🎙️ Brand Matters: Episode 10 is live! And this one is truly special for me!

Over the past months, I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Andreas Toscano Mielenhausen – Creative Lead at Google Creative Works, on building our Purpose Activation Strategy at inDrive. And let me tell you — Andreas didn’t just inspire me professionally, he challenged how I think about creativity, brand, and impact on a whole new level.

I had to invite him to my podcast. And this one is truly inspirational!

💥 In this episode, we talk about:

- Why creative courage is a skill, not a gift — and how to train it
- The future (and the limits) of AI in creative work
- What makes a truly purposeful brand — and how not to fake it
- Why Snickers and Feastables nail global-local strategy better than most
- How to tell if your creative idea will actually work — before you launch it
- 5 books that shaped Andreas’ mind and may just change yours too

Andreas also shares the one thing he’d dream to launch (Spoiler: it has nothing to do with ads, and everything to do with impact.)

📚 I’ve learned a ton from Andreas. Now I invite you to listen and get inspired!

👂🏼 Listen to Episode 10 of "Brand Matters".
🎧Spotify
🍏 Apple Podcast
📺 Youtube
👉🏻 Listent in Telegram

Strategists love frameworks! 🫰🏼

Truth is, frameworks are our secret weapon — they turn fuzzy ideas into clear roadmaps. They help us articulate complexity, align teams, and make abstract strategy actually usable across the organization.

So if you’re in the business of building brands, here’s a solid gem – 6 Types of Brand Strategy Frameworks — beautifully mapped out by Julian Cole. A must-have for every strategist’s toolkit.

💥 What truly makes a brand strong?

Kantar just dropped a brilliant report: Brand Strategy Unpacked — data from 50+ markets, 20,000+ brands. Practical and eye-opening. Here’s the quick rundown 👇

⚡️ Strong brands = Meaningfully Different
It’s not just a buzzword. It’s the real driver of growth, profit, and long-term resilience.

📈 3 growth accelerators:
1. Predispose — be top-of-mind before consumers decide
2. Be Present — show up when decisions are made
3. Find New Space — grow beyond your core category

💪🏼 Brand strength isn’t about logic.

People pay more not because it’s rational — but because the brand feels unique, trusted, and relevant.

🌍 Localization ≠ translation.
Real global brands sound different but feel emotionally consistent across markets.

🧠 Culture + human insight = new growth currency.
Brands thrive at the intersection of big data and emotional truth.

🚀 It’s all about perceived difference.
Awareness is good. But feeling unique is what truly powers value — even share price.

👀 Highly recommend reading the full report — goldmine for CMOs, brand builders, and anyone aiming for long-term brand value.

Kantar has published 3 "Brand Strategy Unpacked" Masterclasses:

1: How to build emotional brand connection and command a price premium

2: Smarter ways to use distinctive brand assets to achieve Brand Equity and Salience

3: Supercharging growth: the power of strategic brand collaborations

If you are a brand strategist, brand director or a CMO - dive into it. A lot of research & data based insights for sharpening your brand.

Walmart just dropped a fresh new look—its biggest brand refresh in decades. The updated design blends its heritage with modern innovation, signaling a bold step into the future of retail. But is this just a facelift, or a deeper shift in strategy?


Walmart’s rebranding isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s a strategic move that reflects its evolving role in retail. While the refreshed logo, updated color palette, and modernized store design might seem like a simple facelift, they align with deeper shifts in the company’s business strategy. Here’s why:

1. Signaling Digital & Omnichannel Growth

Walmart’s future isn’t just big-box stores—it’s a seamless blend of physical and digital shopping. The updated branding modernizes its image, making it more relevant in an era where e-commerce, mobile apps, and AI-driven retail experiences are shaping consumer behavior. The sleeker, tech-forward design subtly signals Walmart’s ambitions to compete more aggressively with Amazon and other digital-first retailers.

2. Strengthening Emotional Connection with Customers

The new branding plays on nostalgia while pushing forward. By balancing heritage with innovation, Walmart is reinforcing its reliability while shedding outdated perceptions of being just a low-cost retailer. This aligns with its broader push to offer premium services, better store experiences, and a more customer-centric approach.

3. Enhancing In-Store Experience & Brand Perception

Aesthetic changes aren’t just for show—they impact how customers feel about the brand. Brighter stores, a modernized logo, and a streamlined shopping experience are designed to make Walmart feel more inviting, organized, and premium. This fits into its strategy of attracting middle- and upper-income shoppers, who have increasingly turned to Walmart for groceries and everyday essentials.

