30 Jan TCM’s Growth Play: Go Deep.
Most brands chase growth like it’s hiding inside a bigger ad budget.
But the brands that last usually grow in a quieter way: they deepen the relationship people already have with them.
That was the opportunity with Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
TCM didn’t need awareness. They were already loved. The real question was how to turn that love into participation and profitable expansion, without turning the brand into a cartoon version of itself.
So we didn’t start with personas, demographics, or dashboards. We started with the people who already had a bond with TCM. We traveled nationwide and conducted in-depth interviews with their most passionate fans to understand the lived emotional truth behind classic film fandom, and the role TCM plays in it. Then we translated those conversations into insights using psychology and paired them with practical business strategy so the output wasn’t just interesting, it was usable.
Because when you find the Brand Lovers, you’re not collecting opinions. You’re uncovering motives, identity, and rituals. That’s the stuff growth sticks to.
From those insights, we built strategies designed to add dimension to the brand. Not a campaign. Not a clever tagline. Dimension, meaning a fuller ecosystem of experiences, offerings, and moments of belonging that make the brand easier to love, talk about, and stay loyal to.
One of the outcomes was the creation of the Turner Classic Film Festival, giving fans a new way to celebrate what they love together, in real life. And when you create a place for belonging, something powerful happens: love stops being passive and starts becoming participation.
Genevieve McGillicuddy, TCM Vice President of Enterprises and Strategic Partnerships, said it best:
“The ideas we worked on with you and your team took off like a rocket ship once we launched the festival.”
That’s not a marketing win. That’s a growth engine waking up.
You’ve just walked through the “why” behind my work. Now here’s the what next.
If you want help adding dimension to your brand and marketing, there are three ways people usually start with us: a Clarity Sprint (to identify your Brand Lovers, the real customer tension, and the story you’re actually in), Team Training (to teach leaders and marketers how Cult Brands build loyalty, talkability, and trust), or Advisory (ongoing guidance for leaders who want a second brain on strategy, culture, customer-first execution, and brand growth).
And if you’re not ready, stay anyway.
This blog is built for people who want to play the brand game.
BJ