Brand Moments are videos that offer quick reactions and insights into recent and noteworthy brand moments. Last updated: May 23, 2024 View the full series on YouTube >
Notes
When building a brand, you can’t be overly referential
I most often see this happen through a brand’s social account. I get it. It’s easy to join in on the latest popular meme that’s going around and slap copy related to your brand/products. The problem with this is it builds poor brand-building habits. Your customers will not be able to recall your brand/product because… Continue reading When building a brand, you can’t be overly referential
Building a brand: The things you’re not thinking about enough and the things you’re thinking about too much
The things you’re not thinking about enough are: All of these provide context and build a world together. Product: Your product, usually, is not the first of its kind. How does your product compare to others? How is it differentiated? How can you improve it? Production design. You can think of this as Art Direction.… Continue reading Building a brand: The things you’re not thinking about enough and the things you’re thinking about too much
Airbnb is not a brand. But I wish it was.
In the marketing world, there has been a lot of talk and praise for Airbnb’s shift from performance marketing to brand marketing. The company is booming, hitting highs in hosts, bookings, cash – all the things the business or Airbnb should care about. But how much of the recent success is because of this shift… Continue reading Airbnb is not a brand. But I wish it was.
An Underutilized and Underappreciated Brand Strategy: The Talking Head Video
Why don’t more entrepreneurs showcase their expertise? Why don’t more of them directly engage with customers and communicate? I’m not referring to an email from the founder, a podcast, or an on-air interview; I’m talking about the old-fashioned yet effective strategy—the talking head video. Why Talking Head Videos Perform So Well: Humans love looking at… Continue reading An Underutilized and Underappreciated Brand Strategy: The Talking Head Video
Brand building in a digital world requires a multiplane camera
I was scrolling through Instagram and came across a post by History Photographed. I think it’s a perfect analogy for brand building in a 2D world. AKA, most DTC brands. For context, view the post here > As you can see, the multiplane camera zoom effect is more compelling. Now, ask yourself, how many layers… Continue reading Brand building in a digital world requires a multiplane camera
How to build a memorable brand
In a previous post, I emphasized the significance of understanding how your brand is positioned in your customer’s mind, and the unique point of view you convey for that positioning. Today, let’s dive into the crucial aspect of making that unique POV memorable: how can we ensure that our brand sticks in the customer’s mind?… Continue reading How to build a memorable brand
Building a brand that endures starts with a hard question: How do you want your customers to position your brand in their minds?
Said another way, who are you? What do you want to say? What is your unique point of view? Many brands struggle with these questions. I get it; they are challenging. We can barely answer these questions for ourselves. What makes us think we can get together with a team and answer them? Understanding your… Continue reading Building a brand that endures starts with a hard question: How do you want your customers to position your brand in their minds?
Brand Building is World-Building: A Blueprint for Constructing a Unique Identity
The concept of brand building transcends marketing—it’s an act of world-building. Crafting a distinctive identity involves meticulous planning and execution. Clearly Define Your Vision It is critical to define your vision. What is it that sets your brand apart from the rest? What story do you want to tell, and how is it different from… Continue reading Brand Building is World-Building: A Blueprint for Constructing a Unique Identity
DTC Evolution: Adapting to the 3.0 Era
First, a quick review: The New(ish) DTC 3.0 Playbook (subject to change): 1. Start with PMF: It always does. Clearly define your hero product and give it the love it deserves for longer than you think. 2. Define Your Brand. Who you are and more importantly who you are NOT. Another holdover from DTC 1.0… Continue reading DTC Evolution: Adapting to the 3.0 Era
Why I Kind of Fired Myself
Before I get into it, I want to say a few words about my process for writing and posting this piece. I went back and forth with family and friends on the “should I?” or “shouldn’t I?” question. Will this piece come off as ego-driven? Maybe. Will this piece come across as a cry for… Continue reading Why I Kind of Fired Myself
Fashion, stop trying to make sustainability happen. It’s not going to happen.
Fashion needs to hear this: sustainability is not a value proposition. I wanted Allbirds to succeed just as much as they did, but it didn’t. I wanted SHEIN to crash, but it’s thriving. Consumers continue to express what we want to ignore. When it comes to fashion choices, sustainability is near the bottom of the… Continue reading Fashion, stop trying to make sustainability happen. It’s not going to happen.
What’s the key to increasing the perceived value of your brand? Location, location, location.