4. Future-Proofing Against Competition

With evolving customer expectations, retailers need to be adaptive. Walmart’s refresh indicates it’s preparing for the next decade—not just in look but in strategy. As sustainability, automation, and AI-driven retail experiences become the norm, Walmart’s updated identity makes it clear: this isn’t just the Walmart of yesterday, but the one shaping the future of retail.

Bottom line: This is more than a rebrand—it’s a visual cue for a deeper transformation. Walmart isn’t just updating its look; it’s repositioning itself to stay competitive, attract new demographics, and redefine what a modern retail giant should be.


https://corporate.walmart.com/news/2025/01/13/walmart-introduces-updated-look-and-feel-a-testament-to-heritage-and-innovation

Attached is the fresh Edelman trust barometer report.

Here are main insights for brand development:

Brands as mediators: As trust in traditional leaders declines, brands have a unique opportunity to step in as trusted intermediaries—translating societal concerns into action.

Authenticity over perfection: People trust transparent brands that admit mistakes and show genuine commitment over those that appear flawless but detached.

Youth-driven expectations: With younger generations leaning towards activism, brands must align with meaningful causes and enable constructive, inclusive dialogues instead of polarizing debates.

How to implement these insights for strong, purposeful brands?

1. Radical transparency: Share openly about your brand’s impact, challenges, and efforts toward improvement, even if imperfect. Patagonia does this beautifully by sharing their sustainability struggles.

2. Purposeful activism, not performative: Lead or support movements against unfairness—be it economic, social, or environmental—but ensure your stance is authentic, deeply integrated, and aligned with brand values. Nike did this effectively with its Colin Kaepernick campaign.

3. Bridge builder: Create platforms or campaigns that foster understanding and dialogue, reducing hostility. Airbnb’s campaigns promoting diversity and inclusivity have turned activism into community-building.

4. Tangible optimism: Counteract generational pessimism by highlighting positive impacts your brand can have on future generations. IKEA does this by promoting sustainable living as achievable, positive, and affordable.

Катя, спасибо за этот ламповый выпуск! И за то, что показала и рассказала что такое слеш-карьера! Будем и дальше слешить!🫰🏼

Вот он! Герой выпуска.

Миша Чернышев — бренд-директор inDrive, ex-CMO Dodo, ВКонтакте, Yota, Tele2, преподаватель Британской Высшей Школы Дизайна.

Если вы прям влюблены в какой-то бренд, но сложно объяснить почему именно так, этот выпуск для вас.

• Почему одни бренды цепляют, а другие отталкивают?
• Миссия, смысл, предназначение: разбираем бренды Dove, Red Bull, Patagonia, Airbnb, Dodo, inDrive, ВКонтакте.
• Как измерить «здоровье бренда»? Инструменты и формула для B2B.
• Перфоманс vs. Бренд-маркетинг — кто кого
• Ценности, культура, форма/содержание, поколенческий подход.
• И о слэш-карьере. Миша — сам яркий представитель этого феномена.


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Unlocking Brand Magic with AI: It's All About the New 4 Ps ! 🪄
(Inspired by HBR article)

AI isn't just automating marketing tasks, it's fundamentally changing brand management itself! This isn't about replacing human creativity, but augmenting it to build stronger, more resonant brands.

According to the latest research in Harvard Business Review, AI's impact on brand building can be categorized into four key areas – the 4 Ps of AI Brand Impact:

✅ Productivity: AI boosts efficiency and convenience, directly improving customer experience and loyalty. Think of Intuit, who used AI to analyze customer service calls and provide personalized feedback to agents, leading to higher customer satisfaction and more fulfilled employees!

✅ Prediction: AI reduces uncertainty and builds trust. Caterpillar's subdistributor, Borusan Cat, uses AI to predict equipment failures with 97% accuracy, enabling preemptive maintenance and turning a potential brand detractor (downtime) into a brand differentiator by guaranteeing uptime.

✅ Personalization: AI drives deeper engagement by tailoring offerings to individual customers. LOOP car insurance app personalizes rates based on real-time driving data, rewarding safe drivers with lower premiums and fostering a brand image of fairness and customer care.

✅ Proposals: AI offers new creative solutions while staying true to the brand essence. Jasper AI empowers marketers to generate content in their brand voice at scale, ensuring brand consistency and creative output without sacrificing control or originality.

Key takeaway: AI in brand management combines human and machine intelligence. It's about augmenting, not replacing, the "art" of brand building. Brands that strategically leverage AI across these 4 Ps will be the ones who build stronger connections and lasting brand equity in the age of AI.