Observations, insights and recommendations for CLEAR. From Michael Franzini / X-UP / Public Interest

1. OBSERVATIONS, INSIGHTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
MICHAEL FRANZINI
CEO, X-UP & PUBLIC INTEREST
www.x-up.com
www.publicinterest.tv
mike@x-up.com

2. First—
My path to this room is an illustra2on of two of the ways that CLEAR is truly excep2onal:
1. You truly are obsessed with the customer experience.
2. You truly are open to new ideas that can help the brand grow and flourish.
Thank you for having me here.
2

3. Second—
I LOVE CLEAR.
Not just what it does for me at the airport—
What it represents.
And what its poten2al is.
I’d like to share with you what excites me about the brand—
And the ways I think it could have even more impact—and grow even faster.
3

4. And (the final part of my preface)—
I can see that Caryn is a visionary leader.
I have watched all the clips of her speaking online, and I believe:
(1) She is exactly the kind of leader it takes to create a movement.
(More on this later.)
(2) She is a visionary who has the poten2al to make CLEAR into
something much bigger than it currently is.
(3) She is extremely mediagenic and is the perfect “face” of CLEAR.
This is another big part of what has brought me here.
4

5. MY BACKGROUND
5

6. Nonprofit ad-agency which became the leading
alterna2ve to the Ad Council.
publicinterest Founded 1997
Marke2ng firm - serving
for-profit companies
FOUNDED 2007
Past clients include
6

7. 8

8. Bill & Melinda Gates Al Gore Oprah Winfrey
Elton John Mary J Blige Magic Johnson will.i.am
Some of the
individuals
we’ve directly
collaborated
with on past
campaigns
9

9. Published by HarperCollins
DefiniEve survey of youth
culture in America.
Book created in
partnership with
Johnson & Johnson
Book created in
partnership with the
Wounded Warrior Project
Published several
books
View a PDF of the
en2re book at this link.
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10. Created this beverage brand
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12. 13

13. GNPWDR
THESTORYOF
THE FIRST BOTTLED
WATER THAT IS
UNLIKE ANY OTHER
PRODUCT ON THE
MARKET.The two of us were fairly sure that our main product line (HPP guayusa) would
get accepted by at least one region of Whole Foods, but we weren’t 100% sure.
And the future of the company depended on getting into Whole Foods. So, on
his own, Nick developed this product and submitted it to Whole Foods under a
different brand name (to be produced and sold through Gunpowder).
The Pacific Northwest Region of Whole Foods (Seattle/Portland) enthusiastically
accepted the full line, with a SRP of $3.99, but they required us to start with a
“DSD” distributor which gives more hands-on attention than UNFI but charges
25% instead of 8%. Once established, we could move to UNFI, they said.
At that same 5/18/15 Board meeting, the group decided that the margin with
DSD was too low and voted to set it aside. We walked away from the Whole
Foods region that wanted the product, something that almost never happens.
• The first super-premium HPP water
• Proprietary technology allows XO to
maintain alkalinity even with acidic fruit
• Extensive flavor testing to identify the
combinations with widest appeal
• Ingredients chosen to maximize health
benefits—nutrient-rich & detoxifying
We created this brand as part of the same company.
14

14. GNPWDR
THESTORYOF
The first bottled iced tea
that actually tastes good.
In addition to the XO waters, we also submitted several of our original iced
teas (HPP treated) to Whole Foods, as a backup to our main product line.
None of them got accepted. We were told that most stores are already
removing existing bottled teas from the cold case, because they’re not
moving enough. That, combined with the $5.99 SRP caused too much
doubt about whether this product would work.
Nonetheless, we maintain these are the best iced teas you’ll ever taste.
Our mission is to take bottled tea to a new
level. Nearly all bottled tea on the market is heat
pasteurized and contains added acids to extend
shelf life. We use pressure instead of heat to extend
our shelf life. This gives you fresh-brewed flavor
and preserves nutrients. We start with premium
artisanal tea leaves and fresh organic produce, and
we cold-brew to minimize tannins. We guarantee
this is the best quality bottled tea you’ve ever
tasted, or we’ll buy you one of our competitors’
bottles. For details, visit xt-pure.com/guarantee.
We created this brand as part of the same company.
15

15. GNPWDR
THESTORYOF
YOU NEED
TO TASTE
FRESH
ROOT BEERIf you like root beer, you’ll LOVE this.
We created this brand as part of the same company.
16

