Positioning
How a brand claims a place in a market where competitors offer much the same thing at much the same price. Positioning, differentiation and value propositions, including the hardest version of the problem: justifying a premium when the buyer can’t see the difference.
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Who, or What, is Your Brand’s Nemesis?
Every great brand needs a worthy opponent. Your nemesis isn’t just a competitor—it’s the deeper force that stands in your way: outdated thinking, cultural inertia, internal guilt, or broken systems. When you…
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How Your Tone of Voice Can Be Your Brand’s Secret Weapon
In a world where brands often blur together, your tone of voice is what makes you distinct. More than just words, it’s how your brand feels when it speaks—shaping emotion, trust, and…
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Twelve Things Brand Owners Say When the Brand Is in Trouble
Brand strategy often begins in confusion—not with business jargon, but with real human frustration: “No one cares about us anymore.” Over the years, I’ve learned that these emotional signals often reveal deeper…
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Not Every Product That Grows Becomes a Brand
A personal story about a canceled subscription reveals a deeper truth: many companies grow but never become brands. In a world obsessed with acquisition, loyalty is quietly being devalued—yet it’s in those…
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The Shipbuilder’s Trap: The Most Common B2B Brand Strategy Problem
Once, there was a ship builder known as the finest builder of ships. Sleek, elegant, seaworthy vessels—commissioned by merchants, admired in harbors, envied by rivals. Every plank it laid, every sail it…
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Will AI steal your job?
As the fear of AI stealing jobs grows, it’s important to consider the mindset of the clients who will rely on these tools. Just like how many of us prefer hiring specialists…
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Different or Distinctive: Which Should Your Brand Be?
Explore the intricate relationship between differentiation and distinctiveness in branding. Navigate the delicate balance between creating an instant, eye-catching brand identity (distinctiveness) and delivering meaningful uniqueness (differentiation). Successful branding harnesses the synergy…
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I love my job. But I (used to) hate explaining it to others.
Are you struggling to explain what you do for a living to your grandma? This simple explanation will allow you to pass the “grandma test.”
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How funny your brand should be?
Back then, I was collaborating with a renowned agency on a re-branding project. Upon completing nationwide research, we started working on brand personality, one of the building blocks of brand strategy. At…
