOR means not having full control over your client brands,
which has been a bit of a mental shi’ (and struggle) for me.”
Digital planners are also teaching their clients a lot about technology. But money is swinging their way as TV and print budgets are shi’ed to digital. This question prompted several people to identify themselves as integrated planners, confident that they are working across the spectrum.
“I’m not one, but I consider digital in every strategy I work on. I no longer see the point of uniquely ‘digital’ planners.”