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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💋I had the BEST time on stage with these badass women at AIGA WILD + Visa: How to Activate the Power of Storytelling. Here are takeaways from the talks... ✨✨✨Our host Myra Sandoval, Director of Story and Design Innovation at Visa, kicked off the evening with stories of powerful women in her life. Then Carly Schwartz, Editor-in-Chief at Google, shared how writing down her personal story helped her make sense of herself. Filmmaker Sabra Meretab gave us a lesson on how to get to the heart of any story by engaging with emotion and incorporating universal themes like heroism. And I rounded out the night with the power of persuasive positioning: tips + tricks you can use to package your story to sell it to your audience, including 10 quick ways to start with persuasion—which I'll be releasing over the next few weeks here and on all of my social channels. ✨✨✨Afterwards, everyone took prompts from the talks for an interactive and engaging storytelling workshop led by Carly. 🙏🙏🙏Thank you to AIGA WILD, Visa, my fellow speakers and the all-star team who did a fantastic job conceiving and coordinating this kick-ass event, let by multitalented mavens Miranda Morgan and Erica Stivison. #brandsthatgetyou
Live in SF⚡️Tonight I’ll be on stage with an all-star lineup of badass lady storytellers at AIGA WILD + Visa: How to Activate the Power of Storytelling💥Myra Sandoval (Director of Story, Design Innovation at Visa), Sabra Meretab (Product Manager at Visa and filmmaker), Carly Schwartz (Editor-in-Chief at Google) and I will be sharing how we’ve harnessed the power of story to influence + inspire in our careers and our personal lives. Then, we’ll be leading a hands on workshop where practice your own storytelling skills.✨✨✨This event sold out a few weeks ago—before I had a chance to post it to my networks! But if you’re interested, send me a message today and I’ll see if we can squeeze you in. ✨Link in bio✨#brandsthatgetyou @aigasf @visa_us
Give your competition the axe💥See how this men’s grooming upstart is working to unseat the drugstore heavyweight ... ✨✨✨ In a world where metrosexual has gone mainstream, men aren’t afraid to spend a little more time and effort on their appearance anymore. But when it comes to grooming habits, it can take a lot to get a guy to level up from the brands he’s been using forever—hence the love for smell-manly classics like Old Spice and everyone’s not-so-favorite overpowering go-to: Axe. ✨✨✨ But new DTC boy on the block Hawthorne is targeting the man who has made a switch in other areas of his life (like career kudos, more money-making, maybe a for-reals relationship)—and calling out the Axe that’s holding him back. While their “personal care made easy” approach and man-friendly classy branding are great—what’s really hitting a home run are their incredibly effective social ads that read “Still using Axe? Upgrade your bathroom.” ⚡️Insight⚡️While many companies tread super lightly on calling out their competitors, getting direct can make a big difference. Brands, like millennials, aren’t necessarily delicate snowflakes. And a callout as simple as “Still using that other brand?” could bring you the sweet smell of success. #brandsthatgetyou
👕♻️Learn from this clever company that’s changing the way we wear and wear out the classics ✨✨✨Everyone’s been getting down on the fast fashion movement for the past few years—how mega stores like Forever21 and H&M that roll out trendy and not-so-well-made garments by the truckload each season to satisfy consumer’s need for the new quicker than you can say Kardashian. All of this talk gave rise to brands like Cuyana that promote fewer, better things. And now a new brand is raising the bar further by reinventing the model rather than the clothing. ✨✨✨Warby Parker didn’t invent glasses. And For Days didn’t invent t-shirts. What they did invent was a convenient way for customers to look good and feel great about their purchases. With For Days, you sign up for a membership program and pick a certain number of shirts to buy. Then for a year, you can swap out the tees you bought for an upcycled version of any tee for just $8—after you, say, spill wine on one, wear out your favorite or decide you’re not so into a color anymore. While the price point isn’t cheap, today’s conscious customers are willing to spend knowing that they’re closing the loop on a recycling model (all of the sendback tees get turned into yarn). ✨✨✨It’s a tricky concept to explain—but For Days simple and friendly editorial does a good job of breaking down the model. And its clean and inviting visuals give off millennial feel-good real-life vibes. ⚡️Insight⚡️When selling a product based on its points isn’t enough to make your story standout, think about ways you could switch up the model and make it your message. It can be a winning strategy For Days—and for you. #brandsthatgetyou
