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Ignite Creativity and Innovation with The Cult Branding Company

Unlock the Creative Power Within Your Organization Through Our New Program: “The Cult Branding Approach to Creativity and Innovation”

The world’s most beloved brands, Apple, Patagonia, Harley-Davidson, LEGO don’t just sell products. They continually reimagine themselves, fueling communities through creativity and innovation. At The Cult Branding Company, we’ve spent decades studying how these brands unleash imagination, transform culture, and create loyalty that lasts for life.

Reflecting on this commitment, we’re proud to introduce The Cult Branding Approach to Creativity and Innovation, a dynamic, experiential program designed to help leaders operationalize creativity as a strategic advantage.

Why Creativity and Innovation Matter

In today’s volatile marketplace, creativity is not optional—it’s the lifeblood of relevance and resilience. Studies show creativity ranks among the most important skills for leaders, while innovation is consistently a top global priority.

“Creativity is the engine that drives progress in every great brand,” says BJ Bueno, Founder of The Cult Branding Company. “In times of uncertainty, the organizations that ask better questions, spark imagination, and innovate with purpose are the ones that build unbreakable loyalty.”

Our new program gives leaders a proven roadmap to harness creativity—not as random inspiration, but as a repeatable, cultural practice.

What Awaits You

Participants will immerse themselves in the Seven Golden Rules of Cult Branding, applying them as tools to unlock new possibilities. You’ll learn:

  • The “What If?” mindset to generate bold, original ideas.
  • The “Yes, If…” philosophy to advance concepts into actionable strategies.
  • How to design rituals, communities, and experiences that transform customer relationships.
  • Ways to evaluate your leadership style to better orchestrate team dynamics and spark collective imagination.

Experiential Learning in Action

The Cult Branding Approach goes far beyond theory. Each session is designed as an interactive journey with hands-on simulations, case studies, and immersive exercises that ensure practical takeaways.

Highlights include:

  • Case studies of iconic Cult Brands like Apple, Harley-Davidson, and Patagonia revealing how they operationalize creativity.
  • Collaborative simulations that show how to foster psychological safety, encourage idea flow, and turn creativity into impact.
  • Live brand audits where your team applies Cult Branding tools to uncover hidden opportunities in your business.

Through vibrant discussions and guided practice, leaders will leave with actionable strategies to:

  • Facilitate breakthrough brainstorming sessions.
  • Spot and seize untapped opportunities.
  • Align creativity with organizational strategy for measurable results.

Ready to Ignite Creativity Within Your Team?

If you want to fuel innovation, elevate culture, and unlock new pathways for growth, this program is for you.

📩[email protected] | 🌐 www.cultbranding.com

October 7, 2025 by

Creativity in the Workplace

“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.”

— George Lois

In Search of Creativity

Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Imagination and the creative impulse have a way of alchemically transforming problems into new solutions and opportunities. No matter how ominous a problem appears to be, our innate creativity finds new doorways of infinite possibilities that allow us to tackle any challenge. Creativity is a powerful archetypal force that humans can access when we start to have fun with a problem.

In James Webb Young’s advertising classic, A Technique for Producing Ideas, he calls upon the observation of the Italian sociologist Vilfredo Pareto: “An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.” Change something old into something new by creating new combinations that haven’t been used before.

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”  —Carl Jung

We love great stories of amazing innovation. Remember the Japanese Olympic pole vaulter who climbed up the pole and then jumped over the bar? While the Olympic board made his method illegal, his innovative solution was brilliant. It’s not often that you hear of someone finding amazing new strategies to jump over the business problems we face today. When was the last time the Ford Motor Company or GM re-invented the way we parallel park our cars? We are often stifled when we attempt to look at the world with fresh eyes and to embrace new experiences, and we avoid the work involved in generating new ideas.

When Leon Battista Alberti declared, “A man can do all things if he will,” he condensed the ideals of the Renaissance into the figure of the Renaissance man. Since then, knowledge became specialized, and having the breadth of knowledge in the wide range of subjects embraced by Renaissance men now borders on impossibility.

The Renaissance man still walks among us, but we now call him groups. People in diverse fields are beginning to understand how solutions that limit them to the fields that produced the question are inadequate. To understand how humans interact, sociologists are drawing on the skills of mathematicians and physicists in the new field of network science pioneered by Duncan Watts and Steven Strogatz; at Neuroscience 2006, the renowned architect Frank Gehry spoke about how advances in the science of perception will aid architects in their designs; at IDEO, psychologists and engineers come together to design products. The benefits of a group of diverse individuals working together are quickly becoming indispensable.

