Throughout the various podcasts that we’ve been grateful to appear on, it has been such a joy to speak to other experienced leaders who share similar passions as we do. Having the opportunity to help guide visionary leaders convey their message to the world is extremely rewarding, especially when they are ready to let their true self reflect in the brand. We hope that you enjoy listening to the ...
Rethinking Branding in the Age of Reimagined Capitalism
By Emily Soccorsy + Justin Foster One of the greatest pains of modern thinking is our addiction to dualism. While we are used to seeing this us-versus-them, black-or-white approach in politics or religion, it’s also incredibly prevalent in businesses. This is where we encounter it the most. Too many Old World leaders still believe that for-profit companies should be run with lightning ...
Don’t Tell Stories. Excavate Them. By Jennifer Lawhead
“That’s the story!” I exclaimed to a client on a recent storytelling and content coaching call. If I’ve learned anything from our clients recently, it’s this: when it comes to storytelling, the story is actually buried in the story. Sometimes, the story is buried in the story inside of the story. In other words, there’s probably a cooler/more interesting/more fascinating/more authentic story ...
Synthesis Episode #12: Marcia Reynolds On How Coaching Can Shift Living
As Our twelfth episode features Marcia Reynolds, Psy D., Marcia is the author of three books, The Discomfort Zone, Outsmart Your Brainand Wander Woman, with a fourth book on coaching in the works about how to get into a inquiry process. Marcia is real, frank and incredibly bright in her discussion with us and we cover a lot of meaningful ground. We cover how we remake ourselves, how coaching is ...
Find the Flow, F (orget) the Formula
By Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster The marketing world is over-saturated with formulas. This is because formulas are intended to remove uncertainty. And because uncertainty is the boondoggle of human existence. There’s no way to remove uncertainty, folks. Life is uncertainty. And as part of that: all formulas are flawed. Most formulas only work for some people, some of the time. That’s the ...
An Open Letter
We believe every great brand is a spiritual experience. A movement. A brand is the only place in business where your inner world is experienced by the outer world. For too long, we have accepted the belief that these worlds are supposed to be separate. We say no. When these worlds are kept separate, dissonance occurs. Identity crises emerge. Leaders drift from the mission. Employees feel ...
Branding happens in moments
By Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster A brand doesn’t magically appear. A logo might. But not a brand. Brands are really deeply seeded ideas, so they take time to formulate completely, mature and bear fruit. Brands are made, not in a moment, but in moments -- big and small. Where do these moments arise from? How do we tend to them? Just like in life, many of them are unplanned. Have ...
You Don’t Need a Marketing Agency
By Emily Soccorsy + Justin Foster Small business owners are in a bit of a conundrum when it comes to marketing. You can either do it yourself or bring in a marketing agency. Let’s be real. Doing marketing yourself is not an option. Even if you enjoy it, there’s too much. Contemporary branding and marketing is not something you do in the seams and creases of running a business. A marketing ...
You’re in charge of marketing, right? No. You’re not.
There’s this paradox about being responsible for the marketing of an organization: You are “in charge” of the brand and at the same time, you are not in charge of the brand, like -- at all. Being in charge means you are expected to come up with, organize and execute every single marketing objective of the organization. Even in small, simple organizations, of course, there is nothing simple ...
What is your brand’s MLE (minimum level of excellence)?
By Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster A brand is an organic, living thing. It is both a practice and a discipline. And yet there is also a baseline, or minimum, level of organic environmental excellence to create for your brand to grow and thrive. Without this brand primordial soup, you may inadvertently stunt the growth of your brand and reduce its vibrancy and reach. Most people begin ...