Philip VanDusen 5/2/17 Philip VanDusen 5/2/17

A Better Mousetrap

Peanut butter is the ticket with mice. The trick is to put the trap out without setting it and let them get used to eating from it. Then one day you set it. Brands do the same thing with us.

Philip VanDusen 4/12/17 Philip VanDusen 4/12/17

The Revolution Will Be Commercialized

Brands have always capitalized on societal trends. But many covet the prospect of having a deeper relevance, so they weave cultural trigger points into their messages.

Philip VanDusen 3/28/17 Philip VanDusen 3/28/17

Let's Co-Everything

The cost and risk of opening a retail presence has always been a significant barrier for brands just getting started. You used to have to go it alone. But now you don’t have to.

Philip VanDusen 2/14/17 Philip VanDusen 2/14/17

Our Brand Is Crisis

Brands that are built on celebrity rise and fall on the actions of the ambassador’s associations. When that persons name becomes synonymous with a chaotic and negative narrative, is it any wonder the brand is damaged?

Philip VanDusen 2/1/17 Philip VanDusen 2/1/17

Brandbot Voice

A powerful new touchpoint for reflecting brand personality is appearing. Not only does talking to a ‘bot need to feel “normal” but ideally you want to design a conversational brand voice that aligns with your brand’s positioning.

Philip VanDusen 12/27/16 Philip VanDusen 12/27/16

"Design ROI"-Rob Wallace

Rob Wallace's guest-post article on "Design ROI" represents the culmination of five years of independent research on empirically calculating design’s value and provides ground-breaking thought leadership on quantifying design’s return on investment.

Philip VanDusen 12/20/16 Philip VanDusen 12/20/16

Open Doors

In branding and design you have to understand what people do in order to fulfill their desires. The challenge is getting the truth.

Philip VanDusen 12/6/16 Philip VanDusen 12/6/16

A Happy Ending

What are these, “Mom jeans” for men? How could it be that a giant in denim, one with 50 years of experience in making jeans be so off the mark?

Philip VanDusen 11/23/16 Philip VanDusen 11/23/16

Going Small

There is a trend happening in the branding and design world. Large client companies are divesting themselves of their big agency relationships and hiring much smaller agencies. And the big agencies are freaking out.