16. We opened and ran this
retail loca2on for two years
(un2l the company was sold).
17

17. 18

18. 19

19. 20

20. 21

21. publicinterest
22

22. www.publicinterest.tv/camm www.publicinterest.tv/holocaust
www.publicinterest.tv/gates www.publicinterest.tv/moo
www.publicinterest.tv/gore www.publicinterest.tv/mtv
www.publicinterest.tv/coin www.publicinterest.tv/will
www.publicinterest.tv/rtv www.publicinterest.tv/warriors
www.publicinterest.tv/okko www.publicinterest.tv/elton
BILL & MELINDA GATES ON OPRAH
The Gates Foundation asked us to create
a campaign for them to launch on their
upcoming Oprah appearance, which was
three weeks away!
AL GORE, LIVE FROM SAN FRANCISCO
Along with U.S. Secretary of Education
Arne Duncan and a panel of STEM
dignitaries, Al Gore presided over this
first-of-its-kind event we orchestrated.
USING CURRENCY AS THE MEDIUM
As part of our focus on using earned
media to leverage small ad budgets, we
minted 200,000 coins that resemble
pennies and snuck them into circulation.
A SHOCKING SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
Rock The Vote enlisted us to focus
public attention on people’s passive
indifference to discrimination. You
won’t believe what happened.
HOW U.S. TEENS ARE DIFFERENT
To figure out what underlies the STEM
crisis, we traveled to four countries to
interview teens about their attitudes
towards life, school and more.
AMERICA HAS FALLEN BEHIND
We produced all national spots for
Time Warner Cable’s five-year $100M
Connect A Million Minds Initiative to
address our nation’s STEM crisis.
NORMAN, THE PUPPY THAT MOOS
Philanthropist Tim Gill gave us a $1M
budget to move the needle on extreme
conservative’s attitudes towards
marriage equality. (We succeeded.)
“I DON’T LIKE TO USE PROTECTION”
One of our 18 MTV campaigns, this one
won awards for its unusual strategy. Part
of our three-year $6.5M partnership
with the Kaiser Family Foundation.
A DAY AT WILL.I.AM’S HOUSE
While we were shooting a STEM spot at
will.i.am’s house, the artist was struck by
inspiration when he heard his 11-year-old
co-star’s rap about bacteria.
INSPIRED BY WOUNDED WARRIORS
No other experience has affected our
perspective on life more than our
multiple projects for the Wounded
Warrior Project.
ELTON JOHN’S WHITE BEDROOM
As part of a two-year collaboration with
his foundation, we created this widely
acclaimed campaign featuring Sir Elton
and Mary J Blige.
WHAT WAS THE HOLOCAUST?
More than half of U.S. teens don’t know
what the Holocaust was. We created
this campaign to make the Holocaust
relevant to young Americans.
12CASESTUDIESwww.publicinterest.tv
www.publicinterest.tv/cammwww.publicinterest.tv/holocaust
www.publicinterest.tv/gateswww.publicinterest.tv/moo
www.publicinterest.tv/gorewww.publicinterest.tv/mtv
www.publicinterest.tv/coinwww.publicinterest.tv/will
www.publicinterest.tv/rtvwww.publicinterest.tv/warriors
www.publicinterest.tv/okkowww.publicinterest.tv/elton
BILL&MELINDAGATESONOPRAH
TheGatesFoundationaskedustocreate
acampaignforthemtolaunchontheir
upcomingOprahappearance,whichwas
threeweeksaway!
ALGORE,LIVEFROMSANFRANCISCO
AlongwithU.S.SecretaryofEducation
ArneDuncanandapanelofSTEM
dignitaries,AlGorepresidedoverthis
first-of-its-kindeventweorchestrated.
USINGCURRENCYASTHEMEDIUM
Aspartofourfocusonusingearned
mediatoleveragesmalladbudgets,we
minted200,000coinsthatresemble
penniesandsnuckthemintocirculation.
ASHOCKINGSOCIALEXPERIMENT
RockTheVoteenlistedustofocus
publicattentiononpeople’spassive
indifferencetodiscrimination.You
won’tbelievewhathappened.
HOWU.S.TEENSAREDIFFERENT
TofigureoutwhatunderliestheSTEM
crisis,wetraveledtofourcountriesto
interviewteensabouttheirattitudes
towardslife,schoolandmore.
AMERICAHASFALLENBEHIND
Weproducedallnationalspotsfor
TimeWarnerCable’sfive-year$100M
ConnectAMillionMindsInitiativeto
addressournation’sSTEMcrisis.
NORMAN,THEPUPPYTHATMOOS
PhilanthropistTimGillgaveusa$1M
budgettomovetheneedleonextreme
conservative’sattitudestowards
marriageequality.(Wesucceeded.)
“IDON’TLIKETOUSEPROTECTION”
Oneofour18MTVcampaigns,thisone
wonawardsforitsunusualstrategy.Part
ofourthree-year$6.5Mpartnership
withtheKaiserFamilyFoundation.
ADAYATWILL.I.AM’SHOUSE
WhilewewereshootingaSTEMspotat
will.i.am’shouse,theartistwasstruckby
inspirationwhenheheardhis11-year-old
co-star’srapaboutbacteria.
INSPIREDBYWOUNDEDWARRIORS
Nootherexperiencehasaffectedour
perspectiveonlifemorethanour
multipleprojectsfortheWounded
WarriorProject.
ELTONJOHN’SWHITEBEDROOM
Aspartofatwo-yearcollaborationwith
hisfoundation,wecreatedthiswidely
acclaimedcampaignfeaturingSirElton
andMaryJBlige.
WHATWASTHEHOLOCAUST?
MorethanhalfofU.S.teensdon’tknow
whattheHolocaustwas.Wecreated
thiscampaigntomaketheHolocaust
relevanttoyoungAmericans.
23

