👋 Hello Branding Revealers. How are you doing today?
I hope your brand awareness is getting sharper, especially if you are creative. Many shifts are happening, and our role within the branding process is being questioned or elevated day by day. Yet, I believe more than ever, creatives are needed to create meaningful brand experiences as supporters and as brands. I am looking forward to diving more into content for creatives where I tackle our resilience towards AI, market fit and beyond.
I had a mentoring session a few weeks ago, and it surprised me to listen to fellow creatives feeling left behind. And so, not engaging in crafting a renewed experience of their brand. It also served as a reminder for myself and challenged my perception of what I have been building so far. It is very subtle to see the effects of what you do, but when you get a green light, focus on it. Branding is a journey!
A short reminder
The mission of Your Branding Letter is to demystify the Big word branding. I wish for everybody to understand its paradoxes and truths. But also, implement them within their version of branding. Here, you will find a collection of an eclectic panel of definitions alongside visions of what branding is and implies—showcasing those who do, use, and expand branding: Brand Revealers*.
*That is literally everybody
Let's discover our new Brand Revealer of the month!
Wise words from Brand Revealer Sam Thorogood
I discovered Sam thanks to his newsletter on Substack. He is a fellow writer; we followed each other, and I liked his approach to serving brands. His letters were educational and engaging. He uses visual and didactic layouts to stimulate thinking. It was obvious to me he would be a great guest within this space.
I am going to steal Marty Neumeier’s definition because I reckon it’s the best one I’ve heard.
He says that a brand is “a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company”.I love this because it’s about the emotional response. I have long been a believer that branding is created in the hearts of individual members of a brand’s audience. Good branding will stir emotions in a way that is powerful, consistent and somewhat predictable. But ultimately, there’s this element of unpredictability, because each audience member will emotionally respond to brands in a unique way. And this is OK!
Sam
Branding is made of trial and error. The positioning takes effort, time and dedication. How can entrepreneurs recover from a branding that doesn't resonate yet with their audience?
I think keeping an open mind is essential. It’s so easy to go into tunnel vision mode, where we ignore feedback (both direct and indirect) because we are set on one thing.
Us entrepreneurs are driven: this is one of our greatest strengths. I know from personal experience that it can also be a weakness. Something that has helped me in my own branding has been running mini ‘experiments’. I will tweak an area of my brand (such as my positioning) and wait for a set period of time to gather data on whether or not it is working. If it is, yay! I can develop it further. If it isn’t, I thank the experiment for what I have learned and try a different tweak.
Sam’s process with his design studio
Sam
What are the repeated words you hear about your Brand and Branding from your audience, teams, and people who discover you? (3 to 5 keywords)
Professionalism • Communication • Clarity • Mission
Sam
What is your best branding story from clients, yourself or an iconic brand you look up to?
As part of my business, I host a podcast called Branding Love Letters. No connection to your wonderful newsletter, Keva!
Each episode, I invite a guest to pick their favourite brand and unpack why it means so much to them. It’s a deep dive into what I mentioned earlier: the emotional response that is at the heart of branding.
I had the privilege of hosting brand strategist Anneli Hansson, who chose IKEA. I was so struck by how this furniture company was such a huge part of her life and how it had informed many of her decisions. At the end of each podcast episode, my guest reads out a ‘love letter’ to their brand. I want to share Anneli’s, because it’s so beautiful:
Dear IKEA, You've been a bit like a teenage crush for me. I can't recall visiting you as a kid, but my admiration for you began later in life when it was time for me to move from my childhood home. You were there as a steadfast friend, making it possible for me to start fresh in a new home, even when I didn't have much money to spare. You made the idea of having a home achievable, and I always felt included.
Visiting you has always felt like an adventure, a captivating experience from start to finish. In other stores, you can easily get lost wandering aimlessly, but at your place, the entire shopping experience is thoughtfully planned out. We happily follow the arrows that guide us on a journey from cozy armchairs to warm lamps, from vibrant plants to everything one could need for a kitchen. And speaking of kitchens, no visit to your store is complete without indulging in your famous meatballs. To me, you represent more than just furniture. You symbolise the idea that home is where we create our lives. You empower countless people to build their homes, and there's a sense of togetherness in that. It's not just for me. I see it in all the people who work for you, too. Your colours and names tell the story of your heritage, rooted in the small town of Älmhult, Sweden. Your founder, Ingvar Kamprad, inspires me. He came from a small place in this vast world, and his entrepreneurial spirits show that anything is possible, even if you don't have much to start with.
His legacy reminds me that with a strong motivation and creativity, we can achieve our dreams. I'm proud to see that you care about the environment and about people. Your commitment to making all of your products from renewable and recycled materials by 2030 shows that you're not just focused on the present, but also dedicated to shaping a sustainable future. You make me proud to be Swedish. With affection, Anneli.
Sam
Do you have any recommendations for mastering branding, such as books, podcasts, conferences, etc.?
📚 Book-wise, I would recommend • Radim Malinic’s excellent (and beautifully produced) Book of Branding. It walks you through the full branding process, with plenty of case studies from Malinic’s own studio. • Start With Why by Simon Sinek (absolute classic).
🎙️ I subscribe to far too many podcasts. But a couple that have really helped me on my branding journey are The Futur with Chris Do and 99% Invisible.
In this era of personal branding, how have you or do you overcome the "standing out" rule? Especially, standing out in the market for the good reasons.
Start With Why has helped me with this. I am now super clear on my ‘why’: to empower and equip pioneering brands. This clarity has allowed me to (gradually, with plenty of trial and error) stand out in the creative field. I still have such a long way to go, but having that strong mission definitely gives me a firm foundation on which to build.
Sam
If you could shadow one of your favorite brands for one day, which one would it be and why?
I think I am going to have to say Red Bull. They absolutely fascinate me. Their central product is a (let’s be honest) pretty disgusting energy drink. But they have managed to attach their brand to everything extreme, from BASE jumping to Formula 1.
I think it’s a branding masterstroke and I would love to peek inside their crazy laboratory where these wild ideas are dreamt up.
Sam
You can connect and discover more of his work and mindset @SamThorogood
🤩 Bright, they are!
⭐ ''I am possible'' brand inspiration(This young man brought a huge smile to my day, but he was also a kinship reminder of the joy that sparks into any brand. That spark is precious).
What are your thoughts on Brand and democracy? I am not talking about a political view, but rather an increased capacity for everybody to grasp branding and try to build a brand.
Video, words, illustration, animation… you choose. Short and sweet.
Some days, months, or even years, silence can benefit your brand. As the saying goes, "Speech is silver. Silence is golden." Rebranding may be on the horizon.
