Vanessa Matthew

When a brand makes a decision that pisses off half its audience, it's either reckless or strategic. The NFL picking Bad Bunny for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show? Strategic as hell. When you look at the brand positioning research that likely sat behind that call, it's one of the smartest bets they could make. In my latest post, I show you how to use the same research framework for your clients or your brand.

Most businesses treat their "brand story" like homework they need to finish. Write a paragraph, stick it on the About page, call it done. That's why so many brand stories sound exactly the same and make zero impact. A real brand story grows out of your messaging strategy - your core message, what you stand for, the specific benefits you deliver, and how you talk about all of it. Without that foundation, you're just making things up as you go.

The biggest lie in business? That branding is just taglines, logos, and merch. The media sells it. AI platforms profit from it. Funders reinforce it. And it keeps mission-driven orgs broke, scattered, and exhausted. Meanwhile, big businesses never skip the steps that actually make branding work—strategy, insights, and disciplined messaging. That’s their edge.