23. PROJECTS
OTHERPAST
Bill and Melinda Gates
called us when they
needed something
to show Oprah. We
delivered.
When we got the call, Bill and Melinda Gates were scheduled to appear
on Oprah in 21 days. One full episode (and, as it happened, a second
full episode) was to be dedicated to America’s failing education system.
The Gates Foundation had a very clear statement of the problem to
present, but they needed a call to action that would allow Oprah’s
massive following to get involved.
We had three weeks to create a nationwide campaign that appeared
to have enough momentum that Oprah felt comfortable asking her
viewers to become a part of it.
See more at x-up.com/stand-up.
24

24. PROJECTS
OTHERPAST
We spent one very
intense hour with
Al Gore (and 3 solid
months preparing for it).
As part of our five-year partnership with Time Warner Cable on their $100M initiative,
‘Connect a Million Minds’, we orchestrated this unique event to light a fire under the
smoldering national dialogue around America’s failure to engage young people in
science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
We used a brand new technology platform which enables live group meetings on a
scale never before possible. In each of TWC’s 15 markets, we had a group of 300-500
young people in an auditorium, with a large screen and microphone up front. The kids
in each market had an opportunity to interact with Mr. Gore throughout the live event.
The event also included inventor Dean Kamen, astronaut Sally Ride, Discovery
Channel’s “MythBusters” Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, U.S. Secretary of
Education Arne Duncan and Microsoft Xbox creative visionary Kudo Tsunoda.
See more at x-up.com/gore.
25

25. PROJECTS
OTHERPAST
Why do kids in the U.S.
under-perform the rest
of the world in math
and science?U.S. teens rank 35th in math and 29th in science worldwide. Is this solely because our education system is broken? Or are
there fundamental differences in mindset between young people in America and those elsewhere that explain this?
It has become clear that spending money on education—e.g. the over $2B that the Gates Foundation has invested in
American schools—will not fix the problem. Our mission here was to shed light on cultural differences that may be at the
root of this.
We conducted interviews with 12-to-16-year-olds in Sydney, Helsinki, Shanghai and two American Cities—Los Angeles
and Minneapolis, as well as a small number of parents and teachers in those cities.
Here’s what we found:
• Kids in other countries care more about academic success and less about everything else.
• Kids in the U.S. care more about sports and social life than those in other countries, by a huge margin.
• In other countries, there is less social stigma associated with high academic performance and, specifically, interest in
math and science—i.e. it’s cool to be smart.
See more at x-up.com/camm-international.
26

26. PROJECTS
OTHERPAST
A troubling
social
experiment.Rock the Vote gave us a mission: get young people in LA to think about discrimination,
rather than passively accepting it as part of the social landscape.
We took over a drive-through burger place in the San Fernando valley and
implemented a rule: customers with foreign accents will be charged double.
What happened was shocking and disturbing. Virtually no one who was not directly
affected spoke up. And most of the people who were double-charged did not object.
(Their money was later returned, and they were filled in.)
A second experiment took place at a skate park, where we segregated kids with blue
eyes into one area and all others into another. Nearly all complied without objecting.
We produced two TV spots from the footage, and the LA Times and New York Times
wrote feature stories about our experiments.
See more at x-up.com/rock-the-vote.
27

27. PROJECTS
OTHERPAST
Those who cannot
remember the past
are condemned to
repeat it.Half of American teens don’t know what the Holocaust was.
Two independent surveys have found this to be true, and we confirmed
it by conducting our own interviews with teenagers in four U.S. cities.
(See the video on our site.)
To do something about this problem, we partnered with MTV and
created a campaign that shows teens—in a visceral way they will never
forget—what it would have felt like for them.
The campaign, “the Holocaust happened to People Like Us”, had the
desired effect. Millions of teens saw the spots and reacted to them.
See more at x-up.com/holocaust.
28

