My Courses

  • 17: #17 Brand as Relationship

    The fourth and current stage of the evolution of brands. As more and more brands have adopted the experience approach, it has become clearer that a one-off moment in time is not enough to cement brand loyalty. This takes us to the current stage in the…

  • Arlington doesn’t limit its creative sector strictly to arts endeavors.

    Arlington doesn’t limit its creative sector strictly to arts endeavors.

    Arlington Economic Development asked the question, what does the creative economy have to do with the military? Turns out, a lot more than you might think. At the May 16th Return on Creativity seminar: Leading From the Front, a diverse panel of former and active members of the military spanning three generations talked about how…

  • 16: #16 Brand as Experience

    The third stage in the evolution of brands. With increased competition, and consumer preference for more tailored products and services, brands were forced to differentiate themselves beyond occupying an idea. They needed to insert themselves into key…

  • 15: #15 Brand as Idea

    The second stage in the evolution of brands. With increasing competition from mass production, mass advertising, and mass media in general, the need for brands to be more than an object came along. At this point, it wasn’t enough to simply have a…

  • 14: #14 Brand as Object

    The first stage in the evolution of brands. Our use of logos to represent companies, organizations, or individuals is based on a long history that originates with the very beginning of written communication. The moment we used a drawing, an image, a…

  • 13: #13 Cars and Branding

    I discuss how I first fell in love with the concept of branding, at a rather young age, and through my appreciation for cars. Auto branding taught me hierarchy, positioning, and many more things.

  • 12: #12 Branding and Relevance

    In order for a brand to be strong, it must remain relevant or find a way to be culturally relevant in the moment.

  • 10: #10 Branding and Focus

    “Our audience is everyone.” If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that sentence after asking a marketer or executive, I’d be a very rich man. Instead, in order for a brand to be successful, it must focus its efforts on defining its ideal…

  • 9: #9 Branding and Substance

    For a brand to be strong and have lasting success, it must have substance. We can describe substance in two ways: 1) an ideology which is clearly articulated in the way an organization conducts business and communicates with its audiences, and 2) a…