The term group has many meanings, from a collection of individuals operating independently to managers working together to solve a tactical problem; each type of group has its own dynamics. The current literature on group decision-making reveals how different the dynamics of these groups really are: What impedes a group operating in one dynamic may increase the productivity of a group operating in another.

In The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki describes situations where groups of individuals acting independently somehow arrive at the correct answer when all of their responses are considered collectively; the group as a whole seems more intelligent than any of the participants. These groups can guess things like the number of Jelly Beans in a jar—a logical analysis having more to do with statistics and spatial acuity than intelligence. A random group may have great success addressing similar problems that involve a correct and often mathematically-driven answer (counting jelly beans), but attempting to use a similar procedure to solve problems that lack a single, correct solution (the best advertising campaign for a new product) is likely to yield limited benefits.

Brainstorming, invented by advertising executive Alex Osborn, was designed to maximize effective and creative problem-solving. Research on brainstorming initially failed to show any increase in the number and quality of ideas when compared to individuals working alone, but in the last fifteen years, research has revealed that brainstorming can be productive if the procedures guard against impediments that naturally occur like conversation being controlled by a limited number of individuals and shared data being disproportionately represented. When small groups of individuals attempt to collectively arrive at a solution through discussion, productive solutions are uncovered.

Yet, most companies don’t engage in a creative process because most of their prior “creative” meetings haven’t produced significant results. Nothing new happens, the same people come up with the same line of thinking, and the same ideas keep recurring. The solutions generated are mostly dull and uninspired. In the aftermath of these “brainstorming” sessions, everyone goes back to their desks and does what they’ve always done.

In this scenario, it’s no wonder most companies quickly abandon creative engagements. But, if current research is to be believed, this unproductive scenario is exactly what should happen. A lack of productivity is the default tendency of a group, but it can be prevented. These companies miss out on key insights that can move their business objectives forward. Plus, if you don’t tap into the collective wisdom of your team, your business will lose momentum because key components to solving difficult problems are left uncovered.

In today’s fast-moving business environment, we often structure teams around specific projects (as opposed to an overriding hierarchical command with cubicle-centric “business as usual”). Google.com employs a predominantly project-based environment where team leaders rotate and more resources are added to the team based on the viability and momentum of individual projects.

So, how do you get more creative productivity from your team? Promoting individual creativity is hard; inspiring a group of individuals to be creative together seems insurmountable. As a “Consumer Insight Think Tank,” The Cult Branding Company survives and thrives on creativity. But as a company—as a collective of individuals with unique qualities and models of viewing the world—we are faced with the challenge of how to maximize our diverse team’s background and group dynamics to produce valuable ideas and insight for our clients. What follows is the result of our search for generating creativity in the workplace. It works brilliantly for us. We hope it serves you well, too.

Pre-project Considerations 

The Team

You’ve got an important problem to solve. The team is assembled. You hold your breath because you know the inherent challenges, like allowing conversation to flow freely, not forcing a pre-existing idea on the group, and not getting stuck on one idea, which arises in bringing a team of unique individuals together. How do you structure your team to increase productivity and solve problems more effectively?

Although it seems obvious, it is best to construct the team around the problem. What special skills will be required to complete the project? Think outside the immediate scope of the problem: What skills could be relevant that would constitute a non-standard approach? Don’t select people solely based upon position in the company. Position doesn’t determine one’s desire or ability to effect important changes. If people are more concerned with maintaining the status quo than driving the company forward, they will only hinder the progress of a team dedicated to making changes. Find the people with the broadest applicable knowledge base and the strongest drive, and make the team leader the person with the broadest knowledge base over all areas of the project. Make sure the leader is able to lead without being controlling or demanding.

The Environment

The environment plays a role in people’s ability to complete a project. The space should allow for efficient communication—proximity is power. Having to constantly travel long distances (even within a building) to get things done can hinder or even cut off essential communication. If your workspace is large, can you minimize travel distance between individuals who need to communicate directly on a regular basis?

If possible, the brainstorming or meeting space should take people out of their normal working environment. A change in scenery is very effective for breaking people out of their standard routines and for facilitating creativity.

Designing the Project

Setting The Stage

The first two meetings are guided brainstorming sessions. These meetings should be facilitated by the person in the leadership position. The goal of the leader is not to force communication in any direction, but to ensure everyone stays on track with the process and to set the open, nonjudgmental tone for the meetings.

