Strands of Genius: Rob Engelsman + Entertain or Die
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 ::
In a world where established businesses hold all the power due to bottomless pits of paid media spend and the unfair advantage of big brand effects, there’s a class of brands that have developed a playbook to compete based around creativity, innovation and entertainment. These Entertainment Brands blur the lines between business and culture – planting themselves in people’s hearts and minds. For these brands, entertainment is a way of earning share of voice and the right to grow. But just what makes these Entertainment Brands so endlessly entertaining? And how can you replicate their attention stealing success for your brand? To answer these questions, the brand landscapes were analyzed and along the way, eight archetypes were uncovered: the ‘8 Entertainers’.
:: DIVE IN | THE INTERVIEW ::
ROB ENGELSMAN, COFOUNDER & STRATEGY PARTNER OF QUICK STUDY
>> Rob Engelsman guest curated Strands on April 4th, 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?
I’ve always been interested in storytelling, and happened to be finishing college around the same time that social media became a really interesting way to tell stories. I used my curiosity to fuel my passion and ended up as a community manager at an ad agency before transitioning into strategy. Then a few years ago I got the entrepreneurial bug and decided to try building a company that let me do the kind of strategy I wanted to within a process I helped design.
What excites you most about what you do?
I love learning new things about brands and categories I know nothing about. People like to say that the strategist should be the “smartest” person in the room, but I prefer to be the “dumbest” and ask questions that make folks take a step back and rethink how they see the problems they are solving for.
What beliefs define your approach to work? How would you define your leadership style?
Good solutions are backed in research, but not so beholden to data that they become stale or rote. If you can accurately predict the results of something, that means it’s been done so often that there’s a baseline. How can you take what is familiar and twist it just enough to make it feel new again?
When I led a strategy team, I did my best to clear a path so that my team could do their best work possible and not have to worry about the things that could hold them back - be it process or otherwise. I’m happy to help with story flow or insight digging, but the strategy being written and its voice is unique to the individual writing it.
What has been the most rewarding project you’ve worked on and why?
We recently wrapped an intensive research & strategy project for a major sports retailer that was incredibly fulfilling. We traveled across the country interviewing customers and employees on site, then backed up our learnings with extensive quantitative research. The resulting strategic POV was rewarding because of the work put in to get there and the clear tactical outputs the work created for our client.
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?
Far too often clients fall into the trap of believing that the audience for their brand is just like them. To combat this, one of the first things we do with clients is compare the way they talk about their brand to the way actual people do. This allows us to have an open conversation about the diverse interests, backgrounds, and beliefs of the potential audience, and show how better representing the brand in a diverse way can lead to better reception of the brand in the long run.
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?
When my cofounder Alexa and I were starting Quick Study, we tried to be intentional about creating a business that allowed for life outside the work. That being said, when it comes to strategy, anything we experience can help feed the work, so I’m not sure I ever feel truly turned off. One thing I do to help separate the two is keep a note on my phone of random thoughts and links to come back to during business hours.
What’s your media diet? Where do you find inspiration?
I subscribe to hundreds of newsletters, magazines, and news sources. Rarely am I able to read them all, but I find the broad mix of headlines, links, and writing to be a good way of understanding the bigger conversations happening in culture before I dig into the details. I also love going for walks around New York City and assenting to the occasional adventure that stretches my comfort zone.
What’s the best piece of advice/knowledge you’ve stolen, and who/where’d you steal it from?
I heard the phrase “Don’t mistake a parrot for a prophet” on TikTok this week and I will absolutely be stealing it for the future. So much of what we consume today is parroting others that it can be hard to find real substance, but our job as strategists is to do just that.
You can keep in touch with Rob 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)