By Matt Taylor
As we launch into the second half of an already unpredictable year, one thing is clear: the old rules for standing out in the creative industry aren’t working.
That includes the tired advice about crafting your “value proposition” or rewording your positioning statement from a to the.
In 2025, the client’s needs have changed, and conversion doesn’t come from clever phrases. It comes from clarity, confidence, and the ability to lead a real-time conversation with your clients.
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”
— Mike Tyson
Many creative firms are feeling that punch right now — losing pitches, chasing budgets, watching long-standing strategies fall flat.
If you’re still clinging to surface-level statements and sales tricks, you’re not ready for the fight. What you need is a deeper muscle — one that gives you the ability to read the room, lead the dialogue, and build trust on the spot.
That muscle is Aesthetic Intelligence (AQ).
What Is AQ — and Why Does It Matter Now?
Aesthetic Intelligence is your ability to perceive, interpret, and apply beauty and meaning in a way that creates value. In business, it’s what turns creative instinct into a competitive edge, especially in how you communicate, position, and present your work.
Coined by Pauline Brown (former Chair of LVMH North America), Aesthetic Intelligence isn’t about being stylish or picky.
It’s about understanding what looks, feels, and resonates — and using that sensibility to shape experiences, express ideas, and lead creative decisions with precision.
Brands with high AQ — like Apple, Nike, or Chanel — don’t just make great products.
They create moments that feel effortless yet unforgettable.
That same power exists in your own creative firm. But only if you learn to tap into it — and express it with clarity.
As a creative firm owner, this isn’t just about personal taste. AQ becomes your advantage when you can:
- Sense emotional and aesthetic cues that others miss
- Interpret what those signals mean in context
- Curate elements that tell a cohesive, resonant story
- Articulate why something feels right and builds trust
- Create work that feels both timely and timeless
AQ allows you to cut through the noise, build emotional connection, and speak with cultural relevance — not just in your work, but in every client conversation you lead.
Understand Your Value Narrative
If you want to be seen as valuable, you need more than a pitch deck and a tagline.
True value is felt in conversation, not in the assets you show, but in the confidence and clarity with which you describe what you do, how you do it, and why it matters. AQ gives you the vocabulary to do just that.
When you refine your positioning through the lens of AQ, you stop speaking in generalities (“we do X for Y”) and start communicating meaning.
You begin to recognize which part of your offer resonates most — your point of view, your process, your outcomes — and lean into that narrative.
Ask yourself: Why do our best clients really hire us? Not just what we deliver, but what problem we consistently solve better than anyone else. Is it clarity in chaos? A fresh lens on a tired brand? Is it a sound statement without compromise? Nail that truth.
Then turn it into a conversation, include it in a pitch, and follow up on it in the proposal, because that’s the value they’re buying.
Measure the Right Metrics
Let’s be honest: creative business owners have a complicated relationship with marketing.
The digital age hasn’t helped. Metrics like impressions and engagement make us feel productive, but rarely lead to actual results.
Here’s the hard truth: a 3,000% uptick on LinkedIn is not the same as a paying client. A popular post is not a business development strategy.
Instead, start tracking the metrics that actually build your business:
- How many real conversations did you have last quarter?
- How many client check-ins? In-person meetings?
- How many referrals did you generate through intentional outreach?
Success in 2025 won’t come from more reach. It’ll come from more relationships. The kind that are built voice-to-voice, not click-to-click.
You’re Not in the Pretty Pictures Business
Let’s kill this illusion once and for all: beautiful visuals are a minimum requirement and don’t guarantee a seat at the table. They never have.
You’re not in the pretty pictures business — you’re in the change business. You help brands shift perception, move markets, and create meaning. And if that’s what clients count on you for, then your own brand needs to embody that same power of transformation.
Before you can lead change for others, you have to model it yourself.
Studios are closing. Budgets are shrinking. AI is reshaping everything.
Don’t let fear drag you into nostalgia or denial. Instead, ground your practice in what’s always been true: the creative firms that endure are the ones who give brands the AQ perspective they need to adapt, lead, and communicate with clarity.
Tap Into Your Taste
Your taste is your compass. It’s guided every creative choice you’ve made — whether you realized it or not. But now, it’s time to turn that instinct into influence.
By developing a high AQ vocabulary for your sense of taste, you bridge the gap between internal clarity and external expression.
You’re able to explain what works, why it matters, and how it connects with both the current moment and timeless values.
This isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about developing the confidence to articulate your point of view — and the creative language to help your team and clients see it too.
That’s where AQ comes in. It removes the fluff, the jargon, and the guesswork. It lets you lead with vision, not just visually, but verbally.
And in a year that’s throwing punches left and right, that kind of clarity cuts through.
Join the Conversation
If you’re feeling stuck, unsure how to position yourself, how to connect with clients, or how to lead your team through change, now’s the time to act.
At RevThink, I’ve developed a framework and a live session to assist.
Join me for a free online workshop where we’ll explore how to tap into your Aesthetic Intelligence, build your creative vocabulary, and lead from a place of confidence and clarity.
Free Online Workshops:
US/CAN – Wednesday, July 16th
9 AM PT | 12 NOON ET
revthink.live/workshop
AU/NZ – Thursday, July 17th
12 NOON AEST | 2 PM NZST | 7 PM PT
revthink.live/workshop-apac
Matt Taylor is the APAC Advisor for RevThink, the leading consultancy for high-performance creative firms in media and entertainment.
We work with owners of top studios, agencies, and production companies to take their creative firms to the next level.
Today, RevThink serves thousands of creative business owners through our RevCommunity, one-on-one engagements, accelerators, and podcasts. Because the best way to deal with the future… is to create it.