Neil Parker is the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of co: collectiveOver a decade ago co: collective was born- founded by Neil, Rosemarie Ryan, and  Ty Montague.  Rosemarie and Ty had run the NY office of JWT and Neil had been the global strategy head of design firm Wolff Olins.co: collective's arrival on the scene caused something of a stir because it wasn't the typical start-up from senior ad agency figures- it wasn't an ad agency- it was a brand consulting company with a difference.As I learn in the conversation with Neil he brought something very different to the table from a strategic perspective. He wasn't your classic ad strategist, his background was in management consulting- so he brought more of a business perspective to the world of brands and branding.We talk about what this means, how co works, how it works with others, and discuss various developments that we see in the world of brands and branding in 2021.