https://simplecast.com Unseen Unknown Unseen Unknown is a brand and business strategy podcast about the hidden threads that connect even the most distant of cultural concepts. We look at the emerging trends and behaviors that may be pointing to a deeper truth and ask the bigger question, “Why is society moving in this direction, and how can we apply it to business?” We believe if we can’t see it in our culture, then we can’t know it in the market. From retail and consumerism to politics, gender, identity and values, there are patterns everywhere that illuminate a path forward for brands. Your hosts, Jasmine Bina and Jean-Louis Rawlence, are brand strategists and futurists that explore these questions every day in their work for companies around the world. We’ll be interviewing thought leaders and domain experts both within brand strategy and outside of it. Expect to hear from people from all walks of life: artists, scientists, CEOs, journalists, professors, technologists and everyone in between. If you’re a founder, leader, storyteller or creator, this podcast will compel you to think at a macro level you haven’t considered before. We also write and publish videos on everything brand strategy. You can see all of that here: https://conceptbureau.substack.com/ 2019 Concept Bureau Inc. en Mon, 6 Apr 2026 21:34:16 +0000 Mon, 6 Apr 2026 21:34:57 +0000 https://unseen-unknown.simplecast.com Unseen Unknown https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/cbd17287-793a-4df5-ac04-35e905e2fa54/69042dcd-c0a6-464f-9156-5669a235ac6a/3000x3000/screen-shot-2021-04-30-at-11-24-45-am.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://unseen-unknown.simplecast.com episodic Unseen Unknown is a brand and business strategy podcast about the hidden threads that connect even the most distant of cultural concepts. We look at the emerging trends and behaviors that may be pointing to a deeper truth and ask the bigger question, “Why is society moving in this direction, and how can we apply it to business?” We believe if we can’t see it in our culture, then we can’t know it in the market. From retail and consumerism to politics, gender, identity and values, there are patterns everywhere that illuminate a path forward for brands. Your hosts, Jasmine Bina and Jean-Louis Rawlence, are brand strategists and futurists that explore these questions every day in their work for companies around the world. We’ll be interviewing thought leaders and domain experts both within brand strategy and outside of it. Expect to hear from people from all walks of life: artists, scientists, CEOs, journalists, professors, technologists and everyone in between. If you’re a founder, leader, storyteller or creator, this podcast will compel you to think at a macro level you haven’t considered before. We also write and publish videos on everything brand strategy. You can see all of that here: https://conceptbureau.substack.com/ Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence false https://feeds.simplecast.com/dntgoR6n advertising, behavior, brand, brand strategy, branding, business, communications, consumer, culture, d2c, enterprise, entrepreneurship, marketing, psychology, public relations, retail, sales, startup, storytelling, strategy, technology, user research Jasmine Bina Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com 8371b54c-d785-4f03-bc40-6dca2f71f138 29: Pruned Futures Some of our most prominent expectations of the future just died. In this episode, we explore what replaces them.

We start with achievement. For decades, culture has been organized around progress and accomplishment. But as AI accelerates discovery and takes over more forms of achievement, that model begins to break. Achievement becomes less meaningful, and attention shifts toward experience, connection, and how life feels.

At the same time, AI has become a mythology. As belief in collective human solutions declines, many futures have collapsed into one idea: AI will solve it for us. Not because we know it will, but because it is the only narrative that can hold that scale of hope.

This leaves us in a liminal space. Old systems no longer work, and new ones have not formed.

You can see this in motherhood and beauty as well. The idea that motherhood can be incrementally improved has given way to a need for entirely new models. Beauty is also fragmenting, moving from a single ideal to many competing definitions, with cultural signals reflecting a rejection of the old standard.

Across all of this, the pattern is the same. We are moving from progress to ambiguity. From clear signals to contested ones. From knowing what to strive for to having to invent it ourselves.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:

Check out our Substack for more brand strategy thinking, and our community Exposure Therapy.

 

]]> Mon, 6 Apr 2026 21:34:16 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina) https://unseen-unknown.simplecast.com/episodes/29-pruned-futures-VBDndXDy Some of our most prominent expectations of the future just died. In this episode, we explore what replaces them.

We start with achievement. For decades, culture has been organized around progress and accomplishment. But as AI accelerates discovery and takes over more forms of achievement, that model begins to break. Achievement becomes less meaningful, and attention shifts toward experience, connection, and how life feels.

At the same time, AI has become a mythology. As belief in collective human solutions declines, many futures have collapsed into one idea: AI will solve it for us. Not because we know it will, but because it is the only narrative that can hold that scale of hope.

This leaves us in a liminal space. Old systems no longer work, and new ones have not formed.

You can see this in motherhood and beauty as well. The idea that motherhood can be incrementally improved has given way to a need for entirely new models. Beauty is also fragmenting, moving from a single ideal to many competing definitions, with cultural signals reflecting a rejection of the old standard.

Across all of this, the pattern is the same. We are moving from progress to ambiguity. From clear signals to contested ones. From knowing what to strive for to having to invent it ourselves.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:

Check out our Substack for more brand strategy thinking, and our community Exposure Therapy.

 

]]> 29: Pruned Futures Jasmine Bina 00:36:48 Sometimes futures fade, but more often, they die immediately. In this episode we map the branches of the future tree that have just been cut off, from achievement-driven lives to the belief that humans will solve global crises together. In their place, AI has become our default mythology, an answer to problems we no longer believe we can solve ourselves, while meaning shifts from achievement to experience. As these futures collapse, so do the signals that once told us what to strive for. What’s left is a culture between operating systems, trying to redefine identity, value, and desire. Sometimes futures fade, but more often, they die immediately. In this episode we map the branches of the future tree that have just been cut off, from achievement-driven lives to the belief that humans will solve global crises together. In their place, AI has become our default mythology, an answer to problems we no longer believe we can solve ourselves, while meaning shifts from achievement to experience. As these futures collapse, so do the signals that once told us what to strive for. What’s left is a culture between operating systems, trying to redefine identity, value, and desire. false full f2dbc417-f953-41d9-8e73-819c8f1347d0 28: Two Kinds of People The middle is disappearing. What's left looks like two kinds of people. One group is going all in - AI maximalism, founder mode, the sense that the window is closing and if you don't build your way through it now, it closes behind you forever. The other group is opting out entirely - redefining success as non-participation, embracing slow life, opting out, as seen in trends like agrihoods, homesteading or people leaving the US in record numbers. They're two completely different theories of how to survive a moment where the old rules no longer hold.

When a culture bifurcates this sharply, it usually means the underlying grammar has broken down. People can feel the shared system of signals that once told people what to build toward and how to know when they'd made it has eroded.

What’s interesting, however, is that we don’t lose our ambitions in this vacuum. We invent entirely new languages for what ambition even means.

That's what this episode is really about. We use the lens of "distance" - the gaps people manufacture between themselves and others to signal status, meaning, and belonging - to trace how aspiration moves when money stops being a reliable signal, productivity stops being a virtue, and the social contract stops making promises it can keep. We talk about what people reach for when the structures that once told them what to reach for have stopped working.

What emerges across all of it is a shift from having to being, from acquiring the right things to inhabiting the right feeling. That's a more radical change than it sounds. It rewrites what brands are actually speaking to and what it means to build something people want in a world that’s rethinking its desires.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:

Check out our Substack for more brand strategy thinking, and our community Exposure Therapy.

]]> Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:11:47 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence) https://unseen-unknown.simplecast.com/episodes/28-two-kinds-of-people-VuH6vLrA The middle is disappearing. What's left looks like two kinds of people. One group is going all in - AI maximalism, founder mode, the sense that the window is closing and if you don't build your way through it now, it closes behind you forever. The other group is opting out entirely - redefining success as non-participation, embracing slow life, opting out, as seen in trends like agrihoods, homesteading or people leaving the US in record numbers. They're two completely different theories of how to survive a moment where the old rules no longer hold.

