You Know That Feeling When Someone Just Gets You?
Imagine if people felt that way about your brand.
We help businesses create that connection.
It’s frustrating when something isn't clicking between your business and your audience.
We figure out why.
Then we develop the brand messaging that helps your team and your audience understand why your business matters.
“What you have to do is get into their heart. And how do you get into the heart? With stories.”
Discovering What's Getting in the Way
We don’t start by changing the words. We start by understanding what's at stake .
Every business is trying to create a specific experience. Sometimes the experience leadership believes they're creating isn't the one audiences are having.
That's why we work closely with founders, leaders, and teams before we develop a single message. First, we diagnose the disconnect and then create a shared understanding of what the business stands for and what the audience stands to gain or lose.
Once that foundation is in place, team members aren’t trying to remember what to say. They're communicating from a shared understanding instead of relying on a script.
Now the communication aligns the experience the business intends to create with the one the audience has.
Founder, Joan O’Connor
Inspiring People to Care
The approach behind Spotlight Monkey was shaped by a career spent observing human behavior. Years of producing and writing Emmy-winning television, casting for brands, and conducting more than 2,000 in-depth interviews honed an instinct for looking beneath the obvious and uncovering what others might miss.
In television, audiences don’t owe you their attention. You have to understand what draws them in and gives them a reason to stay invested.
That’s why brands often turn to Hollywood storytellers to create messaging. They understand that people don’t connect because something is important or polished. They connect when they recognize why it matters to them.
That perspective shapes how we approach every messaging challenge.
Relationships are the True Currency of Every Brand
How Understanding Their Audience Reshaped Relationships
RankHero
Turning powerful SEO technology into a story Etsy creators relate to and understand.
Rooted Promise
Transforming a deeply personal mission into a brand story gardeners can rally behind.
Blogstorm
Humanizing powerful AI technology through messaging people instantly understand.
L Rose Design
Helping the brand feel as thoughtful and elegant as the spaces it creates.
Leo Innovate
Positioning a salon software platform as a supportive brand experience for owners.
Globowl
Centering baby food messaging around the emotional experience of parenting.
What Clients Discovered
“Joan pushed me to look into the emotional and psychological reasons why people would buy our product, and the story we tell today does that job better than I ever could have on my own.”
— Erica Bethe Levin, Founder of Globowl
“Spotlight Monkey made our complicated tech messaging clear, relatable, and effective. Joan basically humanized our technology.”
— Peter Sedrak, Co-founder of blogstorm.ai
“Since launching the new brand and story, we've seen a 125% increase in sales.”
— Robert Ghobrial, Founder of Rooted Promise
“Joan truly captured the heart of my brand. The final messaging feels like me.”
— Lakesha Rose, Founder, L Rose Designs
“Our messaging was all over the place, and Joan helped us focus it so it emotionally connects with our clients. She also helped with the UX, which made a huge difference in how our story flows.”
— Ellen White, Founder, Ecofixr