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D O U G B I R D 🦅

@doug_bird

13.9K

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3586

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💡 Helping brands turn IRL experiences into trial, intelligence & revenue.
💭 Founder: @wildairagency, @wildproof.io & @gobadger.io.
⚡️ Ex @redbullza

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If you want to get to know your customer, it’s time to get in front of them - IRL.

If product trial for a part of your go-to-market strategy, you can shape it into your most valuable consumer intelligence pipeline. No more online, WhatsApp or email surveys required - just real responses, in real time, during the moment of trial.

All of your data lives in one place - a single source of truth.

Vertically integrated software infrastructure that automates operations and integrates intelligence.

Close the “say/do” gap through showing up at the right time and place adding value first.

Build out comprehensive independent retail heat maps, store audits and distribution networks.

The ultimate test for consumer brands!

Full client transparency is key🗝️

Your clear data pipeline that helps brands build commercial viable short, mid and long term plans.

WILD Proof - Let’s Build Better Brands by @doug_bird

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4 months ago

Asking fans what they want is the start. The harder part is being willing to act when their answers challenge something you’ve spent years protecting.

Test cricket may still have a strong place in people’s lives. But what needs to change to get them through the gates? And what will those changes cost?

That’s a difficult commercial decision. You may need to invest more in an experience that’s already underperforming, with no guarantee that the additional spend will bring people back.

The work is figuring out which changes could attract enough demand to justify that investment. At some point, you also have to ask whether rebuilding the existing offer costs more than developing a different one.

History deserves respect. It also needs an honest assessment of what comes next.

If you’re going to ask your audience for answers, you need to be prepared for answers that weren’t in your plan. by @doug_bird

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2 hours ago

The most competitive race of the year: the dads’ race at your kids’ sports day.

Nothing quite like a row of middle-aged men suddenly remembering how quick they were at school.

All in all, I’m happy with my performance. Hamstrings still attached, stayed upright and didn’t come last. At this stage of life, that’s a podium.

To my fellow dads: I know your child is watching. I know the dad next to you looks beatable. But your ego still thinks you’re 18, and your hamstrings have been sitting at a desk since Monday.

Steady on, boys. We’ve still got to carry the chairs back to the car. by @doug_bird

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You shouldn’t have to follow a sport to know when South Africans are doing something exceptional in it.

Paddling has been part of my life for around 30 years. These results mean a lot when you know the people, the clubs and the families behind them. But they deserve to travel well beyond our paddling circles.

So this one is about giving this team their moment. To everyone who raced for South Africa in Spain, and the people who helped get them there — there’s a lot to be proud of. 🇿🇦

Share this with someone who loves seeing South Africans succeed. Let’s get a few more people following these athletes before their next world championship. by @doug_bird

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How many consumer brands are creating something people would actually pay to be part of?

That’s what I love about the approach Motherkind and G&G The Goosebumps Company are taking with @powerherfitfest.

There’s a real opportunity for brands to move beyond sponsoring experiences and start building their own, particularly when they can collaborate with people and businesses that already have the trust, relationships and capabilities to bring them to life.

And the commercial opportunity doesn’t have to end when the event does.

Get the experience right, build something people want to return to, give commercial partners a reason to keep investing, and you have the foundations of a property that can become more valuable over time.

Of course, the economics still need to work. Building a great event and building a profitable business aren’t automatically the same thing.

But I love seeing South African businesses like @motherkindco and @thegoosebumpsco investing in this space.

There’s a lot that consumer brands can learn from what they’re doing. by @doug_bird

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5 days ago

The biggest obstacle to business growth isn’t always a lack of opportunity. Sometimes it’s the way the business is set up to make decisions.

Take the ambition to become more consumer-centric.

That sounds like a marketing priority, but in reality it reaches far beyond marketing. It affects how a business understands its customers, how sales and marketing work together, how resources are allocated and how success is measured.

Yet those responsibilities often sit across different departments, each with their own budgets, targets and pressures.

So an investment that makes commercial sense for the business over the next few years can look like an unnecessary cost to the person responsible for approving it today.

And that’s where things get interesting.

The existing way of doing things has history, familiarity and internal acceptance on its side. A new approach has to earn all three, often before it’s even had an opportunity to prove itself.

Of course, new investments need to make commercial sense. They should be tested, measured and held accountable.

But leadership also means being prepared to challenge the systems, assumptions and incentives that might be holding the business back.

Because sometimes the biggest barrier to growth isn’t the market, the competition or the customer.

It’s what happens inside the business long before the customer ever gets involved. by @doug_bird

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Rights holders spend enormous amounts of time, money and effort creating demand for their properties. They need to pay just as much attention to what happens when people try to buy access to them.

Who’s authorised to sell that access? How is it verified? What controls are in place? And how does a supporter know whether the person they’re buying from can actually deliver?

The rights holder may not be responsible for transactions happening outside its official channels, but when things go wrong, supporters still associate that experience with the event.

Source: Daily Maverick, 7 October 2026. by @doug_bird

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7 days ago

I’ve been following the Rachel Beaton / Running Mann fallout, and there’s something about the way this has played out that really doesn’t sit well with me.

I’ve got no issue with people being called out for breaking race rules. That stuff matters, and people should absolutely be held accountable.

I really don’t like the way Stuart Mann attempts to belittle people. The sarcasm, the personal digs and what often feels like an unnecessary attempt to embarrass people publicly. In Rachel’s case, the comments about her body and relationships were completely out of line.

You can make a perfectly legitimate point without having to tear someone down in the process.

And to Rachel’s credit, she’s acknowledged that she got things wrong and hasn’t shied away from the fallout.

What I find particularly interesting is that this whole conversation started with people questioning Rachel’s credibility and reputation.

But having watched how it’s played out, I wonder whose reputation has actually taken the bigger knock.

And that’s an interesting question when you start looking at the commercial value of influence. by @doug_bird

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