Jakub Kosmowski

I help brands grow by identifying priorities and acting on them efficiently.

I post about those learnings within business and marketing.

Views are my own.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

I like to know if the objective I'm trying to reach is even possible.

I collected different checklists and questions into one FREE template.

If you want, use, modify and change it however you want.

https://t.co/UWteUWVzOj

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

@paulsaladinomd Beautiful. The essence. The question to @Tesla : why?

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

@Mangan150 Exactly. I can ignore my daily choices as long as I get my daily scoop.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

@SBakerMD Exactly. We only know about these who got busted

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

Do you want to know for sure?

If you are making a decision that has a low cost of execution, then go to market as soon as possible.

This is the best way to clarify your thinking and make sure that what you want to launch will be properly received by the market.

There is no better way to be sure.

No amount of research will tell you as much as the customers.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

Three strong signals that your marketing department is not fully aligned with the business.

These aren’t the only signs, but they are three important ones:

𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

If marketing and the business don’t align on common objectives, they will go in different directions, marketing on one path, sales and business on another. That’s why shared goals are essential.

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.

It should always start with a business objective. From there, you develop the idea, and only then choose the channels. Reversing this order leads to disconnection.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀.

While tools and trends matter, the focus must remain on understanding the customer and solving real problems in line with business goals.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

You want to do good, but unfortunately, what you’re doing is making it worse.

This is something I tried to solve for many companies for a long time myself, and unfortunately, many companies are guilty of it too.

The more stakeholders are involved in the messaging and communication of a brand or product, the more inputs you’ll get.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱.

This dilutes how clear the message is for the customer, because customers don’t have time to process all the information in an ad.

That’s one problem.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀: 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘆.

Even if they had the time, they wouldn’t bother unless your message resonates with them and directly addresses their most important criteria when choosing the product.

This is why research is so crucial: you need to find out what the single most important message is about your product, and then make it bold and make it stand out.

You can’t say too much in your ad, or even on your packaging and product materials.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲.

You need to be strong and clear about what you’re trying to communicate.

And yes, sometimes it’s a bet, because you might not reach all customers with the most relevant message.

But that’s the game we’re playing.

Only then can your messaging and communication be effective.

𝗦𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

"Long-term results cannot be achieved by piling short-term results on short-term results." - Peter Drucker

This quote by the legendary Peter Drucker reminds me of a client I was working with at the beginning of this year.

We were reviewing their marketing plan for the year, and it lacked any long-term objectives.

What they were always doing was staying in reactive mode, looking at what the environment was doing, what the competitors were doing, and basically jumping from month to month to respond to all the emergencies that were happening at the moment.

This is not a solution for anything that can have a significant impact on the business.

So it’s crucial to understand that we need a strategy, where we’re heading and what we’re trying to achieve.

Of course, the tactics and the activities can change during the year or even during the month, but long-term, we have to move in a specific direction, and that makes all the difference.

Unfortunately, a lot of companies don’t see it this way.

Eventually, with this client, we came to a conclusion and prepared a strong direction for the company.

Already, just a few months later, they can see what a big difference it makes when it comes to making decisions.

You don’t have to go through the same process again and again or constantly rethink what to do next based only on current circumstances.

Instead, you can focus on your long-term objectives and adjust to what’s happening in the market, but your direction remains clear.

And that’s such a difference because if you don’t know where you’re heading, you will never get there.

[Balaji @balajis]

AI doesn’t do it end-to-end.
It does it middle-to-middle.
The new bottlenecks are prompting and verifying.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

There are plenty of things we don’t know that we don’t know. Proving that something works in a very narrow setting doesn’t mean it will work in other circumstances.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

@wise_nugs @hubermanlab How about there is an optimal muscle mass and everything above it strains the heart excessively? My hypothesis.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

@NickSelken33 135

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

@FitFounder walk

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

Simple way to describe what a brand is to non-marketing people?

Simply, your brand is a promise.