28. PROJECTS
OTHERPAST
We minted a quarter
of a million coins that
resemble pennies
and snuck them into
circulation in NYC.
With a budget under $200k, we were challenged by the MAC AIDS
Fund (the nonprofit arm of MAC Cosmetics) to move the needle on
HIV awareness among young New Yorkers. Given the budget and
the challenge of breaking through the noise in NYC, we took a rather
unorthodox approach that relied on earned media. All involved agreed
that the level of awareness per campaign dollar was staggering.
See more at x-up.com/i-know.
29

29. publicinterest
View our reel at publicinterest.tv/reel.
Also check out this cool animated explainer video
we just made about America’s housing crisis.
30

30. 31

31. THE BRAND NAME
32

32. A BRILLIANT NAME
In addi2on to “clearing security”, CLEAR has all
of these other meanings that fit perfectly….
33

33. HYPOTHESIS ABOUT WHY MOST POTENTIAL
CUSTOMERS HAVE NOT YET SIGNED UP
34

34. THEY DON'T
KNOW WHAT
CLEAR IS.
35

35. What’s in this deck is, in part, based on my experience as a CLEAR customer.
Today, at JFK, the security line was excep2onally long. Easily 500 people.
They put up signs that said “30 minutes to get through security”, but that was clearly a lie.
The faces in the line were virtually all miserable. It is, for most people, their least favorite
part of traveling.
(Not to men2on all of the people in that line who were not going to make their flights…)
In that line, conserva2vely guessing, there were 100 business people who do this regularly.
There were also probably 50-100 techie early-adopter types.
I believe that nearly every member of both those groups would sign up for CLEAR if they
knew what it was and how much it cost.
They simply don’t understand CLEAR.
36

36. A footnote to the idea of “understanding”. What does it mean for them to “understand CLEAR”?
In part, we’re talking about people gefng the mechanics of how CLEAR works, the fact that they can
walk over and sign up on the spot, and other prac2cal pieces of informa2on.
More importantly, we’re talking about what CLEAR represents.
Many of them have already been exposed to the prac2cal informa2on about CLEAR, but they didn’t
take it in.
Airports are peculiar in that people are generally not curious about what all the places are they see
others going. They just assume those places are not relevant to them.
To break through, we must make the image of CLEAR into something they cannot resist.
In the same way that hordes of people want new Apple products before they really understand what
they are, we need people to be drawn to CLEAR before they know the nuts and bolts of how it works.
37

37. WHY DON’T THEY UNDERSTAND?
38

38. CONTEXT FOR WHAT FOLLOWS:
I am an outsider.
I’m here because you guys have done an amazing job
at creaEng and building the CLEAR brand—and that
makes me want to be a part of it and help you.
Please take and use whatever you find useful and
disregard the rest.
I share all of this with the sole intenEon of helping
you grow to your fullest potenEal.
39

39. We somehow get the potenEal customer to the website.
Chances are they have landed on our site due to mild curiosity
combined with some extra 2me on their hands.*
We have seconds—some say a fracEon of a second—to pull them in,
or we’ve lost them.
What are we going to put in front of them to pull them in?
And, knowing that many of them just can’t be pulled in (at least not
yet), what do we want to expose them to, in their seconds on our site,
that will shape their future interac2on with the brand?
* — AlternaVvely, they've come to the site on a mission: to sign up. In this case,
they will be even harder to reach, as they’re just looking for the “Join” buon.
CONSIDER THIS.
40

40. THE FIRST TWO THINGS THEY SEE:
41

41. These are valid and insigh_ul descripEons of what CLEAR offers.
But are they opEmal?
Specifically:
(1) For someone new to CLEAR, are these easily understandable?
(2) Are these increasing brand appeal, painEng the brand with a brush that makes
it magneEc and alluring?
(3) Do these present the value proposiEon in the most powerful way from the
consumer’s point of view?
42

42. .
WORDS
friction
friction•less
friction-free
The usage of this word in communica2ng about CLEAR implies that a mammoth TSA line that
could cause you to miss your flight and be miserable in the process is simply “fric2on”.
That is grossly understa2ng the magnitude of the problem that CLEAR solves for its customers.
And understanding what fricEonless, fricEon-free or (especially) more fricEonless mean, in
the context of air travel, may require more brain processing than many of our poten2al
customers are prepared to give us (at least un2l they know us).
43

43. Is Eme really the value proposiEon?
(And does it serve us to go further and make it
a concrete period of Vme: one hour?)
I can weigh in as a CLEAR customer:
What CLEAR offers me is (1) freedom from the
misery of the long line, (2) a posi2ve
enjoyable experience in place of a bad one,
and (3) confidence that I will make my flight,
so I can get home to the things that mager
most. None of these equate to Eme.
44

