Slant drives spread

"Tell me all the truth but tell it slant.”

-- Luther, misquoting Bernbach, misquoting Dickenson.

Among his many gems, this one has stuck with me (to be frequently misquoted). It was used to describe his philosophy of effective advertising:

- "Tell it to me straight": Focus, find a core truth, with substance or a rational benefit of the product. Find singular focus, but make sure it derives from a genuine fact or feature (I would update this to also include realities of the audience using the product).

- "Then tell it to me slant": Artful creative execution. Truth must be presented in a fresh, original, and memorable way to cut through and connect with the audience emotionally.

It's about making ruthless choices in what to focus on, do the hard work to make an idea simple, then leave room for craft. Find a way to communicate something implicitly rather than explicitly. Subvert a norm, reverse a trope, ensorcel your audience.

Creative thinking is not just the domain of the wordsmiths and artists.

Telling Slant Truths should be the aim of comms strategy as well.

The truth of strategy lies in the 'Quant-ish' realities of investing for growth.

The basics never change, you never have the budget to do everything comfortably, so you have to make choices that get "more than you should"

- Markets matter. You have to show up where demand and distribution exist.

- Timing matters. Brands need to be present in the seasons and moments that shape category demand.

- Flighting matters. Sustained presence beats sporadic bursts, unless the buying cycle says otherwise.

- Channels matter. Some deliver broad reach, others deliver depth, all need to be chosen deliberately for attention & intention.

- Audiences matter. Wide reach is the law, but high-value prospects and priority communities deserve tailored weight.

- Ecosystems matter. One channel rarely does the job alone; effectiveness comes from coordination.

Those are the straight lines. But straight lines aren’t remembered. They give you predictable upside, not exponential upside.

Slant Drives Spread

The slant is where comms planning moves from correct to compelling. It’s how you deliver those straight principles in ways that catch culture, bend attention, and build memory.

- Markets made slant. Instead of blanketing every DMA you have good distribution in evenly, overinvest in markets where cultural trends originate (LA for food, NY for fashion, Austin for tech/music). Slant says be even more interesting: go to smaller hubs or tastemaker vacation destinations - Boise, Portland, Charleston—seeding the brand in hotspots that ripple out nationally. Slant is going after your competition's home market with a stunt. Slant is hyper-local, Bishop Arts not Dallas.

- Seasonality made slant. Straight says “advertise in summer.” Slant says own the shoulder seasons of more real human moments— you'll end up in the weeks before competitors switch on, when share of voice is cheap and mental availability is wide open. Slant is ice cream in winter. Slant says focus on uncanny cultural holidays, not bank holidays. Tap into the dissonance of celebrations out of sync.

- Flighting made slant. Straight says “always on.” Slant says something is always on. Pulse high-attention moments among different subcultures & communities, within cultural spikes (sports finals, holidays, festivals), and weave smaller channels in between to keep continuity. Slant is spiking investment on payday to capture that splurge moment.

- Audience made slant. Straight says “reach category buyers.” Slant says invest in nested communities who have disproportionate cultural influence. Your first audience creates your second audience (their followers), and the spread creates the third audience (the mainstream coverage of the trend/activation/idea).

- Ecosystem made slant. Straight says “integrate channels.” Slant says choreograph them like instruments in a band—launch on reddit to spark, keep it under the radar with chat/DMs, build momentum in private Pinterest boards, reveal with CTV, reinforce with outdoor, and close the loop with retail media. Each alone is noise. Together, it’s a hook you can’t forget.

Straight planning keeps you grounded in effectiveness.

Slant planning makes the ecosystem sing.

You can’t skip the straight truths.

But you also can’t expect them to work without a little angle, a little art, a little slant.

That’s the job. To make comms planning not just correct, but compelling.