Strands of Genius: What Brands Operating In Nazi Germany Teach Us About Marketing, So You Think You Can Design Football Kits, My Grandma Probably Deserves Her Own Netflix Series

Guest curated by Adrian Mediavilla, Co Founder, (Granpaso) Strategy Company

Sep 26, 2024

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, ADRIAN MEDIAVILLA ::

LOCATION: Madrid, Spain

For most of my career I worked at creative agencies (the latest being Slap Global where I partnered up with the legendary Gerry Graf!) however I grew increasingly tired of answering the clients questions through the lens of advertising.

So we've created (Granpaso) Strategy Company to do two things: one, find different ways to answer brand questions and two, help brands come up with more interesting questions.

And because the name of the company is vague on purpose, we can do pretty much whatever we want. Right now, we're developing a series of children's books to turn the history of sports clubs into bedtime stories.

Which I guess is a more interesting way to solve the brief "How does my sports club remain relevant to younger audiences?".

Editor’s Note (Genius Steals): Faris and Adrian connected through that thing that we will always call Twitter, and recently deepened their connection during an insightful conversation for Adrian’s newsletter, Skip Ads. We’re thrilled to welcome Adrian to our community today—his dynamic energy is truly infectious! Thank you for joining us, Adrian, and we hope to meet you in person soon. :)

HEY NYC! YOU’RE ALL INVITED TO THE LWS ELECTION PARTY

Our friend Kim, founder of LWS, will be hosting an unforgettable Election Night celebration on November 5th! While LWS events are typically only open to members, this ticketed event is open to all - whether you identify as a Lady Who Strategizes or an ally :)

The party will feature an open bar serving premium tequila and craft non-alcoholic cocktails, as well as an array of delicious bites from female-founded food brands. Plus, the vibes will be top-notch in a chic Lower Manhattan venue! Get your ticket now and use the code: GENIUSSTEALSRULES for $10 off your entry!

:: THE LINKS ::

WHAT BRANDS OPERATING IN NAZI GERMANY TEACH US ABOUT MARKETING

A few months ago my friend Juan Isaza gave me a copy of “Think Small” a book about the story of the VW Beetle which doubles as a great Bill Bernbach biography. It's an amazing story of how a brand created by Adolf Hitler himself was able to become an American icon in the 1960s.

This link is another example of a brand that became popular in nazi Germany, Adidas, yet manage to become a global icon up to this day. On a side note, there's a great book about the rivalry between Adidas and Puma, for those interested: Sneaker Wars.

*Redemption* may be a good word for them. My point is, if VW and Adidas became runaways hits, so can any brand you work with, no matter how shit its origin story or current state may be. (Zeitgeist, Katja Hoyer)

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DESIGN FOOTBALL KITS?

When I was a little kid, I would spend hours drawing football kits. I was obsessed with it. The colourways, the sleeves, even the sponsors. Back then I never imagined designing football kits could be an actual job, but as it happens now there is an academy to get started in the world of football kit design. In case it's a rabbit whole you're willing to explore. (Spark Design Acadamy )

MY GRANDMA PROBABLY DESERVES HER OWN NETFLIX SERIES

Roser Ferran was the PA to the general manager of Pirelli Industries in Barcelona when the Spanish Civil War broke. When the Italians managing the company fled Spain -ironically, Barcelona was being bombed by Franco's army with the help of Mussolini- she became managing director of the factory as she was the only remaining person who could read and write. Later on she had to escape walking across the Pyrenees into French soil and went back to Spain with a secret message that she learned by heart (in case she got caught) and later delivered to the British ambassador in Barcelona. She was an example of early feminism in Spain. And so this is my pitch in case someone has a good contact at a streaming company. (Lavanguardia)

Looking for more from Adrian? Coming Friday, look for an interview from him in your inbox!

:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: Tintin Reporter - Cigars of the Pharaoh (PS4): I'm a big Tintin fan and this is the first videogame I've actively played along with my 5 year-old daughter, it's good fun!

:: City :: Santander, which is my home town (I was once asked if the city got its name from the namesake bank!)

:: Book :: Thinking Small: The Long, Strange Trip of the Volkswagen Beetle by Andrea Hiott

:: Podcast :: Anything Malcom Gladwell's Pushkin Industries churns out. Their Revisionist History is brilliant and the latest one, Medal of Honor, is pretty good.

:: Song :: La vie de tous les jours, by Jacques

:: HI THERE ::

"General Franco inside a Coca-Cola fridge” by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra made a few headlines when originally released in 2018. It can now be admired at the Museu de l'Art Prohibit (Museum of Forbidden Art) in Barcelona.

There are 9 cities called Madrid in the US, however if you’re ever in Madrid, Spain, by all means give the Granpaso team a shout.

Strands of Genius is currently read by more than 15,000 subscribers. Support us by sponsoring an issue, encouraging friends or colleagues to subscribe.

It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.

Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.

Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)

Strands of Genius