Whether it’s a business or personal brand, it represents a promise.

Your brand and how you build it reflect a promise to your customer or future customer.

This promise could be about excellent customer service, speed, product quality, or even something intangible — like status, emotional connection, or overall satisfaction.

When you frame your brand this way, it becomes easier to consider what kind of brand equity you want to build.

How will this promise be developed in the minds of consumers? How will it evolve or be influenced by the choices you make for your brand?

For example, if your brand is built on a promise of quality, all of your activities should reinforce and enhance that perception.

If you produce a poorly made or cheap-looking ad, it will detract from your brand equity. Similarly, if your brand promise is speed but you fail to deliver on that, trust will erode.

Of course, it's easy to discuss these ideas about premium brands like Apple, Ferrari, or Rolex, where the promise is clear.

But what about commodities or less emotionally charged categories, like toilet paper or toothpicks?

In these cases, the promise may seem less significant, but it still exists.

Even in low-consideration categories, brand perception matters.

People trust certain brands because they believe in their quality, origin, or consistency.

Consider tomato sauce, for instance. When consumers choose a specific brand, they do so because they trust in the product’s taste, ingredients, or origin. The same applies to any product or category.

So, think carefully about your brand and category. Understand what promises are important to your customers — and what promises your competitors make.

Define the promise you want to offer and consistently deliver on it.

This is how you build trust, strengthen relationships, and ensure your brand becomes a natural and top choice during the buying situation.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

Creativity without an objective is just art.

Here is this week's newsletter:

https://t.co/cY9GO5l0b7

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

If you are in a need for quick and easy way to get feedback to your idea check this weeks newsletter:

https://t.co/D3Qp94dIlQ

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

No time or budget for proper research?

Use LLMs for fast ideation and initial direction. It’s not perfect, but it’s often better than nothing.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽-𝗯𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽:

𝟭. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻

Start with a clear question (e.g. “What do people think about this idea?” or “What are common frustrations in this space?”).

𝟮. 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

If you know your customer profile, write it out. If not, ask the LLM:

“𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦?”

𝟯. 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽

Prompt the LLM:

“𝘈𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴; 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯.”

𝟰. 𝗨𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀

Ask what frustrates them, what challenges they face. Collect patterns — this is where insight lives.

𝟱. 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀

Use the pain points to:

  1. Improve your product or service
  2. Tailor content or messaging
  3. Adjust your value proposition

𝟲. 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁

Look for emotional triggers, recurring themes, and unexpected ideas.

𝟳. 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱

Try different audiences, angles, or messaging. Ask for survey ideas based on what you’ve learned.

LLMs are not a replacement for real research, but they’re an excellent starting point for a company that has never asked its market for anything.

Always remember that these are not real humans; the LLM is trying to give you a generalised view based on what it knows.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸.

A full, detailed guide comes tomorrow in the newsletter.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

Severence is a great documentary.

[Jakub Kosmowski @jfkosmowski]

Launched a FREE marketing audit tool:

https://t.co/X0GqGpsnDz

Play with it and let me know.

[Trung Phan @TrungTPhan]

“Let me get this straight, you can buy a burrito on an interest-free instalment plan?”

“That’s right, and we’re not even based in the Chipotle store.”

“So, you finance this by packaging the burrito instalment loans into Burrito CDO A, which has part of Burrito CDO B and both get put into Burrito CDO C?”

“Yeah. The original loans are backed by burritos. Chicke. Pork. Carne Asada. Whatever. But Burrito CDO C is a synthetic Burrito CDO. A CDO of Burrito CDOs.”

“Ok, let’s say we have an underlying pool of $10,000 in burritos. How much money could be out there betting on instalment loans and your synthetic burrito CDOs?”

“Probably $100,000,000.”

“C’mon! How much bigger is the market for burrito instalment loans than actual edible real-life cheesy burritos?”

“At least 100x.”

“That is fucking crazy.”

“No, it’s awesome.”