{"id":11227,"date":"2025-04-29T23:09:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T23:09:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/?p=11227"},"modified":"2025-04-29T23:19:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T23:19:52","slug":"leadership-lens-embracing-the-balance-of-logic-and-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/leadership-lens-embracing-the-balance-of-logic-and-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership Lens: Embracing the Balance of Logic and Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Leadership Lens is a series in which we feature Leap Group leaders discussing industry trends, shifting landscapes, and other topics crucial to brand relevance.<\/em><\/p>

In today\u2019s marketing world, data reigns supreme and creative risks often feel, well\u2026 risky. So, the idea of balancing logic and magic has never been more relevant\u2014or more necessary. For more than two decades, Leap Group has grounded its work in this duality, bringing together analytical insight and emotional resonance to build brands that not only perform but build lasting connections\u2014and consumer loyalty.<\/p>

In this month\u2019s installment of Leadership Lens, we sit down with Alan Gilleo, Leap Group Co-Founder and CMO<\/strong>, and Kenny Friedman, Executive Creative Director<\/strong>, to explore the origins of logic and magic and how it continues to shape the way Leap teams think, create, and lead. From challenging the culture of incrementality to advocating for bold, insight-driven storytelling, Alan and Kenny make the case for why brands need both sides of the equation to truly matter in the market\u2014and why these days, the biggest risk might be playing it too safe.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The concept of logic and magic has been embedded in the Leap Group culture for the past 26 years. Alan, could you talk about the origins of that and how logic and magic continue to influence Leap processes?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Alan:<\/strong> I co-founded Leap with Dan Knapp in 1999. Dan\u2019s a CPA, and I was a designer. When we went into pitches, we would lean into this dynamic, with creativity on one side and business logic on the other. Then, we created a white paper to share our thought leadership on advertising and strategy, which is when the phrase \u201clogic and magic\u201d emerged.<\/p>

In the advertising and marketing space, real impact comes from combining data-driven consumer insights with creativity. If you understand what consumers\u2014or buyers in a B2B context\u2014are looking for, and you combine that with emotion and storytelling, you can create something truly meaningful.<\/p>

Even though we like to think we make decisions based on logic, research shows we actually decide based on emotion. So, if you can invoke an emotional response\u2014whether through humor, sentimentality, or a sense of community\u2014you can influence behavior and decision-making. That\u2019s \u201clogic and magic.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Kenny, how does \u201clogic and magic\u201d influence you as a creative director?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kenny:<\/strong> \u201cLogic and magic\u201d isn\u2019t just something we say; it\u2019s genuinely how we work. We don\u2019t just gather data and then let creative take over. We integrate both throughout the entire process. Many agencies work in a sequential way\u2014logic first, then magic. But we work together the whole time.<\/p>

For example, websites are very structured and logical, but they also need to resonate emotionally. A site can be perfectly functional, but if it lacks beauty, compelling copy, and a human connection, it won\u2019t be effective. Conversely, if it\u2019s only beautiful but lacks usability, it\u2019s more of an art piece than a brand tool. The two have to come together.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Alan, how do you see Leap\u2019s unique structure as a bespoke holding company supporting the idea of logic and magic and that integration?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Alan:<\/strong> Our entire structure supports that concept. We have the research team, which focuses on uncovering actionable insights, and the analytics team, which tracks what\u2019s working and what people are responding to, allowing us to pivot when needed. Together, they create insights that fuel the entire agency\u2014whether for creative, media, or performance marketing. Those human insights infuse our process in a big way.<\/p>

That said, we always have to be careful that data doesn\u2019t become a hindrance to creative teams. I think the rise of big data and analytics in marketing has really throttled creativity. Too many brands and marketing managers use it as a crutch to avoid making bold moves. And the irony? The data itself tells us that emotional, creative work is what truly drives results. Harvard Business Review did a study that showed great creative actually sells. And yet, we still have to fight to convince brands of that.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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“People sometimes confuse logic with data. Logic is strategic thinking. Data is something different.<\/strong> But many people lean so heavily into data that they stop thinking critically.\u00a0“<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Kenny:<\/strong>\u00a0They want to see if something is going to \u201cclick\u201d before they take a risk. Testing is valuable, and we do test, but we don\u2019t just take test results at face value.<\/p>

If you\u2019re doing something truly new, it\u2019s not going to test well\u2014because people aren\u2019t expecting it.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Creative gets diluted by algorithms. Instagram and TikTok serve content based on what people are already engaging with. So, culture starts repeating itself. Suddenly, brands want to copy whatever\u2019s trending, rather than doing something original. But first\u2014does it even make sense for your brand? Second\u2014if you jump on too late, it\u2019s just noise.<\/p>

When brands rely only on data, they often default to the safe, boring choice. That\u2019s the key difference between data and logic. Data tells you what\u2019s happening. Logic tells you why it matters. You have to go beyond the raw data and interpret it strategically.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What do you say to clients to encourage them to take creative risks, to really lean into emotion and magic?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kenny: <\/b>A lot of people are scared to take that leap. Our clients\u2019 performance is rooted in data. They\u2019re measured by what they did last quarter, not by what they did five years ago that built long-term success. That makes it tough to take big creative leaps.<\/p>