The leader must make it clear that no one will be criticized for his or her ideas. The goal is to get as much feedback, ideation, and data out of the group as possible—not to discuss a specific solution. This method is contrary to the way most people approach group brainstorming. The goal is not to come into the meeting with an idea in mind and then try to win people over to your way of thinking; it’s not an essay contest or a debate. It is essential that the leader makes this distinction clear.

Although most people would assume an inverse relationship between quantity and quality (measured by usefulness and originality) of ideas, studies show there is a direct relationship: The more ideas you generate, the higher the quality of your final solution. Encourage people to say whatever comes to mind within the confines of each segment of the meetings.

Session 1: Generating Ideas

The following meeting structure will help you set up a productive session:

1. Define the problem. This should be done before the meeting and brought to the meeting by the leader. The problem must be specific— the more specific, the better. A clearly defined problem and goal provide the necessary focus for the meeting. You should be able to answer the following questions when the meeting begins:

a.What is the problem?

b.What is the specific end goal? This should be measurable; defined by time, money or quantity.

c.When is the deadline?

d.What is the budget (if applicable)?

2. Lay out the facts. Spend time listing and recording any background research to create as much context as possible for the team. This can include data collected specifically for the project or data that is the result of the knowledge of the participants. This is not the place for opinions or inferences, just facts.

3. Create an environment of openness. Underlying beliefs and opinions that people don’t feel justified in making openly, such as personal, emotionally-based opinions, can cloud almost any discussion. A gut reaction that certain ideas are out of line with the company’s goals can also make someone hesitant, but that’s all right. There’s no need to provide support for someone’s feelings now, because this part of brainstorming is the time for gut reactions. The sole purpose of the exercise is to allow the discussion to be carried out unimpeded by hidden motives or desires.

4. Look at the current situation. If the project is designed to re-examine and change a current situation, it’s time to look at what’s already in place. This step isn’t necessary if it is a brand-new project that is not designed to replace an existing situation. However, if there is a current situation, first look at what’s going on now from a negative viewpoint: What’s wrong with it? If it worked before, why does it no longer work optimally? Be as specific as possible. Once you look at it negatively, consider it positively: What about this procedure or situation still works? Could it be tweaked to work without major changes? Does it need a major overhaul? If something needs to be changed, like the predominant retail display in your industry, consider the characteristics of the current approach and preclude using solutions that stem from that approach in the discussions. Knowing what it shouldn’t be helps with understanding what it should be.

5. List new solutions. Based upon current ways of doing things in the company, or procedures in the specific field, what solutions would effectively solve the problem? There’s no need to justify these solutions at this point; just get them out there. This also isn’t the time for wild solutions; instead, explore standard solutions that are not currently being employed.

6. End the session. After the solutions are listed, it is time to end the meeting. No conclusions should be reached. The ideal time for this first meeting is on a Friday. The mind has a way of coming up with ideas and solutions when direct focus is not placed on the problem. Almost everyone has experienced a situation where, after failing to try forcing a solution, they took a break and, without any effort, suddenly a solution popped into their head. This step is sadly ignored in most decision-making processes. The best place for this step is after all the information has been gathered and looked at as described. During the weekend, everyone will be doing something unrelated to work, incubating their ideas without wasting valuable time during the week.

Session 2: Finding the Solution

“Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” —Albert Einstein

The following steps for Session 2 will guide you to an optimal solution:

1. Start with a brain game. The best games are exercises that get people thinking critically about a problem in a new way. These exercises don’t have to relate to business—research shows that when the critical-thinking mindset is activated by any task, the mindset carries over to the next task to produce results.

2. See if anyone has any new solutions. Referring to the first session, see if anything came to anyone over the weekend that uses standard solutions.

3. Get people to give wild solutions. Have the participants use their imagination and dream up wild solutions to the problem. It doesn’t matter if they seem crazy at first—just get everything out there. Standard ideas from other disciplines that have never been applied to a problem like the one being tackled can be very useful.

4. Get everyone’s gut reaction to the options presented. There’s no need for any justification. This serves the same purpose as step three from the first session.

5. List the weaknesses. Go over each solution and have people come up with possible weaknesses of each approach.

6. List the strengths. Go over each solution again, this time listing their strengths.

7. Make a decision. By the time you get to this step, the solution will probably be obvious. If not, look at the solutions side-by-side. If consensus cannot be reached (and you have the resources), see if both solutions can be tested simultaneously for the next week by different people.

8. Articulate the decision as a concrete goal with a specific result. It is imperative that the goal is framed in terms of the specific desired result. A targeted result must be measurable including a definitive deadline. A result that says: “Design a new product packaging” doesn’t offer sufficient clarity and direction. “Develop a new product prototype that communicates our new focus on the customer by January 15, 20XX” will do the job. This can be the single most important factor in getting a team to work effectively.

