Brand Strategy For Designers: How to Get Started (Part 1)

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding the true essence of branding, which extends far beyond the creation of a logo. They share personal experiences and insights from their journey into brand strategy, highlighting the significance of customer perception and the cumulative impact of every interaction on a brand's image. The talk underscores the role of a brand strategist in shaping a company's reputation and creating meaningful experiences for customers. The speaker also discusses the influence of social media on brand perception and the importance of authenticity in branding. They touch upon the role of various elements, including visual and audio principles, in creating a brand's identity and the critical nature of aligning with customer expectations. The transcript concludes with a promotional offer for Teachable, a platform utilized by the speaker's company to deliver their courses and templates.

Takeaways

• 🏭 Products are made in factories, but brands are built in the hearts and minds of people through shared experiences and reputation.
• 👥 As a designer moving into brand strategy, one must consider nurturing and influencing the relationship with the audience to shape the company's image.
• 🎓 Studying and understanding the strategic part of branding is crucial, even if the background is in design and production.
• 🚀 Branding is more than just a logo; it's about shaping the entire customer experience from start to finish.
• 🤝 Collaborating with copywriters and understanding user profiles can significantly influence the design process and outcome.
• 🌟 A brand is defined by a person's gut feeling about a product, service, or organization, which includes the promises made and the ability to deliver on those promises.
• 📈 The role of a brand strategist is to shape the company's identity by influencing how it is perceived by its audience.
• 💡 Branding involves the application of principles that translate feelings into visuals, audio, and other sensory experiences.
• 📊 Measuring branding versus marketing is essential to understand the impact of every interaction on the brand's perception.
• 📝 Copywriting is a vital part of branding, requiring simplicity and clarity to effectively communicate the brand's message.
• 🌐 In the age of social media, the control of brand perception has shifted from companies to consumers, making authenticity in branding more important than ever.

Q & A

What is the primary difference between a product and a brand according to the speaker?

The speaker suggests that while products are made in factories, brands are built in the hearts and minds of people through shared experiences, reputation, and expectations.

Why do people want to be brand strategists?

People want to be brand strategists because it allows them to do something important by shaping the company's identity and influencing its relationship with its customers.

What platform is mentioned in the script that has helped creators grow their online businesses?

The platform mentioned is Teachable, which the speaker's team has used for hosting courses, managing affiliates, and processing payments.

What was the speaker's initial reaction to seeing Yo Santosa's branding work?

The speaker was intrigued and somewhat envious, wanting to understand how she was able to do strategic branding work that was different from the design production work he was familiar with.

What was the name of the company that the speaker mentions as an example of effective branding?

The company mentioned is Pinkberry, a frozen fro yo place, for which Yo Santosa did some branding work.

What is the CORE framework that the speaker discusses?

The CORE framework is a tool for understanding branding and user experience design. It focuses on the intersection between the brand, the user, and the business goals to create a cohesive strategy.

How did the speaker's perspective on web design change after meeting Jose?

The speaker realized that designing for a specific user profile is crucial and that understanding the user's needs and goals shapes the design process. This led to a shift from designing websites as digital brochures to creating experiences.

What was the name of the IT expense management company the speaker worked with?

The company's name was Tango, and they help large corporations manage their IT expenses.

What are the two key insights the speaker identified during the brand strategy workshop with Tango?

The first insight was that Tango's service saves people money, which is a significant value proposition. The second insight was that Tango viewed their customers with disdain, which shifted to recognizing them as heroes of 21st-century businesses.

What is the importance of being transparent and acknowledging what you don't know when working with clients?

Transparency and acknowledging what you don't know helps build trust with clients, opens up communication, and allows for a more effective problem-solving process. It also prevents misunderstandings and misrepresentations of the client's business.

How does the speaker define 'branding' in the context of the script?

The speaker defines 'branding' as the process of influencing or shaping the feelings, promises, character, values, and expectations that make up a brand. It involves the visual and audio application of these principles to create a tangible representation of the brand.

