What goes in?
What comes out?
I like to start brand-direct projects with a workshop (for agencies, I start the way you need me to). Virtual or in-person, and with as many of your folks as possible (I had 26 in my sessions with Corepower Yoga). I like it when I can help people get aligned and excited. Here are some folks who can explain it better that I can:
“I’m happy with the whole process. Everything from discovery to creation and how it was all handled. We got truly excited about our brand and we still feel exactly the same way.”
Bill Keith,
Founder, Greenfat & Perfect Bar
“I remember feeling very ‘safe,’ where everything said was valid and accepted. You couldn’t have a stupid answer in there. And the energy always felt high. Even though we were in there for hours, it never dragged. It was great knowing the agency and client were on the same page. A comforting feeling.”
Ashley Rutstein,
@Stuffaboutadvertising, Adweek Creative Top 100
“I remember guided sessions that allowed us to get all our big and small ideas out in one big ol’ clump dump and then you took all that and needled out our central theme and story and wove it into concise, sexy copy that had usable, zippy one-liners as well a beautiful big hero story that was all so perfectly congruent, under a strong and professional mission statement with a fun tagline. We found our identity.”
Jennifer Dehmoubed,
Co-Founder, Lotus Sustainables
After a workshop, I do a series of sprints to flesh it all out (with agencies and studios, I can do any part of this or something else all together):
1. Brand Truths.
2. Brand Position (the elevator pitch), Purpose (the “why”) and Promise (the tag line).
3. Supporting stories that more times than not, go right onto the site, packaging, decks and talk tracks.
People want to use these words because they helped create them.
Case in point: Nymbl Science makes an ever-expanding app to help older adults with issues like balance training. I had 13 people (including an awesome graphic design partner) over two half-day, in-person workshops. Here’s how things turned out:
