We're a strategically-driven creative collective right in the heart of Shanghai.

There are many consumer research methodologies and approaches, but most of them are pretty useless. The most informative consumer research is always directly related to studying the functional, emotional, and social value one's product or service can offer to its consumers. Based on the findings, a company can tailor its short-term marketing tactics, long-term brand-building initiatives, and even adjust new product development if it doesn't match product-market fit.

While there are many ways to understand the concept of culture, we define it as a set of repeating practices and patterns bound together by a shared belief. Many brands aspire to be at the center of pop culture, or even move it forward, but most approach it by simply being loud during cultural moments that belong to others. We believe brands need to first define their own culture before engaging with broader culture. A brand's culture is defined by patterns such as visual symbols and cues, consistent sonic and visual language, and practices expressed through consistent services or community events, all shaped by a shared belief system. In the modern world, this thinking is known as the "brand world."

Traditional creative agencies often focus on cultural trends and consumer insights to formulate their strategy, but they often overlook how a company actually monetizes. The underlying logic of how different categories grow their business is very different. Beer, for instance, is built around on-trade and off-trade consumption volume, while sports, on the other hand, is driven by product design and brand aspiration. The formulas behind growth within each category are often very similar, but sometimes it is also important to look outward across categories and markets to see if there are learnings that can be implemented. Without truly understanding how an industry works and how to create measurable growth impact, it is very hard for agencies to sustain long-term partnerships with today’s brands.

In today’s highly distorted and schizophrenic media landscape, a stand-alone TV commercial will not make any real impact. Appearing at the right time, on the right medium, is often far more important than simply coming up with the right content. Communication planning should be given more priority in any brand and agency relationship. Realistic questions, such as how many waves of communication are needed and which mediums should be used, should be evaluated against marketing objectives. It is naive to standardize campaigns into two-week windows or simply rely on the buzz-engagement-sustain rollout formula. As we go through an AI revolution in content, and as social media placements become more expensive, we strongly believe in the growing importance of offline activation and well-thought-out partnerships.

Originality is often a key criterion when evaluating a great creative idea, but we believe it is only the basis for whether an idea is worth presenting. How we evaluate a great idea is whether it has an "interesting error." It did not really make sense when brands first made trail running more youthful, water more rebellious, or olive oil feel more like magazine editorials. The same applies to many product campaigns that demonstrate functionality in unusual ways. The trendiness and emotional impact a brand or product can create comes from finding the right balance of creating an error within the rules and context of a brand and category.