9. Delegate responsibilities. Assign tasks to everyone present that makes full use of their skills. It helps knowing who you’re working with. People may have skills you’re unfamiliar with that would benefit the project.

Working Together

This process should create a clear solution. As everyone plays a role in determining the solution, each team member is more likely to be motivated to follow the project through to completion.

No matter who came up with the final solution, the project is the property of the group. Everyone is accountable for the project’s result. If anyone fails, everyone fails. This attitude creates a supportive system and encourages communication and responsibility.

Although it’s important to have group consensus, it’s equally important to focus on the contributions of the individual. Have specialists take leadership roles whenever possible. People with specialized knowledge are best equipped to run the related part of the project, allowing them to shine individually.

The leader should focus on maintaining the balance between the group project and individual expertise, ensuring that proper ideas and communication are being exchanged and making sure each person has what he or she needs from the group in order to operate at optimal capacity.

Schedule Meetings

Weekly meetings should be scheduled to monitor progress. They don’t have to be long; they are simply to facilitate communication and follow-through (creating accountability), and to monitor the project’s progress. If something isn’t working, identify it, and have the group brainstorm fixes. Repeat the process of listing standard fixes, then wild fixes, examining the weaknesses, then strengths, and finally determining a usable solution.

These weekly meetings also establish benchmarks that will keep people focused and motivated to produce. These times are a showcase for highly motivated people as well—they will force themselves to accomplish as much as possible so they can contribute their individual talents to the group. This perspective is contagious, as hard work propagates hard work.

Play Along

If you want to ignite your team’s creative energy, learn to see this process through. It’s easy to jump to the end and skip steps. We all have the urge to try to get to the better ideas faster. The creative process can’t be rushed, however, and we must honor it.

If you can learn to foster an open environment and set up the optimal conditions for creativity to thrive with your group, the collective creative juices will begin to flow, transforming your business or division.

Viola Spolin, co-founder of the improvisational style of theatre, taught children to play games to solve problems; playing stimulates the mind to create solutions. How can you play? If you are selling a book, what if you were forced to use the book as another object in an activity or discussion? What associations would arise? You can check out Spolin’s Theatre Games for the Classroom for exercises to jumpstart your mind for creativity.

Playing along will take you out of your comfort zone; that’s part of its power. If you’re having trouble playing along, try adopting the mindset of a child. Children are happiest when they are allowed to play. Conversely, children’s creativity helps them to have fun! Children have always used their imagination to create new ways of play.

Commit to this creative process to generate new, exciting solutions. Having fun with this process will ensure its successful implementation.

More Points to Keep in Mind

  • Push people to listen to others when they are speaking. The single most important factor in producing ideas in a group brainstorm (that outweighs those produced by an equal number of individuals working independently) is the attention paid to other people’s ideas. Ideas propagate ideas, but only if people are paying attention.
  • Make sure there are no distractions. Turn off the cell phones. No one should leave the meeting when everyone else is working. Too much rambling and too many tangents create a background noise that has been shown to impede the generation of ideas.
  • Guard against heavy discussion among group members directed towards a solution; this is especially important early on. If information or opinions are shared among group members and this information dominates a discussion, the final solution often gets skewed toward this solution. It also makes it less likely that someone else will present unique information.
  • Be wary of anyone who is “the expert.” With difficult decision-making, there is a tendency for groups to come to a consensus that mirrors the solution suggested by “the expert,” but this doesn’t necessarily produce the best solution. Focus on the collective expertise of the group rather than the individual.
  • Delegate a set amount of time to each segment of the session. If sessions have no clear ending time, they tend to end with ramblings. There’s no need for the same ideas to be stated more than once.
  • Be flexible: If it seems like more time is genuinely needed, spend more time on it.

Unlock Your Team’s Creative Firepower

Bring our on-site Creativity Sprint for Marketing Teams to your office (or run it virtually). In one high-energy session, we’ll turn fuzzy problems into testable ideas your customers will love.

Book your workshop: cultbranding.com • Email: [email protected]

October 5, 2025 by

The Digital Mindset: A Lesson from Tsedal Neeley

Tsedal Neeley is the Naylor Fitzhugh Professor of Business Administration and Chair of the MBA Program at Harvard Business School. She’s also a board director, bestselling author, and one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices on leadership and the future of work.

Recently, she shared a simple but profound reminder: 

Everyone should develop at least 30% fluency in AI, data, and digital transformation.

Not mastery. Not a PhD. Not coding fluency. Just 30%.

