Ryan Reynolds on Giving Maximum Effort

The INBOUND 2024 Main Stage lit up with star power as Ryan Reynolds, entrepreneur, actor, and marketing genius took the spotlight. He sat down with Dr. Marcus Collins, to unpack his journey from Hollywood to advertising, offering valuable insights for marketers and creatives of all stripes.

From Deadpool to Marketing Icon

Reynolds’ marketing journey began with an unexpected source: Deadpool. In what became the launchpad to his marketing empire, he shared with the INBOUND audience that the film’s limited budget forced him to get creative with marketing.

Necessity as the mother of invention became a North Star to me.

Reynolds recounted how this constraint-driven creativity became the foundation of his approach to advertising.

With no budget and his Deadpool suit in hand, Reynolds teamed up with former FOX digital marketer, George Dewey, who would later become his business partner and together, they started creating ads for the movie. “Somehow I started to fall into this thing by accident. Then I fell in love with it.” Using what Reynolds calls his “Deadpool prize money,” he bought a gin company. But when it came to marketing his new venture, he found traditional agencies lacking. The solution? “So by accident, we formed our own marketing company.”

This experience transformed his view of marketing from a necessity to a creative playground. His journey from skeptic to enthusiast serves as a reminder that sometimes the most fulfilling careers are the ones we least expect.

Storytelling: It's All About Emotion

In a marketing world obsessed with ROI and metrics, Reynolds offered a different perspective:

What I care about and love is emotional investment.

He emphasized the power of creating an identity around a brand, surfacing examples like Nike's "Just Do It" and Apple's "Think Different." Those brands were able to lean into their identity and build emotion and a story around it.

His key takeaway? "Joy in 2024 never fails." Whether you're marketing to kids or adults, creating content that sparks joy can be a powerful strategy. The ultimate goal: craft experiences that leave people feeling better when they walk away.

"Bringing people together in smart, fun, and unexpected ways is what my company strives for. But we love what we do. And when you love it, like genuinely love it, good things happen."

Building Skills and Teams for Maximum Effort

Reynold’s approach to growth and skill-building is refreshingly honest:

When you love something so much, I think you're willing to suck at it at first in order to get good.

He encouraged the audience to embrace patience and persistence when testing out new ideas and creative workflows.

How does his team approach it? “Mostly, it’s listening.” Tune into the “digital water cooler” that is social media to hear the cultural conversations going on around you and extrapolate from them.

Also important? Moving fast and capitalizing on timely opportunities. “We talk about at Maximum Effort, moving at the speed of culture is very important.” He emphasized that too much time (and money) can stifle creativity. His team’s quick reactions have led to content that took off, not because it was a perfect ad, but because it hit at the right moment. Timely execution, more than perfection, is often what drives impact.

Reynolds also highlighted the value of diverse perspectives in the creative process. At Maximum Effort, his team brings together people of varied backgrounds, which helps them better navigate cultural nuances in their campaigns. “I'm grateful for the amount of varying perspectives and lived experiences at my company,” he shared, “to understand the world through the lenses of people who have lived a totally different life than yourself.”

For marketing and creative leaders, embracing diverse voices can fuel more innovative and inclusive marketing strategies.

The Future of Marketing: Speed, Nimbleness, and Human Touch

Looking ahead, Reynolds predicted a shift towards faster, more agile marketing.

"I think you're going to see things moving a little bit faster...Because everything is moving faster," he noted.

There will be less lead time as agencies, creatives, and production teams find ways to work in efficient and less expensive ways.

Despite this acceleration, Reynolds believes human creativity will remain central to marketing success—pointing out how new technologies are actually democratizing storytelling and opening doors for fresh voices in the industry to craft and share their stories.

Technology is helping us tell stories in ways that are totally do?able and affordable for people who are starting out.

Key Takeaways

Reynolds left the INBOUND audience with several gems:

• Trust your instincts: "Keep putting yourself in the audience. Your own taste and your own experiences will be the guardrails to make something that is worthwhile and kind of cool."
• Embrace joy and authenticity in storytelling.
• Stay nimble and adapt to the fast-paced world of marketing, but don't forget to unplug and manage stress.

Right from the jump, Reynolds set the tone with this spark of inspiration: "Marketing is magic to me. It offers so much possibility in terms of storytelling."

As you dive back into your workday, remember that it's all about creating stories that resonate and build connections.?