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The Underneath

Complex human.Clear brand.

We know more about people than we ever have.

What they buy. What they search. What they click. What they say. What they do next.

Yet, knowing more isn't necessarily the same as understanding more.

The Underneath is an ongoing exploration of what gets lost when businesses make people simpler.

Go underneath ↓

We have got very good at understanding the bits that are visible and measurable.

But not necessarily the bits that are really driving what is going on underneath.

  1. Someone can be incredibly capable

    and not be coping.

  2. Grateful for what they have

    and desperately want more.

  3. Want an explanation

    and resist being defined by it.

  4. Care deeply

    and still look away.

  5. Know something is wrong

    and not be ready to act.

  6. Want change

    and grieve what they're leaving behind.

Often, the behaviour only makes sense when you understand what it means to the person.

The interesting stuff often lives in the gaps.

  • Betweenwhat somebody says and what they do.
  • Betweenwhat they feel and what they think they're allowed to feel.
  • Betweenwhat they know and what they're ready to act on.
  • Betweenwho they're becoming and who they're trying not to lose.
  • Betweenwhat they care about and what they're comfortable admitting they care about.

Sometimes the white space isn't between categories.

It's inside the person themselves.

The report

13 things I kept finding underneath

Over the last year I've been recording Why Aren't We Talking About This?, having conversations about some of the complex, messy and contradictory parts of being human.

Alongside that, I've been conducting research across completely different businesses, categories and problems.

Death. * Grief. * Infertility. * Sex. * Sobriety. * Maternity leave. * Redundancy. * Ambition. * Ageing. * Rest. * Longevity. * Health anxiety.

The subjects changed. The circumstances changed. The people changed.

The same tensions kept appearing underneath.

I've brought 13 of them together in The Underneath.

A glimpse inside

44 pages. 13 recurring human tensions. 5 examples of what this looks like when brands really see people.

Sprowt

The
Underneath

Complex human.
Clear brand.

The Underneath — cover
Inside

13

recurring human tensions

Spread — 13 recurring human tensions
Tension

Incredibly capable

and not coping.

Spread — a tension
In practice

5

examples of what this looks like when brands really see people

Spread — when brands really see people

Want to go further underneath?

Get the full exploration of the 13 human tensions I kept finding across completely different parts of people's lives — and what they might mean for the businesses trying to understand them.

I'll also occasionally send you the things I'm noticing underneath culture, categories and people's behaviour. No weekly content treadmill. Just when there's something worth saying.

Understanding more complexity doesn't require creating more complicated businesses or brands.

The understanding doesn't have to become the message.

It sits underneath the decisions you make.

  • *What you create.
  • *What problems you choose to solve.
  • *Who you build for.
  • *The language you use.
  • *What you prioritise.
  • *What you deliberately leave out.

Understand the complexity.

Then decide what to simplify.

See how Sprowt works →
  1. The UnderneathHow we think about people.
  2. Outside inHow we understand what's actually happening around a business.
  3. SprowtTurning that understanding into clearer decisions about what comes next.