44. Some quick notes on this video:
It has 15k views. We need videos with 1M+ views. To make that jump, we need
to create videos that give people a reason to watch, not stop watching un2l the
end, and then share with others. We don’t create the video we want them to
see; we create the video we know they want to see (and build in our message).
I don’t think the premise matches reality. I didn’t start leaving home even a
minute later when I got CLEAR. The airport experience has so much uncertainty
that it’s hard to feel certain you will get through quickly, even with CLEAR. I’m
guessing most CLEAR members feel similarly, and, for those who do leave later, it
can’t be anywhere close to an hour.
We need to evoke an emoEonal response in the viewer. This video tries to do
that by showing warm family moments. It would take considerably more to get
the viewer to feel any true emo2on.
In making a video like this, we need to honestly assess the quesEon: what
reason are we giving the viewer to watch all the way through? It’s generally
one of two things: entertainment value or informa2on the viewer wants.
45

45. What are “the things that mager most”?
That extra hour we’re gefng is at the airport…
(See previous page.)
By contrast, consider this:
Every frequent business traveler has missed at least
one flight due to security lines.
Missing a flight can have devastaEng consequences…
46

46. CLEAR does, in fact, enable us to do
the things that mager most—but not
by giving us 2me; CLEAR gives us peace
of mind, knowing we’re not at risk of
missing a moment like this.
[Think about the value this has for a
dad who just wants to make it home in
2me to tuck in his likle girl…]
47

47. THE SITE VISITOR WHO IS STILL PUZZLED OR CURIOUS MAY THEN CLICK ON “ABOUT US”, AND GET THIS:
48

48. Again, the words seamless and secure are valid and important.
But are they opEmal for engaging the potenEal (or current) customer?
Also, I believe that creaEng a [more] seamless future is precisely the right vision around
which to build a movement. But few will understand the idea presented in those words.
49

49. .
WORDS
seamless
A couple of thoughts about this word:
(1) It’s fairly abstract. I think the average potential customer would have trouble
processing its meaning (especially if you don’t have their full attention).
(2) It implies that a huge TSA line is a “seam”, which suggests that it’s no worse
than the ridge on the side of your blue jeans where the fabric is stitched together.
50

50. .
WORDS
secure
Using this word—and, in general, talking about how CLEAR is working to protect Homeland Security—may be essential in certain
contexts, such as when asked about it by a reporter.
But when trying to engage a potential customer, here’s my concern:
Very few people are walking through the airport thinking “I hope those TSA people are doing a good job so I’m safe in the skies.”
CLEAR’s role in Homeland Security will be important to certain audiences, but I don’t think most poten2al customers are among them.
We have such a thin slice of their attention, we don’t want to waste it on a concept that isn’t part of what we’re offering them.
(Although the security aspect is important, it’s not part of the value proposition to the customers; it distracts from it.)
security
Homeland Security
51

51. .
WORDS
customer
Customers are strangers who do transactions with us.
Members are people that have joined our group and are connected with us.
We want people to feel they are a part of CLEAR, proud to display that fact to the world,
knowing that they believe in all it stands for.
Given that people purchase a membership in CLEAR…
Is there any reason not to exclusively use the word member in place of customer?
52

52. 53

53. 54

54. 55

55. “YOU ARE YOU, INSTEAD OF SOMETHING IN YOUR POCKET”
This is a beautiful idea. I absolutely love what it stands for, and this idea
is part of what makes the brand interesting and appealing to me.
But…
The first 20 times I read it, I was sure it was a typo. (I actually pointed
it out as a typo to you, Todd, when we met.)
It’s exceptionally hard to parse and understand this sentence.
I’m certain that we can find a way to express this idea that is simple, bold,
pure and easily understandable.
56

56. CLEAR IS ALL ABOUT:CHOOSE ONE: SELECT A OR B
A. B.
Much of the language that’s been used to describe CLEAR implies
the answer is A. As a customer, I’ll share that, for me, the CLEAR
experience is enVrely about the person. The technology is incidental.
57

57. FRICTIONLESS
FRICTION-FREE
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
A CONCIERGE SERVICE
BIOMETRIC
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE UPGRADE
THE ATM OF IDENTITY
LIKE EZ-PASS
CLEAR PODS
CLEAR KIOSKS
ANTI-TERRORISM
THE IDENTITY PLATFORM OF THE FUTURE
MORE FRICTIONLESS
MORE SECURE
MORE PREDICTABLE
YOU ARE YOU, INSTEAD OF SOMETHING IN YOUR POCKET
LIFE WITH MORE TIME
Consider the potential customer who has been exposed
to all of these different terms used publicly in
explaining what CLEAR is.
We can’t blame her if she doesn’t have a crystal clear
understanding of CLEAR.
{
58