When a culture bifurcates this sharply, it usually means the underlying grammar has broken down. People can feel the shared system of signals that once told people what to build toward and how to know when they'd made it has eroded.

What’s interesting, however, is that we don’t lose our ambitions in this vacuum. We invent entirely new languages for what ambition even means.

That's what this episode is really about. We use the lens of "distance" - the gaps people manufacture between themselves and others to signal status, meaning, and belonging - to trace how aspiration moves when money stops being a reliable signal, productivity stops being a virtue, and the social contract stops making promises it can keep. We talk about what people reach for when the structures that once told them what to reach for have stopped working.

What emerges across all of it is a shift from having to being, from acquiring the right things to inhabiting the right feeling. That's a more radical change than it sounds. It rewrites what brands are actually speaking to and what it means to build something people want in a world that’s rethinking its desires.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:

Check out our Substack for more brand strategy thinking, and our community Exposure Therapy.

]]> 28: Two Kinds of People Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence 00:31:05 The middle is disappearing, leaving two paths. One group is going all in on AI, founder mode, and urgency, while the other is redefining success as non participation through slow living, homesteading, and opting out. As culture splits, the signals that once defined ambition break down, but ambition itself evolves. This episode explores that shift through the lens of distance, showing how aspiration changes when money, productivity, and the social contract lose their meaning. What emerges is a move from having to being, reshaping what people want and what brands need to build. The middle is disappearing, leaving two paths. One group is going all in on AI, founder mode, and urgency, while the other is redefining success as non participation through slow living, homesteading, and opting out. As culture splits, the signals that once defined ambition break down, but ambition itself evolves. This episode explores that shift through the lens of distance, showing how aspiration changes when money, productivity, and the social contract lose their meaning. What emerges is a move from having to being, reshaping what people want and what brands need to build. creator economy, communications, digital nomad lifestyle, tradition, strategy, unseen unknown, trust economy breakdown, modern aspiration, psychology of luxury, storytelling, future of work, vulnerability and trust, post-reality media, gen alpha careers, consumer behavior trends, aspiration economy, exposure therapy, modern relationships, business, futurism, anti productivity movement, exit society, culture, brands, biohacking lifestyle, emotional wellness economy, rituals, brand identity, brand strategy, concept bureau, identity, status signaling, psychology, slow living trend, community, mimetic desire, social contract breakdown, grievance culture, branding, cultural capital vs economic capital, behavior, cultural trends 2026, money, ai economy, building trust in a polarized world, collapse of institutional trust, founder-led brands false full 1cb8ee3b-d709-49cd-9d97-fbea0805d0ce 27: Trust in a Time of Monsters Trust has always been the invisible architecture beneath brands, institutions, and markets. But today, that architecture is shifting.

For the past decade, we’ve moved through distinct eras of trust. First came consequence brands, which positioned themselves around measurable moral impact. Then came emotion-led brands, where what felt right became the guiding force. Now we appear to be entering a third era, where trust is built not on credentials or transparency, but on visible sacrifice and embodied virtue.

As institutional continuity weakens and shared reality fragments, credibility reorganizes around individuals. “Proof of knowing” carries less weight than “proof of doing.” Degrees, affiliations, and institutional endorsements are no longer sufficient signals. Instead, audiences look for lived experience, personal risk, and skin in the game.

At the same time, many of the platforms designed to increase transparency have reduced everyday vulnerability. But true trust requires vulnerability. As a result, trust is reemerging in smaller, more intimate spaces where shared stakes and emotional exposure create safety.

In this episode of Unseen Unknown, Jasmine and Jean-Louis explore how trust systems evolve, why incremental positioning feels insufficient in the current cultural climate, and what this shift means for founders and brands trying to remain credible.

When trust becomes the product itself, the rules change.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:

Check out our Substack for more brand strategy thinking, and our community Exposure Therapy.

]]> Wed, 25 Feb 2026 22:05:53 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence) https://unseen-unknown.simplecast.com/episodes/27-trust-in-a-time-of-monsters-dr0_JJIL Trust has always been the invisible architecture beneath brands, institutions, and markets. But today, that architecture is shifting.

For the past decade, we’ve moved through distinct eras of trust. First came consequence brands, which positioned themselves around measurable moral impact. Then came emotion-led brands, where what felt right became the guiding force. Now we appear to be entering a third era, where trust is built not on credentials or transparency, but on visible sacrifice and embodied virtue.

As institutional continuity weakens and shared reality fragments, credibility reorganizes around individuals. “Proof of knowing” carries less weight than “proof of doing.” Degrees, affiliations, and institutional endorsements are no longer sufficient signals. Instead, audiences look for lived experience, personal risk, and skin in the game.

At the same time, many of the platforms designed to increase transparency have reduced everyday vulnerability. But true trust requires vulnerability. As a result, trust is reemerging in smaller, more intimate spaces where shared stakes and emotional exposure create safety.

In this episode of Unseen Unknown, Jasmine and Jean-Louis explore how trust systems evolve, why incremental positioning feels insufficient in the current cultural climate, and what this shift means for founders and brands trying to remain credible.

When trust becomes the product itself, the rules change.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:

Check out our Substack for more brand strategy thinking, and our community Exposure Therapy.

]]> 27: Trust in a Time of Monsters Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence 00:33:54 Trust is changing fast. After a long hiatus, Unseen Unknown returns to examine one of the most profound cultural shifts underway: the collapse of institutional trust and the rise of a new, more personal form of credibility. We have moved from consequence brands to emotion brands. And now into something else entirely. A landscape where trust is no longer built through credentials or transparency, but through visible sacrifice and embodied virtue. The world feels increasingly like good versus evil rather than better versus worse, and the brands that endure may be the ones willing to slay monsters, not incrementally improve broken systems. Trust is changing fast. After a long hiatus, Unseen Unknown returns to examine one of the most profound cultural shifts underway: the collapse of institutional trust and the rise of a new, more personal form of credibility. We have moved from consequence brands to emotion brands. And now into something else entirely. A landscape where trust is no longer built through credentials or transparency, but through visible sacrifice and embodied virtue. The world feels increasingly like good versus evil rather than better versus worse, and the brands that endure may be the ones willing to slay monsters, not incrementally improve broken systems. communications, tradition, strategy, brand trust 2026, virtue-based trust, marketing, unseen unknown, trust economy breakdown, storytelling, public relations, vulnerability and trust, post-reality media, subculture, proof of doing vs proof of knowing, exposure therapy, story, business, futurism, pr, culture, brands, rituals, brand identity, narrative, brand strategy, trust in a time of monsters, concept bureau, identity, smart contracts, psychology, community, grievance culture, branding, behavior, money, skin in the game branding, business strategy, building trust in a polarized world, collapse of institutional trust, founder-led brands false full 4397f332-1a11-4457-8eb9-2bf03243edec 26: How Consumers “Know” Things In Today’s World From the way we create our identities and manage our health, to the way we employ therapy-speak at work and vote in elections, it’s apparent that people are increasingly being guided by feelings and intuition in places where they may have once relied on reasoning or ideology.

This noetic, direct-knowing way of moving through the world may sound familiar to you. Perhaps a colleague was “guided” to change careers, or a friend decided to “detox” their personal life. Maybe you, yourself, have dabbled in any form of “energy” practices.

None of these major decisions came from religious ideology. None of them came from scientific reasoning. They came from a third place of intuition, and this is an important cultural shift that revalues knowledge in our world.

When 87% of Americans believe in at least one New Age spiritual belief, it's clear this third place of knowing is growing. But what is really interesting is what we see when we drill down into that majority.

What we find is not so much spirituality but instead the very definition of noetics: knowledge that is felt to be true, inside, by the self, with intuition as its defining experiential characteristic. 

In this house episode, Concept Bureau Senior Strategist Zach Lamb gives us a clear, compelling look at what this third epistemology actually is and how we’ve seen this new belief system emerging for the past few years in our work at Concept Bureau.