Outlines

00:00

🤝 The Importance of Building Brands in People's Hearts

The paragraph emphasizes the distinction between manufacturing products and building brands. It highlights the role of brand strategists in nurturing relationships and influencing perceptions. The speaker thanks Teachable for supporting their mission and shares their journey into brand strategy, inspired by a fellow graduate's work in the field. The story of how the speaker transitioned from design to strategy is detailed, including their curiosity about the strategic aspect of branding and their determination to understand and master it.

05:01

🚀 Brand Strategy and User Experience Design Insights

This paragraph discusses the speaker's introduction to user experience design and the development of a framework called CORE. The speaker shares their realization about designing for specific user profiles and the importance of understanding stakeholders' needs. The narrative includes a personal anecdote about designing a website with a focus on user experience, leading to a significant shift in their approach to design and branding.

10:03

🎨 Integrating Brand Strategy with Design and Copywriting

The speaker delves into their experience with brand strategy, including conducting workshops and gaining insights into a client's business model and customer perceptions. The importance of clear communication and understanding client jargon is emphasized. The speaker also shares how they developed logos, copywriting, and a brand voice for a company called Tango, using superhero themes to resonate with their ideal customer base.

15:04

📈 The Evolution of Branding: From Design to Strategy

The paragraph explores the concept of branding, defining it as a combination of customer perception, the ability to deliver on promises, and the creation of expectations. The speaker reflects on their evolution as a designer into a brand strategist and the importance of shaping the entire customer experience. The narrative also touches on the role of social media in shaping public perception of brands and the risks of creating a false brand image.

20:05

🧩 The Role of Logo in Branding and Customer Perception

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the misconception that a logo is the entirety of a brand. They argue that a logo is merely a container for meaning, which is filled by the company's actions, values, and customer experiences. The importance of aesthetics is acknowledged, but the underlying brand elements such as voice, messaging, and behavior are emphasized as the true drivers of brand value.

25:06

📚 Teachable's Support in Growing Online Businesses

The speaker briefly mentions the support provided by Teachable, a platform they have used for years to host their courses and manage their business. They offer an exclusive deal for the audience to try Teachable's Pro Plan at a discounted rate, highlighting the platform's role in their mission to help people make a living doing what they love.

Keywords

💡Brand Strategy

Brand strategy refers to the long-term plan and vision for building a unique brand identity that distinguishes a company from its competitors. It encompasses the brand's values, messaging, and customer experience. In the video, the speaker moves into brand strategy space, emphasizing the importance of nurturing relationships and shaping the company's reputation in the hearts and minds of people.

💡User Experience (UX) Design

User experience design is the process of designing products (like websites or apps) with a focus on the end-user's needs and ensuring that the user's interaction with the product is efficient and enjoyable. The speaker mentions that designing for a specific user profile shapes how one thinks about design, which is a crucial part of brand strategy.

💡Core Framework

The Core Framework is a tool or methodology that the speaker was introduced to for understanding and developing a brand's identity. It involves defining the brand voice, tone, and culture. The speaker uses a version of this framework adapted for branding, which helps in creating a comprehensive brand experience.

💡Customer Perception

Customer perception is the overall impression customers have about a brand, product, or service. It is formed by the experiences and interactions they have with the brand. The video emphasizes that brands are built in the hearts and minds of people, highlighting the significance of shaping positive customer perceptions.

💡Logo

A logo is a graphical representation, symbol, or icon that represents a company or brand. It is a crucial element in visual branding. The speaker discusses the design of logos and how they can be used to communicate abstract ideas that resonate with the brand's identity, as seen when the speaker adapted a logo design for a client.

💡Copywriting

Copywriting is the process of writing persuasive text to promote a product, service, or idea. It's a part of branding that helps in creating a connection with the audience. The speaker shares their experience in writing effective and simple copy for a brand, which involved using single syllable words to convey the brand's message clearly.

💡Brand Voice and Tone

Brand voice and tone refer to the style and manner in which a brand communicates to its audience. It's a part of the brand's personality. The speaker mentions defining the brand voice and tone as a part of the branding process, which helps in creating a consistent and recognizable identity for the brand.

