Develop a Creative Strategy: Start With a Tension
What is the Start With a Tension Strategy and when should I use it?
It’s the art of finding the elephant in the room and stabbing it with a cocktail stick. Most brands are terrified of friction, so they produce beige wallpaper that nobody notices. The Start With a Tension Strategy is for when your brand is invisible because it’s playing too nice. You use it when you need to stop being a commodity and start being a catalyst. It’s about identifying the gap between how people live and how they wish they lived, or the lies they tell themselves to get through the day. If you want to disrupt a stagnant market, you find the itch that everyone is ignoring. Just go now!!
How to execute this strategy effectively
Stop looking for 'consumer needs' and start looking for 'human contradictions.' Execution requires you to be uncomfortable. You need to find a truth that makes the legal department sweat and the CEO twitch. If everyone in the room is nodding, your tension is too weak. You take that friction—like the conflict between personal sacrifice and societal expectation—and you place your brand right in the middle as the only logical resolution. It’s not about being 'edgy' for the sake of it; it’s about being the only one brave enough to say what everyone else is thinking but is too scared to voice. Done!!!!
Example: Nike – "Dream Crazy" (2018)
Nike didn't just sell shoes; they sold a side in a cultural civil war. By featuring Colin Kaepernick, they leaned into the tension between athletic 'greatness' and the cost of social sacrifice. While other brands were playing it safe with generic 'just do it' montages, Nike highlighted the friction of losing everything for a belief. It wasn't a consensus-builder; it was a line in the sand that forced the world to react, buy, or burn their gear.!!
Creative Strategy Deconstructed in 4C Framework
Company INSIGHT
Nike has a long history of provocative storytelling and a deep roster of elite athletes who define 'greatness' through sacrifice. They have the brand equity to survive a backlash.
Category INSIGHT
The athletic wear category was stuck in a loop of performance specs and 'sweat porn' that ignored the political and social realities of the athletes.
Strategy:
Pivot the 'Just Do It' mantra from physical effort to moral sacrifice, making the brand a symbol of uncompromising belief in a divided culture.
Customer INSIGHT
Customers—especially younger ones—wanted to see their values reflected in the brands they buy, feeling a tension between their love of sport and their desire for social justice.
Culture INSIGHT
The rise of athlete activism and the polarized political climate in the US created a moment where silence was increasingly seen as complicity by the target audience.
Strategy:
Pivot the 'Just Do It' mantra from physical effort to moral sacrifice, making the brand a symbol of uncompromising belief in a divided culture.
Company INSIGHT
Nike has a long history of provocative storytelling and a deep roster of elite athletes who define 'greatness' through sacrifice. They have the brand equity to survive a backlash.
Category INSIGHT
The athletic wear category was stuck in a loop of performance specs and 'sweat porn' that ignored the political and social realities of the athletes.
Customer INSIGHT
Customers—especially younger ones—wanted to see their values reflected in the brands they buy, feeling a tension between their love of sport and their desire for social justice.
Culture INSIGHT
The rise of athlete activism and the polarized political climate in the US created a moment where silence was increasingly seen as complicity by the target audience.
Why is Start With a Tension a Great Strategy?
Tension is the only thing that actually cuts through the noise of a thousand identical ads.
It forces people to take a side
Friction creates heat and actual brand memorability
It exposes the status quo as boring
Human truth beats corporate jargon every time
Without tension, you're just another company asking for money. With it, you're a voice that matters. It turns a transaction into a transformation, which is the only way to justify your inflated marketing budget.
! When not to use the "Start With a Tension" Strategy
Avoid this Strategy if your brand is genuinely spineless or if the tension you've identified is so manufactured that even a toddler could smell the corporate desperation.
Steps to implement: Stop Playing Safe and Start Making People Uncomfortable
Find the Truth That Actually Hurts
Stop reading focus group reports that tell you people want 'quality at a fair price.' Everyone wants that. Look for the messy stuff—the guilt, the pride, or the secret resentment. In Nike’s case, it was the tension between wanting to win and the terrifying risk of losing everything for a cause. If it doesn't feel a little bit dangerous to say out loud, keep digging.
Connect Your Brand to Cultural Friction
Your internal brand tension needs a home in the real world. Find where your audience’s private struggle meets a public conversation. You’re looking for a spark. Nike didn't invent the conversation around social justice; they just stopped pretending it wasn't happening in the locker room. Link your brand’s core belief to a societal friction point that is already burning. Don't be late to the party.
Pick a Side and Stop Flinching
This is where the cowards leave the room. You cannot resolve a tension by being 'neutral.' Neutrality is for brands that want to be forgotten. You must take a definitive stance that aligns with your brand’s DNA. Nike backed Kaepernick knowing they would lose some customers, but they knew the ones they kept would be loyal for life. If you aren't prepared to lose, you won't win.
Make the Creative Execution Feel Visceral
Don't just mention the tension; poke it. Your creative execution should make the friction feel visceral. Use copy and visuals that demand a reaction. The 'Dream Crazy' narration wasn't a suggestion; it was a challenge. It used the tension to create an emotional ultimatum. If your ad feels like a warm hug instead of a cold splash of water, you’ve failed the brief. Make them feel it.
Position Your Product as the Solution
Finally, position your brand as the tool or the mindset that helps the consumer navigate the tension you just highlighted. You aren't 'fixing' the problem—you're providing the armor to face it. For Nike, the brand became the symbol of the 'crazy' dreamer who refuses to back down. The product is no longer just a shoe; it’s a badge of courage in a conflicted world. Close the loop.
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