It is a domain that is both needed and felt, but not yet surfaced in our culture… and that is the formula of a golden opportunity.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Mon, 20 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Casie Cook, Zach Lamb, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/26-how-consumers-know-things-in-todays-world From the way we create our identities and manage our health, to the way we employ therapy-speak at work and vote in elections, it’s apparent that people are increasingly being guided by feelings and intuition in places where they may have once relied on reasoning or ideology.

This noetic, direct-knowing way of moving through the world may sound familiar to you. Perhaps a colleague was “guided” to change careers, or a friend decided to “detox” their personal life. Maybe you, yourself, have dabbled in any form of “energy” practices.

None of these major decisions came from religious ideology. None of them came from scientific reasoning. They came from a third place of intuition, and this is an important cultural shift that revalues knowledge in our world.

When 87% of Americans believe in at least one New Age spiritual belief, it's clear this third place of knowing is growing. But what is really interesting is what we see when we drill down into that majority.

What we find is not so much spirituality but instead the very definition of noetics: knowledge that is felt to be true, inside, by the self, with intuition as its defining experiential characteristic. 

In this house episode, Concept Bureau Senior Strategist Zach Lamb gives us a clear, compelling look at what this third epistemology actually is and how we’ve seen this new belief system emerging for the past few years in our work at Concept Bureau.

It is a domain that is both needed and felt, but not yet surfaced in our culture… and that is the formula of a golden opportunity.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 26: How Consumers “Know” Things In Today’s World Casie Cook, Zach Lamb, Jasmine Bina 00:26:54 From the way we create our identities and manage our health, to the way we employ therapy-speak at work and vote in elections, it’s apparent that people are increasingly being guided by feelings and intuition in places where they may have once relied on reasoning or ideology. This new form of intuitive, noetic knowing is changing how people move through the world, and how brands can speak to them. From the way we create our identities and manage our health, to the way we employ therapy-speak at work and vote in elections, it’s apparent that people are increasingly being guided by feelings and intuition in places where they may have once relied on reasoning or ideology. This new form of intuitive, noetic knowing is changing how people move through the world, and how brands can speak to them. communications, tradition, strategy, marketing, unseen unknown, storytelling, public relations, subculture, noetics, story, business, noetic future, futurism, pr, culture, brands, epistemology, rituals, brand identity, narrative, brand strategy, concept bureau, identity, smart contracts, psychology, community, branding, behavior, behavior, money, business strategy false full 88c77b65-6e87-4c0e-b6f7-36106d54aa75 25: Bizarre, Strange and Highly Relatable In this house episode, we speak with Concept Bureau strategist Rebecca Johnson about the concept of "weirdness" and brands. 

All humans are weird, and brands that are willing to venture into strange and bizarre territories have a chance to connect with their audiences in a deeply emotional way. From Puppy Monkey Baby to the Pet Rock, we analyze brand weirdness's impact on consumer engagement and differentiation. 

Weird is risky, but it’s also highly relatable when it’s done right. It can engender a form of trust that brands don’t usually experience with their users, while also signaling a brand’s values and vision. 

It’s also a strong force of creativity. Everything new feels weird at first. Instead of shying away, Rebecca talks about how to lean into the odd side of human nature and create something novel.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Mon, 23 Oct 2023 11:00:00 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Rebecca Johnson, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/25-bizarre-strange-and-highly-relatable In this house episode, we speak with Concept Bureau strategist Rebecca Johnson about the concept of "weirdness" and brands. 

All humans are weird, and brands that are willing to venture into strange and bizarre territories have a chance to connect with their audiences in a deeply emotional way. From Puppy Monkey Baby to the Pet Rock, we analyze brand weirdness's impact on consumer engagement and differentiation. 

Weird is risky, but it’s also highly relatable when it’s done right. It can engender a form of trust that brands don’t usually experience with their users, while also signaling a brand’s values and vision. 

It’s also a strong force of creativity. Everything new feels weird at first. Instead of shying away, Rebecca talks about how to lean into the odd side of human nature and create something novel.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 25: Bizarre, Strange and Highly Relatable Rebecca Johnson, Jasmine Bina 00:27:14 Weirdness reveals something profound about human nature, and lately more and more brands have been tapping into the delight of the unconventional. When done right, weirdness is highly relatable and offers brands a unique opportunity to create deep connections, foster loyalty, and shape the future in exciting ways. Weirdness reveals something profound about human nature, and lately more and more brands have been tapping into the delight of the unconventional. When done right, weirdness is highly relatable and offers brands a unique opportunity to create deep connections, foster loyalty, and shape the future in exciting ways. communications, tradition, strategy, marketing, unseen unknown, status, dao, storytelling, public relations, ai, subculture, story, business, relatability, weirdness, futurism, pr, weird, culture, brand identity, narrative, brand strategy, brand strategy, concept bureau, identity, smart contracts, psychology, community, branding, artificial intelligence, behavior, brand, money, business strategy false full cd48a423-55a5-41d5-aac2-3eacb3f1cadf 24: How to Unlock Your Strategic Mind What does it mean to be good at thinking? Or more importantly, thinking strategically?

Most people answer this question by saying that in order to be good at thinking, you have to be knowledgeable. And while knowledge is certainly a critical input for good thinking, it’s just an input. It’s not the actual practice of being able to think well.

Good strategic thinking is the culmination of mental processes that enable us to analyze, reason, solve problems, make decisions, and generate creative ideas in an efficient manner.

In other words, it’s a skill. But we don’t treat it as one.

It’s something we can get better at and refine, a muscle that we can strengthen, and yet outside of our daily work, we do very little to develop that muscle. And it’s a special muscle, because thinking strategically demands that we employ all kinds of cognitive abilities at once.

In this house episode of Unseen Unknown, Jasmine and Jean-Louis break down his steps for how to think strategically, and to keep getting better and better at it.

Don’t take your ability to think strategically for granted. Many of us only do a fraction of what is possible with our minds, but there is a lot more power available to us when we start to cultivate our thinking skills.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Mon, 9 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jean-Louis Rawlence, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/24-how-to-unlock-your-strategic-mind/ What does it mean to be good at thinking? Or more importantly, thinking strategically?

Most people answer this question by saying that in order to be good at thinking, you have to be knowledgeable. And while knowledge is certainly a critical input for good thinking, it’s just an input. It’s not the actual practice of being able to think well.

Good strategic thinking is the culmination of mental processes that enable us to analyze, reason, solve problems, make decisions, and generate creative ideas in an efficient manner.

In other words, it’s a skill. But we don’t treat it as one.

It’s something we can get better at and refine, a muscle that we can strengthen, and yet outside of our daily work, we do very little to develop that muscle. And it’s a special muscle, because thinking strategically demands that we employ all kinds of cognitive abilities at once.

In this house episode of Unseen Unknown, Jasmine and Jean-Louis break down his steps for how to think strategically, and to keep getting better and better at it.

Don’t take your ability to think strategically for granted. Many of us only do a fraction of what is possible with our minds, but there is a lot more power available to us when we start to cultivate our thinking skills.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 24: How to Unlock Your Strategic Mind Jean-Louis Rawlence, Jasmine Bina 00:44:04 What does it mean to be good at thinking? Or more importantly, thinking strategically? It’s the culmination of mental processes that enable us to analyze, reason, solve problems, make decisions, and generate creative ideas in an efficient manner. In other words, it’s a buildable skill. In this house episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis take a deep dive into how to cultivate that skill effectively. What does it mean to be good at thinking? Or more importantly, thinking strategically? It’s the culmination of mental processes that enable us to analyze, reason, solve problems, make decisions, and generate creative ideas in an efficient manner. In other words, it’s a buildable skill. In this house episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis take a deep dive into how to cultivate that skill effectively. communications, thinking skills, cryptocurrency, tradition, strategy, crypto, marketing, unseen unknown, status, storytelling, public relations, subculture, metacognition, story, business, futurism, pr, culture, brand identity, narrative, brand strategy, concept bureau, identity, smart contracts, psychology, community, branding, behavior, brand, money, business strategy false full ee698de6-9191-4e93-ab56-dd26c97e4314 23: Pain, Sacrifice, and Our New Status Symbols Brands get lucky once, maybe twice every generation, when the rules of status change and social equity is suddenly up for grabs. Our Concept Bureau Senior Strategist Zach Lamb believes we are in the midst of one of those rare shifts right now, where we are moving from the self-indulgence of conspicuous consumption to the self-denial of what he calls “conspicuous commitment”.

Public figures are devoting themselves to difficult new modalities, diets, spiritual quests, life practices and ideologies. Your friends are going on arduous, painful, yet revelatory, psychedelic retreats. All around us, wellness brands, food brands, medical brands, lifestyle brands tell us that self-denial is the new flex.

No longer are we obsessed with flaunting material possessions and extravagant experiences; instead, we're witnessing the rise of people showcasing their unwavering dedication to self-work, vulnerability and personal growth.

In a time when nihilism is literally everywhere, when pessimism gets clicks on headlines, when post-capitalist hopelessness is a trending aesthetic on TikTok and every meme deals in absurdity, conspicuous commitment stands out.

In this episode, we also speak with W. David Marx, author of “Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change” who has an alternative view of how status is tied to money more than ever, and what that means for an increasingly flattening culture.

If you deal in any premium or luxury category, this is a must-listen. The ways we seek to distinguish ourselves have dramatically evolved as we prioritize discipline and personal growth over material success.

That means everyone has to play by new rules.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Mon, 28 Aug 2023 15:24:06 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Zach Lamb, W. David Marx, Jean-Louis Rawlence) https://conceptbureau.com/23-conspicuous-commitment-new-status/ Brands get lucky once, maybe twice every generation, when the rules of status change and social equity is suddenly up for grabs. Our Concept Bureau Senior Strategist Zach Lamb believes we are in the midst of one of those rare shifts right now, where we are moving from the self-indulgence of conspicuous consumption to the self-denial of what he calls “conspicuous commitment”.

Public figures are devoting themselves to difficult new modalities, diets, spiritual quests, life practices and ideologies. Your friends are going on arduous, painful, yet revelatory, psychedelic retreats. All around us, wellness brands, food brands, medical brands, lifestyle brands tell us that self-denial is the new flex.

No longer are we obsessed with flaunting material possessions and extravagant experiences; instead, we're witnessing the rise of people showcasing their unwavering dedication to self-work, vulnerability and personal growth.

In a time when nihilism is literally everywhere, when pessimism gets clicks on headlines, when post-capitalist hopelessness is a trending aesthetic on TikTok and every meme deals in absurdity, conspicuous commitment stands out.

In this episode, we also speak with W. David Marx, author of “Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change” who has an alternative view of how status is tied to money more than ever, and what that means for an increasingly flattening culture.

If you deal in any premium or luxury category, this is a must-listen. The ways we seek to distinguish ourselves have dramatically evolved as we prioritize discipline and personal growth over material success.

That means everyone has to play by new rules.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 23: Pain, Sacrifice, and Our New Status Symbols Jasmine Bina, Zach Lamb, W. David Marx, Jean-Louis Rawlence 00:35:58 Culture is moving from the self-indulgence of conspicuous consumption to the self-denial of “conspicuous commitment”: a new status code that will affect every premium and luxury brand. In this episode we speak with Concept Bureau Senior Strategist Zach Lamb about how and why conspicuous commitment is taking over, as well as an interview with author W. David Marx who sees status as still operating by the old rules of wealth, perhaps now more than ever. Culture is moving from the self-indulgence of conspicuous consumption to the self-denial of “conspicuous commitment”: a new status code that will affect every premium and luxury brand. In this episode we speak with Concept Bureau Senior Strategist Zach Lamb about how and why conspicuous commitment is taking over, as well as an interview with author W. David Marx who sees status as still operating by the old rules of wealth, perhaps now more than ever. longevity, tradition, strategy, crypto, marketing, status, storytelling, public relations, subculture communications, story, bryan johnson, business, branding behavior, pr, culture, rituals narrative, brand identity, narrative, brand strategy, identity, smart contracts, psychology, community, branding, loneliness strategy, behavior, brand, money, business strategy, business strategy false full 9574ebf9-dfb8-4929-9f4f-c32551989941 22: Strong Ties vs. Weak Ties in the Next Era of Brand Innovation What happens when the world suddenly reconfigures itself around a very different kind of relationship? The last 20 years of social innovation has leaned into weak ties: distant social relationships that allowed us to trust and extract value on platforms like Yelp, LinkedIn and Facebook. But the next 20 years are already shaping up to look very different. 

Strong social ties, our close-knit relationships with frequent interactions, are starting to emerge as the dominant threads of the social fabric. In this new era of increased intimacy with our immediate network, what we value and what we create move in a markedly new direction. We co-buy homes with friends, form politically aligned living communities, go deep into conversational chambers and band together in vision-led DAOs. 

The way we relate to one another is more profound, but also more narrow. What we demand of our network communities, and the brand landscape in general, becomes more high stakes.

In this house episode, we’re talking to Concept Bureau’s Chief Strategist Jean-Louis Rawlence, about the huge implications for tech innovation, community building and business. When strong ties become the future of community, community becomes the new brand.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Tue, 24 May 2022 21:17:14 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence) https://conceptbureau.com/22-strong-ties-vs-weak-ties-in-the-next-era-of-brand-innovation/ What happens when the world suddenly reconfigures itself around a very different kind of relationship? The last 20 years of social innovation has leaned into weak ties: distant social relationships that allowed us to trust and extract value on platforms like Yelp, LinkedIn and Facebook. But the next 20 years are already shaping up to look very different. 

Strong social ties, our close-knit relationships with frequent interactions, are starting to emerge as the dominant threads of the social fabric. In this new era of increased intimacy with our immediate network, what we value and what we create move in a markedly new direction. We co-buy homes with friends, form politically aligned living communities, go deep into conversational chambers and band together in vision-led DAOs. 

The way we relate to one another is more profound, but also more narrow. What we demand of our network communities, and the brand landscape in general, becomes more high stakes.

In this house episode, we’re talking to Concept Bureau’s Chief Strategist Jean-Louis Rawlence, about the huge implications for tech innovation, community building and business. When strong ties become the future of community, community becomes the new brand.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 22: Strong Ties vs. Weak Ties in the Next Era of Brand Innovation Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence 00:35:16 The world is starting to reconfigure itself around a very different kind of relationship. Weak ties, the underpinning of social innovation for the last two decades, are declining while strong social ties are starting to emerge as the dominant threads of our social fabric. In this house episode, we’re talking to Concept Bureau’s Chief Strategist Jean-Louis Rawlence, about the huge implications for tech innovation, community building and business. When strong ties become the future of community, community becomes the new brand. The world is starting to reconfigure itself around a very different kind of relationship. Weak ties, the underpinning of social innovation for the last two decades, are declining while strong social ties are starting to emerge as the dominant threads of our social fabric. In this house episode, we’re talking to Concept Bureau’s Chief Strategist Jean-Louis Rawlence, about the huge implications for tech innovation, community building and business. When strong ties become the future of community, community becomes the new brand. communications, cryptocurrency, tradition, loneliness, strategy, crypto, marketing, dao, storytelling, public relations, web3, story, business, pr, culture, rituals, narrative, brand strategy, identity, smart contracts, psychology, community, branding, behavior, brand, business strategy false full 15f5201e-5b35-4e5e-8b05-ab9b8b5bf7ee 21: The Secret Language of Cult Brands Cults make effective brands, and today, they’re all around us. We engage with them on some level every day, and cult experiences have come to define so much of who we are as a society that you have to ask, how did we get here?

Perhaps the most insidious way cults have influenced the world around us is in everyday language that’s meant to control behaviors and change perspectives. It’s language we use with friends and colleagues, language in our media and content, and language we hear coming from today’s most powerful CEOs, on branded websites and in keynote addresses. 

In this episode we’re talking with Amanda Montell, a language scholar and author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism’ to understand why cults have had a resurgence in branding and in real life. 

You’d be surprised to know that some of the successful brands of our time were either founded by, owned by, or closely tied to cults. There’s a very good chance that some influencer you’re following has at least borrowed from cult culture or knowingly created a radicalized cult around themselves. There are the cults we joke about like SoulCycle or Supreme, but they use the same dynamics and tools as the cults we like to gasp at in documentaries. 

Cults and businesses have always been intertwined, and understanding how they use the power of language to move people is the first step to decoding how they work.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Tue, 9 Nov 2021 07:54:00 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Amanda Montell) https://conceptbureau.com/21-the-secret-language-of-cult-brands/ Cults make effective brands, and today, they’re all around us. We engage with them on some level every day, and cult experiences have come to define so much of who we are as a society that you have to ask, how did we get here?

Perhaps the most insidious way cults have influenced the world around us is in everyday language that’s meant to control behaviors and change perspectives. It’s language we use with friends and colleagues, language in our media and content, and language we hear coming from today’s most powerful CEOs, on branded websites and in keynote addresses. 

In this episode we’re talking with Amanda Montell, a language scholar and author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism’ to understand why cults have had a resurgence in branding and in real life. 

You’d be surprised to know that some of the successful brands of our time were either founded by, owned by, or closely tied to cults. There’s a very good chance that some influencer you’re following has at least borrowed from cult culture or knowingly created a radicalized cult around themselves. There are the cults we joke about like SoulCycle or Supreme, but they use the same dynamics and tools as the cults we like to gasp at in documentaries. 

Cults and businesses have always been intertwined, and understanding how they use the power of language to move people is the first step to decoding how they work.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 21: The Secret Language of Cult Brands Jasmine Bina, Amanda Montell 00:44:27 Cults make effective brands, and today, they’re all around us. Perhaps the most insidious way cults have influenced our reality is in everyday language that’s meant to control behaviors and change perspectives. It’s language we use with friends and colleagues, language in our media and content, and language we hear coming from today’s most powerful CEOs, on branded websites and in keynote addresses. In this episode we’re talking with Amanda Montell, a language scholar and author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism’ to understand why cults have had a resurgence in branding and in real life. Cults and businesses have always been intertwined, and understanding how they use the power of language to move people is the first step to decoding how they work. Cults make effective brands, and today, they’re all around us. Perhaps the most insidious way cults have influenced our reality is in everyday language that’s meant to control behaviors and change perspectives. It’s language we use with friends and colleagues, language in our media and content, and language we hear coming from today’s most powerful CEOs, on branded websites and in keynote addresses. In this episode we’re talking with Amanda Montell, a language scholar and author of the critically acclaimed book, ‘Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism’ to understand why cults have had a resurgence in branding and in real life. Cults and businesses have always been intertwined, and understanding how they use the power of language to move people is the first step to decoding how they work. communications, strategy, marketing, storytelling, business, cult brands, culture, user behavior, narrative, brand strategy, identity, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, cults, business strategy false full a19656e8-1ddc-481b-9e0d-aff0a233868f 20: Ownership Anxiety, Brand Storytelling, and the Human Condition Have you ever stopped to think about what ownership means to us as a culture? Many of us see it as an artifact of the legal system or something that’s decided in courts. We believe it is a self-evident concept that lives outside of us and isn’t really part of who we are, but rather a set of rules that affects our mortgages and our car payments.

But ownership is in fact very much a part of what makes us human.

Today and throughout history, a mere six competing stories of ownership have dictated how everything in the world is distributed. As resources have become scarcer, everyone from American homesteaders and ranchers, to tech leaders and consumer brands, have created ways to impose their own preferred ownership story in a world where what it means to “own” something is constantly evolving.

We speak with Michael Heller and James Salzman, two of the world’s leading scholars and authorities on ownership, and co-authors of the book Mine!: How The Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives to understand how the concept of ownership has been upending the brand landscape. 

They explain to us how the rules of ownership change in every generation, and how those changes reveal the true brand frontier, the role of business, and most importantly, a society’s shifting values.  

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Mon, 14 Jun 2021 20:45:50 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, James Salzman, Michael Heller) https://conceptbureau.com/20-ownership-anxiety-brand-storytelling-and-the-human-condition/ Have you ever stopped to think about what ownership means to us as a culture? Many of us see it as an artifact of the legal system or something that’s decided in courts. We believe it is a self-evident concept that lives outside of us and isn’t really part of who we are, but rather a set of rules that affects our mortgages and our car payments.

But ownership is in fact very much a part of what makes us human.

Today and throughout history, a mere six competing stories of ownership have dictated how everything in the world is distributed. As resources have become scarcer, everyone from American homesteaders and ranchers, to tech leaders and consumer brands, have created ways to impose their own preferred ownership story in a world where what it means to “own” something is constantly evolving.

We speak with Michael Heller and James Salzman, two of the world’s leading scholars and authorities on ownership, and co-authors of the book Mine!: How The Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives to understand how the concept of ownership has been upending the brand landscape. 

They explain to us how the rules of ownership change in every generation, and how those changes reveal the true brand frontier, the role of business, and most importantly, a society’s shifting values.  

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 20: Ownership Anxiety, Brand Storytelling, and the Human Condition Jasmine Bina, James Salzman, Michael Heller 00:49:20 Today and throughout history, a mere six competing stories of ownership have dictated how everything in the world is distributed. As resources have become scarcer, everyone from American homesteaders and ranchers, to tech leaders and consumer brands, have created ways to impose their own preferred ownership story in a world where what it means to “own” something is constantly evolving. We speak with Michael Heller and James Salzman, two of the world’s leading scholars and authorities on ownership, and co-authors of the book Mine!: How The Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives. They explain to us how the rules of ownership change in every generation, and how those changes reveal the true brand landscape, the role of business, and most importantly, a society’s shifting values. Today and throughout history, a mere six competing stories of ownership have dictated how everything in the world is distributed. As resources have become scarcer, everyone from American homesteaders and ranchers, to tech leaders and consumer brands, have created ways to impose their own preferred ownership story in a world where what it means to “own” something is constantly evolving. We speak with Michael Heller and James Salzman, two of the world’s leading scholars and authorities on ownership, and co-authors of the book Mine!: How The Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives. They explain to us how the rules of ownership change in every generation, and how those changes reveal the true brand landscape, the role of business, and most importantly, a society’s shifting values. communications, law, strategy, marketing, storytelling, american law, ownership, business, culture, user behavior, legal ownership, narrative, brand strategy, data privacy, identity, psychology, branding, privacy, behavior, brand, business strategy false full 1eeadea0-f050-47dc-885a-0808461f8f8b 19: Systems In Flux: Birth of the New Spiritual Consumer For the fourth and final episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking about seemingly new emerging forms of spirituality, and how new spiritual brands are positioning themselves to take advantage of our collective movement towards wanting to be both categorized but at the same time free from conventional binary definitions. 

Everything is being catered more and more to us as individuals—and religion seems to be shifting in that direction, too. Part of that shift is the way we understand what religion is in the first place, and our youngest generations are pushing us further toward newly remixed ideas of spirituality that borrow from a wide range of traditions. 

Allegra Hobbs is a journalist who’s explored the phenomenon of the Enneagram. The Enneagram is  a newly-revived derivative of the teachings of the Bolivian-born philosopher, Oscar Ichazo, that practitioners believe can lead to improved self-awareness. She found that the Enneagram and other categorizing devices like it have also seemingly crossed over into the mainstream because we find ourselves in a perpetual state of isolation and alienation—something Rachel Lo discovered as she developed the dating app Struck, which helps match people based on their astrological signs.  