💡Impression Management

Impression management is the process of influencing how others perceive you, which in the context of branding, refers to shaping the public's perception of a brand. The speaker discusses the concept, emphasizing that while one cannot control others' feelings, one can influence them through various branding efforts.

💡Transparency

Transparency in branding refers to being clear and open about a company's operations, values, and interactions with customers. The video script mentions providing transparency as a way for a brand to build trust with its customers, allowing them to understand where their money is going.

💡Stakeholders

Stakeholders are individuals or groups who have an interest or a stake in a company or brand. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses understanding the needs and perspectives of various stakeholders, such as administrators, content creators, and end-users, to create a more effective and inclusive design.

💡Customer Empathy

Customer empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of the customer. The speaker talks about shifting from a disdainful view of customers to one of deep empathy and gratitude, which is essential for creating a brand that truly serves and appreciates its customers.

Highlights

Brands are built in the hearts and minds of people, not just in factories where products are made.

Every opportunity to share an experience or build reputation is a chance to nurture or influence the relationship with the customer.

Brand strategists play an important role in shaping the company's identity and its perception in the market.

The importance of understanding the strategic part of branding, which goes beyond graphic design and production.

Yo Santosa's work with Pinkberry as a case study on how designers can expand a brand's presence and appeal.

The concept of designing for a specific user profile and how it shapes the design process.

The development of the CORE framework by Jose, emphasizing the intersection between brand, user, and business goals.

The shift from designing websites as digital brochures to creating experiences built around user needs.

The revelation that branding is about shaping the entire customer experience, not just visual identity systems.

The process of conducting full-day workshops to gain insights into a company's brand strategy.

The importance of transparency and simplicity in communication, especially when dealing with complex subjects or jargon.

The transformation of client perception from viewing customers as a necessary evil to embracing them as heroes.

The creation of a brand strategy for Tango, focusing on the company's ability to save customers money and the superhero status of their IT personnel.

The significance of understanding that a brand is more than a logo; it's the container for the collective meaning created by the company's actions and values.

The impact of social media on brand perception, where consumers now have more control over a brand's reputation than ever before.

The idea that a brand is shaped at every interaction and that maintaining a consistent brand experience is crucial.

The practical example of how personal impression management, such as dressing appropriately for different occasions, is a form of branding.

The importance of aligning with cultural expectations and the potential pitfalls of mismatched branding through attire.

Transcripts

so we know that um products are made in

factories but brands are built in the

hearts and minds of people and so every

opportunity that you get to share an

experience or build that reputation or

create an expectation you have to

nurture or influence that relationship

so as a designer who's moving into brand

strategy space you have to consider all

of that and that's why I think people

want to be brand strategist because you

get to do something important you get to

sh the company and I just want to say a

quick thank you to the people who made

this possible and we're going to move on

today's episode is brought to you by

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$350 if you sign up today all right