58. NEWS STORIES ABOUT CLEAR
Some news stories use both language and B-roll footage that are far from
ideal, in terms of how they portray CLEAR.
Here are a couple of examples from last year’s Wall Street Journal video:
Issues with this section of B-roll:
1. They’re showing the sign-up process, but the commentators aren’t talking
about that: they’re explaining how CLEAR gets you through security faster.
2. The implication is that, to go through security, you need to do the multiple
choice identity-verification guessing game that everyone hates.
3. The B-roll has graphics in the lower third, causing the news graphics to overlap.
Issues with this section of B-roll:
1. They are talking about airport security but showing CLEAR for sports venues
2. Again, they’re showing the sign-up process but not talking about it.
(And the sign-up process doesn’t look simple or easy.)
3. Same issue with graphics in the lower third. (And what is visible is super-
confusing in the context of airports.)
59

59. CLEARMEappears all over the internet
[This greatly dilutes the brand.]
60

60. THREE BOOKS THAT ARE PARTICULARLY RELEVANT
61

61. 62

62. CONTAGIOUS: RELEVANCE TO CLEAR
SIX PRINCIPLES OF CONTAGIOUSNESS:
1. Social currency: do people look good talking about it?
2. Triggers: Products need to be put back on the top of
people’s minds.
3. EmoEon: People need to feel something to share
something.
4. Public: People need to see others using our product
or engaging in the desired behavior. Making things more
observable makes them more likely to be imitated.
5. PracEcal value: It has to appear useful. People like to
help others, so showing how they can help others
makes them more likely to share.
6. StorIes: People don’t share informa2on, they share
stories. How do you wrap it in a larger narra2ve?
RELEVANCE OF THE SIX PRINCIPLES:
1. Social currency: We want CLEAR to be a brand that people
want the world to know they are associated with.
2. Triggers: CLEAR has a highly effec2ve built-in trigger: airports
3. EmoEon: This is one of the places I believe we can add the
most: increasing the emo2onal appeal of the brand.
4. Public: CLEAR couldn’t be more public.
5. PracEcal value: We need to convey the prac2cal value of
CLEAR as powerfully and effec2vely as possible to all poten2al
customers.
6. StorIes: This also is an area we can help with. Imagine a
(true) story of a dad who saw a big TSA line, realized he
wouldn’t make it home to tuck in his daughter, then joined
CLEAR and made it home to read her a bed2me story.
63

63. 64

64. TRIBES: RELEVANCE TO CLEAR
This book is mainly about the idea of building a movement.
The quote above describes what the leader of the movement must do.
Caryn is already doing this. She is a natural leader for a movement built
around the idea of a future in which your iden2ty is not represented by a card
in your wallet—and a future in which you can leave home without a wallet.
65

65. TRIBES: RELEVANCE TO CLEAR
During a visit to the NASA space center in 1962,
President John F. Kennedy noticed a janitor carrying a
broom. He interrupted his tour, walked over to the man
and said, "Hi, I'm Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?"
"Well, Mr. President," the janitor responded,
"I'm helping put a man on the moon."
By building a movement around CLEAR—and
engaging both employees and customers—we can
get everyone to feel ownership of the mission.
66

66. Almost 2 decades
old but as true
today as when it
was released
67

67. THE TIPPING POINT: RELEVANCE TO CLEAR
STICKYNESS QUALITY DETERMINING RATE OF VIRAL SPREAD
The desire to make CLEAR ‘s2ckier’ underlies this en2re deck. We need the CLEAR brand itself (apart from the service) to have a
personality that people find akrac2ve. This is achieved by finding ways to communicate, as widely and powerfully as possible, what
the brand represents—which must be something with significant widespread appeal. We have quite a few thoughts on how to do this.
MAVENS, CONNECTORS AND SALESMEN THE ONES WHO SPREAD IT
We need to create communica2ons that directly target each one of these three categories of people. The mavens include all the
people on the internet who have posi2oned themselves as travel experts; they will value what they perceive to be exclusive
informa2on or offers. Connectors will be mo2vated by any kind of currency they can transfer to their connec2ons, whether it’s in the
form of entertainment, informa2on or special offers. And salesmen will respond to strong pitches that interest them enough to use
the same pitch on their contacts.
SCARCITY A NECESSARY CONDITION
I’m guessing this is the reason that you haven’t blanketed the internet with “free first month” offers. One way to create scarcity
would be to limit the number of memberships that can be sold in a period of 2me, pufng up signs (and online banners) announcing
that there are a limited number of memberships available—and periodically announcing that sales of new memberships are being
paused. It would be an interes2ng experiment to see the effect of this on sales.
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68. OUR RECOMMENDATIONS*
— THESE ARE PRELIMINARY AND WITHOUT
THE BENEFIT OF MEETING WITH CARYN AND
OTHER SENIOR MANAGEMENT—ALSO WITHOUT
HAVING SEEN OR CONDUCTED ANY RESEARCH.
*
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69. Again, please keep in mind:
I don’t presume to know your brand better than you.
It is because you have already done a fantastic job of creating a
bold and compelling brand that I am driven to offer these ideas.
Please take the good ones and use them.
(And forget you ever saw the others.)
Thank you.
{
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70. {
Also:
I believe the greatest value of
what follows is in helping to identify
the most important questions
that must be answered.
[I have included partial answers, but consider
them just a starting point for conversation.]
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71. .
1
ESSENCE
PRELIMINARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
HOW DO YOU WANT IT TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL?
IDENTIFY THE
OF
THE
BRAND
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72. IS…
73

