Jude Monte

Founder & Editor, Drifted North · Former CMO

I spent decades helping companies explain why their difference mattered. Drifted North asks whether it does.

Sometimes the product is better. Sometimes the marketing is.

The experience behind the questions

Long before the headline, someone has decided what you will notice first.

Before Drifted North, I served as a Chief Marketing & Experience Officer and worked across research, positioning, pricing, claims, brand strategy, and customer experience.

At its best, that work makes a real difference easier to understand. At its most enthusiastic, a smaller one can acquire an excellent adjective and a very flattering comparison.

I learned how presentation changes perception, how context changes value, and how much a comparison can leave out while remaining technically correct.

When the stakes changed

The questions were familiar. The stakes were not.

When my daughter, Astrid, was born with a rare condition that affected her mobility, the questions moved out of conference rooms and into our home: What is the promise? What supports it? Compared with what? For whom? What happens if the answer is wrong?

I left the C-suite to focus on her. The habit of looking closer came with me.

Drifted North grew from professional fluency, personal stakes, and a persistent inability to leave an interesting question alone.

What I owe the reader

You should be able to see how I reached a conclusion—not simply be asked to trust it.

I read the study, check the claim, examine the fine print, try the thing myself when I can, and ask people who know more than I do. Then I tell you what the evidence supports, what it leaves unanswered, and where my judgment begins.

If the evidence is mixed, I say so. If the answer changes according to a person’s body, budget, home, or priorities, that belongs in the conclusion. If I am wrong, the correction is part of the story.

And if the beautifully marketed thing turns out to be excellent, it is allowed to win.

The lived verdict

What becomes part of a life matters.

I remain perfectly capable of wanting the beautiful bag, the airline status, and the bottle with unusually calm typography. That is not a failure of the method. It is one of the reasons for it.

Beauty, pleasure, taste, and status are real parts of a decision. So are price, evidence, inconvenience, and what happens when the beautiful first impression has to survive an ordinary Tuesday.

The point is not to strip choices of feeling. It is to know which part is feeling, which part is fact, and whether the whole thing still deserves a place.

The name

Why Drifted North?

As I became clearer about what mattered to me, I gradually changed what got my energy, attention, and money. That was my true north. Drifted describes how I got there—a series of choices, rather than a grand plan.

The .com was also available. I’m still a marketer.

Jude MonteFounder & Editor, Drifted North

Work with Jude

Bring the complicated thing. Preferably before it acquires a slogan.

Jude works selectively with founders, leadership teams, and brands when a real difference needs to become a reason to choose.

Her work spans positioning, brand strategy, and customer experience, alongside select editorial collaborations and partnerships that share Drifted North’s curiosity, meet its standards, and offer something of value to its readers.

Start a conversation

About the publication

A few fair questions.

What we do, how we reach a conclusion, and where you come in.

Who is Drifted North for?

Curious readers who want to understand how marketing and persuasion shape everyday choices. Jude brings a former Chief Marketing & Experience Officer’s perspective to claims, pricing, presentation, and the evidence behind them. You decide what deserves your money, attention, and trust.

Explore the stories →

How do the North Test and North List fit together?

The North Test shows the investigation: the question, comparison, evidence, and limitations. The North List is where finished recommendations will live, with the exact product, who it suits, why it earned a place, and the catch.

See the method and investigations →

Can I shop the North List yet?

The first recommendations are still being investigated. No products are endorsed on the List yet. Each published recommendation will link back to the work behind it.

See what’s taking shape →

Can a brand pay to be recommended?

No company can buy a place on the North List. Affiliate links may earn a commission, and relevant gifts, loans, discounts, or hosted experiences must be disclosed alongside the recommendation. Commercial relationships do not determine the verdict.

Read the editorial standards →

How can I follow along or suggest a question?

The Note brings finished essays, conclusions, and recommendations to your inbox. You can also send a claim, question, or purchase you would like Jude to investigate. A suggestion does not subscribe you to the newsletter.

Get The Note →Suggest a question →