Field Notes Podcast by Brand Shepherd

MillerClapperton is a leader in the architectural cladding industry, working on major commercial real estate projects across the southeastern United States. But despite their long-standing reputation, they faced a challenge common to many industries driven by bids and margins: Their industry had become a commodity. Proposals looked the same. Messaging sounded the same. And in the rush to automate...

Hensley Custom Building Group had a reputation for building custom, high-end luxury homes in Indian Hill, Ohio, a legacy spanning nearly 40 years. But after years of working with a marketing agency that relied heavily on broad, shotgun-style tactics, the Hensley team felt increasingly disconnected from their own brand. Despite being positioned as a “top Cincinnati custom home builder,” something w...

It’s time to bring out the receipts and show how the Vibe, Tribe, & Why® framework has given brands real, tangible, profitable clarity for their growth engines. Today, we start with our work with Middleby ® and its select group of brands, all of which utilize the Vibe, Tribe, & Why® framework to provide game-changing clarity. Also Available: The Middleby® case study on dancrask.com » Want A Better...

Assumption: The people who create strategies and content for your brand use AI at some point in the process. This week’s Field Notes aims to help you avoid 3 common things you should not be doing with AI and your brand. #3: Use AI Just Because #2: The Fallacy of Inclusivity #1: Vague In = Vague Out Listen to Dan Crask, founder and strategist of Brand Shepherd, talk through each thing to avoid when...

When you’re refreshing or creating a logo, focus on three key areas: understanding your Tribe (really get to know your customers—their spending, who else they buy from, and what they value), assessing your Vibe (compare your logo visually against competitors to see if you feel dated or on-trend), and confirming your Why (make sure your brand still solves the problems it was created to solve). This...

The internet is awash with hot takes about AI and websites. Content creators, developers, and everyone in between are scrambling to make sense of what’s happening. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: nobody has a firm grasp on how AI is reshaping the web landscape. Let me cut through the noise and share what actually matters for your brand. The Discoverab… Get full access to Brand Shepherd at bran...

Building High-Performing Websites • Part 2 In Part 2, we cover how our brand clarity process, Vibe, Tribe, & Why®, directly applies to the creation of a high-performing website. In this series of videos, we’re getting into the specifics of how Brand Shepherd creates high-performing websites, with examples to show you that it’s not just talk. Brand Shepherd clients are actively benefiting from thes...

Building High-Performing Websites • Part 1 Let’s get into the details on how high-performing websites are built, starting with some basics about Dark Mode, the Menu, and what we call Triangle Theory™. Watch this week’s Field Notes video to learn steps you can put to work immediately to make your brand’s website more impactful. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️”This book punches well above its page count. Practical...

The Brand Marketing Mix We Use Now We are first and foremost a branding agency; yet, brand marketing is an integral part of effective branding, making it an inevitable component of a smart strategy. In this week’s Field Notes, Dan covers the mix of Brand Marketing approaches we are finding to be the most effective (and efficient) for our clients. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️”This book punches well above its pa...

Times of Uncertainty Call for Strong Brands An article making the rounds this week is all about how consistency from brands is how to weather these uncertain times. What the article failed to mention, though, is how to gain consistency. The answer, of course, is: Clarity. Consistency is the fruit of clarity, and that’s the topic of this week’s Field Notes. Final Days of Launch Pricing On Oct. 1, 2...

Truth bomb: AI is probably giving you more work to do, not making you more efficient. It’s also likely to clutter your brand’s presence, confuse your audience, and muddy your brand’s purpose. Clarity is the answer, but clutter is the enemy of clarity. This week’s Field Notes (Issue 20!) makes the case for clarity. Special Price Until Oct. 1 for the new “Vibe, Tribe, & Why®” book A small group of B...

My first book, Vibe, Tribe, & Why®, is now available! I am here this week to make the case for why this book is a must-read for your brand. Clarity is everything . Get full access to Brand Shepherd at brandshepherd.substack.com/subscribe

Field Notes by Brand Shepherd is your single source for guidance to help brands get from cluttered to clarity . The timing of the Cracker Barrel brand saga could not have lined up better to be top of mind for everyone as the new Vibe, Tribe, & Why ® resources begin launching next week: * Vibe, Tribe, & Why® - the book - Sept. 1 ( preorders are now available ) * Vibe, Tribe, & Why® - the AI - Mid S...

Field Notes by Brand Shepherd is your single source for guidance to help brands get from cluttered to clarity . We’re building up to the launch of new ways to give your brand the x-factor it needs: Clarity . This week, Dan talks about a study from MIT about why 95% of Generative AI pilots fail. Sexy headline, right? There is a lot more to it than what the headline says, and clarity is the connecti...

Field Notes #15 by Brand Shepherd is your single source for guidance we share through Brand Shepherd , shepx , and dancrask.com , helping brands get from cluttered to clarity. Last week, Dan talked about the second of three things we have been working on to release on September 1, 2025: The Vibe, Tribe, & Why® Clarity Engine™, an AI tool to unclutter your brand and put clarity to work. This week,...

Field Notes #14 by Brand Shepherd is your single source for guidance we share through Brand Shepherd , shepx , and dancrask.com , helping brands get from cluttered to clarity. This week’s issue is an audio note all about the next clarity initiative we are working on: The Vibe, Tribe, & Why® Clarity Engine™, an AI tool to unclutter your brand and put clarity to work. Next week: The third thing we a...

Field Notes #13 by Brand Shepherd is your one-stop shop for all the guidance we shared through our Brand Shepherd , shepx , and dancrask.com outlets this past week, with one purpose: Help brands go from cluttered to clarity. This week’s Field Notes is all about the new book, “Vibe, Tribe, & Why®,” available on Monday, September 1, 2025, via Amazon Kindle and soft cover. Why is this book the perfec...