Focus On Brand

We're back at it again with David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding. This time we dive into the idea of sustainability in when it comes to brand naming, specifically focusing on Lexicon's role in naming Lucid, a luxury EV car, as well as Mainspring, Subaru Outback, and beyond! You don't want to miss this episode as we get into the weeds of creating value through brand names, the appr...

Get excited: we've got a brand new Odi Debrief episode! Odi is a B2B brand agency built from the team at Focus Lab specifically to serve early-stage startups. You won't want to miss this episode as we sit down with Ryan Masuga, owner of Masuga, a web development company that has been around for 17 years and recently made the bold and brave decision to rethink their brand after a hard econo...

It's not everyday we get to sit down with someone who quite literally "wrote the book" on a topic. But today, we can say that as we recently sat down with Bob Moore, co-founder and CEO of Crossbeam and author of the bestselling book, Ecosystem-Led Growth. For all of our sales and marketing professionals, if you have been interested in learning how Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG) can help...

For creative work, we find that “good feedback” means “effective feedback.” That means hearing what isn’t working, AND what is. We’ve got some tips for you, or your clients, to get beyond “I don’t like it” and onto effective, actionable feedback. Justin Sims, a Project Manager at Focus Lab, reads his blog “The Gift of Good Feedback by Justin Sims and Amy Nance.”

In honor of Earth Day and with a very timely rebrand, we have Senior Marketing Manager at Nori, Heidi Sloane, on the show to discuss their experience partnering with us on their new identity. For context, Nori is on a mission to scale the carbon removal industry, with the ultimate goal of reversing climate change. With a fully-integrated approach to creating, managing and selling verified carbon r...

After operating with the same brand identity for 50+ years, the Fabricators & Manufacturers Associate (FMA) decided it was time for a change. President + CEO, Ed Youdell, and VP of Finance, Natalie Haefliger, sat down with Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney to reflect on their (multiple) projects with our team. Tune is as they discuss managing stakeholder expectations, the importance of a rebrand deadl...

Focus Lab's CEO Bill Kenney chats with Rob Meyerson (co-author) and Robin Goffman (Creative Director) about their work on the sixth edition of Designing Brand Identity, a branding classic created and authored by the late Alina Wheeler. You don't want to miss their discussion on the challenges and excitement of developing a highly collaborative book, their predictions for the future of desi...

Another Odi episode of the Debrief is here! Odi is a B2B brand agency built from the team at Focus Lab specifically to serve early-stage startups. Today's guest, co-founder and CEO of Heliux Alex Craig, discusses why he felt brand was important in the pre-seed stage, his understandable fears, and his advice for other early stage founders considering their brand needs. See more of our work with...

After more than a decade in business, Zuora was ready to expand its reach and needed a brand that would position it as the only choice for enterprises working to build, run, or grow a subscription solution in its industry. Former VP of Brand Experience at Zuora, Sergio Claudio, sat down with Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney to reflect back on their work together. They discuss how brand is crucial to make...

If you Google “brand concept” you’ll notice a landslide of business and marketing jargon. It may sound like a brand concept isn’t much different than a positioning statement or a value proposition. But it is! Brand concepts not only ensure your work is defensible, but that it will stand the test of time. Brand Strategist Anna Beyerle Rosen reads her article, “ ⁠ How We Use Brand Concepts to Build...

It is Odi's first episode of The Debrief! Odi is a B2B brand agency built from the team at Focus Lab specifically to serve early-stage startups. Today's guest, founder and CEO of Amplify Jess Schultz, discusses why she rebranded just a year into business, understandable fears, and important lessons learned. 0:00 - Intro 2:41 - What made you prioritize brand only a year into founding? 7:32...

So what happens after a rebrand? How do you transition the shiny new brand guidelines to the actual Slides templates your team uses every day? That's where Brand Support comes in. Yohann Kurzweil, Project Manager on our Brand Support team, reads “ Brand Support: Come for the Launch, Stay for the Learning ” by Amy Nance. - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without ques...

