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 The current one is outdated; the copy does not reflect everything… Read more 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 >
Most leaders think brand work begins when it becomes visible. They start with messaging, a new website, updated visuals, a campaign or customer-facing language. By the time the conversation reaches brand, the business is often already trying to solve either a strategic problem or a… 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 >
My first mentor in brand, Tom, forever changed my understanding of brand. (See Plain Talk post 1 and post 2 for that part of the story.) With the Winn Dixie agency of record account, a new agency officially launched. Tom and Frank offered me… Read more >
Tom and I partnered on a pitch for a Winn Dixie campaign (If you don’t know who Tom is, read my first blog in this series here). It was great fun, and we won the account. Of course, a key component of our team was… Read more >
Many years ago, I thought I understood brand. I was brand loyal. I was a designer and owned a creative shop. We developed a vast number of logos with all the usual print and digital materials that follow. We produced company letterhead packages, brochures, websites,… Read more >
Of course, it must grow while maintaining its reputation and profits. When brand extensions, product lines and new products are developed, strategic questions arise on how we manage these valuable brand assets. The answers have an effect on value creation and brand capital. This is… Read more >
Over the years I’ve heard from many clients how great their customer service is. Yet, many of them have no protocol that enables the employee to handle a customer issue on the spot. Why not give the employee authority to make decisions below a certain… Read more >
While the times may change, your reason for branding won’t. By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands Sure, the way the marketplace works today is very different from the way it did even just a few years ago. For example, remember when companies spent… Read more >
Six Words to Breathe Life into Your Brand Communications By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands The Promised Land of all brand communications is potential customers’ minds. In their minds is where your brand lives. It’s where your brand is judged, believed, ignored, desired,… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands You have a business, and you have a product or service to sell. That’s good news. But I’ve got bad news for you, too: The marketplace doesn’t care. Yes, your product or service is very important to… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands While at the airport the other day, I saw some of the best examples of good branding. No, it wasn’t in all the airport banners, advertisements, and point-of-purchase displays (most of which were bad examples, actually.) It… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands First, let me apologize. If you’re reading this, and it seems like I am talking about you, I’m sorry. I don’t want to embarrass you. But, you know who you are. I was at an open house… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands Some people scoff and snicker at this brand point, but they are wrong. In my Build Your Brand workshops, I often compare and contrast famous brands, such as Super 8 and The Ritz Carlton. I’ll ask what… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands I hope you answered all the provocative questions I asked you last month about your business and your values. If not, go here before you move forward with this article about creating your perfect customer. Now, let’s… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands Last month, I talked with you about the right answer to a question almost everyone gets wrong. If you missed it, you can see it here. This month, as promised, let’s discover the who, what, why and how… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands “How does the subconscious mind make decisions?” That’s a question posed by the Neuroeconomics Lab at the UCLA Brain Research Institute. According to neuroscientists at the Institute, the brain’s limbic system—which governs our emotions—often overrides the areas… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands I often ask participants in my Build Your Brand Workshops this question, and the typical answers I hear are that a brand is a “logo,” “name,” “tagline,” or palette of “colors, fonts and icons.” Well, the truth… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands Today, business success requires new ways of thinking and operating. No longer can prospects simply be told you are “the best” to have droves of customers buying your product or service. Instead, you must clearly articulate “why… Read more >
By Jennifer Holland, Certified Brand Strategist, Holland People+Brands Successful companies track performance. They create success metrics to see weekly, monthly and quarterly trends. This kind of visibility in a business is often referred to as KPI’s, or key performance indicators. These KPI’s create a… Read more >
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln Social media gives people power. Anyone with a social media account has immediate influence and authority, whether it’s earned or not. An online… Read more >
For the growth-oriented entrepreneur, it can seem overwhelming to create a new brand or to consider a rebrand. Yet, for the visionary who perseveres, the results can be life altering for the business. Identifying the brand at the core—at its molecular level—and bringing it to… Read more >
Just as business leaders often obsess about their company’s brand reputation, leaders in the education sector are understandably concerned about their school’s perceived image and value. But they don’t manage their brand as a strategic asset, often relegating this powerful commodity to marketing. BIG MISTAKE!… Read more >
“Aligning a company’s people strategy with its business strategy and brand strategy” The international Journal of Brand Strategy published this research article, co-authored by Jennifer Holland and business partner Jackie Weathers in the Autumn/Fall 2013 volume. Based in London, England, the Journal of Brand Strategy… Read more >
