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Jolyon Varley
Co-Founder @ OK COOL 🌏 Sharing all things culture, content & creativity.
Jolyon Varley is a creative entrepreneur and co-founder of OK COOL, a creative content studio specializing in social media and brand humanization.12 Based in London, Varley has established himself as a visionary in modern advertising, connecting brands to culture through innovative content strategies.4
Career Highlights
- Co-Founder of OK COOL (January 2016 - Present): Varley leads this creative studio with offices in London, New York, and Sydney.12
- Previous Ventures: Co-founded 15Folds (2012-2020), an online art gallery, and NEVERBLAND (2010-2020), a digital product studio.1
- Industry Recognition: Ranked #8 in Advertising & PR in the United Kingdom, with a Favikon Authority Score of 7,662 points.4
OK COOL
Founded in July 2016, OK COOL is an advertising agency that works with prestigious brands such as Moncler, Nike, LVMH group, Heineken, Spotify, and Bumble.25 The company specializes in:
- Humanizing brands
- Connecting brands to subcultures
- Creating content that converts
Approach and Philosophy
Varley's approach focuses on:
- Using culture as a tool to humanize brands4
- Transforming subcultures into meaningful brand narratives4
- Prioritizing authenticity and human connection in advertising4
Varley draws inspiration from counter-cultural pursuits like skateboarding, punk rock, rap, graffiti, and DIY publishing, which he incorporates into OK COOL's creative ethos.6
Social Media Influence
Varley is recognized as a thought leader in the creative industry, particularly on LinkedIn, where he shares insights on culture, content, and creativity.34 He also curates a newsletter that delivers cultural insights and trend reports to inspire creativity in the industry.4
Highlights
THIS is the most important ad TikTok has made to date.
Why?
👉 TikTok has dominated the younger demographic. 👉 It's perceived as a space for trends, dances and memes.
To keep growing...
It NEEDS to appeal beyond Gen Z.
So, they tapped into a game-changing insight:
👉 People are bored of old-school search engines 👉 They crave real, human answers
This ad is TikTok’s play to position itself as the solution.
Redefining it:
From a fun distraction ➡️ to a legit discovery tool.
A space where genuine connections and REAL insights thrive, setting the stage for the evolution of search.
The question is...
Are they successfully reshaping perceptions?
Let me know what you think👇
♻️ Repost if you found this helpful.
👋 I’m Jolyon, founder of OK COOL. I drop insights into content, culture + creativity daily at 7:30 EST. If you wanna stay in the loop, hit the bell on my profile 🔔
I wish they'd taught this in school:
The most successful people aren't the smartest. Or even the hardest workers in the room.
They're the ones...
Who turn their PASSION into a PROFESSION.
Think about it:
- What did you obsess over when you were 16?
- What do you do when you procrastinate?
- Where does your mind go when you daydream?
That's the thing you should be doing with your life 🤷
My rabbit holes tend to be:
🛹 Watching skateboard videos on Thrasher. 👓 Reading up on counter-cultural niches on Substack. 📖 Exploring language and narrative through novels. 🎧 Taking music recs then deep-diving the genre. 📚 Digging into the art of business and personal growth.
And today...
Those things are the DNA of OK COOL.
↳ They fuel our creativity. ↳ Shape our culture and vision. ↳ Connect our content to the right people.
And honestly...
⚡️The MORE I lean into the things I care about. ⚡️ The BETTER my business seems to do.
Wild, right?
So, next time you catch yourself procrastinating...
Pay attention.
Your passion might just unlock the next big move in your career 🪐✌️
♻️ Repost if you found this post insightful. 💚 Follow me, Jolyon for all things creativity, culture and content.
