Ellyse apparently

CREATIVE DIRECTOR. FOUNDER. PROFESSIONAL FEELER OF THINGS.
HAS BEEN SAYING “WAIT, WHAT IF…” FOR 15 YEARS.
CURRENTLY THINKING ABOUT WHETHER BRANDS HAVE STRATEGIZED THE INSTINCT OUT OF THEMSELVES.

BIG FEELINGS. BIG IDEAS. SUSPICIOUS OF BEST PRACTICES.

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WHAT I NOTICED

The brands I’m most drawn to right now aren’t necessarily doing something revolutionary. They just seem incredibly sure of themselves. Like deeply.

They’re making the weird post. Keeping the imperfect photo. Putting something on the menu because they wanted to. Making merch nobody asked for. Showing the founder’s face. Building an entire campaign around a tiny idea.

There’s an instinct to it.

And after years of brands trying to optimize every square inch of themselves, instinct suddenly feels incredibly fresh.

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WHY I CARE

Because somewhere along the way, “strategic” started becoming synonymous with “explainable.”

We want the research to back it. The numbers to validate it. The algorithm to reward it. The deck to prove it. YES of course.

But some of the best brand decisions I’ve ever been part of started with someone saying, “I don’t know. I just think this would be really fucking good.”

That doesn’t mean there wasn’t strategy underneath it.

It means the strategy did its job.

It gave us enough clarity to trust ourselves. TRUST.

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WHAT I’D DO WITH IT

Build the foundation. Know who you are. Know your customer. Know what you stand for.

And then stop asking the strategy for permission.

Leave some room in the content calendar for the thing you thought of Tuesday morning. Let the founder post the thought before six people edit it. Make the tiny detail nobody can tie directly to conversion. Follow curiosity somewhere.

Because I think the brands we’re going to care about most are going to feel a little less optimized and a lot more alive.

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And your closing mic drop could simply be:

Apparently, instinct is a strategy too.

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