Strands of Genius: Gordon Euchler + Holiday Insights Unwrapped
featuring: an interview with our guest editor and a research report
Welcome to the Bonus edition of Strands of Genius! On Fridays, we’ll be publishing interviews from our guest editors, and sharing a research report. Thanks for being along for the ride. Oh and by the way, you look great today :)
:: STEAL THIS THINKING | RESEARCH REPORT ::
Get ahead of the holiday hustle. From gathering inspiration to searching for deals, holiday shopping is an omnichannel experience. Learn what motivates Target guests during this important season, when they shop and how to reach them at every point along the funnel.
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
GORDON EUCHLER, FOUNDER, SPIKES
>> Gordon Euchler, guest curated Strands on December 5th 2024. Read it here.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what keeps you busy. How did you end up doing what you’re doing today?
Excitement points - the rare moments that excite people.
It all started with the simple recognition: no one wakes up in the morning to see your ads.
And that kept me going while working in advertising. But when I moved to consulting, I realized that this is not an advertising problem. It's a problem of all things companies do.
So we developed a way to uncover these rare moments. And by not have 405,000+ of them. And each and every one of them is precious.
What excites you most about what you do?
I have no clue where this is going. Most things in building and scaling Spikes are new to me. And we are slightly overwhelmed by global demand.
So what excites me most? Being able not to do anything but breathing for 20 seconds.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
Forcing data to be creative.
And when it comes to leadership, I try to lead by the most interesting problems. And tackling them. All other forms of leadership I am less than talented.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
This is simple. Spikes. Building this business is by far the most intense project - and therefore the best .
We are big believers in diversity -- Not only because we believe in equality, but because we also think it’s better for business. How do you frame these kinds of conversations, both internally and with clients? Is there an emphasis on action, or are the conversations really more about communication?
Well, we are looking for the outliers. In all we do. That's the core of our business, so we would be stupid not to take it to everything we do.
Switching gears a bit, how do you find time to balance personal interests with your career? Do you believe work/life balance is possible? Anything you’ve implemented that you recommend that others try?
That's a funny one. I always was a firm believer in that balance. Reading obsessively books beyond advertising and consulting, but concerning all areas of human endeavour. Yet since I founded Spikes, there is no topic, that doesn't influence how Spikes is growing.
So at the end, only my family keep me from work. Interestingly, my kids have developed a keen interest in Spikes.
So there is no escape left.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
Very restricted.
Films my kids love to watch.
And books. Classical rethoric right now (not that I would understand much of it, but they do sound good - as you would expect).
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
“Do the difficult things first.” John Lowery told me that. If you want to feel uncomfortable, try it.
”Don't f*** this up now.” The words of one of my toughest rowing coaches I ever had. He said them, before the most important race of the season.
”Does it scale?” Our venture fund dentist told us that. And it gives us a precise filter what to work on. And what to avoid.
You can keep in touch with Gordon on LinkedIn.
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie | your friends over at geniussteals.co
(still want more? @faris is still “tweeting” while @rosieyakob prefers instagram stories)