Defiant

We grow brands in a radically better way.
Find out more: www.hellodefiant.com

Partner

Effie Worldwide

Judge

Droga5

Voted Top International Agency of the Year - Adweek (2020)

Worked on:

-Huggies
-Facebook
-The Minderoo Foundation 
-Amazon

Strategy Director

Wieden + Kennedy

Voted International Agency of the Year - Adage (2018)

Worked on:
-Smarty Mobile
-Three Mobile
-Tinder

YouTube

I won the 1st ever Grand Prix at the YouTube effectiveness awards

Grand Prix - YouTube Effectiveness Awards

IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising)

2 x IPA Effectiveness awards 

Saatchi & Saatchi

I worked across:
Visa Europe & UK
Kerry Foods
HomeAway
Deutsche Telekom
HSBC Global 

I won... 
-the first ever ever Grand Prix YouTube Effectiveness Awards.
-2 IPA Effectiveness Awards (one of the hardest awards to win in marketing)
-Cannes Creativity Awards, British Arrows & many more.

Most importantly i worked with some lovely people.

Global Strategy Director 

Senior Strategist

Dare

Voted the best Digital Agency of the Decade - Campaign.

Sainsbury's. Barclays Life Skills.

Brand planner

Wunderman Thompson

Won a place on the grad scheme. Promoted twice

Planner

I am an award-winning strategist, founder, and creative thinker.
I can help you in two ways 👇

I break down the strategy behind the world's top brands & creative campaigns. Sign up for free:
https://www.strat-labs.com/newsletter

Work with us at Defiant:
www.hellodefiant.com

This creative work is brilliant.
But the strategy behind it is even better 👇



TikTok had undgone rapid growth in recent yeats. In fact, it has already grown to be bigger than many other legacy social networks.

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵, 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.

It is locked into a younger audience and struggles to attract older generations.

Digging deeper TikTok has realized the real problem is that their platform is still perceived by some as the place of childish dancing and memes. They realized, therefore, that if they wanted to attract an older audience...they first needed to reposition TikTok in people's minds.

How would they do this?
Well, they discovered that people were also ditching Google search, due to concerns around their algorithm, in favour of searching on TikTok.

Understanding this has helped them reposition their brand


They needed to pivot...

𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠
A childish platform full of dancing

𝗧𝗢
A better kind of search engine where good things happen

👍 Like this post? Then you'll love our free newsletter where we break down the strategy behind the world's top brands and ad campaigns.
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Will Poskett

Award-winning strategist | Founder | Consultant

That advert is stupidly weird.
But that's why it beats the competition


Ever noticed how most cars look the same? Ever noticed how they follow a formula....

CAR DRIVING
+
WINDING ROAD
+
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱𝗲𝘇 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝘇 𝗰𝘂𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮.

And that's why they win.

𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠:
Demonstrate how good their handling is, by showing a car driving on a road, like everyone else.

𝗧𝗢:
Show the benefit of good handling by using an analogy of a chicken.

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This Nikon ad is genius
And any brand losing sales can learn from it

A.I. is THE biggest threat to photography. Many millions will lose their jobs & companies will close. 

What should you do when you're under attack?

𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻.

That's why this Nikon ad is genius. It repositioning the brand:

FROM:
Yet another camera product

TO:
The only way to capture the beauty of the real world

Bravo Nikon.

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This video reveals the biggest threat
To making brilliant creative work


My background is in strategy. 
I know the importance of research and working alongside clients. 

Yet over time, I have also learnt the importance of...

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀.



Bravo AICP (Association of Independent Commercial Producers) 👏 👏 👏 

And thanks to Kino . for sharing this video with me :)

♻ Repost if you agree/found this useful


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#strategy
#creativity
#marketing 
#brand


This ad in yesterday's New York Times
Reveals a huge mistake most brands make



Too many brands fail to think beyond their direct competition, their products & their immediate customers.

❌ 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵. ❌

The best brands, however, doing something different. They think beyond their category, unlock exponential growth and stand for something bigger. 

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱'𝘀 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.


Just like Patagonia....🌍

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧
in the fashion business.

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 𝗔𝗥𝗘
They are in the business of saving our home planet.


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Are you building a business right now?
This is the most important lesson of all.



#advertising
#marketing
#brand
#startup

This A.I. ad campaign is genius
Yet most brands won't be able to do it


Most brands chop & change their strategy and 'creative big idea' every few years. Dove is the exception to this rule.

𝗗𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 "𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆" 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝘆𝘀.

