Findings

Point of view on brand, naming, and identity. One idea at a time, quality over schedule.

Oct 9, 2026Brand StrategyMeaning Transfer

McCracken's meaning transfer model in practice

McCracken meaning transfer model in practice: celebrity and influencer partnerships fail without cultural context checks.

Oct 6, 2026Brand StrategyMeaning Transfer

How meaning moves from culture to brand

Brand meaning transfer flows from culture to goods to consumers via rituals. McCracken's model still frames endorsement and influencer risk.

Sep 1, 2026Brand StrategyConsumer Identity

Post-materialist brands need a stewardship pivot

Post-materialist branding shifts from seller to steward. Guard the consumer's psychologically owned environment, not SKU volume.

Aug 28, 2026Brand StrategyConsumer Identity

Decoding the sustainable self

Sustainable consumer identity mixes green buying, voluntary simplicity, and refusal. Green purchase alone rarely changes volume.

Aug 26, 2026Brand StrategyNaming Notes

When to rename vs when to reposition

Rebrand vs rename: not every equity problem needs a new word. Reposition when meaning drifts; rename when the name itself blocks trust.

Aug 25, 2026Brand StrategyConsumer Identity

Anti-consumption as a symbolic sign system

Anti-consumption branding treats refusal as identity signal. What consumers reject now reveals more than what they buy.

Aug 21, 2026Brand StrategyConsumer Identity

The extended self is changing

Extended self theory explains how possessions shape identity. Belk's 2013 update shows values and experiences at the core, things at the periphery.

Aug 19, 2026Brand StrategyNaming Notes

How to stress-test a name before you print anything

A brand naming process stress-test: pronunciation, search collision, trademark class, and positioning fit before print.

Aug 18, 2026Brand StrategyCultural Strategy

Twelve brands that got multicultural marketing right

Multicultural marketing examples that work read context before demographics. Twelve patterns from campaigns that earned trust.

Aug 14, 2026Brand StrategyCultural Strategy

Tribal capital and how brands create cool

Cultural tribal capital explains how brands create cool through fluency, not boardroom manufacture. Status, subculture, and brand myth.

Aug 12, 2026Brand StrategyNaming Notes

Verbal identity before visual identity

Verbal identity before visual identity prevents expensive rework. Voice and messaging set what design must express.

Aug 11, 2026Brand StrategyCultural Strategy

How brands repurpose subcultures without stealing them

Subculture branding works when brands repurpose cultural content with fluency, not extraction. Cultural jujitsu versus theft.

Aug 7, 2026Brand StrategyCultural Strategy

The brand bureaucracy trap kills cultural innovation

Brand bureaucracy and sciency marketing block cultural innovation. Why large orgs miss ideological opportunity while optimizing dashboards.

Aug 5, 2026Brand StrategyNaming Notes

Naming is a business decision, not a brainstorming exercise

Brand naming strategy needs criteria, legal screens, and positioning fit—not a whiteboard storm. How studios sequence naming before design.

Aug 4, 2026Brand StrategyCultural Strategy

Cultural strategy beats better mousetraps

Cultural strategy branding wins when brands champion ideologies, not specs. Holt's framework explains why better products lose to better cultural fit.

Jul 10, 2026Brand StrategyFailure Files

Pepsi misread the rhetorical situation

Pepsi's 2017 Kendall Jenner ad was pulled in 24 hours. The failure was contextual negligence on MLK Day, not bad casting. What rhetorical situation means for brand teams.