This episode explores what these new forms of spirituality mean and how they’ve come into the mainstream with the emergence of a new spiritual consumer, and while discussions about spirituality can be challenging for a number of reasons, our conversations ended up revealing surprising potential implications for equity and inclusion in everything from how we find meaningful relationships to how we conceptualize our work. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Tue, 18 May 2021 04:59:15 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Rachel Lo, Allegra Hobbs, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/19-systems-in-flux-birth-of-the-new-spiritual-consumer/ For the fourth and final episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking about seemingly new emerging forms of spirituality, and how new spiritual brands are positioning themselves to take advantage of our collective movement towards wanting to be both categorized but at the same time free from conventional binary definitions. 

Everything is being catered more and more to us as individuals—and religion seems to be shifting in that direction, too. Part of that shift is the way we understand what religion is in the first place, and our youngest generations are pushing us further toward newly remixed ideas of spirituality that borrow from a wide range of traditions. 

Allegra Hobbs is a journalist who’s explored the phenomenon of the Enneagram. The Enneagram is  a newly-revived derivative of the teachings of the Bolivian-born philosopher, Oscar Ichazo, that practitioners believe can lead to improved self-awareness. She found that the Enneagram and other categorizing devices like it have also seemingly crossed over into the mainstream because we find ourselves in a perpetual state of isolation and alienation—something Rachel Lo discovered as she developed the dating app Struck, which helps match people based on their astrological signs.  

This episode explores what these new forms of spirituality mean and how they’ve come into the mainstream with the emergence of a new spiritual consumer, and while discussions about spirituality can be challenging for a number of reasons, our conversations ended up revealing surprising potential implications for equity and inclusion in everything from how we find meaningful relationships to how we conceptualize our work. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 19: Systems In Flux: Birth of the New Spiritual Consumer Rachel Lo, Allegra Hobbs, Jasmine Bina 00:44:50 For the fourth and final episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking about seemingly new emerging forms of spirituality, and how new spiritual brands are positioning themselves to take advantage of our collective movement towards wanting to be both categorized but at the same time free from conventional binary definitions. Allegra Hobbs is a journalist who’s explored the phenomenon of the Enneagram. She found that the Enneagram and other categorizing devices like it have also seemingly crossed over into the mainstream because we find ourselves in a perpetual state of isolation and alienation—something Rachel Lo discovered as she developed the dating app Struck, which helps match people based on their astrological signs. For the fourth and final episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking about seemingly new emerging forms of spirituality, and how new spiritual brands are positioning themselves to take advantage of our collective movement towards wanting to be both categorized but at the same time free from conventional binary definitions. Allegra Hobbs is a journalist who’s explored the phenomenon of the Enneagram. She found that the Enneagram and other categorizing devices like it have also seemingly crossed over into the mainstream because we find ourselves in a perpetual state of isolation and alienation—something Rachel Lo discovered as she developed the dating app Struck, which helps match people based on their astrological signs. communications, strategy, marketing, storytelling, astrology, relationships, dating, spiritual brands, business, enneagram, culture, user behavior, narrative, brand strategy, identity, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, cultural psychology, business strategy, spirituality false full d884e64c-ede0-4bf6-a33d-29604120b5c2 18: Systems In Flux: A Unified Theory of Culture, Branding, and Human Behavior Every single culture and subculture - from states and governments to user segments and brand tribes - falls along the tight-loose continuum. A culture’s tightness or looseness affects people’s perceptions of threat, how they relate to each other, how they consume, and of course the narratives that shape the businesses and brands that form within that culture. In this third episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking about the invisible systems that make a culture relaxed or rigid, and the surprising tradeoffs involved. 

Michele Gelfand is a cultural psychologist and author of the book ‘Rule Makers, Rule Breakers’. Her life’s work has been spent researching how tight and loose cultures form in the first place, and if and how they can actually be changed. We talk about how this affects every kind of brand, including international brands, political brands, lifestyle brands, service brands, and CPG.

Of all the studied cultural phenomena out there, this is perhaps one of the most important in helping us understand the world at this very moment. 

Once you understand the concept, it will not only reveal a new perspective on the world of business and branding, it will also reveal the deeper logic beneath the many seemingly illogical things in the world that may have been on your mind lately.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Wed, 28 Apr 2021 19:43:57 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Michele Gelfand, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/18-systems-in-flux-a-unified-theory-of-culture-branding-and-human-behavior/ Every single culture and subculture - from states and governments to user segments and brand tribes - falls along the tight-loose continuum. A culture’s tightness or looseness affects people’s perceptions of threat, how they relate to each other, how they consume, and of course the narratives that shape the businesses and brands that form within that culture. In this third episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking about the invisible systems that make a culture relaxed or rigid, and the surprising tradeoffs involved. 

Michele Gelfand is a cultural psychologist and author of the book ‘Rule Makers, Rule Breakers’. Her life’s work has been spent researching how tight and loose cultures form in the first place, and if and how they can actually be changed. We talk about how this affects every kind of brand, including international brands, political brands, lifestyle brands, service brands, and CPG.

Of all the studied cultural phenomena out there, this is perhaps one of the most important in helping us understand the world at this very moment. 

Once you understand the concept, it will not only reveal a new perspective on the world of business and branding, it will also reveal the deeper logic beneath the many seemingly illogical things in the world that may have been on your mind lately.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 18: Systems In Flux: A Unified Theory of Culture, Branding, and Human Behavior Michele Gelfand, Jasmine Bina 00:47:13 Every single culture and subculture - from states and governments to user segments and brand tribes - falls along the tight-loose continuum. A culture’s tightness or looseness affects people’s perceptions of threat, how they relate to each other, how they consume, and of course the narratives that shape the businesses and brands that form within that culture. In this third episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we speak with Michele Gelfand, cultural psychologist and author of ‘Rule Makers, Rule Breakers’ about the invisible systems that make a culture relaxed or rigid, and the surprising tradeoffs involved. Every single culture and subculture - from states and governments to user segments and brand tribes - falls along the tight-loose continuum. A culture’s tightness or looseness affects people’s perceptions of threat, how they relate to each other, how they consume, and of course the narratives that shape the businesses and brands that form within that culture. In this third episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we speak with Michele Gelfand, cultural psychologist and author of ‘Rule Makers, Rule Breakers’ about the invisible systems that make a culture relaxed or rigid, and the surprising tradeoffs involved. ux, communications, strategy, marketing, michele gelfand, storytelling, cpg, rule makers rule breakers, business, culture, user behavior, narrative, brand strategy, identity, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, cultural psychology, business strategy, political brands false full 035009e1-b65d-4493-9a89-9e9fa12ab4f1 17: Systems In Flux: Class, Taste and the Modern Aspiration Economy For the second episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking about systems of class and taste. In the past 10 years, new brands have emerged, specifically in luxury and premium categories, that point to a divergence in our social systems around what class and taste are, and how they are achieved.

Brand strategist and sociologist Ana Andjelic places brands like Telfar, Blenheim Forge, Fly By Jing and Brightland in the Modern Aspiration Economy. This emerging economy trades in taste, aesthetic innovation, curation and environmentalism. And what’s remarkable about these brands is that they have all successfully decoupled class from money, and taste from wealth. 

In her new book, The Business of Aspiration, Ana explores this decoupling and contrasts the Modern Aspiration Economy to the traditional economy where consumers once signaled their status through collecting commodities, Instagram followers, airline miles, and busy back-to-back schedules. Now, it’s about collecting knowledge, belonging to micro-communities, and leveraging influence.

As Ana points out, this new cultural and environmental capital changes the way businesses and entire markets operate. We talked about where and when this decoupling started, the ways in which it has changed global markets permanently, and how brands can trade in this new capital.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2020 07:18:46 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Ana Andjelic, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/17-systems-in-flux-class-taste-and-the-modern-aspiration-economy/ For the second episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking about systems of class and taste. In the past 10 years, new brands have emerged, specifically in luxury and premium categories, that point to a divergence in our social systems around what class and taste are, and how they are achieved.