Enough to know what AI can do. Enough to know what it cannot.

That’s where it clicked.

Because most leaders I meet want certainty. They want control. They want the whole playbook before they move. But the truth is—you don’t need the whole thing. You need just enough fluency to ask better questions, to see possibilities, to make smarter decisions.

Neeley broke it down beautifully:

  • Understand the basics—machine learning, algorithms, data privacy.
  • Commit to learning continuously—technology won’t wait.
  • Learn to collaborate—with people, and with machines.
  • Transform your mindset—innovation comes from curiosity, not fear.

Simple. Clear. Demanding.

But here’s the line that stayed with me: Humans with AI will do better than humans without AI.

It’s not us vs. the machines. It’s us with them.

And that’s the deeper lesson. Because this isn’t just about technology. It’s about how we grow.

Brands need the same fluency. But not in data or algorithms—in culture. In belonging. In human identity. A brand fluent in culture thrives. A brand blind to culture fades.

So yes, learn AI. Learn data. Learn the digital basics. Get your 30%.

But don’t stop there. Build your cultural fluency, too.

Because the future won’t just belong to those who understand the machines. It will belong to those who understand people.

September 28, 2025 by

Why Creative Risk is the Lifeblood of Brand Building

I can’t think of a more special breed of people than creatives.

Every time a creative pitches a bold campaign, challenges the status quo, or takes a big risk, they’re standing exposed in front of thousands of consumers, peers, shareholders, and competitors.

And yet, they keep doing it.

Thank goodness.

Because if there’s one thing we all know, it’s this: playing it safe is the fastest route to irrelevance.

In The Cult Branding Workbook, I call this the Golden Rule of Courage: cult brands are built by leaders and creatives who dare to be different, even when the world is skeptical. Liquid Death turned canned water into a counterculture icon. Glossier reimagined beauty by handing the microphone to its community. Supreme built a global following by embracing scarcity and audacity. None of them played it safe.

That knot in your stomach before you launch something new?
That nagging voice asking, “Have we gone too far?”

Those aren’t warnings. They’re your creative compass pointing true north.

Sure, you could settle for cookie-cutter campaigns and beige messaging. But where’s the magic in that? The most meaningful breakthroughs in branding come from someone raising their hand and saying, “What if?” even when their voice shakes, even when the data isn’t crystal clear, even when failure is a real possibility.

The truth is simple: living small is not only boring, it’s a disservice to the brands we serve and the customers who trust us.

So let’s stop punishing creative risk. Let’s celebrate it. Because behind every brand that earns cult-like loyalty is a creative who dared to push further than the rest.

The question is: what risks will you take this week?

September 5, 2025 by

Why Great Creative + Smart Media Planning Supercharge Ad Effectiveness

At the recent IPA Effectiveness Conference, Dr. Grace Kite presented some eye-opening research that should grab the attention of anyone responsible for marketing budgets.

When you combine really great creative with really great media planning and buying, you can achieve up to a 4x uplift in discounted cash flow — meaning, the future payback on your advertising spend grows dramatically.

That’s not a small incremental gain — that’s multiplying the return you get from the same budget.

So, what were the key drivers behind this kind of breakthrough ad effectiveness? Here are the top highlights from the day, especially for brands looking to get the most out of their media investments:

✅ Invest in Truly Great Creative
It’s tempting to cut corners on production, especially under budget pressure, but that’s often a false economy.

System1’s example of Yorkshire Tea’s long-running “Where everything’s done proper” campaign showed how powerful it is to have a distinctive, long-lasting creative platform. This applies not just to your big TV ads, but across all creative assets — digital, social, in-store, and more.

✅ Drive Emotional Connection
The most successful campaigns, both short and long term, aren’t just clever — they move people. Emotional connection is a key driver of ad effectiveness, making your brand more memorable and creating stronger consumer loyalty over time.

✅ Commit to Long-Term Creative Platforms
Here’s where many marketers get nervous: sticking with the same creative idea over multiple years. But the evidence is clear — campaigns with long-term creative consistency deliver far better results. That’s because they reinforce memory structures, build brand meaning, and make future marketing more efficient.

The Bottom Line

If you want your media dollars to work harder, the formula isn’t mysterious — but it does require discipline and courage.

You need to:

  • Create truly great, distinctive, emotionally resonant work.
  • Invest in smart, well-planned media that amplifies that work.
  • Stick with long-term creative commitments to build momentum.

When you bring these pieces together, the research shows you can dramatically boost your payback — not just now, but well into the future.

