In the summer of 2018, Ogilvy - the acclaimed New York-based advertising agency - and Subculture - a consulting firm specializing in human-centered transformation - set out to find a new way to “make brands matter.”
Code named Project X, the experiment pooled together a rogue group of Ogilvy’s most talented planners, designers, and creatives who tossed aside hierarchal structures in search of empowering and effective approaches to a client problem. The teams focused on three iconic brands - Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and Foot Locker - with little to no client briefs.
Project X fully embraced disruptive innovation and human centered design, leaving behind the conference rooms and desk research to get close to the people and their needs.
They took trips to different American cities on Southwest airlines to interview everyone from passengers to pilots, traveled to suburban and rural Foot Locker locations to get a first hand perspective of how people interact with and shop for shoes, and hosted global conversations about coffee consumption rituals with Ogilvy’s extended network in 83 countries and 132 offices.
The collected data was then synthesised. Throughout this rigorous process, the teams kept humans at the center of their ideas. Not consumers, customers, or audiences. Humans.
From here, the teams iterated, tested and prototyped to take the risk out of big ideas for their clients, and helped innovate their brands through experiences, products, and culture. Not just marketing and communications.
The project resulted in a new American ritual for Starbucks, a new retail experience for Foot Locker, and a new customer class for Southwest Airlines.
Kismet Creative Studio collaborated with Subculture and Ogilvy to document the entirety of the Project X experiment. KCS then produced two documentary shorts from the resulting footage. The two videos served as a global call to action for Ogilvy employees. The second iteration of Project X in Chicago and Singapore is currently underway.
To view the Ogilvy Project X video in its entirety, please contact us to request a private screener link.