let's get back to the video so I'm going

to start off today with like a couple of

quick stories about how I got into brand

strategy so there's some context for

this conversation and where I went with

it so if your expectations aren't

fitting within that let's have a

conversation and uh the the very first

person I saw do branding it kind of blew

my mind it's woman her name is Yo

santosa and she runs a company called

Pharaoh concrete she's an Arts Center

grad and we went through the same

program though what she was able to do

was very different than what I was able

to do and I I looked at it like I

studied graphic design of course she

went to school much um like many years

after I did and she started doing

branding I was just really intrigued by

it because for a very long time we're a

design design production companies we

work with agencies like advertising

agencies so they did the strategy they

would write the copy we would figure out

creative ways to bring that to life in

video and animation but we didn't do the

Strategic part so when I saw her doing

this stuff and I was just like semi

intrigued and really just jealous like

how do you do that did we go to the same

school and did you have some Secret

Sauce so I started to study it and some

of you who watch my videos understand

like how my brain works I'm very logical

I break things down and it just started

to unravel everything and try to find

the recipe for it I even interviewed her

and asked her all these questions that I

wanted to know in hopes that I would be

able to share with all of you but she

struggled with telling me how she did

what she did that's okay cuz I figured

it out all right and I'm here to share

it with you and back I don't know in the

early 2000s Pinkberry as a frozen fro yo

place was just blowing up and she did

some incredible work for for Pinkberry

which opened my mind as to what

designers could do they started to

design copy the website signage and

really worked with them in expanding

their brand and when we talk about brand

and we'll get into a little bit more

later it's way deeper than what I

thought was it was and what designers

could do and her inspiration for the

entire uh Pink berry look was she was

really into high-end Cosmetics so if you

understand that then you look at this

you're like oh I see like if you look at

the way Cosmetics are photographed the

powders and all the serums they it's

very clean it's white it's minimal it's

very luxurious and it's simple

presentation and and there in in the

copy that she would write too like I

didn't know you could do this instead of

saying just open from 11: to 11 she

would write swirling daily so she's

working with copywriters and this really

excited me I'll show you just a little

bit more of her work to give you the

context so for me this is what graphic

designers do we design identity systems

not branding now I know it's a very

popular phrase that people use like I do

branding no you don't if you don't shape

the entire customer experience from

point A to point B then you're not

really doing branding you're using that

as a buzzword because you think you can

charge more money there's nothing really

wrong with that you can call yourself

whatever you want but if you're purist

and you're like not not really you're

misrepresenting there okay and so she

would come up with

campaigns write copy come up with image

recipes she would design websites also

apps and I was just like this is so cool

and here I am just totally confused like

that's not really me I'm like how how

are you doing this and I just couldn't

figure it out back then it was so

mysterious and so sexy I'm like I want

that and then I meet this guy Jose and

Jose comes from the web design space

user experience design he worked in

Silicon Valley with startups and was

part of that whole culture and he wanted

to show me how did the user experience

design and the story is going to come to

a I'll Point here in a second so he

showed me this thing that he had

co-developed with some of his very smart

friends about like what branding and you

user experience it somewhere between the

brand the user and the business goals is

what they do and he developed this

framework called core and he showed it

to me and I I influenced a little bit of

how it was shaped and some of you how

many of you guys have purchased core are

using core great thank you very much so

there's three of you so you have an

advantage over everybody else because

what I'm doing is my version of it

taking to whatever level applied for

Branding and so this was an eye-opening

experience for me because throughout my

years in art center and and after after

Art Center for almost 20 years at that

point I didn't understand that we're

designing for someone and you can't

build a website or an app if you don't

design for someone very specific cases

so he introduced me to this concept of a

user profile and so when you design a

website you have to know who are the

stakeholders who's going to be using it

not just the end user but the

administrators or the content creators

and you design a use case for each one

of those people and you see where they

intersect and you create different

portals depending on who's interacting

with it like the classic example of an

airline you think you design the airline

website just for the end user but you

don't you design one for the travel

agent you might design one for the

airline itself and all the different

partners and so there's different ways

of interaction but the big Insight was

when you design for someone it really

shapes how you think about the design

makes sense right and that was a big

like Epiphany for me like wow this is

how you do it and of course he took it

where you're supposed to take these

things he would use it to build

wireframes for websites or or flowcharts

