Enduring 'stay-up' brands don't need to fundamentally reinvent their core product. Instead, they should focus on creating opportunities for consumers to 'reappraise' the brand in a current context. The goal is to make the familiar feel fresh and relevant again, connecting it to modern culture.

The 'Mad Men' era of relying on a creative director's gut feel is obsolete. Many leaders still wrongly judge marketing creative based on their personal taste ('I don't like that picture'). The correct modern approach is to deploy content and use the resulting performance data to make informed decisions.

The CEO of Unbound Merino found that his most polished, creative ads often underperformed. Conversely, ads he felt were cheesy or made him uncomfortable—specifically, founder-led videos—were highly effective, showing that authenticity can trump production value.

Analysis of B2B marketing shows that ABX is not a discipline where creative execution typically shines. Instead of fighting this, marketers should embed robust, data-driven thought leadership into their programs. This approach effectively shifts buyer perceptions and builds trust without relying on traditional creativity.

Contrary to the belief that ads quickly wear out, strong creative often performs better with repeated exposure. This concept of "wear in" justifies patience, allowing a new campaign to build familiarity and emotional connection with the audience, as stories grow resonance over time.

Adman Claude Hopkins turned Schlitz beer from fifth to first in market share by simply telling the story of their brewing process. Even though the process was standard, no one else was telling it. This highlights that "boring" operational details can be compelling marketing differentiators.

Simply adding a celebrity to an ad provides no average lift in effectiveness. Instead, marketers should treat the brand’s own distinctive assets—like logos, sounds, or product truths—as the true 'celebrities' of the campaign. This builds stronger, more memorable brand linkage and long-term equity.

Familiarity breeds contentment, not contempt. The 'Mere Exposure Effect' shows that repeated exposure to a stimulus makes us feel more positive towards it. This explains why consistent campaigns outperform those that frequently change creative. The performance gap between effective, consistent campaigns and inconsistent ones widens dramatically over time, creating a compounding advantage.

The most impactful marketers adopt a founder's mindset by constantly asking if their decisions align with the CEO or CFO's perspective on profitable growth. This leads to creating "boring" — repeatable and consistent — systems, rather than chasing new, shiny projects every quarter.