Episode Description:
Most ad agencies have clients. That’s not exactly the case with Bullish, Inc. 

Started in 2015 by Michael Duda and Brent Vartan, the founders of Bullish asked a provocative “what if” question that re-envisioned what an agency could be in order to help maximize a new brand’s success.

Their question: “What if we invested in early stage brands by providing actual money along with world-class strategic and creative services?”

That question and their counterintuitive approach to brand-building has led to some impressive results for brands like Warby Parker, Harry’s, Casper, Peloton, Hu, Care/of, Nom Nom, and many more.   

Some of my favorite aha moments talking with Brent include:

• Exploring immutable human desires like family, honor, and idealism as key starting points for brand-building

• The role of vengeance as a rallying cry for brands and consumers 

• How chasing after the lowest cost per acquisition is NOT always the best way to grow a brand 

• The evolution of ecommerce to consultative commerce 

• Brent’s secrets for getting consumers to let down their guard during research