Aligning ‘Earth, Moon, Galaxy’ concepts with your strategic objectives—every time

All marketers know this: there’s almost always more than one way to achieve your marketing goals. The challenge is adeptly exploring what’s possible, and home in on a range of ideas that are on strategy, and provide different ways of meeting the goals. That’s why when financial services brands ask us to create major initiatives or campaigns, we don’t come back with a single silver bullet idea. We bring three varied approaches. We call them Earth, Moon, and Galaxy—three distinct concepts that all solve the problem, each in different ways:

• Earth ideas are grounded and practical
• Moon concepts push further and stretch the comfort zone
• Galaxy takes the boldest leap, reframing the problem in an entirely new light

Together, they create a spectrum of possibilities and show the breadth of what’s possible without drifting away from the business outcome.

Why Earth, Moon, Galaxy matters

Earth, Moon, and Galaxy isn’t about proving the value of three ideas—it’s about showing how we can stretch thinking across different levels of ambition while keeping every route anchored to the same strategic goal. Each concept must stand on its own and deliver against the brief, but together they illustrate the range of what’s possible without drifting away from being ruthlessly focused on the business outcome.

Stretching without losing focus

Financial services is full of look‑alike messaging. And at the end of the day, your customers and prospects feel like they’re just throwing darts to pick a product and the most brands can hope for in that space is tiny incremental improvements. That’s why Earth, Moon, and Galaxy concepts are so effective: they allow us to test different creative routes without wandering off strategy and still give us a way to stand out in a crowded market. An Earth concept might ground a message in its most essential form. A Moon concept could take the same truth but push into new territory or unexpected cultural cues. Galaxy might take a bold reframe of the entire category. Each path is ruthlessly focused on our Client’s goal—but stretches the creative playing field so sameness doesn’t creep in.

How it sharpens collaboration

Bringing three distinct routes changes the dynamic in the room. Instead of debating tweaks to a single execution, Clients see multiple strong options anchored to the same strategy. That shifts the conversation from surface‑level edits to more meaningful dialogue: which expression best matches their appetite, their timing, or their ambition. And because each option is being presented with three reasons why it works, the conversation is elevated. The discussion isn’t about choosing between strong and weak—it’s choosing between three different ways forward, all of which are valid and solidly anchored against the goal.

Why it works in financial services

Earth, Moon, and Galaxy concepts work in financial services because they provide structured ways to reflect the different pressures and expectations that shape how people engage with financial services. The grounded option speaks clearly to functional concerns. The stretch option explores more emotional levers. The boldest option challenges category norms entirely. That range means the final choice connects across segments without watering down the strategy.

Advice to act on: Want to fight sameness and see how far your message can go without losing focus? Leverage the Earth, Moon, and Galaxy approach to your thinking. Ensure each approach stands on its own, meets your strategic goal, and proves its strength with ruthless clarity. That’s how you stretch thinking and still stay aligned.