This allows it to:
-Build strong brand equity.
-Shape culture for the better
-Find a more relevant long-term stance on AI.

What can we learn from this?

𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗧
Use AI in a tactical way.

𝗗𝗢
Think about the long-term effect AI will have on your brand & plan the right long-term response.

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#brand
#marketing
#advertising
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This advert is amazing
But unfortunately, it is a fake...



The beauty category is one of the most boring around 🥱. Nearly every ad follows the same formula:

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹s
𝘅
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘁
𝘅
𝗔 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀.

That's why this ad is so brilliant from Miami Ad School students Kasia Grabek, Andres Wong, Florian Weitzel & David Herrmann is so good.

It brilliantly breaks the formula...

❌ no pretty models
❌ no generic product shots
❌ no list of product features.

Instead, it shows one simple benefit, in a super smart way.

Why won't this ad likely ever exist?

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮.

Yet if a beauty brand was 'brave enough' to do something like this, they would likely cut through and win.


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Thanks to Phoebe Sophia Russell for first showing me this.

This little ASICS shoe 
Is the best thing I've seen all year


𝟮𝟯.𝟵𝗠 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀.

To combat this ASICS has just announced its NIMBUS MIRAI.

Why is it so great?
-The shoe is designed to be returned.
-The shoe is designed to be recycled 
-The shoe is designed to be remade.
 

𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 & 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻.

A shoe that will never need to end up in a landfill.

Bravo ASICS Corporation 👏 


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Many love this rebrand.
Honestly, I don't think it is going to work


Whilst plant-based meat brands had been the darlings of the food industry, times have now changed.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱.

Why?

Well, the narrative has now shifted away from planet-based meats. With the rise of ZOE nutrition & influential professors such as Tim Spector, more of us are aware of the dangers of ultra-processed ingredients than ever before. The very same ultra-processed ingredients found in Impossible Foods.

So if the brand wants to reverse an 80%+ decline in share price, it should focus less on packaging and instead on the following:

1️⃣ Finding new formulas that don't involve ultra-processed ingredients.

2️⃣ Tackle this narrative/scepticism head-on in its communications.



🤔Agree or Disagree? Let me know in the comments.

♻️ Repost if you found this useful.

✅ Follow me Will Poskett for more daily takes on all things brand strategy & creativity.



_____________________________________ 

Thanks to Andrew Tindall for starting this interesting discussion, he shares some great stuff and worth a follow.

#marketing
#brand
#strategy
#advertising

I love working with scaleups but sometimes
It can be a bit of a challenge...


Btw join over 5,500 readers and check out my free newsletter where I break down the strategy behind the world's top brands and advertising campaigns:
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#marketing
#scaleup
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Heres why I would never use brand archetypes...



𝟭/𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀. 
Just as we shouldn't try to reduce all of humanity into 12 types, neither should we do the same for brands. It reduces nuance.

𝟮/𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀.
 The most ineffective kind of strategy is intellectual & overthought. Archetypes lead you into this trap and navigate you toward naval gazing. Far better to aim for simplicity.

𝟯/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆. 
Working with some of the greatest brands around, they never once relied on it.

Disagree? Fight me in the comments below


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Many seem to love this smelly campaign.
But I think it smells like a scam.


McDonald's just created a billboard that smells like French Fries....

Can you someone tell me:
-What business KPI this is driving?
-Who is it targeting?
-How expensive it was to make vs ROI?


Honestly, IMO, this is a piece of work to win a Cannes award. 

Do you agree?
Let me know in the comments. 👇 👇👇

♻️ Repost if you found this useful.

___________________________
#advertising
#marketing
#cannes

Many thought Prime was going to be a hit
Here's why it's a total failure


1️⃣ 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗘 𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 
The brand attempted to replicate the success of brands such as Supreme, by leveraging scarcity. Yet this would never work long term. The product is now too widely available & heavily discounted. Whilst you can sell a T-shirt for x100 markup...very hard to do for a hydration drink.


2️⃣ 𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘
The average buyer of Prime is 15 years and under. A notoriously fickle audience that pivots from one fad to the next. As the hype died down, the audience moved onto something else. 

3️⃣ 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗘. 𝗣𝗢𝗢𝗥 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗗𝗨𝗖𝗧
The brand has a tone of fame, via its famous co-founders. But as my old boss used to say...nothing kills a bad product faster, than great comms. 

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The UK creative industry is worth over £100bn
Yet our leaders don't take us seriously.