P.S. Want to see what bold creativity looks like in action (without sitting through another dull pitch deck)? Cult. Creative. is our latest live deck—packed with killer ideas, unforgettable ads. View it in Google Slides—no downloads, just instant inspiration. [Request access here.]

May 18, 2025 by

The Best End Line Was Never Written—It Was Experienced at Disney

What’s the best brand line I’ve ever come across?

It’s not one you’ll find in a slogan.

It’s what you experience the moment you walk into Disney.

Disney has used taglines like “The Happiest Place on Earth” or “Where Dreams Come True,” but that’s not what makes it iconic.

What makes Disney unforgettable is that it delivers on those promises—without having to say them out loud.

That’s the difference between marketing and meaning.

Most brand slogans today? They’re polished, inoffensive, and completely forgettable:

“Because you’re you.”
“We care.”
“Tomorrow. Today.”

None of these say anything real. They’re engineered by committees, tested to death, and stripped of all conviction. They sound like they’re trying to be everything to everyone—and in doing so, they stand for nothing.

Here’s the hard truth: If your brand doesn’t stand for something meaningful, no tagline will fix that.

At The Cult Branding Company, we’ve spent decades studying what makes customers fall in love with brands—why they tattoo logos on their skin, travel cross-country to attend brand events, and refer products like they’re spreading gospel.

It’s never because of a clever turn of phrase.

It’s because the brand reflects something they believe in.

Take Disney. People don’t return year after year because of a line on a brochure.

They come back because of what Disney represents: wonder, care, consistency, magic—and a level of intentionality so detailed that it creates memories that last a lifetime.

You don’t need a slogan when every touchpoint delivers your message.

That’s what most modern marketers forget.

They chase efficiency. They A/B test language. They cut creative corners to hit quarterly KPIs.

And then they wonder why no one cares.

If your brand needs a line to explain itself, ask a better question:

What do we actually stand for?
What experience do we consistently deliver?
What emotional territory do we own in our customer’s life?

Because cult brands don’t start with slogans.
They start with belief.

And once you get that right, the words become obvious—if you even need them at all.

P.S. If this resonated with you, don’t miss our latest white paper: Cult. Creative. It features cutting-edge research on building culturally magnetic brands in the age of distraction—plus a curated collection of some of the best TV spots ever made to inspire you and your team. You won’t download a PDF—you’ll view it live, right in Google Slides. Click here and request access to explore the work.

May 6, 2025 by

How Exploration and Evaluation Shape the Path to Purchase

If you want to build a brand that customers love—not just buy—you need to understand how people actually make decisions.

Contrary to what many dashboards suggest, purchasing isn’t a straight path from ad to cart. It’s more like a loop—an emotional, non-linear journey of curiosity, consideration, and sometimes confusion.

We call this journey the “Messy Middle.”

The Two Mental Modes in the Messy Middle

The latest behavioral research shows that people shift between two distinct mental modes on their path to purchase:

  • Exploration – a wide-ranging, open-ended search for possibilities. It’s imaginative. Emotional. People want to discover what’s out there, what feels right, and what surprises them.
  • Evaluation – a narrowing down of choices. It’s more deliberate. Rational. Here, people compare options, read reviews, visit pricing pages, and try to make “the best” decision.

Now here’s the kicker: every action your customer takes—on search engines, social platforms, review sites, or marketplaces—falls into one of these two modes.

This means every experience you create, every message you deliver, and every asset you design needs to align with one of these mindsets.

Are you inspiring curiosity? Or are you helping customers feel confident in their choice?

The Trap of Assuming Logic Wins

Most brands cater almost exclusively to Evaluation mode. They flood their pages with comparison charts, star ratings, testimonials, and case studies. These are important, no doubt.

But if you don’t earn attention in Exploration mode, you won’t make it to Evaluation.

And in today’s crowded markets, the brands that spark fascination and intrigue are the ones that win hearts—and wallets.

How Cult Brands Work the Loop

Cult Brands do this differently. They build stories, values, and symbols that invite people into Exploration. They feed curiosity and provide meaning. Then, when it’s time to evaluate, they provide clarity and trust.

Think Netflix or Trader Joe’s. These aren’t brands people simply compare. They’re brands people feel something about. That emotional connection starts in Exploration—and makes Evaluation a formality.

What This Means for You

As a brand leader, ask yourself:

  • Are we only showing up during Evaluation—or are we sparking interest during Exploration?
  • Do we understand what motivates our customers emotionally before they rationalize their choices?
  • Are we creating content and experiences that meet both mindsets?

The goal isn’t just to be the logical choice—it’s to be the brand they want to believe in. And that means playing a more nuanced game.

