Reading the Room
A practical workshop for stripping inherited narratives and writing brand stories that actually serve The first article in this series argued that most brand strategy fails not because of bad…
The Problem With Problems
How inherited narratives are limiting your brand thinking — and what to do instead There is a philosopher and coach named Peter Crone who makes a deceptively simple distinction: the…
AI Will Raise the Floor. It Won’t Touch the Ceiling.
On what AI does to the quality of marketing — and what it will never be able to do. There is a version of the AI-in-marketing panic that is simply…
Why Your Brand Team and Marketing Team Are Speaking Different Languages
And why no amount of better communication will fix it. There's a meeting that happens at almost every mid-size company. Brand and marketing are in the room. Someone pulls up…
The Inception Principle: Why the Best Marketing Plants Ideas, It Doesn’t Push Them
There’s a scene in Christopher Nolan’s Inception where the characters debate whether it’s possible to make someone believe an idea is their own. The answer, they conclude, is yes —…
Revive: A brand identity rooted in growth, built for motion.
SITUATION Revive is a new physical therapy studio opening in a small Northwest Kansas town. Founded by an experienced PT setting out on her own, Revive exists to give patients…
Pricing as Strategy: How Night & Gale builds perceived value, one anchor at a time
A case study from Night & Gale Most founders treat pricing like a math problem. Add up your costs, tack on a margin, glance at what the competition charges, and…
Stunning sunrise over a mountain ridge, showcasing a scenic path leading towards the radiant sun. Ideal for travel, adventure, and inspirational projects.
The Brand Expedition: A Framework for Building Brand Identity That Lasts
A Guided Ascent to Brand Identity Every brand I’ve helped build — from scrappy rural startups to mature regional operators — has needed the same thing at the start: a…
Without a Compass, You’re Just Wandering
Most of the marketing failures I’ve seen weren’t creative failures. They were directional failures. Leadership teams hand down vague, feel-good directives — “we need more engagement,” “let’s get some buzz,”…
Challenge strategy success and Business aspiration for climbing a high mountain metaphor as a clever businessman with a goal of retreiving a red flag from the peak or summit with 3D illustration elements.
Beyond the Basics: Campaigns that Elevate a Brand
At a certain point in a brand’s life, it no longer needs to introduce itself. The heavy lifting of name recognition, product There’s a moment in a brand’s life when the work…