So, we\u2019ll say, we understand you want to be more conservative. But let\u2019s take 20% and do something different. Let\u2019s take 10% and test something. If a client trusts us and truly wants to take risks, they\u2019ll be open to those tests. Sometimes, it\u2019s about reminding them of what they originally asked for. We show them why we made the creative choices we did, why it\u2019s grounded in great design, great copy, and a solid insight. And we encourage them to take that leap of faith.<\/p>

Alan:<\/b> We\u2019ve created a culture of conformity in marketing departments. A culture of incrementality. Incremental growth shows success, keeps the numbers moving, and keeps them safe. There\u2019s no real incentive for most marketing decision-makers to push for a big, game-changing creative move. But if brands really want to stand out, someone has to be willing to take a chance. That\u2019s where insights and data should come in\u2014not to justify playing it safe, but as a tool to strategically lean into the right creative risks.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Can you talk about how logic and magic relate to the idea of Market Less, Matter More?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kenny:<\/b> Performance marketing alone can only take you so far. Branding is what makes people fall in love with your brand. I only buy Vans. There are other shoes I like, but I\u2019m so bought into Vans that I don\u2019t even consider other brands. It\u2019s illogical, but that\u2019s what great branding does. And if brands don\u2019t invest in that emotional connection, they\u2019ll always be stuck chasing the next performance ad.<\/p>

Alan:<\/b> With Market Less, Matter More, some people think we\u2019re saying, Spend less money. That\u2019s not it. We\u2019re saying: Be real. Be genuine. Put something out there that people actually care about. We\u2019re all tired of irrelevant marketing. Even those of us in the industry are exhausted by the sheer volume of meaningless content.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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It all comes down to calculated risk\u2014which is where logic and magic come in. Get the right information to make smart, logical decisions\u2014but also put something out there that will create emotion. That\u2019s how you cut through the clutter. It\u2019s logical that something interesting, beautiful, and emotional will perform better\u2014so why fight it? If brands want to break out of this incremental growth cycle, they have to make a real decision. And that means doing something different.<\/p>

Kenny:<\/strong> Take Nutter Butter\u2019s recent acid-trip aesthetic<\/a>. Someone in leadership was willing to take that risk. Maybe it was Larry the intern who got a chance to run wild for a week or a month. Worst case scenario? They delete some posts, ignore the feedback, and move on. But someone in that organization had the guts to try. And that\u2019s what I always bring up when account teams say, What if the client doesn\u2019t like it? What if the audience doesn\u2019t respond? Well\u2026 what if they do? Because if you start with the assumption that something won\u2019t work, you\u2019ll never do anything interesting.<\/p>

Because now, if I\u2019m in the store and I see Nutter Butter, I might think, Why not?<\/p>

And if I try it and love it, I\u2019ll buy it again. That\u2019s how brand-building works.<\/p>

Alan:<\/strong> Exactly. Market Less, Matter More means putting something out there that people actually care about.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Any advice to CMOs and marketing leaders about logic and magic?<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Kenny:<\/strong> I think brands need to be okay with failure. Because when you try something new, there\u2019s always a chance it won\u2019t work. But that doesn\u2019t mean it was a bad idea. It just means it didn\u2019t perform the way you expected. So learn from it.<\/p>

If your first big creative risk flops, don\u2019t say, Well, that didn\u2019t work, guess we\u2019ll never try again. Try something else. If your psychedelic Nutter Butter campaign didn\u2019t land, maybe humor will. Maybe ASMR will. Maybe an emotional story will. The point is\u2014keep experimenting. If you don\u2019t, your brand becomes stagnant.<\/p>

Alan:<\/strong> That\u2019s why brands should always have a culture of testing. Even if it\u2019s just 5-10% of the budget, set aside money to try new things. And from a leadership perspective, CMOs and CEOs should create a culture where experimentation is encouraged. A culture where failing fast and learning is part of the process. Testing isn\u2019t failure\u2014it\u2019s information that guides the next move.<\/p>

Kenny:<\/strong> The best clients are the ones who embrace that mindset. We love clients with guts. Clients who are willing to try something new. If you want to take creative risks, we will be right there with you. But you have to be willing to leap. Because that\u2019s the only way to move forward.<\/p>

Alan:<\/strong> Exactly. That\u2019s why Market Less, Matter More works. Because when you take risks\u2014when you try and fail, try and fail, and try again\u2014you get to the ideas that actually matter. We\u2019ve created a culture of fear in marketing. Unless there\u2019s a stat to back it up, no one wants to take a stand. But here\u2019s the thing: incrementality won\u2019t make you stand out. And the brands that break through? They have leaders willing to take a stand.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leadership Lens is a series in which we feature Leap Group leaders discussing industry trends, shifting landscapes, and other topics crucial to brand relevance. In today\u2019s marketing world, data reigns supreme and creative risks often feel, well\u2026 risky. So, the idea of balancing logic and magic has never been more relevant\u2014or more necessary. For more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":11229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"issue":[],"collection":[],"class_list":["post-11227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11227"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11236,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11227\/revisions\/11236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11227"},{"taxonomy":"issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue?post=11227"},{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/leap.staging.ribbitt.com\/leap-group\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=11227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}