The UK is where The Beatles where born.
Where Shakespeare wrote his sonnets.
The nation that gave us Christopher Noland
A small island that makes big waves in..
Cinema, advertising, animation, music and more

Yet despite all of this the UK govt fails us
Over and over again.


Yet as the UK economy tanks.
Thanks to a blend of Brexit & price hikes.
And as the govt continues to make cuts to creativity...

It will be likely creativity that keeps the UK economy going again.

♻️ repost if you agree 

#marketing
#creative





If you want a winning strategy
You need to avoid this common mistake



When it comes to strategy it can be tempting only to hire those with too much experience. 

Yet this can be dangerous.

Don't believe me?
Let me show you why...


♻️ repost if you found this useful.
🗣️ let me know what you think in the comments


_____________________________
#brand
#marketing
#strategy

Dont hire too much exp

Why did we start Defiant ?
Because old agency models are broken...



Tired of...

-𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀?
-𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴?
-𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵, 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻?



Well, that's why we exist.


After over thirty years of working with the world’s most famous brands & at the most awarded creative agencies, we decided to build a better way. Our approach is always led by experience, flexibility, clarity & collaboration.



𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 
You always work directly with one of our partners.

𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲:
We plug in & out when you need us.
Meaning you get what you need.
And only pay for what you want.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆:
Total clarity and transparency

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲:
We work with you and alongside you, at every stage.



So if you're looking for some big strategic thinking or bold creativity, drop me a DM and lets chat.

Thanks to Megan Hill and Ellie Gould for such a brilliant chat on the wonderful Untalented Podcast 🙏 

_______________________________
#strategy
#agency
#brand
#marketing


Our results are 500% higher than projected
For our recent advertising campaign 👇👇👇


Challenger brand Work-Life was outspent & 'out-famed' by bigger brands such as WeWork.

𝗪𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆.

So, what do we do?
Looking at the category we observed that all brands followed a formula. They all conveyed a generic and happy portrayal of office life - one that was idealised and totally inauthentic. We released we could outsmart the category by portraying a more authentic take on work life.

We released we could show the bad bits of the office and show how Work Life helps to remove it. So we repositioned the brand as:

"𝗪𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆"


Results?
+71% increase in spontaneous awareness
+best sales quarter on record.

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❤️Full case study in comments

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#brand
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Got some exciting new projects coming up.
And we are on the hunt for some creatives 👇


Whether you are working full-time in an agency and up for moonlighting or a freelancer, we would love to hear from you if are...

-A conceptual copywriter
-Working in a team but can work solo
-Solo creative.

MUST have a proven track record of being able to come up with big creative ideas...especially in TV and print.

Interested?
Please fill out the form here:
https://lnkd.in/eZy-s3mc

♻️ 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

Thanks 🙏

#creative
#marketing
#brand

All that Linkedin spamming was worth it.
Thanks for the kind words Joe Glover ❤️ 

Co-Founder of The Marketing Meetup | The Marketing Academy Alumni

I really enjoy LinkedIn, but I have become disappointed with the increasing number of posts in my feed that are just pictures of advertisements with the commentary, 'This is genius'. 

To me: 

- These posts don't elevate the industry as they don't pick out accessible principles we can learn from.
- It's quick engagement bait but feeds the narrative that 'marketing = advertising'. 
- And tend to highlight the kinds of ads that are often wildly out of budget for 99% of marketers.

🍑 But that's not the point of this post. 

Because that moan is an example of an inflection point: 

- Continue to get annoyed forever and downplay the bad
- Or, drop it, and seek to elevate the good instead

Both have their place, but more often than not - the latter serves better than the former. 

And so here is some celebration of folks who make me smarter, and my feed better with good vibes and good thoughts. Folks like: 

- Will Poskett (strategy) 
- April Dunford (positioning)
- Dr Grace Kite (data and stuff) 
- Asia Orangio (strategy)
- Jeremy Connell-Waite (storytelling) 
- Vinay Parmar (retention)
- Chris Arning (semiotics)
- Kirsty Hulse 💪 (confidence)
- Chance Marshall (mental health)
- Phill Agnew (behavioural sci)
- Heather Murray (AI)
- Kieran Flanagan (AI)
- david mcqueen (leadership)

I appreciate them and plenty more who make this platform a generally great experience. 

You can seek the bad, or you can seek the good. 

That's often a choice (not always, but y'know).

And now I'm writing this post with a smile on my face. 

I hope today is a great one ✌️

Taplio

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Taplio

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