Three brands. Ninety days. Full transparency.
The CraftScore Founding Cohort is a one-time public engagement with three selected APAC brands. Free diagnostic. Free growth plan. Free 90-day execution. In return, the work is published openly, end to end, as it happens.
The credibility problem with a new standard.
CraftScore is a new measurement framework. A whitepaper and three inaugural audits prove it works on paper. What no whitepaper can prove is that the diagnosis leads to compounding outcomes when applied in real conditions, against real budgets, on real timelines.
The Founding Cohort is how that gets proven. Three brands. Public baselines. Public interventions. Public outcomes. If the framework is right, the score moves. If it does not, that is published too.
“Open formula. Published weights. Governance rules that prevent gaming. If anyone can audit the framework, anyone can verify the outcome.”
Read the full CraftScore whitepaper →What’s given and what’s asked.
This is a structured exchange. Both sides are publicly accountable.
Diagnostic, plan, execution. Free.
- Full CraftScore Audit. All four dimensions. Tier classification. Composite score. Benchmark comparison.
- 90-Day Growth Plan. Prioritised by impact and effort. Mapped against the S.O.P. operating sequence.
- Active execution. Direct involvement in implementation, weekly. Owned media build, content, AI visibility work, brand authority signals.
- Mid-point and final audit. Two re-audits during the engagement. Movement tracked publicly.
- Methodology training. Your team learns CraftScore reading and application. The capability stays after the engagement ends.
Full public transparency.
- Brand name disclosed publicly. No anonymous engagement. The brand is named in case studies, posts, and the eventual report.
- Weekly transparency post. Movement, blockers, decisions made, what worked, what did not. Published every Friday.
- Public baseline score. The starting CraftScore is published on day one. No hiding from the starting point.
- Public final score. Whatever the 90-day audit shows, published. Improvement or otherwise.
- One LinkedIn testimonial. At engagement end, from the senior stakeholder. Honest, on-record.
- Case study rights. Permission to use the engagement in future content, presentations, and the Quarterly CraftScore Index.
“This is the only engagement model I know of where the practitioner is publicly accountable for outcomes from day one. That’s the entire point.”
— The selection rationale
How the three brands are chosen.
Selection is competitive, not first-come. Criteria are weighted to maximise demonstrable, defensible improvement during the engagement window and the educational value of the public study.
The 90-day public engagement.
Selection runs from now through June 5. Engagement begins June 8. Concludes early September with the final published audit.
Applications + interviews
Applications open through this page. Shortlisted applicants invited to a 30-minute fit conversation. Three brands selected and announced publicly on June 5.
Baseline audits + plans
Full CraftScore audit completed for each cohort brand. Baseline scores published. 90-day growth plan delivered. Public kickoff post for each engagement.
Execution + weekly transparency
Active implementation. Weekly transparency post every Friday. Mid-point audit at week 6. Adjustments made publicly. Blockers, decisions, and trade-offs documented.
Final audit + report
Final CraftScore audit completed. Composite score movement published. Engagement results compiled into a public case study. Testimonial published. Cohort closes.
The application form.
Eight questions. Estimated 12 minutes. Submitted applications are reviewed personally. All applicants receive a response, selected or not.
This form captures the information needed to make a selection decision. Be specific and candid. The criteria reward clarity, not polish.
Common questions.
Is this really free, or is it a free audit that leads to a sales pitch?
The audit, plan, and 90-day execution are free of cost. There is no embedded upsell. The transparency Jay receives in return has economic value (case study rights, public credibility for the methodology) that justifies the engagement. Brands that complete the cohort and want to continue working together afterward can discuss a paid retainer, but that is optional and not the structure’s purpose.
What happens if my brand’s score does not improve?
It is published anyway. The cohort’s purpose is to test the framework openly. A flat or negative outcome with documented reasons is more valuable to the audience than a polished success story. Most brands that fail to move during a 90-day engagement do so because of internal blockers, not framework failure, and that learning is part of the published work.
How much of my team’s time is required?
Minimum 2 hours per week from one internal lead. Additional time from execution stakeholders depending on which interventions are prioritised in the growth plan. Full work is not handed off, it is collaborative.
Can I apply if my brand is not in Southeast Asia?
Not for this cohort. The Founding Cohort is intentionally SEA-focused because the regional context shapes the audit calibration. Future cohorts may expand. Express interest via the application form regardless and you will be contacted when scope expands.
What if my legal or comms team blocks public disclosure?
Confidential paid engagements remain available outside this cohort. The Founding Cohort exists specifically to demonstrate the methodology in public, so disclosure is non-negotiable for these three slots.
Who is Jay Chong?
Digital Marketing Transformation practitioner. 13+ years across luxury retail, e-commerce, and B2B platforms with significant APAC scope. Creator of CraftScore and the Digital Craftsmanship Series (S.O.P. Operating System). Based in Singapore. Full background and current work at iamjaychong.com.