I'M IN SEARCH OF THE POCKET.
That place where a brand's obsession connects with their audience's life in a real way.
THE QUESTIONS I ASK
WHAT IS YOUR BRAND OBSESSED WITH?
Nike isn't obsessed with shoes. They're obsessed with the athlete in everyone. That's the difference between a product and a belief system. The Savannah Bananas aren't obsessed with baseball. They're obsessed with the fan experience. The Internet is built around obsessions. Finding yours is how the most exciting briefs get written.
HOW DOES YOUR AUDIENCE ACTUALLY LIVE?
Not how they tell you in a focus group. What do they check first in the morning? What do they share with 3 people and never post? Understanding lets us fit into their lives in surprising and meaningful ways.
HOW DO YOU GET ATTENTION IN A WORLD CRAZIER THAN MIKE TYSON?
The answer isn't louder. It's more specific. It's weirder. More honest. The stuff cutting through right now feels like it comes from an unmistakable voice made for a very specific audience.
WHAT WOULD YOU MAKE IF NO ONE SAID NO?
That's usually the real brief. The one nobody writes but everyone secretly wants. Even if it can't be the actual brief, understanding it can get us to gold.
WHAT ARE YOUR BRAND'S NATURAL RESOURCES?
What does your brand already have just by doing what it does? Corona has its bottles. Coinbase has the app. McDonald's has its wrappers. Nike has its athletes. That's usually where the real ideas are.
WHAT FEELS ABSOLUTELY WRONG? DOES THAT MAKE IT A LITTLE RIGHT?
Not everything that feels wrong is right. But if an idea makes a room go quiet, it's worth asking why before you kill it. Animation felt wrong to some for the 2014 Nike World Cup — it ended up being brilliant because it gave us a way to play in real time. A time slot at the very end of the Super Bowl felt dead wrong for DoorDash — it made every single ad that aired feel like a teaser for ours.
WHO WOULD BE MAD IF YOU DID THIS?
If the answer is nobody, you probably didn't say anything. The brands worth following have always been willing to lose someone.
WHAT WOULD A FAN DO THAT A MARKETER WOULDN'T?
Fans don't hedge. They don't manage perception. They just love the thing and want other people to love it too. That energy is usually the missing ingredient.
WHO ACTUALLY DEFINES YOUR SPACE?
It used to be other brands. Now it's the person posting their skincare routine, the traveler complaining about lost baggage, the fan building an online army. The conversation about your brand is already happening. The question is whether you know what it's saying and how you fit.
Have questions? Reach out.