We help brands diagnose hidden issues, break free from category norms, and build stories that actually move people and markets.
Xerophyte was started by Jared Gruner, a brand, comms, and media strategist with 20+ years experience mostly at global advertising agencies. Recently Ogilvy's most awarded strategist, he helps brands diagnose hidden issues, distill complex problems, win over skeptical executives, and build alignment amongst even the most dysfunctional teams.
Xerophyte provides sharp strategic and disruptive creative thinking to brands of most sizes, from optimistic late-stage startups to labyrinthine matrixed organizations, and agencies too.
A xerophyte is a plant that needs very little water. Like a cactus. That's why Xerophyte is a strategic consultancy specializing in spiky points of view.
How a B2B enterprise software brand made the Super Bowl its home.
Repositioning a tired wine brand for a new generation of drinkers.
Turning a bathroom cleaning brand into an entertainment property.
Every team and need is different. But the ways I tend to help are most commonly:
Short, high-impact engagements built to tackle one thing that actually matters.
From building brand foundations to translating global strategy into local action, to designing research that answers the right questions.
Plugging into ambitious agency teams to sharpen the thinking and elevate the work.
From shaping the strategy through to creative briefs and execution, helping big ideas land with more clarity, conviction, and bite.
Practical tools, frameworks, and working sessions teams actually use after we leave.
From sharper briefs to smarter awards submissions, designed to make good teams better and great teams harder to beat.