No Fear, Underdog is Here
(UNDER)DOGS
It’s no secret we’re dog lovers.
Heck, we painted a train conducting canine into our mural last fall.
Our studio is a laid back place where dogs come to work almost daily. So it’s super-safe too - we’ve got two guard dogs (Nola / Retriever / ‘good cop’ and Barkley / Cockapoo / ‘bad cop’) who see it as their duty to greet you and sniff out any threats or contraband snacks you may be smuggling in.
Seriously, we are a friendly group, and that includes dog-friendly. We think we can use this quality to explain some of the important layers to one of our core values.
There are two main parts to the story here:
Dogs say a lot about our team personality.
Playing the role of underdog is something we embrace.
“The fact of being an underdog changes people in ways that we often fail to appreciate. It opens doors and creates opportunities and enlightens and permits things that might otherwise have seemed unthinkable.”
—Malcom Gladwell
We Got That Dog In Us
Number one is easy.
The first time I saw my wife, she was sitting on the porch of her duplex apartment, where we would eventually become neighbors, with her big, dumb, awesome yellow lab, Jack.
(Did you ever see Marley and Me? That was 100% Jack. If you haven’t seen it and you too are a dog-lover, don’t. It’s a tear-jerker. But I digress.)
When I saw my future wife, I immediately thought she was beautiful. Undoubtedly. But I was just as certain that I knew something about who she was, as I was about how she looked. Why? Because of Jack.
Our love of dogs says a lot about what we are like as people. At Conspire, we are all stinky scavengers that run in a pack (kidding-ish)! Really, I’m talking about the more noble qualities of dogs.
We’re loyal and fun, as well as reliable, sensitive, casual and secure in who we are.
Owning The Role
If the first one is personal, the second is more aspirational.
We also use our passion for our pups to explain some other qualities we identify with.
Chief of which are being hungry and dedicated. Team Conspire is driven by passion and relentlessly focused on who we are, rather than the perceived status of larger businesses we often find ourselves competing with.
We think many of our very best clients identify with this role as well. Often we find our best fit working with ‘brand champions’ or great people tasked with establishing and nurturing the vision of their organization.
Lots of times, these people have a passion for their brand, but perhaps not all of the resources of the competition they’re up against. We love helping clients like this face challenges and succeed. It’s a big part of what fuels us.
There’s nothing like maximizing potential and moving the needle further and faster for our clients.
Embracing the role of underdogs means a lot to us:
+ Loyal - Once we onboard a new client, we immediately start doing everything we can to earn their trust and become part of their team. In our opinion, there isn’t much out there that compares to the thrill of accomplishing big things as a group. Particularly amongst people who share a belief and work their tails off to achieve big goals.
+ Fun - I mean, otherwise what’s the point? We are people who genuinely love our jobs and we get inspired by people who feel the same. It’s contagious. We believe it’s important for us to stay healthy and have a strong personal / home / family life that grounds us. The work is super important, but we challenge ourselves to always remember it’s not everything. This helps us not take ourselves too seriously and find ways to enjoy the ride, not just the outcome.
+ Hungry - We are always ready for a challenge - a project we can sink our teeth into and do our best work. Sure, we want to be creative and win awards, it feels good. But, what we want most is to deliver projects that make out clients feel proud and help them conquer a challenge. Our definition of success is to help our clients on their journey to being the hero that delivers success for their organizations.
+ Dedicated - Ever met a dog that was obsessed with a tennis ball? Well, brands are tennis balls to us. We are seriously determined and committed to our work. We don’t get intimidated and we don’t give up easily. While we may not have the world-renowned pedigree of some big time agencies, we have no fear to put our process and our work up against anyone in the world.
We get inspired by taking on the role of underdog and we think some of our best clients do too.
Have a question? Want to learn more about our underdog story, or to tell us yours? Want help identifying and articulating your brand’s core values?
We’re here for all of it. Let’s' chat.
