Brands That Get You
 
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BRANDS THAT GET YOU

Find Your Brand Story Fast + Advice for Startups & Growing Brands
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Joy, you just got sparked 🌸 How Marie Kondo’s branding gets you to pay $89 for an empty box✨✨✨ The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. If you haven’t read it—you’ve seen it on a friend’s bookshelf and heard about how they’re tossing all the items that don’t bring joy to their lives. Kondo has built an empire of joyous citizens, and a lifestyle brand and products are the natural extension. ✨✨✨Kondo’s boxes are clean, minimal and beautiful—created by Apple’s former head of packaging and the result of research, measuring all of the most popular drawers and tested for every potential storage situation. ✨✨✨But what Kondo is selling isn’t just the boxes—it’s the experience and feeling she’s creating around them. Before the boxes get to you, you receive aspirational emails to help you prep for and organize your ideal life: organization, mindfulness, philosophy, and wellness. ⚡️Insight⚡️A product is more than a sum of its physical parts. The experience you’re creating and the lifestyle you want your customer to aspire towards are critical components. Think about how you can engage from the moment of purchase, before you’ve even shipped. The answer could be as simple as a series of emails. But sometimes most simple brings the most brand joy. #brandsthatgetyou
Franchise wars🤖Here’s how Taco Bell’s time-traveling pop up won the battle of the Comic Con activations✨✨✨ At Comic-Con, the competition for eyeballs is crazy high. And this year, the most buzzed about award went to Taco Bell for their immersive dining experience—a recreation of the upscale TBell featured in Demolition Man to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary. Set in 2032, the world of Demolition Man is a universe of all Taco Bells. Literally, it is the only restaurant. ✨✨✨They went full tilt on the recreation: “biochipped” hand stamps, fluorescent artwork, waiters in costume and a four course meal of fancy-styled foods. But the best thing about this activation was how well the TBell team understood their audience. ⚡️Insight⚡️As pop up shops become the norm and presence at festivals rises, brands put a LOT of thought into their stories and the design of their spaces. But they often forget to think about their audiences :: Who is going to be there? What will they be in the mood for? What might excite them the most? How could you solve a problem for them in the moment? Tying into both (1) the space and (2) your customer’s mindset is what will make your IRL experience memorable far into the future… dare I say 2032? #brandsthatgetyou
⚡️The BIG premiere of my Branding Sprint for Startups⚡️We packed the house at General Assembly—and this fall, I'll be running a more in-depth, guided version of The Branding Sprint (a full day bootcamp option + an online course option!) 💨I'll also be giving The Branding Sprint talk LIVE again soon AND holding bimonthly open office hours for startups who have questions 🎥 Plus I’ll be partnering on Branding Sprint videos with the crazy talented @mixedmediamonster who came out to film the event👏So give me a shout if you want to be in the loop or keep following me here💥Excited to put these ideas out into the world—and give more startups the tools they need to STAND OUT from the start⚡️And if you were there for the talk, thank you SO much for coming out! I'd LOVE to hear your feedback on how the techniques work for you—so please keep in touch. #brandsthatgetyou
Ready to get your Branding Sprint on?⚡️I'll be presenting A Branding Sprint for Startups LIVE at General Assembly SF next Wednesday, August 8 at 6:15PM💥It's my simple six-part cycle you can follow to build a better brand right now (no agency or marketing experience needed) 💨Plus: Get actionable insights that help you connect with customers immediately. Learn the must-haves for your brand today. And hear branding stories from startups across industries✨✨✨Did I mention it's free? Come make your startup a standout☝️🔝Link in bio #brandsthatgetyou
Let your sole glow☀️How Allbirds raised the bar for brands doing better ✨✨✨(Hint: It's a SUPER sweet shoe)👣Yesterday, fans of Allbird’s crazy comfy footwear rejoiced at the release of their new innovation—a flip flop with a sustainable sole. Their “SweetFoam” sole is the exact same EVA polymer contained in most of the footwear industry’s soles, but it’s made of renewable sugarcane rather than fossil fuels. ✨✨✨And the most exciting part—the SweetFoam that AllBird’s spent over 3 years developing—came with a huge bonus: now that they’ve created it, AllBirds is giving away the formula to any brand who wants it. ✨✨✨It’s an open-sourced approach to bringing about big change in their industry that demonstrates AllBird’s commitment to their cause. In an interview with Fast Company, Allbirds’ head of product development said it perfectly: “If this is actually going to take hold and have an impact, it is critical for this to scale beyond ourselves.” AllBirds has put their money where their hearts are—and their feet out into the world. ⚡️Insight⚡️Having a strong brand mission and values means living them everyday, in every way. Go beyond your bottom line to demonstrate your commitment. It’s step in the right direction everyone will want to follow. #brandsthatgetyou