and then he would get into the Web

Design This is actually literally from

one of our episodes where I was

designing a website the correct way for

the first time in my life and I'm semi

ashamed or guilty of designing websites

as digital brochures I've done this

before and you should spank me for it

later so when he showed it to me I'm

like wow I can come up with ideas for

features and functions I was developing

tools it felt really empowering to be

able to do this now if you're squinting

your eyes I know some of you are you're

like what is going on here but if you're

in the web space you understand this

this makes a lot of sense so that's

that's where the big shift happened for

me was creating something built around

an experience but I immediately saw

something much cooler than this whereas

Jose would start with Divi defining the

brand voice and the tone and the culture

of the brand if we're do doing user

experience design shouldn't we be

focused on the user first and he and I

would butt heads on this I always wanted

to start teaching and running workshops

with a user point of view before we got

into the brand it's much easier for the

brand to understand the needs of the

users and create products for them than

it is to say we have a product now let's

go find a user so philosophically it

might look like it's the same but for me

fundamentally it was a very different

almost isic shift I'm semiconscious cuz

my skirt's going to fall off here I

don't I'm going to take it off in a

little bit okay so I'm going to show you

now the very first time we it's an apron

we did brand

strategy somebody call a skirt before I

just went with that I'm like it's just

an apron guys all right cuz you're like

he's going to take off his skirt it's

not going to work you don't want to see

that either by the way the very first

time we did brand strategy independently

of Jose was for a client called go I'm

the kind of person who learns a little

bit and I'm super dangerous cuz I go

telling people I'm going to do this now

and then you get hired for it and then

you panic and you break up in like a

break out in a cold sweat okay so I'm

going to show you what it looks like

it's not perfect it's not perfect so we

do the core exercises as I'm adapting it

for Branding and building other things

okay We Came Upon two insights these are

facilitated full day

workshops 68 hours in a room room where

Executives flew in from across the

country to meet with us keep in mind

it's the first time I'm doing it by

myself pretty scary and I've only done

it twice this is like the second time

all right so when we're talking to the

chief Revenue officer I forget his name

but he said something like Chris I don't

know man what we do is not sexy but what

we do is we save people money and that's

a big deal for us they're an IT expense

management company they help large

corporations plug the leak boat if you

will if you can imagine we have

thousands of employees laptops and cell

phones and cell plans there's lots of

money wasted so they're able to help

companies manage their it expenses makes

sense right now I know that doesn't seem

like a big deal but it took hours for us

to understand what they did they use

very complicated language and I'll give

you one tip here when you're working

with your clients and they say things

you don't understand because you're

going to be a brand strategist

facilitator after this point if you

don't understand something you have to

be brave enough to say I do not

understand what you're saying they

started using acronyms and jargon I just

didn't understand at all and I raised my

hand kind of after hours of this I'm

like my mind is going to explode I don't

know what they're talking about and I

have to make something from this so you

have to be brave enough to say something

I raised my hand I said hey

everybody you guys are talking inside

baseball I do not know where you're

talking about you need to explain this

to me like I'm your mom or fifth grader

cuz I'm the guy who has to write the

copy build to stuff that people use I

suspect you're having problems with your

website with your identity with your

communication cuz you're speaking very

inside baseball at this point no one

understands and to my surprise and

Delight they all just laughed and there

was a big sigh in the room as if we I

just let the pressure valve open it was

really cool to do that so I'm going to

continue on this theme where if you're

fully transparent Embrace that what you

know and what you don't know it's going

to be much much easier but this was a

really big insight

Insight number two and there are many

I'm just going to pull out two insights

for you is that they looked at their

customers with

disdain they they considered them like a

necessary evil and I know some of you I

won't make you raise your hand but some

of you think your clients get in the way

of your ability to do good work that's a

horrific combative way of looking at the

people who make what you do possible so

we want to get rid of that attitude too

and so we kept working on defining their

ideal customer their user the people are

going to buy their service say and we

found out that at the core of every 21st

century business every operation is the

IT person they're blamed for everything

they get no credit and they're just

looked down upon they're very much

maligned I said they're just not the

hero of every operation they're the

superhero and for the first time you can

see the energy shift again from disdain

to deep empathy and gratitude our email

server went down for like a day we all

freaked out like it's like we don't know

what to do we're looking at each other

like

like no one speaks English anymore and

then I called up where ERS like can you

fix this I'm on her right now have you

ever had that kind of problem before yes

