WE BELIEVE IN OUR Values

WE VALUE OUR Beliefs

  • OUR VALUES

    • We innovate to arm decision-makers
    • We uncover insights that reveal opportunity
    • We wield the wisdom of crowds
    • We attract superb people with uncompromising standards
    • We prize trust — born of transparency and integrity
    • We honor intellect, imagination, and ravenous curiosity
    • We believe all progress begins with truth
    • We know that none of us — is as smart as all of us
    • We embrace change
    • We employ empathy
    • We demand excellence
    • We reward courage
    • We value action
    • We pursue ideals
    • We inspire visionaries

  • WE BELIEVE

    • New opportunities require fresh eyes
    • An unexecuted strategy is just another fleeting idea
    • Decisions driven by haste, history, or hubris invite risk
    • Creativity is a strength, not an exercise
    • Humans are capital, not resources
    • Empathy energizes
    • Purpose propels
    • Brands are belief systems
    • Culture is the tie that binds
    • Leadership is a contact sport

COLLECTING

SUCCESS STORIES

Somewhere between collecting stamps
and collecting scars

It is with great pride that we
present a selection of our
exhilarating-in-a-business-sense,
non-wall-mountable trophies:

CASE STUDIES
OUR TEAM
  • BRADLEY PEACOOK
  • PAUL KUZMA
  • HENRY CHEN
  • TRACY PEACOCK
  • SARA OMARA
  • RUSSELL BRANAGHAN

  • BRADLEY PEACOCK

    Strategy / HX / Innovation / Brand / Leadership

    Born in Pittsburgh.

    Educated at Oxford.

    Schooled by New York City.

    Founded Peacock Nine to bring humanity back into decision-making.

    Crafted strategies for global behemoths and the entrepreneurial elite.

    Brought brand clarity — and calm — to Exxon, Johnson & Johnson, the Jesuits, and Goldman Sachs.

    Taught Microsoft and the Art Institute of Chicago to value HX — Human Experience.

    Helped launch Top Golf, Sprinter, and a range of inno-ventures.

    Believes that customer understanding creates advantage.

    Contends that pivots without anchoring insight are risky business.

    Holds that strategy without execution is just theater.

    Respects the wisdom of crowds.

    Lifts Leaders.

  • PAUL KUZMA

    Brand & Story

    Born in Chicago.

    Raised on humor, wisdom, words, and tenacity.

    Surprised the world, developing original Cracker Jack Prizes.

    Built award-winning,lasting ideas for McDonald's,Frito-Lay, Kimberly-Clark, Newell-Rubbermaid, ConAgra Foods, Gateways, US Cellular, Pabst Brewing and Mike's Hard Lemonade among others.

    Started and grew the Trisect creative department from 1 to 30 employees. Named the #3 Best Agency to Work for in America by AdAge Magazine.

    Grew Wrigley Field Lvy on "color-changing" Old Style Beer Bottles.

    Collected effies, addys, reggies, obies, mercurys and lots of other awards that don't end with an "e" sount.

    Find him on the AYSO soccer fields coaching, reffing, playing and cheering all weekend long.

    Husband, dad, listener, leader, doer, writer and builder.

    Believes we should all "Listen twice & solve once".

  • HENRY CHEN

    Digital Innovation & AI

    Son of China, learned American in Pittsburgh, PA.

    Scientist from SEI with an affinity for Chicago Blues.

    Schooled by China's most prestigious university.

    Mastered software engineering at CMU.

    Had his talents tapped by IBM and the Chinese government.

    Helped put the Shanghai Automobile Industry on the internet map.

    Curious, creative, clever—wishes for a bigger brain.

    Has a third eye for the humans technology serves.

    Believes human ingenuity naturally unlocks AI's genius.

  • TRACY PEACOCK

    CHANGE & ORGANIZATIONAL RESILIENCE

    Raised on curiosity.

    Educated at Bates. Refined at Northwestern.

    Tested in New York. Tempered in Chicago.

    Helped fashion the strategic evolution of Liz Claiborne.

    Wielded her Master Black Belt to drive GE’s Six Sigma transformations.

    Steered NBC through digital reinvention, future-focused training, and a Telemundo merger—without losing the plot.

    Guided Universal Studios, Loyola Press, and Deluxe through messy, meaningful change.

    Brings heart to hard systems and clarity to complex cultures.

    Moves organizations from misalignment to momentum.

    Certified in coaching, equity, and Hogan™—fluent in human nuance.