Brand strategist and sociologist Ana Andjelic places brands like Telfar, Blenheim Forge, Fly By Jing and Brightland in the Modern Aspiration Economy. This emerging economy trades in taste, aesthetic innovation, curation and environmentalism. And what’s remarkable about these brands is that they have all successfully decoupled class from money, and taste from wealth. 

In her new book, The Business of Aspiration, Ana explores this decoupling and contrasts the Modern Aspiration Economy to the traditional economy where consumers once signaled their status through collecting commodities, Instagram followers, airline miles, and busy back-to-back schedules. Now, it’s about collecting knowledge, belonging to micro-communities, and leveraging influence.

As Ana points out, this new cultural and environmental capital changes the way businesses and entire markets operate. We talked about where and when this decoupling started, the ways in which it has changed global markets permanently, and how brands can trade in this new capital.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 17: Systems In Flux: Class, Taste and the Modern Aspiration Economy Ana Andjelic, Jasmine Bina 00:48:30 For the second episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking with brand strategist and sociologist Ana Andjelic about systems of class and taste. In the past 10 years, new brands have emerged, specifically in luxury and premium categories, that point to a divergence in our social systems around what class and taste are, and how they are achieved. Ana talks about the rise of the Modern Aspiration Economy and how the brands of this new economy have done something remarkable: they’ve successfully decoupled class from money, and taste from wealth. For the second episode in our series on Systems In Flux, we’re talking with brand strategist and sociologist Ana Andjelic about systems of class and taste. In the past 10 years, new brands have emerged, specifically in luxury and premium categories, that point to a divergence in our social systems around what class and taste are, and how they are achieved. Ana talks about the rise of the Modern Aspiration Economy and how the brands of this new economy have done something remarkable: they’ve successfully decoupled class from money, and taste from wealth. communications, strategy, marketing, storytelling, premium, class, aspiration economy, business, economics, culture, trends, brand strategy, social systems, taste, brand, luxury false full 53045d01-1d9b-4438-8024-21085b3ae140 16: Systems In Flux: The Hidden Divergent Forces Shaping The Next Generation of Brands, Consumers, and Capitalism Whether it’s brand, behavior, or culture, the more you dig into the systems that affect our lives the closer you’ll come to a conversation about capitalism. 

In this house episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis dig into a curious pattern that's emerging across all kinds of markets, a divergent behavior that’s starting to change the rules of the game for brands and consumers.

As part of a larger series exploring how divergent systems are shaping the business landscape, we dig into what divergent systems are, how understanding the gap between goals and incentives can become a powerful tool to predict the success of a business and industry, and how the aging infrastructure of capitalism is creating white space for a new set of values, behaviors, and relationships that may come to define the next generation of brands and consumers.

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2020 06:45:42 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jean-Louis Rawlence, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/16-systems-in-flux-class-taste-and-the-modern-aspiration-economy/ Whether it’s brand, behavior, or culture, the more you dig into the systems that affect our lives the closer you’ll come to a conversation about capitalism. 

In this house episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis dig into a curious pattern that's emerging across all kinds of markets, a divergent behavior that’s starting to change the rules of the game for brands and consumers.

As part of a larger series exploring how divergent systems are shaping the business landscape, we dig into what divergent systems are, how understanding the gap between goals and incentives can become a powerful tool to predict the success of a business and industry, and how the aging infrastructure of capitalism is creating white space for a new set of values, behaviors, and relationships that may come to define the next generation of brands and consumers.

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 16: Systems In Flux: The Hidden Divergent Forces Shaping The Next Generation of Brands, Consumers, and Capitalism Jean-Louis Rawlence, Jasmine Bina 00:39:07 Whether it’s brand, behavior, or culture, the more you dig into the systems that affect our lives the closer you’ll come to a conversation about capitalism. While capitalism as a model may seem unchanging at a glance, look a little closer and you’ll start to see patterns of change. In this house episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis dig into divergent systems, the unstable behavior of markets, and how the rules we’ve trusted for a century are now ushering in a new generation of brands, consumers, and capital. This is the first of a series of episodes exploring how divergent systems are shaping the business landscape. Whether it’s brand, behavior, or culture, the more you dig into the systems that affect our lives the closer you’ll come to a conversation about capitalism. While capitalism as a model may seem unchanging at a glance, look a little closer and you’ll start to see patterns of change. In this house episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis dig into divergent systems, the unstable behavior of markets, and how the rules we’ve trusted for a century are now ushering in a new generation of brands, consumers, and capital. This is the first of a series of episodes exploring how divergent systems are shaping the business landscape. strategy, marketing, industry, markets, systems, business, futurism, economics, culture, capitalism, psychology, behavior, brand false full 1bc17baa-b88f-4def-ace7-9831f6457702 15: The Profound Human Connection of Micro-Communities, Participatory Economies and Good Old Customer Service From the gig economy to the passion economy, changing consumer values are inspiring new brands and business models for creators. 

Today we’re seeing the emergence of yet another model that’s challenging traditional work - something that VC and Level Ventures partner Sari Azout calls the participatory economy - where fans actually participate in a creator’s success. 

This model, along with the others, all boil down to customer happiness. 

Customer happiness may sound trite but it’s likely not what you think it is. It’s definitely not as simple as you think it is. And considering that the user is changing, it’s also something you can’t afford to overlook.

We also speak with Ty Givens, customer experience strategist and founder of the WorkforcePro, about engineering the human connection that turns customers and users into fans.

Ty talks about how leaders can truly make customer happiness core to their brands and the second order effects that it can have on the company, its employees, and the overall landscape. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 13 Aug 2020 16:31:18 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Sari Azout, Jasmine Bina, Ty Givens) https://conceptbureau.com/15-the-profound-human-connection-of-micro-communities/ From the gig economy to the passion economy, changing consumer values are inspiring new brands and business models for creators. 

Today we’re seeing the emergence of yet another model that’s challenging traditional work - something that VC and Level Ventures partner Sari Azout calls the participatory economy - where fans actually participate in a creator’s success. 

This model, along with the others, all boil down to customer happiness. 

Customer happiness may sound trite but it’s likely not what you think it is. It’s definitely not as simple as you think it is. And considering that the user is changing, it’s also something you can’t afford to overlook.

We also speak with Ty Givens, customer experience strategist and founder of the WorkforcePro, about engineering the human connection that turns customers and users into fans.

Ty talks about how leaders can truly make customer happiness core to their brands and the second order effects that it can have on the company, its employees, and the overall landscape. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 15: The Profound Human Connection of Micro-Communities, Participatory Economies and Good Old Customer Service Sari Azout, Jasmine Bina, Ty Givens 01:23:59 From the gig economy to the passion economy, and now the emerging participatory economy - changing consumer values are inspiring new business models for creators. In this episode we speak with early stage VC and Level Ventures partner Sari Azout about how these nascent economies are centering the new frontier of disruption on customer happiness, and what that means for how value and profitability are connected. We also speak with Ty Givens, customer experience strategist and founder of the WorkforcePro about engineering the human connection that turns customers and users into fans. From the gig economy to the passion economy, and now the emerging participatory economy - changing consumer values are inspiring new business models for creators. In this episode we speak with early stage VC and Level Ventures partner Sari Azout about how these nascent economies are centering the new frontier of disruption on customer happiness, and what that means for how value and profitability are connected. We also speak with Ty Givens, customer experience strategist and founder of the WorkforcePro about engineering the human connection that turns customers and users into fans. ux, communications, customer happiness, strategy, marketing, micro-communities, storytelling, gig economy, passion economy, customer service, participatory economy, business, ty givens, culture, user behavior, sari azout, narrative, brand strategy, identity, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, business strategy false full ae9804e6-f13c-4eda-8ef2-c2e510a4e54e 14: The Radical History of Self-Care & the New World of Wellness Branding Self-care and wellness are everywhere around us. From cereal boxes to the makeup counter to furniture rental, CBD sticks, mobile apps and coffee - a new mindset about how to be… but also how to consume, has settled in. 

