All in. All the time.

Well, you are here. Which either means you accidentally typed my last name into Google (and moved on to click and read this, which is at best, a little strange..), or you remember me from a project, or my time as the CEO of The Brand Project.

In either case, while you are here, we can talk a little about brand awareness, and how relentless focus on that intangible asset represents equity, growth and fundamental scalability.

It will always represent extreme commercial value in forms of business development, simplified talent acquisition and reduced GTM costs. But most agencies and consultants will try and convince you it’s all about that next movie, the other campaign, or that renewed design.

I have been dealing with branding and commercial challenges for the better part of 20 years, and, since I can’t keep my mouth shut, here’s a few takes:

Authenticity Is Key.

First things first: everyone wants to be authentic.

It’s the holy grail of branding. But here’s the kicker – the moment you start trying to be authentic, you’ve already lost the game. Take Patagonia, for instance. They’ve mastered the art of selling $400 jackets while convincing consumers they’re saving the planet. It’s brilliant, really. They’re not just selling clothes; they’re selling a lifestyle, a conscience, and a way to feel good about your carbon footprint while looking fabulous on your next hike.

However authenticity does not have to be based on Sustainability, not even on doing good. It is truly about cohesively crafting a story of truth that resembles and represents your reality in an engaging and transparent way.

B2B Can’t Hide No More!

B2B has usually been saved from the traditional branding madness. But in today’s fast moving world of new media, artificial intelligence and non-loyal professional buyers, the art of branding has become a major asset (focus) in firms that used to be engineer-driven, product-dependent or sales-cycle focused. Of course, a great brand does not make up for bad consultants, or a flawed product, yet, a great product or awesome consultants can’t be sold to anyone without a strong branding strategy to support it.

Ever heard engineers complain that they can’t believe people don’t buy their products? Well. There is a reason for that. (The other reason is that most below-par product driven companies have R&D budgets that outperform any brand-related budget by magnitudes of infinity.)

Remember when brands could just slap a logo on a billboard and call it a day?

Those were simpler times. Now, we have the joy of navigating the treacherous waters of social media and instant, always-on customer transparency. One wrong tweet or move and you’re canceled faster than you can say “influencer collaboration.” From banks to airlines to simple retailers, there is no hiding, and your online presence needs tremendous attention – if you don’t do it, someone else will, and you might not like it.

The Purpose Illusion. These days, every brand needs a purpose.

It’s not enough to sell a product; you need to change the world. Suddenly, chocolate bars are fighting inequality, and sneakers are championing human rights. Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign is a masterclass in this. They managed to take a controversial figure and turn it into a branding goldmine. Whether you loved it or hated it, you were talking about Nike. And in the branding world, publicity i free attention, however there is that notion of sentiment and control, which makes it difficult again.

Let your purpose be your driver, but keep it real. A trucking company hauling cattle that is all-in for “a better tomorrow” may be a stretch.

The Luxury of Minimalism

In the luxury sector, less is more – except when it comes to price tags. Brands like Céline (sorry, CELINE), Hermés and Saint Laurent have stripped down their logos to the bare essentials. It’s like playing logo limbo – how low can you go? But don’t be fooled; this minimalism is meticulously calculated. It’s saying, “We’re so exclusive, we don’t even need a fancy logo.” It’s the branding equivalent of a whisper that somehow speaks volumes. This has no impact on LVMHs Louis Vuitton yet, but looking at the extreme decline in Asian (logo-happy) markets may change that soon, too.

The Tech Takeover

Tech companies have changed the branding game entirely. They’ve made us believe that a fruitlogo can be cool ), and that the letter ‘f’ can represent connecting with your long-lost high school crush, and that being on Instagram alone requires an annual subscription to a licensed psychiatrist. Oh, and the SaaS stuff that everyone is longing for (because the stock market liked it up until mid-2023) goes straight into the b2b branding requirements.

The Crafted Narrative You Pay For.

At the end of the day, branding is about creating a story that people want to be a part of. It’s about making the intangible tangible and the ordinary extraordinary. It’s about mixing business strategy with psychology, growth opportunities with macro trends, and let design and precise communication drive your brand impressions from the inside out.

So, the next time you find yourself irrationally loyal to a brand, or willing to pay a premium for a logo, remember: you’re not just buying a product. You’re buying into a carefully crafted narrative, often perfected over decades. Or a few weeks. Because sometimes you obviously can get lucky.