The LAZER STRATEGY + 5-SECOND FUNNEL Edition
Inside the operating system powering how we build culture-first brands in a five-second world.
Dear Community,
Another couple weeks have flown by and honestly, the world around us is moving at a pace that’s hard to keep up with. From the geopolitical to the cultural to the hyperlocal, it feels like everything is happening all at once. #NoKing peaceful protests. The billionaire beefs. Marines deployed to our City. AI breakthroughs every 48 hours. Geo-political instability. Amid the chaos, I’ve been trying to hold onto clarity. I will try and channel this edition contextual to our world and try not to get distracted :)
There are a few things I’m proud to share on both the personal and professional front.
First, this year, the Young Lions competition turned 30. As a proud winner back in 2011, I had the honor of opening the 2025 cohort, welcoming this next wave of creative talent and sharing how the experience shaped the course of my career. From that early moment to now, it’s been a wild, purpose-fueled ride. Grateful to my friends at Cannes Lions for the full-circle moment and for putting me on that giant screen!
Second, we made our first financial leadership hire at DANG. Hassan Raza joins us as our Finance Director, reporting into Shruti, and helping us shape the strategic and financial architecture of what we're building. Our ambition has always been to prove value to our clients, be culture-first and commercially elite. Hassan will help us develop efficient, competitive, and informed models that can scale smart.
After my last newsletter, a few of you asked how I manage my calendar, how I juggle family, work, travel, side projects, and growing a company. I’ve responded to you individually and realized some of it might be useful to share here.
It starts with discipline. I’m obsessive about calendar design, not just blocking time, but designing a rhythm. I follow two key frameworks: Deep Work by Cal Newport, which helps me protect focus and eliminate distraction, and Make Time by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky, which reminds me to anchor each day with one meaningful priority.
My week is built around a few core pillars:
Dedicated Daddy-Daughter time (non-negotiable): These are protected windows on weekday evenings and weekend adventures that nothing overrides. I treat this time like a board meeting with full presence and prep.
Bi-Weekly date nights: These are calendar holds with Shruti that don’t move. Relationship time is essential leadership fuel.
Creative deep work blocks: I reserve uninterrupted 3–4 hour stretches at least twice a week for the stuff only I can do, vision building, IP development, high-concept creative, and writing. I have a flow state playlist to keep me hyperfocused. Happy to share. LMK
Client Priority Blocks: My clients trust us to lead with both clarity and cultural sharpness. I dedicate high-focus windows every day to deep client immersion, whether that’s mindmelding with them, reviewing work, unpacking insights, or pressure-testing big bets. We build with them, in rhythm and in lockstep.
Strategic sprints: These are my focused bursts of internal meetings, reviews, team check-ins, interviews, and external partnerships.
Decompression: Gym, meditation, and self-care slots are locked in like mission-critical appointments. I do them at 5am in the morning to make the most of my day.
That’s how I stay in flow. That’s how we scale with heart.
On the community front, we’re gearing up to intake a new cohort of Gen Z operators. Our goal is to bring unmatched cultural fluency to our brand partners, powered by insights that move at the speed of the internet. This time, we’re experimenting with something different, creating limited-edition NFTs to mark their membership. It’s early days (I’m currently ripping through NFTs for Beginners by Dr. Gavin Clarkson), but it’s a step toward creating digital credentials that live inside their wallets not just our org chart.
So this week, I’m bringing you two core ideas that have shaped our approach to social strategy for our partners: The Lazer Strategy and The 5-Second Funnel.
These frameworks live on opposite ends of the marketing spectrum. One is about discipline. The other, urgency. One slows you down to get sharper. The other forces you to move fast and hit hard.
Let’s dive into both starting, as always, with what’s happening in culture, community, and commerce.
CULTURESCOPE: The Brands Winning Gen Z Aren’t the Loudest, They’re the Sharpest
In 2025, clarity is currency.
The brands resonating most with Gen Z aren’t trying to be everywhere. They’re not chasing every trend. They’ve got one sharp story—and they tell it fast.
Look at what Starface (Shoutout to my friend Brian Bordainick) is doing. Their skincare products are bold, specific, and instantly recognizable. You know exactly who they’re for and what they stand for. Function of Beauty does the same thing, customization at scale that feels intimate, not algorithmic.
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Why does this matter? Because Gen Z doesn’t wait. You’ve got seconds to make them feel seen. If your brand isn’t clear in the first scroll, it’s already forgotten.
