Balancing art with commerce
We build businesses through equal parts intuition & rigor.
Much of what we do lies in that magical space of confluence between art and science. Our toolbox is broad and deep, but also ever evolving. We balance our intuition with a strong amount of rigor, never assuming anything until we have solid footing to stand on. We implement processes to make sure we meet a consumer’s functional needs, while creating identities and communications to meet their emotional needs. When both are done successfully, it feels like a bit of alchemy.
building companies: The old approach
Heavy allocation of resources & efforts into Advertising on the back end.
A better way forward
From the inside/out—we allocate resources & efforts into the product on the front end for a stronger consumer/brand connection.
By building the product & brand together holistically, we are able to bake the strategy & marketing into the product itself to a great degree, fueling a more organic, word-of-mouth effect and requiring much less traditional “advertising” as an end result. We look to disrupt conventions not just through branding and design, but in everything we do—product development, sourcing, manufacturing & going to market. A true, holistic 360˚approach to building effective, lasting companies that matter.
“I am neither clever nor especially gifted.
I am only very, very curious.”
our Secret weapons:
Curiosity & Empathy
At the center of our process are three things: relentless investigation, the questioning of conventions and the seeking of opportunities to innovate. Our “secret” weapons have always been curiosity and empathy. We leave no stone unturned in our study & strategic assessment of a challenge. We go broad and deep. Likewise, we listen. Intently. We take the time to understand the feelings, emotions & experiences of others, along with the “why” behind them.
Brands as cultural
change agents
We believe in the power of culture and its ability to be shaped. Culture is dynamic and ever-changing. In order to matter and be relevant, a brand must be meaningfully connected to it. We strive to build layers of meaning and depth into each product, as well as their surrounding communications, by uncovering a transcendent truth of a brand or product and placing that at odds with a cultural convention.
The power of tension
To have a great brand story, you need a strong tension, a versus—drama. That tension arises from a conflict in culture. Tension gets people, and pop culture in general, to pay attention. We identify tensions in a category or in culture that lie below the surface, where the DNA of what a brand is offering bumps up against a pre-existing convention. Like tectonic plates colliding, the pressure needs to be released. That tension gets people, and pop culture in general, to pay attention. To care, discuss and share. A brand can then take actions and do things that release that tension by moving culture in a new direction.
Finding trampoline moments
We find success by following our intuition. Each project is an immersive journey: fluid, flexible & organic. Finding the right answers is always about asking the right questions. We are brand detectives or forensic cultural investigators on a lengthy journey to track down, identify and unearth the precious insights, disruptive tensions and potent creative ideas that can create a “trampoline” effect and vault the fortunes of a brand and company into the stratosphere. The trick is you never know when those moments will happen, so being relentless is key.
Three levels of deep Experience
Our Strategic and Creative team’s experience spans the following: 1) Building challenger brands that defy convention. 2) Helping revitalize Fortune 500 companies and reconnect them to culture by finding their greater purpose. 3) Building our own successful brands and companies from scratch—taking them from idea to large exits.
PERSON
A human being.
An iconic figure with the potential to expand their legacy.
The user, the participant, the other member of the conversation.
PLACE
A space, area, or spot.
An environment that evokes emotion, memory or possibility.
The meeting point between brand and user.
THING
An object.
An idea that can be felt, experienced and shared.
A timeless artifact that offers meaning and utility.
LOVE MADE VISIBLE
Building companies that matter.
It’s hard to aptly name what we do. We’re not brainstormers or storytellers or consultants. We are a group of people doing what we love – working together to make things for other people. Meaningful things. We’re an engine that generates strong valuation increases in companies, through a partnership framework which significantly mitigates risk, while building irrational loyalty with our audience. We take something intangible that’s brimming with potential – an entrepreneur’s vision, a company’s rich history, a craftsman’s basement dream or an icon’s legacy, and we pour ourselves into making it distinctively real. Incubators and accelerators play a numbers game, providing limited counsel while pushing entrepreneurs out of the nest at precisely the moment they often need the most help. We take a different approach; our group engages with entrepreneurs in a deeper, more meaningful way as equity partners. We become true brothers-in-arms through our aligned goals, fighting for success together. Because of our longer engagement, we’re able to immerse ourselves in a company’s world, identifying conventions, disrupting categories and connecting brands to culture in ways that matter. It all starts at the product level and emanates out. We believe in the hidden possibility of objects to change our relationship with the things we surround ourselves with, by injecting wonder and joy into the owner’s life. We strive for this and celebrate it with each product, service or experience we create.
None of this happens without love. Love is an uncommon business strategy, a commitment and a passion that we apply to everything we do for our brands, our partners and each other. It’s the glue that holds these initiatives together. We care at an extraordinary level about every bit of utility and meaning that finds its way into our products. Our secret is simple – do what you love every day. This allows us to outthink and outwork the competition, which enriches us as much as it rewards our craft. It’s the fuel that allows us to transform the unreal to the real. To find and “see” the invisible pieces that allow the “impossible” to be realized. From the idea on the back of a napkin to a large exit or a seemingly simple insight that leads to massive behavioral change for the better. When it all comes together, it’s gratifying to see. Some say it’s magical. We say it’s Love.