so now you know it's like we don't we

shouldn't be yelling at them we

shouldn't be blaming them we should be

thanking them okay those two insights

started to drive everything else that

you'll see here today okay in terms of

like what I'm about to present to you so

the company's name is Tango and we

developed a bunch of logos Emily's an

amazing designer she would do all these

designs and then I looked at one of her

designs I'm like wait wait change this

do this cuz I have an idea on how to

sell it this is the logo they ultimately

bought and I'll tell you how I sold it

okay I think the tiace is accurat for

those of you guys that know your tiac is

and she modified the descender of the G

it's a two-story G and I I like just cut

it off like that make it very stylized

she goes okay I can do that so when I

went to present all these different logo

ideas I came up on this and I said you

guys are about the bottom line

like I get it they like show us no more

logos we're

done so sometimes a little customer

Insight turns into a design expression

that is abstract but has meaning to them

and they can then take that and sell it

all the way through through marketing

through the CEO and every CFO don't you

guys get it we're about the bottom

line okay so then that informed

everything else the use of lines and the

colors some of you guys are like they

look like future colors I'm like yeah

who knows what happened

all right so then we started writing

copy something I've never done before

and I'll read you some of the lines and

given the two insights I shared to you

they save people money and that's cool

and the the people that work um their

their their customers should be embraced

as these Heroes of 21st century

businesses right so there's the Leaky

bucket it says it expenses out of

control gain visibility of Shadow it

because what they offer their customers

is transparency you can know what where

your money is going and you can plug the

boat um it's just simple simple

copywriting it's not trying to write

just do it because I'm not that kind of

copywriter but it's effective in its

communication single syllable words

fifth graders can to understand spend

less do more uh they have this product

called The Matrix so having this ability

to look into a space and understand like

where everybody's at so that that was a

concept right like who's spending what

what's her data plan look like so we're

trying to show it visually uh super

icial versus super fiscal of just a play

on words there and something had

happened to me when I was working on

this project I realized I thought I got

into design to escape words and

copy but I was just like I think I can

write copy now this is kind of fun to do

to find the right word

combinations it's difficult because

you're going to find out tomorrow when

you have to write copy but it's once you

figure out that there's a game and

there's a puzzle and a framework then it

becomes much much easier so where do we

get this superficial versus superficial

because they're not just the hero

they're the superhero so we started

playing around with themes of the

Justice League and superhero so you know

where this line comes from check it out

with great visibility comes great power

that's the Peter Parker Spider-Man line

right but it's like with great power

comes great responsibility we just

switch the words around the diligent

dollar

Defender and Titan of

it and boosting the bottom line and then

we would do this into mockups we

designed their website please don't look

up the website since working on it they

fired the entire team somebody else came

in like the entire SE Suite was like

something weird happened they nuked the

whole thing so now if you go check it

out it looks nothing like this and it

was wonderful too because then having

done the logo their identity system

their

website and their copywriting they asked

us to design videos for them so this

just grows and grows like once you get

to know the client's needs better than

they can articulate it you're in real

deep at this point so the engagement I

think started I think under $100,000 and

quickly blew into a quarter million

dollar they paid $100,000 just for the

video

itself so this is the benefit of you

being able to have this conversation

when we took break for the first day

that four hours that we're in he turned

to me he said something amazing he said

Chris you've been able to do more in

hours than we have been able to do in

months as as you know as a designer Who

services people I'm like that feels

pretty good to hear something like that

and towards the end and if you're doing

this right they'll stand up and hug you

privately not allog together but they're

like when the other guys are gone they

just lean in and give you a hug I'm like

this feels good I've been working in

commercial production working with ad

agencies for years at this point none of

them ever given me a hug is because they

saw me as a person who made things not

as a partner trying to help them

facilitate their goals and Achieve

something and solve a big problem so

terms and definitions it's important for

us to share the correct dialogue when

we're talking about things this is going

to be like these really really rapid

fire things I'm going to do with you

okay so I just want you to complete this

sentence a brand is what is a

brand like two words gut feeling anybody

else a brand is

what

okay

perception customer perception perfect

okay what

else ability to deliver promises okay

these are excellent oh you guys are too

smart notice nobody said a logo I love

it

expectations you don't know I you don't

you have not seen what I've seen okay

very good so there are many definitions

of what a brand is and and I think we're

really really close it's like like 98%

any one of those things that you said I

