Inspiration from Tranquility Base
And why I look to Alex Turner over Asimov for brand world building
Arctic Monkeys 2018 album "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” is SO GOOD. The album creates an entire world - a luxury lunar hotel after civilization's collapse, complete with jaded rockstars, dodgy politicians and burgeoning love stories. It references Kubrick, and Leonard Cohan, the moon landing, politics, and breaks the fourth wall with lyrics like “I can lift you up another semitone.”
(Why am I sharing my Arctic Monkeys obsession here? I know Alex Turner is unlikely to give it a jaunty Linkedin thumbs up… ).
Well, firstly, because it's world-building that brands would KILL FOR. We talk about brand as a person and building brand worlds and brand love. But be real - no brand book I’ve seen builds a narrative like any of these songs do.
Secondly, it’s proof of the magic of words - of the character and swagger and vividness created within such concise lyrics. The writer in me can only dream of such an accomplishment.
Thirdly, I’ve been thinking more broadly about where I’m taking inspiration from.
Creative teams are encouraged to go wide - art galleries, street culture, obscure films, comedy specials. But strategists? In my experience, not so much. Sure, in an “understand the user” way. But not in a - reimagine what’s possible in your field way.
And the Valley founders I work with, that are obsessed with Asimov… I get it. When you're building something unprecedented, space-age metaphors work better than business school frameworks.
I plan on bringing some of this wild world-building to the next brand definition project I do. Inspiring myself and evolving my process, while hopefully painting pictures of what’s possible for my clients. And if I can get a few Arctic Monkeys refs in there, even better.