I build brands the way a sculptor builds form—structurally, intentionally and from the inside out. That probably has something to do with the fact that I was an artist before I became a brand strategist. I studied painting and sculpture and spent the early… Read more >

  When the business changes but the way you talk about it doesn’t. I was talking recently with a business owner in the B2B (business-to-business) space. Let’s call him Michael. The conversation was familiar because I’ve had it many times with many business owners. It… Read more >

  A clear frame helps people see what you want them to see first. I often hear a business owner say at the beginning of brand strategy work, “Yes, but there are a lot of people who want x, so we want to keep doing… Read more >

  When a company has too many messages, too many audiences and too many ways of explaining itself, the problem may start much further upstream. I was at an event at the yacht club when the CEO I knew walked over and said something I… Read more >

  While businesses figure out how to use AI, customers are figuring out how to use it, too. I’ve had a soft spot in the floor of my house for many years. I’ve hired—and paid—one person after another to fix it. I finally decided to… Read more >

  We have become extraordinarily sophisticated at engineering the sale and strangely unsophisticated at helping someone buy. I was in a small retail shop on Cape Cod recently, wandering around without anything particular in mind. A nor’easter was expected that day, so my companion and… Read more >

  Today is the day I write my Substack article and to tell the truth, I don’t feel like writing it. This feeling is weighing heavy on me. Everything in me says we should always push through. The responsible prism in me says we must… Read more >

On editing ourselves and what we hide. For the past six years, there has been a woman living under my bed. She’s a self-portrait—a version of me I painted more than thirty years ago when I was coming out of a bad marriage and trying… Read more >

  You can spend a lot of money fixing the wrong problem. A few years ago, I walked into my library to the desk where my son, who was visiting from Detroit, was working. As I crossed the floor, I felt the sponginess of the… Read more >

And this is where the real foundational work begins. If you’ve been following this series, you know my first mentor in brand, Tom, forever changed my understanding of brand. With the Winn-Dixie agency of record account, a new agency officially launched. Tom and Frank offered… Read more >

  Tom and I partnered on a pitch for a Winn-Dixie campaign (If you don’t know who Tom is, read my previous post here). It was great fun, and we won the account. Of course, a key component of our team was Frank, a renowned creative… Read more >

  It started with a book that Tom loaned me, and it opened the world of brand to me in a powerful and life-changing way. Many years ago, I thought I understood brand. I was brand loyal. I was a designer and owned a creative… Read more >

  What happens when too much of a company’s value lives in one person? When I’m in conversation with a new client, we always talk about the company’s assets. Most people begin with the obvious things: equipment, cash, property, customers and intellectual property. Some include… Read more >

  What happens when a company grows faster than its ability to explain what makes it worth choosing. I met with a founder—I’ll call her Helen—who tells me her company needs a new website. The current one is outdated; the copy does not reflect everything… Read more >

  This week I was surprised by how difficult it was to answer a simple question: What do I want now? I recently shared that I spent a wonderful vacation at my cousin’s river house in North Carolina. It’s a magical place where all my… Read more >

  A World Cup rule tried to make Levi’s disappear. The brand proved how little it needed to be recognized. I just returned from a vacation with all my kids, their spouses and grandkids. We met in North Carolina at my cousin Mark and his… Read more >

  Worth far more than most people realize and needed much sooner than they think. I was at a spiritual retreat when I nearly talked myself out of my own career. It was dinner, and the conversation found its way to what everyone did for… Read more >

  Some of the businesses most in need of positioning are the successful ones. I realize that sounds backward at first, so I’ll explain. Most people I talk with assume brand work becomes important when a business is struggling to attract customers, gain visibility or… Read more >

  A single word changed how five audiences understood one business. A company can be doing exceptional work and still struggle to explain why it matters. This is the story of how one word helped a growing business stop improvising and align its people to… Read more >

  A lesson in momentum from a 120-pound Irish Wolfhound. One thing I admire about social dogs is their complete lack of concern about whether they are welcome. Mr. Jamison spotted another dog across the street this week and immediately began moving in that direction… Read more >

Why what a company does internally always becomes what the world experiences externally. When the United Airlines passenger removal video went viral in 2017, most people blamed the flight attendants. That was the wrong conclusion. What that moment revealed was a brand promise with no… Read more >

  Here’s a new piece on AI, brand value and a recent conversation that spurred my thinking. A longtime friend and past client, a former CFO who moved into the CEO role, shared that the AI conversation among CEOs is shifting. It is no longer… Read more >

Image: Watercolor study from a 2023 workshop with my college art professor, mentor and iconic artist, Louise Freshman Brown.   Visibility can get attention. Messaging can create interest. But neither one gives a brand the power to last if there is no clearly formed foundation… Read more >

  Brand loyalty is falling. Purpose-driven consumers are rising. And somewhere in that gap lives a question every organization should be asking. My dad was an insurance man people called the Macy’s Santa Claus. He’d tell you straight if you didn’t need what he was… Read more >

  There is a particular kind of overwhelm that happens when too many things start asking for you at once. The book needs attention. Client work needs movement. The house needs something. Life administration keeps inching forward with its hand up. None of it is… Read more >

  ChallengeAlthough Easter is an important season for confectioners, Peterbrooke had historically struggled to gain strong traction during the holiday. Big box retailers and grocery stores offered convenient, lower-priced candy and ready-made baskets, and many shoppers did not feel a compelling enough reason to choose… Read more >

  If you have heard me speak on brand or worked with me, you know I emphasize brand clarity, consistency and connectivity. While listening to Alexa’s Flash Briefing, I heard a highlight about the issuance of the three-point seatbelt U.S. patent on July 10, 1962… Read more >