Growing up, I remembered Texaco’s slogan: “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star…the bright Texaco star.” When the infamous high school friend became the manager of his local Texaco at just 19 years old, it became clear that trusting him with your car was a mistake, star or not. I used to think anything labeled “government approved” was reliable, until I realized how incompetent the government was. There’s also a saying: “The most trusted name in the news” – but more trustworthy than what? Today, America’s bullshit detectors are sharper than ever, especially among the growing segment of “popular smart people” who feel ignored. Once you have a slogan, you risk becoming one of the liars. Many marketers fail to grasp this, and new mainstream consumers are increasingly skeptical. That era of blind trust is over.
This brings us to a new element: trust. Traditional brands may try to fool their audiences with slogans like “you can trust us,” but that’s just a ploy, not true trust.
In the digital age, you can usually trust your friends, which is a large part of the power of social media. But what about brands? It’s rare to earn real trust, especially given the legions of critics and self-proclaimed experts. It’s a disturbing trend, but one that benefits those outside the corporate world. Remember the days when you could trust your local radio DJ to play great music? Nowadays, radio has become so universal that even the average listener can understand it. You might like the song, but it’s unlikely that you’ll like it because of the DJ’s approval. Don’t get me started on the TV news.
Today, everyone has a voice, which is fine, but you can’t trust 95% of the voices. In the world of brands, this ratio may be closer to 99%, making a handful of trusted sources even more valuable.
Trust is built on passion, character and strength. You can hear these qualities in the work of Howard Stern, for example.
Building trust requires respect. Treat your audience like fans and they may become loyal supporters. If you think of them as pure statistics (like Millennials or Gen Z), that’s just what they are.
Calmness and trust are two key elements. A lot of it depends on what you don’t do, which is why we insist on rethinking everything to avoid falling into a mediocre corporate culture. While I respect what corporate media has accomplished, imitating them will lead to failure. What is past is past; the focus should be on creating something new.
So, who inspires our sense of trust and coolness? They are certainly not major media players. They were visionaries like Kubrick and the Beatles, embodying both qualities through their work.
One of the important lessons we teach in boot camp revolves around the creation of the “Sgt.” “Pepper” and “2001: A Space Odyssey.” These works:
– perfectly capturing their era and resonating with the culture of their time. Although outdated, their essence still arouses curiosity and relevance today.
– Driven by revolutionary thinking – free and fueled by a boundless passion to create. They represent pure truth.
This isn’t about reliving the ’60s; It’s about introducing a process and style that fosters original, exceptional work that reflects today’s world, rather than some outdated focus group mentality or “this is how NBC does it” status quo. There is a way to create media that drives business.
The process is free of Madison Avenue clichés and corporate jargon. It develops creators with great potential—writers, producers, brand strategists—and equips them with “sergeant” level tools for innovative thinking. In today’s context, “Pepper” or “2001.”
Gonzo creativity thrives in technology! Yet, in content creation, we often feel like we’re stuck in the past. It’s about the fusion of great content and breakthrough technology. The goal should be to create programming that is as captivating as the technology that delivers it, rather than hoping that mediocre content becomes extraordinary just by being online.
We were inspired by 2001 and Sgt. Pepper” is not from the Internet or an old media conglomerate. It comes from the process, soul, truth and bold imagination required to create outstanding work that reflects the 21st century. While movies have adopted this approach, radio and television formats have yet to implement it.
We build the future through extreme creativity, drawing inspiration from extraordinary sources. The creative process has been strikingly similar over the centuries. It’s just that few people think that way these days, opting instead for boardroom decisions and creativity on autopilot. Curious about this? Just browse cable TV and you’ll see.
Personally, what I find most exciting is hiring talented people, giving them a framework and a fresh perspective, and watching them create 21st century interpretations of 2001 and Sgt. black pepper. This is not copying; That’s impossible.
It’s about learning the mindset that drives these creations. Now, instead of reliving the 60s, we are embracing a way of thinking that inspires new brands, formats, production styles, economies and souls. You can’t design the future if you don’t understand the past, and then you have to unleash your creativity and create something that embodies 2020 – defined by streets, imaginative minds and the magic of creation, without the constraints of old media and clichés.