“Location, location, location” is no longer a real-estate term. It’s now also a brand term. Leverage hard-to-get-to and traditionally expensive/beautiful destinations to increase the perceived value of your brand. So, how fast can you have your bags packed for Milan? An A+ location is the cost-effective supporting character of your brand and has the best… Continue reading What’s the key to increasing the perceived value of your brand? Location, location, location.
The essence of luxury is a closed-circuit world
Immediately entering a luxury expereince you notice that everything is meticulously designed for that specific world. You don’t see everyday things, you see everyday things retrofitted for this new world. The simplicity is beautiful. In theory, it’s easy to pull off, but pulling back one layer of the onion reveals you need time, money, and… Continue reading The essence of luxury is a closed-circuit world
The customer is always right? Wrong
Allow me to let the cat out of the bag. The saying “the customer is always right” is dead. It should have never been a thing — props to the customer lobbyist who made this happen. The assumption that every customer is always right is a gross miscalculation. Businesses and brands have been bending over… Continue reading The customer is always right? Wrong
Air (Deloris) Jordan
Air, the new film, from Matt Damen and Ben Affleck, about Nike courting Michael Jordan, truly fires on all cylinders. It’s cheesy but not too cheesy. It has the proper dose of nostalgia. The performances are solid. The soundtrack hits and hits at the correct times. It never drags. It never moves too fast. You know… Continue reading Air (Deloris) Jordan
Now Hiring: Associate, Comedian
With exceptions, like selling financial services or luxury goods, you can and should benefit from comedic talents on your team. Let’s call a spade a spade — you’re not looking for a copywriter or a content creator — you’re looking for a comedian. You can teach marketing, photoshop, or video editing, but you can’t teach… Continue reading Now Hiring: Associate, Comedian
My vanity is getting in the way of growth
I’m a people pleaser. I’m Midwest nice. I’m an INFP, so much so it’s getting in the way of growth. Professionally and personally. I care more about making others feel at ease with their ideas and not rocking the boat than being objective and honest about that thing that will drive growth. My desire and… Continue reading My vanity is getting in the way of growth
Focus (what’s your In-N-Out Burger?)
Achieving hard things is hard. The process includes long periods of failures followed by iterations that improve. Eventually, more often than not, you will have success — if you focus. Focusing is easier said than done, especially in 2023, for reasons we all understand, but it’s not impossible. Focus takes daily practice. I think this… Continue reading Focus (what’s your In-N-Out Burger?)
Be a front-row person
After my first two years of college, I was unhappy with my academic performance. Not entirely sure how to improve, I started to observe the leaders in my classes in hopes that I would learn what set them apart. The first thing I learned? They all sat in the front. It’s obvious in hindsight. The… Continue reading Be a front-row person
Don’t be cute
A follow-up post to Your baby is ugly As a startup, your natural tendency will be to complicate what you are selling. Through copy on your website, emails, paid ads, everywhere. I’ve fallen into this trap many times. Your head is in the right place, you want to build a brand and establish a key differentiator… Continue reading Don’t be cute
Your baby is ugly
Your baby is ugly. I first heard this truism from Troy Henikoff, an entrepreneur and VC, during a panel discussion back in 2012. I had no idea what it meant. Fast forward 10+ years, and I know all too well what it means. It means you’re coddling your startup. You’re worrying that X or Y… Continue reading Your baby is ugly
How to use your phone and not let your phone use you
“Don’t be fooled by the internet. It’s cool to get on the computer but don’t let the computer get on you. It’s cool to use the computer, don’t let the computer use you, yall saw the matrix. There’s a war going on and the battlefield is in the mind. The prize is the soul. Be… Continue reading How to use your phone and not let your phone use you
Where did all the marketers go?
Are we all just wanna be CFOs and business analysts? Don’t get me wrong, I love talking about unit economics (Exhibit A) CAC to CLV and optimizing paid social ads for the highest ROAS, but have we completely forgotten about our roots? Have we forgotten how to be creative, B-E-creative? The fragmentation of the marketing… Continue reading Where did all the marketers go?
Speed vs. Velocity: The never-ending struggle of the early-stage startup
I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently, the idea of speed vs. velocity. Understanding the difference is essential, especially for you early-stage startups out there. Here is a quick blurb from britannica.com on speed vs. velocity: “Speed is the time rate at which an object is moving along a path, while velocity is the rate and… Continue reading Speed vs. Velocity: The never-ending struggle of the early-stage startup