This is beauty and branding from the brink 🙌 I’m kicking off 2019 with one more NEW brand reveal—a radically different approach born in the New Zealand wild that stands out in any environment. ✨✨✨Imagine your skin in its native state of health—perfectly pristine, naked, raw, untouched by the elements. When Ao skincare originally launched, the doctor-led brand focused on the science behind their formulations, but their story didn’t stand out and connect with consumers in a compelling way. ✨✨✨At Bartlett Brands, our strategy elevated the raw elements—cold processed active ingredients sourced in the world's last unsettled landscape—and surfaced founder Dr. Gray’s evolutionary approach to skin health that I called "adaptive skincare". A provocative visual expression and product communication strategy work together to create a brand that’s both wild and cultivated. ✨✨✨ Raw Nature. Refined Skincare. See more @aoskincare #brandsthatgetyou
East Eats West 🙌 Year-End Reveal #1: We gave Bamboo Asia a far out market makeover. It's orange and blue and opening all over.✨✨✨ SF-based Bamboo Asia had made its name as a Fi-Di staple for the grab-n-go lunch crowd. But when they were ready to start expanding, they realized the brand wasn’t as fresh as the food. ✨✨✨ The team at Bartlett Brands started with strategy, diving deep into the customer expectations and Bamboo Asia’s unique value proposition. Then we reinvented everything but the food to create a buzz-worthy new concept: Bamboo Asia Far Out Market—a mashup of Far East flavors and West Coast vibes. The new heart-worthy identity and hip interior design have customers lining up—literally. They’re getting featured by Eater (yay!). And everyone is hella’ welcome. ✨✨✨ Love, peace and far out food. #brandsthatgetyou
✨Find out how in my new article on The Startup, Medium’s largest publication for entrepreneurs🔝link in bio #brandsthatgetyou
Had the best time recording my first Brands That Get You podcast with the fantastic founders of @gofiltr this weekend✨✨✨We talked about how to be a Brand That Gets You—with actionable insights from their startup journey, lessons on how to come back super strong from a Kickstarter campaign and their best advice for other brands getting off the ground right now 🙌 I couldn’t have asked for more interesting, intelligent and charming guests for this premier episode, GoFiltr’s Dmitri and Travis! Coming soon to earbuds near you... #brandsthatgetyou
Talk-Worthy Branding 🙌 Spotlight #5 on REI: How this outdoor retailer created conversation for 4 years and counting... ✨✨✨In 2015, REI sent shockwaves through the retail world. On Black Friday—the holy grail day of shopping days—REI went MIA. Not only did they NOT have sales and discounts. They didn’t have employees. ✨✨✨REI closed its doors to purchases IRL and online—encouraging everyone to #OptOutside and spend their day exploring the great outdoors rather than fighting the crowds indoors. Bonus: They were still paying all of their employees for the day. ✨✨✨The shuttering down got everyone hyped up: people couldn’t stop talking about what a genuine and caring company REI was. And it put tremendous focus on their brand values in a way that people connected with. ✨✨✨Four years later, their CEO credits the now yearly closures with helping REI survive the retail apocalypse—during which over 200 big retailers have died. Others have copied the approach, but no one’s gotten people talking like REI. And the campaign has become part of their core alongside their values. ⚡️Insight⚡️How can you bring your brand values to life through your actions so customers better identify with you? Think outside your big box. #brandsthatgetyou
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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