What brands can learn:
Don’t be everything to everyone, be everything to someone.
Start with specificity. Niche is scale.
Make the first five seconds unforgettable.
Use personalization to make people feel known, not targeted.
COMMERCELENS: I’ve been saying this for a while, communities are the new media. But now we’re seeing it unfold in real time.
Case in point: Sardine Girl Summer. What started as a niche aesthetic joke turned into a TikTok fashion wave. Or take Owala. Their water bottles exploded inside hydration-focused micro-communities and then jumped into the mainstream.
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That’s the new playbook. Gen Z does more than just follow trends, they build them in DMs, Discords, and private chats long before they hit the algorithm.
What brands can learn:
Follow the subcultures, not just the influencers.
Test and iterate inside safe, small communities.
Give your people something to rally around and share.
Loyalty now starts in the group chat, not the billboard.
COMMUNITYVIBES: Gen Z Isn’t Opening Tabs, They’re Closing the Loop
Here’s a small but mighty insight from the field: Gen Z isn’t leaving cards behind bars anymore. Not because they’re not spending but because they want full control. This NYT article deeps dive into this. But here’s my take.
They grew up with Apple Pay, Venmo, and Afterpay. Real-time balances. One-click everything. So when they’re out, every transaction is quick, autonomous, and intentional.
Even nightlife is changing, friends are splitting drinks on Zelle mid-round. It’s not anti-social. It’s pro-agency.
What brands can learn:
Gen Z doesn’t want friction. Design for self-directed choice.
Payment is part of the brand experience, make it seamless.
Control and autonomy matter more than tradition.
Think in one-click moments, not long checkout journeys.
INTO THE NEXT-GEN MULTIVERSE
Edward (18): “Jordans aren’t just sneakers. They represent a legacy. I wear them because of MJ, because of what he built. That makes them feel personal.”
Kristine (22): “I follow Beatbox. I’m in their Discord. We do trivia nights, small get-togethers. There’s a real community vibe—not just content.”
Kris (21): “Discord brings people together around shared passions. It’s not just group chat. It’s culture infrastructure.”
These voices reinforce what we’re seeing across our community:
The next-gen consumer doesn’t want to follow
They want to feel part of it
They don’t just want content, they want context, connection, and co-creation
And platforms like Discord are where it’s all happening.
NEXT-GEN CENTRICITY™ NUGGET Two frameworks. One goal: brand relevance.
The Lazer Strategy: From Chaos to Clarity
Back when I joined Disney, our social media content was distillation of different org charts trying to put their messages and the strategy was patchwork of multiple narratives, each with their own goals, calendars, and priorities. Social had become the dumping ground for promotions, announcements, and leftover content.
There was no unifying voice. No core emotion. And definitely no clear strategy.
Our first win there wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t a viral campaign or a big splash. It was clarity. Ofcourse this was possible because of partnership with digital giants and my friend Tom Aronson
We built what I now call the Lazer Strategy, a framework for brand storytelling rooted in a single emotional outcome. If the Disney Parks were the happiest place on earth, our social had to be the happiest place on the internet.
Every post, every comment, every campaign had to reinforce that.
That idea became our north star.
Most brands are trying to be everything, everywhere, all at once. But in 2025, the brands winning Gen Z aren’t the loudest—they’re the clearest.
Here’s how you get there:
Define one clear emotional mission for your brand online
Align every post, format, and moment with that feeling
Say no to trends that don’t serve your mission
Train your team to filter everything through your north star
Make your audience feel the same thing, every time they land on your page
When your content feels consistent, trust builds. And trust leads to traction.
The 5-Second Funnel: Brand Building at the Speed of Scroll
The old marketing funnel was a slow burn. Awareness. Consideration. Decision. Conversion. Loyalty.
It took weeks, sometimes months, to move people through it. And there was budget to back each stage. Today? You’ve got five seconds.
Scroll. Hook. Decide.
That’s it. Gen Z doesn’t browse. They feel. They vibe. They swipe. And if you don’t make them feel something fast, you're already forgotten.
This is the 5-Second Funnel. It’s not a theory, it’s a reality. So how do you win when creating conversion content?
Start with a bold visual or emotional hook
Make your CTA obvious and easy to act on
Remove all friction…go straight to value
Lead with generosity before asking for anything
Spark curiosity that makes them want to learn more
Let’s build something that actually feels made for them.
Until next time, Karan.