Our decades of experience creating and producing marketing content for brands of all shapes and sizes has taught us many lessons. These lessons have shaped our beliefs in what is most critical to the successful growth of businesses, brands and partnerships. We’ve distilled these beliefs down to 10 simple rules.
01. Sharpen the point
Have something of true value to say and say it well. Anything else is just noise.
Consumers have become saturated by an exceptionally large volume of content, from news to ads to entertainment. Never before have they become so selective in what they watch. Avoid saying something because you feel the need to do so. Only create content when you have something meaningful to say. Then, say it well.
BE ORIGINAL
02. Think together
Be a collider of diverse thinking that catalyzes impactful creativity.
We believe in a world of abundance not scarcity. Recruit and respect diverse minds with unique perspectives so you always think holistically rather than individually. This will ensure the relevance and influence of what you make.
BE OPEN
03. Make better
Focus on making something better before simply making more of it.
The world doesn’t need more of just about anything. In fact, there is the increasing realization that we can all live without many things we thought we couldn’t. Making more is easy. Making better is hard. Nature never stops evolving, adapting or even mutating. Neither should you.
BE INNOVATIVE
04. Maximize good
Clearly communicate what you do that’s good for people. Then, maximize its distribution.
Success and longevity are dependent on purpose. Meaningful, relevant purpose. Clearly identify what it is you can do to make people’s lives better and make every decision and effort to maximize it.
BE CONSTRUCTIVE
05. Reduce the pursuit
Work hard to refine your utility into a frictionless experience.
Something easy to do is far more desirable than something difficult. Simplicity beats complexity every time. Embrace the challenge to make the pursuit of a person’s happiness an easy one. Present an agile, plug and play solution that’s unmistakably simple and satisfying to use.
BE EASY
06. Hate waste
Always separate what matters from what doesn’t.
Nature never takes more than it needs so why should we? Too often we’re unaware that we’re consuming or paying for more than we need. Focus on the distance between start and finish and the number of steps between the two to find and eliminate hidden waste so you invest 100% in what’s needed and 0% in what’s not.
BE EFFICIENT
07. Play right to play nice
Combine rather than align talent to foster concentrated collaboration.
When you combine rather than simply align talent you allow each person, department or partner to radiate its skills and perspectives across the mission from start to finish. This ensures a more focused, agile and collaborative process more likely to deliver impactful outcomes.
BE EFFECTIVE
08. Size up success
Find the single best measure of success and use it. If one doesn’t exist build it.
Always decide how you will measure what you intend to make so you can verify the impact is greater than the time, money and energy invested. Without such intent there will be no way to consistently improve your performance.
BE IMPACTFUL
09. Believe before you build
Value the proof in a prototype more than the promises in a pitch.
Make whatever you offer as easy to try as possible; this builds trust and loyalty every step of the way. Don’t communicate your capability, confirm your credibility. Don’t make a promise, produce proof. Commission a prototype before committing to a contract.
BE CONFIDENT
10. Respect the ripple
Make every dollar invested in a partnership a force multiplier for a better world.
Every successful partnership has a purpose. The most remarkable partnerships have a dual-purpose. First, to impact the work that must be done. Second, to impact the world in which it lives. As investment trickles down, ensure it causes racial diversity and economic equality to trickle up.
BE PURPOSEFUL