    Listens for what’s not said. Maps what others miss.

    Fuels human epiphanies and team evolutions.

  • SARA O'MARA GREENE

    INSIGHT & CREATIVE STRATEGY

    Perpetual liberal arts student earned her Spanish literature degree at Bates College.

    Learned the language of brand building working at Leo Burnett.

    Helped many small companies and CPG brands become greats.

    Cut new innovation paths for Axe at Unilever.

    Marathons taught her to set the pace and have shown her stamina.

    Design enthusiast who likes to connect the dots.

    Craves big ideas. Believes the littlest details matter most.

  • RUSSELL BRANAGHAN, PhD

    Human Factors / Usability / HX

    Born on the banks of the flaming Cuyahoga.

    A fount of knowledge grounded in the desert.

    Deciphers why human beings do what they do.

    Helps businesses profit from this understanding.

    A fixture at Fitch, helped rule the roost at Big Red Rooster.

    Gave the Zip Drive its zip, makes sure Motorola connects.

    Bowled over by cognitive psychology at Bowling Green.

    Mastered and Doctored in it at New Mexico State.

    Kevin and Mckenna keep him cool, Tonya keeps him grounded.

    Searches out The Sopranos and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.

    Factors in the thinking behind great brands.

Think of yourself, your brand, your firm,
as an elite racing crew

(An unexpected metaphor, but these days, who isn’t racing against the current?)

You’ve got eight rowers and a sleek shell.

Your competition?
Same tools. Same talent. Same hunger to win.

So how do you get ahead?

You dig deeper.
You assess the field. You read the water.
You uncover your crew’s unique strengths and vulnerabilities.
You align around one purpose, one rhythm, one clear direction.
You build momentum others can’t match.
Almost like you’ve got an invisible edge.

A 9th rower

That’s where we come in—
quietly helping leaders align strategy, brand, and culture
to unlock lasting advantage.

WE'D LOVE TO
HEAR FROM (SOME OF) YOU.

If you find yourself in choppy waters, rowing against the current, or navigating shifting seas — Let’s talk.

If true transformation, Strategic Brand Leadership®, and insight-fueled innovation float your boat — We’re all-in.

If you believe fresh eyes, empathetic ears, and strategic muscle can create uncommon advantage — We’re pulling for you.

And we’d love to lend a hand.

We work with a select number of leaders each year—always by referral.

If you’ve found your way to us, thank you.

You’re in good company.

Curious?
Simply start with a note:
Or share a conversation: 312-664-4433
Whatever floats your boat.
Discover The Truths That Make Your People "TICK"
Especially those human beings who can sink you, keep you afloat, or propel you to a win.

Because all progress begins with truth.

And real human truths are deceptively elusive —

Demanding fresh eyes, attuned ears, piercing questions, and novel approaches.

(A curious, courageous spirit doesn’t hurt either.)

PRODUCT REFINEMENT TOOLS

“More companies are starting to understand the logic. If they can get others to help them design and create products they end up with ready-made customers—and that means far less risk in the tricky business of creative new goods and markets.”

Business Week “The Power Of Us”

Get a new idea. A breakthough one. Draw it on on a napkin, a sheet of paper, maybe in CAD. Skip the modeling. Skip traveling to the focus groups. Skip sharing the idea with eight people at a time.

Instead, expose the idea in 3-D to 400 target customers simultaneously. Put it on a shelf next to the competition. Try different price points. Now you’re onto something.

Time to go to market. Put your career on the line. Invest in the college fund. Bet the farm. (Skip second-guessing.)

  • Concept Customizer
  • Product Profiler
  • Print Previewer
  • Hot Potato™

  • Leverage the wisdom of crowds to leverage the power of participatory design.

    DEMO

  • Refine your product by gaining immediate insights into all elements from shape to text.

    DEMO

    DEMO

    Expose your idea in a competitive context to see how it stacks up.

    DEMO

  • Enable customers to experience the product in a real-world context, and listen to what they have to say.

    DEMO

  • More digital salon. Less chat room. A collaborative, online group diary. Be a true fly on the wall. Observe customers from eight different cities converse in real time about their needs, fears and desires. Watch them as they discuss your product concepts. See how they stack up. Provide them with anonymity. Let them add to the mix...when they have the time to do so. Steer the conversation. Collaborate with your own team in a parallel, online environment. Get to know your customer better over the course of three days....not two hours. Do in one week, what used to take three. No travel required.

