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A while ago I was working with a client on their brand. Based on research, the brand strategy was developed, the brand identity created and the messaging refined to reflect what the business actually stood for. Along with the brand guidelines and training, the client had a clear foundation to take the brand forward: direction on strategy, language, visual identity, and how to apply it consistently. Then, one month after launch, I started noticing things that concerned me. Old

When I worked in-house at a large corporate, I made it a habit to call one client a week. Not to sell anything, not to follow up on a proposal. Just to talk. To hear how things were going, what they valued about our services, what felt less relevant than we had assumed. Those calls taught me something I have not forgotten. What clients highlighted was not always what we expected. The parts of our work they valued most were sometimes not the ones we considered most important.

Imagine your brand is expanding into a new market. Everything looks right. The strategy is clear. The visuals are polished. And then something goes wrong, not because the product is bad, but because a detail in the campaign quietly offended the very audience you were trying to reach. This happens more often than people expect. And it is rarely about a big, obvious mistake. It is about the small things. The things that feel neutral in one culture and carry deep meaning in anot

Growth is usually celebrated. New clients, new markets, a bigger team, a broader offer. The business is moving and the energy is good. But while the business grows, the brand often does not keep up with the evolution. The product has evolved. The clients have changed. Yet the website still tells the story from three years ago. The messaging still speaks to the audience you were trying to reach at launch, not the one you are working with today. And somewhere in a pitch or a pr

A growing number of people, and especially younger generations, are no longer opening a search engine when they want to find something. They are asking an AI. Not to read a list of results, but to get an answer, and preferably just one, with a direct link. What started as a shift in how people search has evolved into something more significant: agentic AI. Systems that do not just answer questions but take action. An AI that monitors your household supplies and reorders them

You have created a solid brief and received several proposals. At first glance, the scope looks similar. The prices are not. Where do you start? Most people start with the price. That is understandable. But a number alone tells you very little about what you are actually comparing. Let's start with an example: You have approached agencies because you are looking for a new brand identity. Agency A presents you a great price, or a shinier apple, for what appears to be the same