73. 74

74. The image on the preceding page is, we believe,
symbolic of all of these aspects of CLEAR.
This is what we want all poten2al customers to
grasp in the most real and visceral way.
75

75. ANOTHER REPRESENTATION OF WHAT CLEAR STANDS FOR
[THIS IS THE FUTURE. WIDE OPEN. NOTHING IN YOUR WAY.]
76

76. IS THE OPPOSITE OF…
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77. 78

78. .
2
MISSION
PRELIMINARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
AND MAKE IT PURE, SIMPLE, BOLD AND VISIONARY
DEFINE THE
79

79. THE WORLD’S FOUR MOST POWERFUL AND VISIONARY MISSION STATEMENTS
AMONG FORTUNE 100 COMPANIES
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80. 81

81. 82

82. 83

83. 84

84. “CLEAR’s mission is to create
amazing experiences for
consumers through technology.”
First: Caryn is AWESOME.
Second: Are there are plans for CLEAR to branch out into areas beyond biometric
idenVty verificaVon?
If so, this mission may be fiung.
If not—consider the following quesVons:
(1) Is technology really part of what CLEAR exists to accomplish, or is it just a tool (which
conceivably could eventually be replaced by a different tool)? (NoVce that Google,
Facebook and Amazon all omit “technology” from their mission.)
(2) The four mission statements on the preceding pages are all about what those
companies do for their customers and the world. Is create amazing experiences the
best descripVon of what CLEAR is doing for its customers and the world?
As I’ve menVoned, I LOVE CLEAR.
But I wouldn’t say CLEAR has created any amazing experiences for me.
CLEAR has, in fact, done amazing things for me.
Earlier this year, I was traveling to give a keynote presentaVon at a conference in front of
2000 developers of affordable housing. I was running late, and I got to the airport to find
the longest security line I’d ever seen. UnVl I realized CLEAR was there, I was certain I
wouldn’t make it in Vme to present. But within 3 minutes, I was already through security.
That presentaVon was criVcally important to me, and CLEAR kept me from missing it.
Part of what I value about CLEAR is that the experience is always pleasant and easy.
But what I value more is that CLEAR allows me to avoid the worst part of flying—and it
protects me from unexpected delays that could have disastrous consequences.
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85. This is what I find most exciting about CLEAR too.
There are very few companies that have
significantly changed the way we live our lives.
For me, Amazon has changed how I live. I virtually
never go to any brick and mortar stores (other than
supermarkets). Amazon Prime and PrimeNow
completely eliminated a time-consuming (and, for
me, not enjoyable) activity from my life. Amazon
did this because their mission drives them to do
everything possible to help their customers.
I share Caryn’s excitement about how CLEAR will
change our lives. Before long, the idea of carrying
around a plastic card with your photo on it to
identify yourself will seem as quaint as a Smith
Corona or a cassette player.
Shouldn’t the mission directly address the part
that is so exciting?
“When I look out into the
future, I am most excited
about the fact that… in five
years, people will be leaving
home without their wallets…”
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86. .
3
TARGET
PRELIMINARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
AS NARROWLY AND SPECIFICALLY AS POSSIBLE
IDENTIFY THE
87

