Monthly Archives: October 2026

Kinetic Adherence

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I’ve been doing some soul searching about the brand strategy of my own company. Having created scores and scores of brand strategies for clients, it seems odd I’ve never done one for What’s The Idea? Cobbler’s children anyone?

One key weakness I have uncovered is that few companies have actually enculturated the claim and proof model into their business. They may have adopted the claim as their tagline.  Or complimented how everything was boiled down into a easy to understand framework. But often their thorough adoption of the strategy into all aspects of business has been lacking.  (Could it be the result of decades of brand strategies being designed only to feed the next ad campaign?)

I’m going to address this weakness by initiating a new proof plank for my company and call it “Kinetic Adherence.”

Kinetic adherence is what it sounds like – fearless, active adherence to the brand claim. (Stay tuned for the full What’s The Idea? brand claim and proof array in a future post.)  Adherence means the claim and proof will show up in advertising, brand extensions, hiring, customer care, retail design, packaging. Even how an employee answers the phone.  It’s branding by action. Not words.

Kinetic Adoption allows for measurement. It allows for incentivizing. It can even tie into employee promotions.

This is medicine for all brand planners. Feel free to use it at your own business.

Peace.

 

Logo Props.

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Brand names and logos are foundational to proper branding. No duh. 

Recently I came across a logo that struck me for its communication value: Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville.

When you live in the mountains, you’re going to see a lot of logos with mountains. In this case, designer Matt Levin didn’t default to some line drawn art with an obligatory sinking sun, he went all George Masa on it, depicting our mountains as they really are — layered, hazy and intriguing. Asheville as you may know is also famous for music.  What sets Asheville music apart is its use of old-timey analog microphones. The acapella around-the-mic type.  The BPR logo displays that mic beautifully, cleverly and legibly — incorporating the station call letters.

A logo tells a rich, simple and evocative story is a great brand builder.  Bravo to all. 

Peace.

Offense and Defense in Brand Strategy

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“No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy force”

Prussian Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

Marketing is offense and defensive.  Most focus on the offense. That’s where the planning is. The building. The optimism.  The budgeting. Even the hiring. Marketing by its very nature is optimistic. But what happens when you get punched in the mouth?  That’s when you really need a plan.

That’s when you need a brand strategy. And oppo research ain’t it.

Brand strategy, or as I like to call it “an organizing principle for product, experience and messaging,” is a plan for sales success. However you design your brand strategy, if done well it accounts for consumer preference, expression of product value and a smidge of poetic flair.

Brand strategy is offense and defense.  When enculturated throughout a company it lets every employee know which hill to take, extending the metaphor.

In the movie in my mind (thanks Brandtuitive), when a customer calls your company with a tough question, even the receptionist has the correct answer. 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Peace.

 

 

Large Language Model

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I’m a crap writer.  Love to blame it on my grammar school teachers, particularly Mr. Testa in 7th grade but the problem started earlier in in grade school.  I never learned proper grammar discipline, taxonomy or construction. 

My blog has helped me as a writer, thanks to repetition and volume. Glad I took it up.

Recently I’ve noticed my texting has become much more cumbersome and I’m beginning to think it’s not my finger dexterity but AI’s Large Language Model getting in the way.  A model that predicts my next words. I’ve tried to turn it off on my Pixel but had no luck – a story for another time.

Anti-AI activism isn’t my thing here but, still, there’s no need to build data centers to train language models to finish my sentences. It’s a waste of power, water and, frankly, brain power.  Thankfully, Microsoft Word lets me make my own typos and large language models haven’t popped up here.

On the other hand, if AI could help me with my typing….

Peace.