Toss the Pop-Cultural Rulebook, Create Your Community Playbook

20 years ago, I crash-landed into the ad world's wildest rodeo at CP+B, right before VW tossed us the keys to their creative castle. They slapped the title "Cogs" on us, the new breed of planners—cognitive anthropologists—for a fancy new label. Fresh from the halls of academia, I was thrust into a new culture, learning their brand strategy, and hunting for the next big idea. 

As the new kid on the block, I had a limitless sense of what was possible (a magic we should all endeavour to hold on to throughout our creative careers). My personal mission was to meld worlds, quickly unlocking the sacred bond between the VW “tuner” community and their beloved metal steeds and inputting that empathy and insight into our marketing machine. We were building the foundations of what would later be known as “outeractive” marketing—where brand stories are not just told but are lived, breathed, and felt. 

Here I am now, the chief experience officer at TEAM, a bit silver-streaked but still stoking the fires of change in business and culture. Our motley crew is a blend of old-guard Stagwellians, experienced TEAM lifers, and fresh-faced believers. We’re not just talking about big ideas and brand impact—we’re out here turning individuals into a community of passionate brand advocates. 

We’re riding the crest of a tidal shift, where DMs and group chats are the new spot for connection. These moves are shaking the foundations of Insta-glitz, shifting the focus to raw, unfiltered stories, to partnerships that are forged in flesh-and-blood – and then amplified in pixels. At TEAM, we're creators of enduring ideas and platforms, the antithesis of fast stunts, hype and vanity metrics that dissipate like smoke.

Brands have the unique opportunity to both tap into and foster communities, catering to a deep-seated desire for experiences that create connections. Building community reinforces our sense of identity and belonging. So don’t just develop campaigns—ignite a collective sense of purpose and connection that shape individual identities and community values. Instead of just aligning with or reappropriating culture; roll-up the sleeves and get to moulding and shaping it by hand. 

Look at the MINI Takes the States rally: it's not a procession of metal; it's a heartbeat of community, a collective pulse. A sea of enthusiasts not just sharing asphalt but cementing an unbreakable bond of brand kinship that spans coast to coast.

Step into the AMPARO Experience with the Real Havana Club, and you’re not just dipping your toes in narrative—you’re diving into an ocean of truth, a legacy as rich and dark as the rum itself. It's an immersive rite of passage that binds the brand's beating heart to its people, generation after generation.

In the creative arena that is the Cannes Festival for Creativity, where every brand is fighting for attention, Stagwell’s Sport Beach activation stands tall—not merely as an event but as a juggernaut platform making big brand moves in a space oversaturated with the same old moves. It is proof that culturally relevant, community-oriented experiences always make the most impact. Stagwell is not a sports marketing company, and it doesn’t need to be. When different people get together to connect over shared passions – like sports, creativity, and marketing – it builds brand relationships, and it builds community.  

At TEAM, we are focused on true impact—measured in heartbeats and brand love, not swag bags hoarded. With 100,000 experiences and events designed and delivered globally each year, the qualitative insights we gather fuel the big data that guides our creative vision. Consider La Roche-Posay's skin cancer crusade, where every handshake, every skin scan, every shared story, is a defiant strike for change. Or Miller Lite's "Know Your Beer" campaign, an unbranded taste challenge that sparked more than light discussions in bars, engaging a million people and lifting sales everywhere activated. 

We're doing more than blurring the line between digital and physical; we're crafting entirely new experiences. Shared experiences, in both live and digital worlds, create even deeper levels of engagement and immersion. By digitising our award-winning AMPARO experience, we've proven that the most profound feelings and experiences know no bounds. 

Don’t be a spectator in this advertising game; get on the field, make big plays, and change the game. Push the boundaries of what marketing can do for businesses and communities. At TEAM, we’re putting creative plays together for brands where big ideas, scale, community, partnerships, and a seamless digital-physical experience aren't just buzzwords, they’re real-world strategies in our winning playbooks.