How we do what we do.
If our scars could tell stories they’d say we’ve learned the hard way that three things matter most when designing for cultural relevance; Meaning, Values and Tensions.
You may think differently, that’s cool. See you at the finish line. Oh, by the way, what’s your drink? We’ll have it waiting for you…
Meaning
We seek to understand the meaning inherent in culture. Although often unacknowledged, the past steers the present toward the future. We decode what matters, looking beneath accepted convention to gain an understanding of the constructs that shape our society.
Values
Values frame our human experience, allowing us to make sense of the people, places and things we encounter.
These beliefs and behaviors, present in every culture, are a shared system that codifies what is acceptable or attractive and what and what is not.
Tension
We identify cultural dynamics in the marketplace, often in the form of tensions created when values are threatened. We leverage these opportunities to create brand experiences that generate mythology and motivate human behavior.
“Give me an axe long enough and a loud enough amp and I shall move the world.”
Archimedes
Before his set at CBGB
That’s great and all, Archie, but we’re not sure turning the dial to 11 and playing Crazy Train is going to do the trick. Instead let’s figure out who matters, what they care about, where they are and how to reach them. That’s where Design Targeting comes in.
In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Then he discovered that in his own garden, 20% of the pea pods contained 80% of the peas. Pareto’s Principle, or, The Law of the Vital Few was born.
Design Targeting
Focusing is not limiting, it is liberating.
A Design Target is an audience that represents a disproportionate source of value to your endeavor. They are predisposed to love you and influence others to do the same. We intentionally design brand experiences for them.
Design Targeting yields exponentially higher returns through organization alignment, resource focus and cost avoidance.
Leveraging Culture
Brands are inherently cultural expressions. This requires a strategy that works with and in culture, specifically focused on our Design Target.
A CULTURAL BRAND STRATEGY is the connection between business strategy and creative expression. It gives the brand the right to participate in culture by creating its own mythology and rituals that promote self-identity.
You’ll know you’ve got it right when… you see it in ink.