think feel right to me there were no

wrong answers there will be wrong

answers that I guarantee it but so far

so good the crowd is smart in Miami here

okay so if we go to Mr Marty newm who

writes about branding all the time a

professional friend colleague and now

yeah I think personal friend too a brand

as a person's got feeling about a

product service organization so it's

what you say it is it's what they say it

is and what who's they and he writes in

a different book I think it's maybe

brand flip when enough people share a

gut feeling then you have a brand so

inevitably when you read that or you say

that out loud what the next question is

how many is enough people I don't know I

would say more than half half the people

you're talking to then I think 51%

that's your brand so we can see that

then there's multiple interpretations of

this because not everyone has the same

experience so when we're working with

our customers I'm sorry with our clients

who have customers we have to understand

what the perception is today where they

would like to move it to okay so very

good so we know that um products are

made in factories but brands are built

in the hearts and minds of people and so

every opportunity that you get to share

an experience or build that reputation

or create an expectation you have to

nurture or influence that Rel

relationship so as a designer who's

moving into brand strategy space you

have to consider all of that and that's

why I think people want to be brand

strategist because you get to do

something important you get to shape the

company so if we understand what

branding is I promise you the prompts

get a little bit harder okay so feel

free to write in your book whatever you

think but you can write it in later too

therefore for Branding is what so a

brand is a person's got feeling it's

about the promises that you make and

your ability to deliver on those things

it's about the character and your values

and creating

expectations then what is branding if

that's

brand oh now you're not so fast build

building what those building those

feelings building logo okay okay we knew

the logo comments coming it's coming

here we go what visual audio application

all those principles the visual audio

application of all those principles

okay the feelings translated to visuals

okay so now it's kind of real

interesting we're starting to talk about

tangible things now Cur curating

experience okay hold on to that thought

I need another marker

here if this is a brand what is your

name Liz Liz says it's shaping all of

that that sounds pretty smart to me if

this is the brand then branding is how

we influence or shape all that that

makes a lot of sense are you brand

strategist by the

way even better you're like I'm brand

strategist by osmosis I'm been doing my

sleep baby I got this so you're going to

crush this right so we'll just say watch

out for the table of three the three

ladies are just destroy she's just not

even trying and she's doing it that

makes a lot of sense okay there was an

article in Harvard Business Review I

think it was the May June issue of this

year I'm very much into brand and

branding and personal Brands so when I

saw this some many post it is online I

had to go to the bookstore the news

stand they still exist somewhere I'm

like where's the copy of this so I'm my

it's not my local news stand so I had to

find a Barnes & Noble in Glendale and I

wented there and I bought this and I

read it and the article

sucked hbr is not all that it's cracked

up to be it's you read this have you

read this article save your money just

save your money right now

I okay they're written by really smart

people usually Harvard graduates but

this one was really about like tuning

your resume to get a job a j o I'm like

I'm not interested that at all this is

totally missing the point in my opinion

but there was an article before this

article that was much more interesting

it was about how to measure branding

versus marketing that article is worth

reading we're not going to talk about

the article today but it said something

like your brand is being shaped at every

interaction because someone's forming an

opinion about you that's consistent with

what we've been talking about right it's

promises it's experiences it's people's

gut feeling and so that gut feeling is

being changed every single day some of

you came in this morning with a feeling

about me hopefully gets it gets better

and then tomorrow goes down who knows

what's going to happen but that's why

you could never let it down this is also

why you can't create a false brand

because people are going to see right

through it almost immediately because we

live in a new time when companies no

longer control our perceptions because

of social media good work good news

travels fast bad news travels even

faster right so we the consumer now are

taking over the brand we own the brand

the customers okay and of course Jeff

bzo says your brand is what people say

when you're not in the room it's your

reputation we get that go

ahead okay the fake brand I'll give you

the example back in the day when when

companies can control the narrative they

might say like something like quality's

job one what company is that quality's

job number

one no no there's a very specific brand

what no okay this is how old I

am or how old you're not paying

attention nobody knows quality's job

number one they probably had to change

this because it's not true it was Ford

you guys remember Ford quality is job

number one and I'll tell you something

uh I'm an immigrant a refugee from

Vietnam my parents when they came here

we escaped communism and so my parents

were so grateful for America my dad is

Mom China that's terrible buy American

buy American right so when he had the

opportunity to we bought like a minivan

the very first year the Ford Aerostar