    DEMO

THE BRIEF CAREER

OF THE

Coy Coxswain

A very short story:

If your message doesn’t speak to their truth,

it won’t have any pull.

The End.

Before you wasting your breath

(as well as your time and money)

on messaging that’s anything less than

resonant, memorable, and motivating...

Consider how we've helped brands shout less, mean more, and outmaneuver the pack.

“It’s not about what you're saying, it’s about how you listen.”
— Gary Vaynerchuk

“Marketing is the creative use of truth.”
— Philip Kotler

COMMUNICATION

REFINEMENT TOOLS

Everything speaks—volumes. The trick is ensuring that everything you are communicating is being heard. The secret is leveraging your positioning, pricing and promises in a way that compels human beings not only to buy what you're selling, but to buy in to what you're saying.

What if you know what will work before you make your first move? What if you determine which refinements will matter most? What if you transform your “target audience” into strategic collaborators?

  • Ad Analyzer
  • Cognitive College™
  • Verbal Validation
  • Shopping Simulator
  • Spot Check
  • Hot Potato™

  • Leverage the wisdom of crowds to glean insights into print communications before they are on the printed page.

    DEMO

  • Tap into the power of metaphor elicitation to get customers to unpack your brand equities and weave them into one, cohesive brand story.

    DEMO

  • Refine the resonance of your communications concepts with the help of 400 customers—in 24 hours.

    DEMO

  • Place your packaging concepts in a virtual competitive set and see not only how well it pops, but what price it could command.

    DEMO

    DEMO

  • Expose your target audience to your speech, spot or storyboard and have them tell you how well and when it grabs them, and at what point you lose them.

    DEMO

  • More digital salon. Less chat room. A collaborative, online group diary. Be a true fly on the wall. Observe customers from eight different cities converse in real time about their needs, fears and desires. Watch them explain the role of your company and perceptions of the competition. Provide them with anonymity. Let them add to the mix...when they have the time to do so. Steer the conversation. Collaborate with your own team in a parallel, online environment. Get to know your customer better over the course of three days....not two hours. Do in one week, what used to take three. No travel required.

    DEMO

Helping Leaders Steer Their Current

A tailored blend of stakeholder-centric advisory and clear-eyed coaching, offered to select leaders navigating change
— across their firms and within themselves.

These are changeable times.

In a world marked by certain uncertainty,
leadership, focus, and alignment are essential.

It’s a lot to tackle alone.

Marshaling your resources is one thing.
Leading them — through change, challenge, and ambiguity — is another.

That’s where we come in.

We help leaders:

– Find Focus

– Flatten Friction

– Ease Evolution

– Tap Talent

– Unleash Uniqueness

– Build Belief

Listen. Learn. Lead.

For the leader who is personally feeling a bit stuck, or the individual considering a pivot — meet our Plume practice

CUSTOMER CABINETS™

Research panels are for lab rats. Don’t rent your customer; own the relationship. Knit your customers together with a sense of community and open access to like-minded others. Let them converse. Listen. Learn. Be the fly on the wall you've always wanted to be.

Whether there are 4,000 or 40,000 of them, your Customers are there to help you make the most of your decision-making—on a moment’s notice and for a fraction of the cost of other avenues. Ask their opinions about your products, prototypes, prices and perceptions. Have them weigh in on your communications concepts and your competition.

Collect all those invaluable insights in one database “sandbox”, and play away.

BUZZSPONGE

WE BREATHE GREEN

OTHER6

SPIRITED TALK

LOVEINKLINGS

For more examples please contact us.
ENVERYTHING ELSE
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PLEASURE TO MEET YOU
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Fover 25 years, we've harnessed deep human truths to help leaders clarify their direction, align their teams, capture new markets, and confidently navigate change.

Our approach guides clients through pivotal moments — whether managing complex integrations, shaping cultural alignment, sharpening brand strategy, or navigating uncertainty.

If you believe, as we do, that true insight into your customers, teams, and partners unlocks resilience, growth, and lasting advantage — we'd love to hear your story and explore how we can help.

Unlike traditional advisors, we bring seasoned experts and supply sharp insight (no bloated teams, no rigid playbooks) tailored to the complexity of each challenge.

We ground every recommendation in human truth, distilling customer dynamics and stakeholder perspectives into clear, actionable focus.

We ensure that the truths leaders need to hear actually fuel results — like a flawlessly synchronized racing crew, propelled by an invisible, 9th rower.

CURIOUS?
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