87. THE MORE NARROWLY WE CAN IDENTIFY OUR
TARGET AUDIENCE OF POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS,
THE MORE EFFECTIVELY WE CAN ENGAGE THEM.
[KNOWING HOW AND WHERE TO REACH THEM
DEPENDS LARGELY ON WHO THEY ARE]
EACH VERTICAL WILL HAVE ITS OWN TARGET
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88. Everyone who flies
at least a few
Emes a year.
All business travelers (at least 3x/yr for work)
Everyone in a top Eer of a frequent flier program
Anyone who regularly pays $250+/night for hotels
All travelers affluent enough to shop regularly at
Whole Foods (or other premium retailers)
All travelers who are early adopters (e.g. anyone
who bought an Apple watch)
All frequent business travelers
All premium travelers (ones who fly First/Business)
All luxury travelers (may not fly premium, but will pay
$400+/night for a hotel room)
TARGET POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS
(AIRPORTS ONLY-NOT SPORTS VENUES)
Again, please use this only if it is helpful. I know
that you have well developed and well informed
opinions about this.
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89. .
4
CORE MESSAGES
PRELIMINARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
AND MAKE THEM EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE AND COMPELLING
IDENTIFY THE BRAND’S
SOME CORE MESSAGES WILL APPLY ACROSS THE ENTIRE BRAND.
OTHERS WILL BE UNIQUE TO ONE VERTICAL.
90

90. CLEAR IS THE WAY AROUND THIS…
PRIMARY CORE MESSAGEIN THE AIRPORTS VERTICAL
91

91. 92

92. THE ESSENTIAL CORE MESSAGE THAT WE NEED
OUR ENTIRE TARGET TO FULLY UNDERSTAND
=
THIS IS CLEAR’S VALUE PROPOSITION IN THE MOST PRACTICAL AND LITERAL SENSE
93

93. WE CAN HAVE MANY SECONDARY CORE MESSAGES.
EACH ONE OF THESE WILL PRESENT A VALUE PROPOSITION THAT IS
LESS ABOUT THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF WHAT CLEAR DOES FOR YOU.
THESE WILL TAKE TWO FORMS:
(1) A VALUE PROPOSITION: HOW CLEAR CAN MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER
(2) AN IDEA THE BRAND EMBODIES: WHY YOU AND CLEAR BELONG TOGETHER
94

94. IS PEACE OF MIND THAT
YOU WON’T MISS THIS…
EXAMPLE OF A SECONDARY CORE MESSAGE ABOUT HOW CLEAR CAN MAKE YOUR LIFE BETTER:
[THE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST]
95

95. EXAMPLE OF A SECONDARY CORE MESSAGE ABOUT AN IDEA CLEAR EMBODIES:
CLEAR believes you
should be able to leave
home without this…
[we are working towards making this real]
96

96. ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A SECONDARY CORE MESSAGE ABOUT AN IDEA CLEAR EMBODIES:
CLEAR believes you should
not be defined by this…
[we are working towards making this real]
And you shouldn’t have to carry it with you!
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97. .
5 CLEAR BIBLE
PRELIMINARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
LAYING OUT ALL ALLOWABLE LANGUAGE ABOUT CLEAR
CREATE THE
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98. 99

99. Also create the same content in
the form of a set of videos, to be
used for training employees.
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100. FRICTIONLESS
FRICTION-FREE
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
A CONCIERGE SERVICE
BIOMETRIC
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE UPGRADE
THE ATM OF IDENTITY
LIKE EZ-PASS
CLEAR PODS
CLEAR KIOSKS
ANTI-TERRORISM
THE IDENTITY PLATFORM OF THE FUTURE
MORE FRICTIONLESS
MORE SECURE
MORE PREDICTABLE
YOU ARE YOU, INSTEAD OF SOMETHING IN YOUR POCKET
Do away with inconsistency.
Choose the right language once,
and sVck with it every single Vme.
(With the ‘bible’ and videos, this will be easy to implement.)
101

101. .
5 SOCIAL MEDIA
PRELIMINARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
A MUCH HIGHER PRIORITY
MAKE
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102. It’s essen2al to build a following.
Two ways to do it:
(1) Create content people want (and make it in line with the
mission) [We have quite a few ideas about this.]
(2) Give people a reason to post/interact [Also ideas here.]
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103. NEGATIVE COMMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Given that these are not getting responses, it’s possible that the
current social media is doing more harm than good.
It’s essential that they get replies—and they should be same day,
within a couple of hours.
Handling these is extremely tricky.
The real solution is to prevent them—e.g. by giving customers an
easy way to rate their satisfaction after every CLEAR experience.
(And when the rating is bad, reach out immediately.)
104

104. .
6 clear.com
PRELIMINARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
GET THE DOMAIN NAME
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105. www.clearme.com
Losing the “me” would have immeasurable value.
(Imagine if Apple’s site was www.myapple.com…)
As of 11/6/15, this domain name is no longer in use.
I believe Sprint would sell it. For pricing references,
see list of domain name sales so far in 2017. www.clear.com
106

106. THANK YOU
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