came out okay and I got to tell you

something I was in high school and I was

in the French Club and we had to like

sell candy or stupid things to earn

enough money to have this fancy French

dinner in the Hills somewhere all right

so my parents are driving me and my

cousin and my my little brother it's a

fancy French restaurant we're going to

use all our French that we supposedly

learned and we pulled up onto this

Gravel Road pull up to the side I I'm

like Mom see you later just park in the

darkness we don't want to see you again

please don't let any my friends see you

I flip the door open the sliding door

and the whole door falls

off quality is job number one my face

went like just totally red I just

started sweating immedately my cousin

time like hold the door so it doesn't

look so bad like we're just like like

saying along long goodbye or something

right now help me put the door back on

and the first time we took a road trip

in that that Aerostar it was across from

San Jose to Las Vegas it broke in the

desert so my mom and dad super hot

desert the My Three

Brothers my two brothers my my dad and

and my older brother had to run across

the highway to hitchhike to go to the

gas station quality's job number one

that is a fake brand clearly it's not

number one to this day my dad's like I

guess we're done with Ford he bought a

Honda it's never broken okay but I love

this idea from Dr Christine lucer who

teaches at The manura Institute the

manura project and she's like Chris do

you know what impression management

is like yeah she goes what's an example

of impression management so I'm going to

ask you what is impression

management deal with the way people see

you or perceive you or you but give me

an example how are you doing doing

impression Management on a human

level like politicians when they no like

give me a yeah okay politicians

politicians when they have to deal with

something that's against what they are

saying like finding a way to have an

excuse that makes that is still

believable okay let me ask you on a very

personal level how have you personally

have done impression management so if

you want to say we'll throw the mic over

to you okay here it's really easy it's a

short trip for me

the way I

dress more words okay so when when

before I'm going out in public I

actually take a strategic approach a

long period of time and I wear certain

clothes for me that translate to you my

brand okay give me one very specific

instance I'm

wearing a breast cancer bracelet by

David yman his wife and he started the

business and he used to be a welder my

husband was a welder he's no longer with

us everything that I'm wearing is my own

trademark in my name my shoes were done

by my daughter that's enough okay okay

thank you that was excellent that was

excellent so for sure like if you're on

a

date you're going to dress up for it you

comb your hair you'll wash your clothes

you do something because you want to

make that good first impression if

you're showing up for a job interview

they say dress for the job you want not

the one that you have so you need to

connect culturally to them if they're

very suit and tie three-piece suit don't

come in in in shorts and and flipflops

conversely if you work in the creative

industry do not show up in a suit

they'll make fun of you you know my

brother went my younger brother when he

first arrived in La he showed up for a

job interview and he wore an ill-fitted

suit and the guy said never come back

again like that but we'll hire you and

so he worked in the in the industry for

really long time so you have to kind of

match what the expectations are we get

that right and so we can see that if we

are managing

Impressions that is branding we're

trying to shape and influence it we

can't control it we can't control people

we can't control their feelings but we

can definitely influence it for sure

okay so I think we're all on board we're

on the same page here that unfortunately

the vast majority of people outside of

this room that call themselves designers

do not understand what brand and

branding is for them it's this and

there's real reason why they're confused

by this right because when Nike over the

last couple decades have done everything

they can to shape your impression of

them we come to symbolize it in a mark

and then they think well the Nike shoe

is not worth anything if you take that

Mark away is that true or false mostly

true mostly true because if it was a

knockoff brand let's just say it was

like Sketchers they both cover your feet

they both have cushioning they both have

materials but it's a totally different

experience the one that we tell

ourselves so that's why designers think

it's the logo I created all the

meaning um and I'm forgetting his name

now I interviewed him on this he says

the logo is just a container for

meaning this is a critical thing for you

to understand a logo is just a container

for meaning everybody that's part of

that company from the marketing team

down to the customer service to the

intern puts meaning in the container

then the container has to be beautiful

it has to be open it has to be something

that can withstand the rigors of

different applications and time so there

is real value in creating that there are

wonderful brands that I love that have a

horrible logo that I just cannot buy

because I'm a

snob I shouldn't be caught up in that

but the Aesthetics do matter to me okay

as many of you will like yeah we're in

that same camp so everything else that's

underneath the things that we don't see

the voice the messaging the behavior

that bleed the values the entire

customer experience is what makes that

brand but the public sees that so we

understand now why there's some

confusion there today's episode is

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