Ollyvia asks, “If you are starting a brand from scratch, where should I start?” The emotional aftertaste of a brand is the sum of a series of experiences. If you’re starting a brand from scratch, you need to decide what emotional aftertaste you want to evoke in your customers. Consider what other brands in your…
Summary In today's episode, I walk through how to define a brand's emotional aftertaste when starting from scratch, drawing on examples from coffee chains and consulting firms. Here's what this means for you. You gain a practical framework for choosing specific emotions that set your brand apart instead of defaulting to generic satisfaction that every…
Hannah asks, “What is identity marketing?” Identity marketing is the use of consumers’ identities for marketing purposes. This can be done by creating identities that customers adopt, or by bonding brands to customers’ existing identities. Identity marketing can be beneficial for customer retention, but it can also be detrimental by promoting polarization and inflexibility. Can’t…
Summary In today's episode, I break down what identity marketing really means, walk through vivid examples from Harley Davidson to political tribalism, and explore both its marketing power and its societal risks. Here's what this means for you. You gain a sharper lens for deciding whether fusing your brand to a customer's identity will lock…
Summary In today's episode, I tackle Jake's question about keeping tone of voice consistent between sales and marketing teams. Here's what this means for you. You protect your brand promise and customer trust when you unify messaging across every customer touchpoint. You'll also learn these concepts: why tone gaps reveal missing governance rather than personal…
At a recent event, I listened to a discussion about brand voice and it occurred to me that there really isn’t such a thing. Summary: A brand voice is the way a company or brand chooses to communicate with the public. It is the aggregate voice of the people who run that brand, the people…
Summary In today's episode, I challenge the idea that brand voice exists as a coherent entity and explore why most corporate brand voices end up sounding watered down. Here's what this means for you. You gain a sharper framework for cutting through committee-speak by empowering specific people to speak authentically for your organization. You'll also…
The role of brand is to create trust. Brand is a series of experiences and the cumulative impact, and ultimately the outcome we’re after is trust. Thus every bit of marketing that touches branding MUST be about building trust for it to succeed in the big picture. Can’t see anything? Watch it on YouTube here.…
Summary In today's episode, I break down what brand really means and why trust sits at the heart of every transaction a customer makes. Here's what this means for you. You'll shift from chasing brand awareness alone to deliberately building the trust that drives every sale and every recommendation. You'll also learn these concepts: why…
Summary In today's episode, I break down how to strengthen demand generation for a B2B brand by separating it from lead generation and walking through the three layers of demand that drive buyer interest. Here's what this means for you. You get a diagnostic framework that shows exactly where your demand is thinnest so you…