One that understands that people aren’t data points—they’re human beings.

And as long as that’s true, Exploration and Evaluation will always guide their journey.

It’s your job to show up powerfully in both.👋 I’m BJ Bueno, branding strategist and author of The Power of Cult Branding. If you’re looking to build lasting brand relationships, explore more insights at CultBranding.com.

May 4, 2025 by

Why Cutting Low-Converting Traffic Starves Your Future Growth

In today’s performance-obsessed marketing culture, optimization feels like the golden rule. We measure, we A/B test, we trim the fat. We narrow our targeting to the most “efficient” segments. It feels smart. Clean. Precise.

But there’s a problem: what feels like smart marketing on a dashboard is often the first step toward starving your future.

Let me explain.

The Dashboard Deception

We’ve all been in the room when a team proudly reports on how they’ve optimized their campaigns by cutting “low-converting” traffic. They beam as they show higher CTRs, better ROAS, cleaner funnels. It’s a dopamine hit for the data-driven mind.

But zoom out. What’s being cut is not just inefficiency—what’s being cut is discovery.

That top-of-funnel “inefficient” traffic? That’s tomorrow’s loyal customer. That mobile evening browser? She’s not converting today—but she’s getting to know your brand. And when she’s ready to make a purchase—likely on a desktop, likely in the morning—you may have already cut the thread that connected her to you.

The Hidden Cost of Hyper-Efficiency

We’ve worked with some of the world’s most beloved cult brands. One pattern we’ve seen again and again is that they don’t treat attention like a transaction. They treat it like a relationship.

Relationships require patience. Not everyone converts on the first touchpoint—or the fifth. But if you’re only investing in people who are ready to buy today, you’re ignoring the journey that leads them there.

And more importantly, you’re handing tomorrow’s buyers to your competitors.

Building for Tomorrow

Too often, marketers focus only on quick wins—optimizing for immediate conversions while unknowingly shutting down the pathways that lead to long-term growth. When discovery moments—like evening mobile browsing—are ignored or undervalued, the brand misses a crucial chance to make an early impression.

Instead, the brands that win are the ones planting seeds. They understand that someone browsing on their phone at night might come back the next morning on a desktop, ready to convert. That trust, built quietly over time, is what drives tomorrow’s results.

This is the “messy middle” that Google describes—a nonlinear, emotional journey filled with loops, detours, and returns. If your brand isn’t showing up early in that journey, you may never be in the running when the final decision is made.

CEOs: This Is a Leadership Issue

The temptation to prioritize short-term gains is strong. Your board wants results. Your team wants wins. But leadership isn’t about chasing the nearest carrot—it’s about having the courage to invest in long-term value.

Ask yourself:

  • Are we cutting spend that builds awareness simply because it doesn’t convert fast enough?
  • Are we designing our customer experience to support exploration and evaluation, or are we fixated only on conversion?
  • Are we building loyalty, or just transactions?

Remember: cult brands aren’t built on conversions. They’re built on connections.

The Cult Branding Mindset

Cult brands don’t optimize people out of their funnels. They create magnetic experiences that pull people in. They understand that brand love is a journey—and they’re willing to invest in it.

If you’re serious about building a loyal following, stop starving your future pipeline in the name of short-term efficiency. Get curious. Get expansive. Play the long game.

You’re not just building for today—you’re building for tomorrow.P.S. Want to see what bold creativity looks like in action (without sitting through another dull pitch deck)? Cult. Creative. is our latest live deck—packed with killer ideas, unforgettable ads. View it in Google Slides—no downloads, just instant inspiration. [Request access here.]

May 2, 2025 by

The $4 Trillion Blind Spot: Why Creative Quality Is Your Real ROI Problem

We’ve entered a marketing era obsessed with optimization.

Media teams are targeting down to the decimal. Audience segments are sliced to the molecule. Programmatic budgets are tweaked daily to squeeze out fractional gains in click-through rates and conversion metrics.

And yet, amid all this precision, we continue to overlook the most critical—and most wasteful—aspect of advertising.

The idea itself.

According to new research from Adam Sheridan (Ipsos) and Jones Knowles Ritchie, an astonishing 85% of advertising dollars are spent on assets that aren’t truly distinctive.

That’s nearly $4 trillion globally—spent on creative that fails to leave a mark.

Let’s pause there. 

In a world where marketers fight over budget and ROI, we’re funneling the vast majority of our investment into assets that people don’t remember, don’t recognize, and don’t associate with our brands.

How did we get here?