Does "mission, vision, values" just sound like a bunch of corporate jargon to you? While they can be jargon-heavy if done poorly, we're here to break down what those messaging tentpoles SHOULD be and why they matter. Focus Lab brand strategist Jason Garvale reads, " The Power of Vision, Mission, Values, and Manifestos " by Jason Garvale and Amy Nance. - Focus Lab is an esta...

To date, Crossbeam's Bob Moore has founded three companies, all centered around data engineering. Bob was originally a non-believer when it came to the power of a strong brand, but after his first brand project with Focus Lab, Bob had a change of heart. Enough so that he wrote the forward for Bill Kenney's recent book, Conquer Your Rebrand. Shortly after the book launched, Bill and Bob sat...

Four Kitchens cooks up some of the best sites on the internet with its content expertise, technical excellence, and affinity for mission-driven organizations. The agency partnered with Focus Lab at a critical time; from its roots in Texas, Four Kitchens had grown into a global company. After a recent merger and ahead of an acquisition, Four Kitchens found itself expanding — and in need of a brand...

Formerly Gtmhub, Quantive is purpose-built OKR software that helps ambitious companies of all sizes close the strategy execution gap. Quantive required a brand identity to match their big, audacious vision and showcase they are not just software or an idea — they are an entirely new way of working. In this episode, Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Casey Carey, Chief Marketing Officer at Quanti...

There’s that old saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together.” We’d say the same is true in the branding world. It won’t always make sense to hire an agency for your brand work, but you might be surprised how often it does. Focus Lab President and Partner Will Straughn reads, "Why Hiring an Agency for Your Branding Work Is Better Than Doing It In-House&qu...

Very is the premier, end-to-end IoT engineering firm who partners with clients to build industrial systems that change the world. Very’s old identity had become a hindrance to the company’s overall growth strategy. Their independence, work ethic, and spirit of continuous improvement was so strong that we wanted to connect that to its name in their new identity. In this episode of The Debrief, Focu...

Thrive Digital is a world-class growth marketing partner focused on paid acquisition, creative and measurement science. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Thrive Digital's Founder and President Jonathan Becker about embarking on a rebrand just as the world started shutting down due to the pandemic, and how why they prioritized the rebrand regardless. Check out Thrive Digital at thrivedigital...

Dig Insights is a tech-enabled insights and strategy consultancy that helps clients with custom research needs across the innovation lifecycle. And when Dig Insights rebranded, its innovation insights platform — Upsiide — needed to feel harmonious with the new brand, but still maintain its own identity. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Dig Insights' VP of Marketing Meagan Healey about this...

Moment of truth, the big reveal. It's time to find the best words for your brand. Let's do it. Brand writer Wade Livingston reads his article, “ Writing for Your New Brand: 5 Simple Steps. " - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands...

More than a tool, Surfe (ex-Leadjet) is the modern company for the next wave of revenue teams. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Surfe co-founder and CEO David Chevalier. They discuss how and why Surfe renamed (twice), the importance of not trying to please the CEO, and all of their company dreams coming true. Check out more of our work together at focuslab.agency/work/surfe - Focus Lab is an e...

Over the years, we’ve honed a process that not only results in an enjoyable experience and outcomes that meet business goals, but also takes a lot of the unknowns and trial and error out of branding projects. The solution? Kickoff prep. Anna Beyerle Rosen reads her article, “ Our Secret Sauce to Understanding Your Brand .”  - Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without ques...

Genina Ramirez, the Chief Growth Officer, chats with our Odi Managing Director, Devin Richards, about why organizations should - and shouldn't - invest in brand early on, Devin's perspective on his role at Odi, and important lessons he's learned working with brands for the last decade.

Openly offers premium insurance made simple. We first worked with the Openly team as an early stage organization with a dozen or so employees. They've since grown to over 300 employees and recently closed their Series C. Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney chats with Openly co-founder, CTO Matt Wielbut and COO Chris Bacon about their branding project, now three years out. Check out Openly at openly.com