In Conversation with
Each month, I connect with a friend/expert/colleague to discuss a topic that’s come up in our respective professional worlds. Recently, I spoke with Lisa Kane, Executive Group Director of Strategy at Siegel + Gale about the (un) changing nature of brand strategy. Here are some highlights from our conversation:
What’s the Same
Clients still look to brand strategists for a holistic brand transformation, business unit re-positioning, or more functional brand needs. They recognize that brand is a critical driver of business success.
What’s Different
Brand is everywhere.
When we first started in brand strategy, we had to explain what branding even was. The concept was misunderstood or dismissed (someone once said, “Brand is a dirty word”). Today, everything is a brand. People have personal brands. Companies, products, and even movements all compete on brand.
The end is now the beginning.
Brand strategy used to be seen as the final deliverable but the work would stall because it wasn’t implemented. Now, strategy is the first step to shape marketing, communications, and customer experiences. It has to be actionable. As we shape brand strategy, strategists must think ahead: What will this look like in practice? Does the client have the means to bring it to life? How many ways can it be activated?
Speed is critical.
Marketing teams are facing tighter budgets and timelines. They can’t afford long ramp-up periods for agencies to “get smart.” Clients expect immediate insight and action because everything after the strategy is what moves a business forward.
AI is a tool, not the answer.
AI accelerates our work, but human creativity and expertise are essential to judge its output. “Garbage in, garbage out” has never been truer. AI can generate fast outputs, but without human oversight, results risk being generic or wrong. It also cannot replace real-time research into what people think, feel, and do.
Start from strength.
Begin with identifying what part of the brand is working well. Instead of assuming a brand needs a complete overhaul, pressure-test the existing strategy to ensure it can deliver across messaging, campaigns, identity, social, and beyond.
Brand is working harder.
Performance marketing puts the romance of brand to work. Companies increasingly want proof that brand drives results. This shift is reshaping the CMO role: some are responsible for story and campaign, and others for measurable outcomes.
Behaviors over promises.
Brand promise still matters but today clients expect more practical outputs: behaviors, experiences, or “plug-and-play” assets like copy lines.
Our Conclusion
Today, brand strategists must deliver more than strategy. Clients want strategy + output—experiences, behaviors, narratives, campaigns, and content—that connect with audiences and drive results.
Reach out to The Difference Engine to learn more.