A branding exercise

My opinion begins with a simple question: what is brand? To me, brand is a representation of you, your values, and what you think is important. Take that idea and sit on it, then ask yourself what Porsche stands for? What about Apple? Liquid Death? These companies are masters of brand, and they’re companies that inspire my thinking around it, parti... See more

Far too often, we tend to think of branding as an executional activity—logos, colors, monikers—as opposed to an ideological exploration. That’s because our view of branding is far too narrow. Brands are signifiers that conjure up thoughts and feelings about a company, product, or entity, and they can unlock opportunities for leaders to catalyze col

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A brand is not a logo. A brand is not a corporate identity system. It’s a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. Because it depends on others for its existence, it must become a guarantee of trustworthy behavior. Good branding makes business integral to society and creates opportunity for everyone, from the chief executive to th... See more

That is: A person — often a founder, or someone similarly empowered — needs to have compelling ideas, establish a voice and perspective, and use it. Tools like brand books and style guides are important so agencies and partners know how to speak the same language. But the actual opinions and values can’t be algorithmically generated or offloaded to... See more