Fox asks some friends💥Here's why Firefox getting community feedback on their logo matters✨✨✨ Anyone who’s ever chosen a logo knows it’s a tricky process. Your logo will be seen everywhere. You’re going to live with it for (hopefully!) awhile. And everyone is going to have an opinion when you’re looking at designs. ✨✨✨When I was agency side, the Gap was one of my clients when they released their now infamous attempt at a radical logo change to the world—and it literally took everyone, including most of my clients, by surprise. Their process, and even knowledge of the release, had been shrouded in secrecy. ✨✨✨Fast forward to today—when Firefox released 2 ideas for a new brand design system and asked for customer feedback. They’re positioning the process as “open design” and “branding without walls.” ✨✨✨It’s not a voting system, and Firefox is upfront that the designs are in progress and will go through more refinement before they’re ready. But as a company that ”lives by open-source values of transparency and participation,” they really want to know what you think. ⚡️Insight⚡️Find new ways to involve your community in your brand. Being open about decisions that were reserved for closed doors can hit refresh on customer relationships. #brandsthatgetyou
Live in Las Vegas💋This Sunday, I’ll be on the floor at Cosmoprof North America, answering branding questions from 11AM-12PM as part of their Ask the Expert series with @lovebeckybb✨✨✨All of our slots are sold out right now—but hit me up if you'll be around and want to talk branding and the beauty beast. #brandsthatgetyou @bartlettbrands
No meatballs? No problem. 🇸🇪 Here's how Ikea's big move to small stores shows the power of their mission✨✨✨ Blue and yellow boxes. Maze-like showrooms. Swedish munchies. The Ikea shopping experience is iconic. But now the retail giant is making a mega move: stores measuring 900 square meters vs. 25,000 square meters. Less space, less stuff and (gasp!) no meatballs. ✨✨✨As people drive less and shop online more, the move makes business sense. But it also makes sense with Ikea’s mission: Create a better everyday life for the many people by offering a wide range of well-designed furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. ✨✨When you break down this down, there are two promises at the heart (1) A better everyday life and (2) for the many people. Ikea has delivered on these promises for years. But customers' lives have changed. And Ikea needs to evolve with them to truly reach the many. If you think about downsized stores from this angle, it’s a move that needs to happen. ⚡️Insight⚡️A mission statement that speaks to your purpose and your larger goals will help you assemble your brand from the start. It'll also give you future direction to build your decisions, no tiny screws required. #brandsthatgetyou
Oh baby, baby👶🍼Here’s how Yumi’s “first 1000 days” gets them healthy customers for life... ✨✨✨There’s a lot to love about Yumi’s fun, approachable and modern baby food branding. It’s obvious that their team put a ton of thought into every detail of the experience—from their more than palettable color palette (which they use to color code their deliveries and keep it simple to know what’s fresh) to their Insta-worthy ingredient photography and their simply smart but still feel-yum messaging. ✨✨✨One of the wisest things they did was give their brand an incredibly compelling hook: “Everyday for the first 1000 days.” Yumi found that scientists consider nutrition for the first 1,000 days to be the most important environmental factor in a child’s development. In their branding, they’ve brought this juicy fact center stage. ✨✨✨It’s a concept their moms-to-be could immediately grasp onto—1000 days is very specific, simple to understand (and digest). And now that you’ve hear it, who wouldn’t want to sign up to get their baby the very best during the time it matters most? Then beyond the first 1000 days, it’s a natural extension to stay a part of the Yumi family you love so much. Brilliant marketing for brilliant futures. ⚡️Insight⚡️Think about what kind of hook you can create for your brand: a compelling statement that’s easy to understand and communicate in just a few seconds. Then get customers of all ages to eat it up. #brandsthatgetyou
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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