Recognition Is the First Principle of Branding

As Sheridan notes, we’ve become so focused on the bottom of the funnel—trying to extract an extra 0.01% conversion bump—that we’ve forgotten the first rule of brand building:

If people don’t know it’s you, it doesn’t matter what you said.

Recognition isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the foundation. It’s what makes everything else—trust, preference, loyalty—possible. And yet, we continue to allocate massive budgets to media while underinvesting in the creative elements that actually drive memory.

Distinctiveness Is Difficult—But Not Mysterious

Let’s be honest: creating distinctive, ownable advertising is hard. You can’t always predict what will become iconic.

But we now have clear evidence of what increases your odds:

  • Ipsos found that high-performing creative uses a broader mix of brand assets 34% more often than low-performing ads.
  • Sound, fluent scenarios, recurring characters—these can generate up to 9x more branded attention than a logo alone.
  • The best ads aren’t just “branded” at the end—they feel like your brand from the very first second.

And yet, we’re still measuring logo placement and brand mentions as if that’s what creates recall. It’s not.

Creative Quality + Media Quality = Profitable Growth

Too often, creative and media are treated as separate silos. But they’re not. They’re co-dependent. The best media strategy in the world can’t rescue bland creative. And brilliant creative won’t perform in the wrong channels.

Real, sustainable brand growth happens when you pair distinctive creative with high-attention media.

Think radio. Think print. Think TV. These are the channels that drive memory, narrative, and emotion. They’re not just media buys—they’re brand-building engines when used with intention.

Time to Rebalance Our Attention—and Our Budgets

As marketers and brand leaders, we’ve spent the past decade mastering efficiency. Now it’s time to master meaning.

Because brand growth doesn’t come from better clicks, it comes from deeper connections. From storytelling. From memory. From being truly, unmistakably you—over and over again.

So the next time your team is reviewing media performance or creative strategy, ask a different question:

Will anyone remember this ad next week?
Will they remember it’s us?

If the answer is no, go back to the idea. That’s where the ROI really lives.

P.S. Want to see what bold creativity looks like in action (without sitting through another dull pitch deck)? Cult. Creative. is our latest live deck—packed with killer ideas, unforgettable ads. View it in Google Slides—no downloads, just instant inspiration. [Request access here.]

April 29, 2025 by

Why Your CFO Should Care Deeply About Your Brand

In many organizations, brand is still viewed as the domain of marketing—something colorful, creative, and occasionally nebulous. But in today’s competitive landscape, that view is dangerously outdated. The truth is this: your brand is a financial asset.

And it’s time the CFO paid closer attention.

A strong brand does far more than differentiate your company in the marketplace. It enhances almost every key business metric that matters to the CFO:

  • It lowers customer acquisition costs by creating recognition and trust before a sales conversation even begins.
  • It commands pricing power by anchoring value in the minds of customers, often allowing for premium margins.
  • It increases customer lifetime value by deepening loyalty and retention.
  • It reduces talent acquisition costs by attracting employees who want to be associated with a purpose-driven brand.
  • And it protects market share, serving as a moat against newer or cheaper competitors.

In other words, brand strength shows up not just in marketing dashboards, but in the P&L and the balance sheet.

This is especially true in legacy businesses. Consider First American, a company with more than 130 years of history and billions in revenue. Its CMO, Chelsea Sumrow, understands the delicate balance required when managing a brand with such deep roots. In her words:

“Don’t get stuck in old routines.”
“Test, learn, pilot, and fail fast.”
“Effectiveness is about outcomes over outputs.”

It’s a message every CFO should hear: legacy shouldn’t mean inertia. Innovation isn’t a threat to brand value—it’s essential to sustaining it. That’s why the most successful heritage brands are the ones that invest in experimentation while staying true to their core identity.

Too often, CFOs and CMOs speak different languages. One talks in margins and ROIs; the other in emotion and storytelling. But when you look closely, brand investment and financial performance are tightly linked.

In fact, numerous studies—including those from McKinsey and Kantar—show that companies with strong brands outperform their peers in revenue growth, profit margins, and shareholder returns.

So here’s the bottom line:

If your brand vanished tomorrow, would anyone notice? Would your revenue suffer? Would your customers still know who you are—or care?

If the answer is yes, then you have a real asset worth protecting and growing. And that makes brand a matter not just of marketing strategy, but of financial stewardship.

It’s time to bring the CFO into the brand conversation—not as a skeptic, but as a strategic partner. Because in today’s world, a brand is not a cost center. It’s a growth engine.

And those who understand that—at every level of leadership—will be the ones who win.

April 27, 2025 by