As second nature as this may all seem right now, the concept of self-care actually comes from a very radical and politically charged place in recent American history. 

In this episode of Unseen Unknown, we speak with New York Times journalist and editor Aisha Harris about the connected history of politics, race, gender and identity that underpins the self-care space today, and how it’s many interpretations reflect our American culture.

The history or self-care and wellness is deep and rich, stemming from the civil rights movement, Black and LGBT communities, the hippie wellness movement of the 1960s, and then going mainstream with a new political resurgence after the 2016 election.

We also speak with founder Jerome Nichols of The Butters, a self-care beauty brand and cult favorite that signals a new approach in the space among upstarts looking to bring self-care back to its communal roots through very intentional branding and user experiences. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 16 Jul 2020 06:32:13 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jerome Nichols, Jasmine Bina, Aisha Harris) https://conceptbureau.com/14-the-radical-history-of-self-care/ Self-care and wellness are everywhere around us. From cereal boxes to the makeup counter to furniture rental, CBD sticks, mobile apps and coffee - a new mindset about how to be… but also how to consume, has settled in. 

As second nature as this may all seem right now, the concept of self-care actually comes from a very radical and politically charged place in recent American history. 

In this episode of Unseen Unknown, we speak with New York Times journalist and editor Aisha Harris about the connected history of politics, race, gender and identity that underpins the self-care space today, and how it’s many interpretations reflect our American culture.

The history or self-care and wellness is deep and rich, stemming from the civil rights movement, Black and LGBT communities, the hippie wellness movement of the 1960s, and then going mainstream with a new political resurgence after the 2016 election.

We also speak with founder Jerome Nichols of The Butters, a self-care beauty brand and cult favorite that signals a new approach in the space among upstarts looking to bring self-care back to its communal roots through very intentional branding and user experiences. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 14: The Radical History of Self-Care & the New World of Wellness Branding Jerome Nichols, Jasmine Bina, Aisha Harris 01:02:21 Wellness and self-care have taken over nearly every industry with a whole crop of new brands. But there is a much deeper story about the connected history of politics, race, gender and identity that underpins the self-care space today, and how it’s many interpretations reflect our American culture. We speak with New York Times journalist and editor Aisha Harris, as well as Jerome Nichols, founder of cult favorite self-care brand The Butters, to understand the very radical roots of this now-mainstream movement. Wellness and self-care have taken over nearly every industry with a whole crop of new brands. But there is a much deeper story about the connected history of politics, race, gender and identity that underpins the self-care space today, and how it’s many interpretations reflect our American culture. We speak with New York Times journalist and editor Aisha Harris, as well as Jerome Nichols, founder of cult favorite self-care brand The Butters, to understand the very radical roots of this now-mainstream movement. communications, wellness, strategy, marketing, storytelling, business, gender, culture, beauty, narrative, brand strategy, identity, psychology, branding, behavior, self-care, brand, business strategy false full b30be932-1228-4807-8995-65070c690b64 13: Race, Identity & Power In Our Online/ Offline Spaces There is no doubt that right now we are living through the most consequential time of our generation to-date. Today’s social and political climate begs the big question, ‘Who are we, really?’ 

As BLM, societal tensions and the added pressure of a pandemic force us to take a candid look at ourselves, the clues to answering that question lie in our online and offline spaces.

Author and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom joins us for an intimate discussion on how the mechanics of the internet, social media, digital marketing and real-life institutions amass power along racial and gender lines, and what they tell us about the American identity. 

We discuss how certain cultural narratives create our understanding of ourselves and others, how consumption is becoming increasingly political, how inequality manifests in our digital realms, and the role that brands play in the larger discussion.

We also discuss how things like Instagram filters, memes, the technology disruption cycle and platform economics accelerate our notions of race, gender and class even more efficiently than their irl counterparts. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 2 Jul 2020 05:41:00 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Tressie McMillan Cottom) https://conceptbureau.com/13-race-identity-power-in-our-online-offline-space%e2%80%aas%e2%80%ac/ There is no doubt that right now we are living through the most consequential time of our generation to-date. Today’s social and political climate begs the big question, ‘Who are we, really?’ 

As BLM, societal tensions and the added pressure of a pandemic force us to take a candid look at ourselves, the clues to answering that question lie in our online and offline spaces.

Author and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom joins us for an intimate discussion on how the mechanics of the internet, social media, digital marketing and real-life institutions amass power along racial and gender lines, and what they tell us about the American identity. 

We discuss how certain cultural narratives create our understanding of ourselves and others, how consumption is becoming increasingly political, how inequality manifests in our digital realms, and the role that brands play in the larger discussion.

We also discuss how things like Instagram filters, memes, the technology disruption cycle and platform economics accelerate our notions of race, gender and class even more efficiently than their irl counterparts. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 13: Race, Identity & Power In Our Online/ Offline Spaces Jasmine Bina, Tressie McMillan Cottom 01:04:32 Author and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom joins us for an intimate discussion on how the mechanics of the internet, social media, digital marketing and real-life institutions amass power along racial and gender lines. We discuss how certain cultural narratives create our understanding of ourselves and others, how consumption is becoming increasingly political, and the role that brands play in the larger discussion. Author and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom joins us for an intimate discussion on how the mechanics of the internet, social media, digital marketing and real-life institutions amass power along racial and gender lines. We discuss how certain cultural narratives create our understanding of ourselves and others, how consumption is becoming increasingly political, and the role that brands play in the larger discussion. race, communications, strategy, marketing, storytelling, blm, racism, business, gender, culture, beauty, narrative, brand strategy, identity, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, business strategy false full 56d2a92a-b7c3-4367-b134-dd0b149d6f53 12: Celebrity Culture, Platform Brands and Parasocial Relationships When Steven Galanis and his cofounders launched Cameo in 2016, they noticed two things happening in the celebrity landscape: 1) fame itself has blown up, with more celebrities existing than in any other time in history, and 2) that these celebrities collectively enjoy more fame than their counterparts in the past. The overall mass of celebrity is increasing, and Cameo was built as a marketplace to give that celebrity mass more efficiency in reaching its fan base, and of course, monetizing it. 

As Cameo approaches its millionth video made, the company has unlocked an enormous well of unmet demand, and become one of the fastest growing marketplaces in the US.

In this episode, we speak with Cameo’s cofounder Steven Galanis about the cultural drivers that make a company like this possible during a time like now, and how he made some very specific decisions in positioning and branding that have started to pay off.

We also speak with sociologist and author Chris Rojek about how the nature of celebrity culture has changed over recent years, spawning the modern lifestyle influencer and a culture of self-disclosure that provides this new figure with their audience. 

We also discuss Rojek’s research on parasocial relationships and “presumed intimacy” in order to understand what is happening in the space and the emotional layer of celebrity-fan relationships that drives our behavior. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 28 May 2020 05:12:09 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Chris Rojek, Steven Galanis, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/12-celebrity-culture-platform-brands-and-parasocial-relationship%e2%80%aas%e2%80%ac/ When Steven Galanis and his cofounders launched Cameo in 2016, they noticed two things happening in the celebrity landscape: 1) fame itself has blown up, with more celebrities existing than in any other time in history, and 2) that these celebrities collectively enjoy more fame than their counterparts in the past. The overall mass of celebrity is increasing, and Cameo was built as a marketplace to give that celebrity mass more efficiency in reaching its fan base, and of course, monetizing it. 

As Cameo approaches its millionth video made, the company has unlocked an enormous well of unmet demand, and become one of the fastest growing marketplaces in the US.

In this episode, we speak with Cameo’s cofounder Steven Galanis about the cultural drivers that make a company like this possible during a time like now, and how he made some very specific decisions in positioning and branding that have started to pay off.

We also speak with sociologist and author Chris Rojek about how the nature of celebrity culture has changed over recent years, spawning the modern lifestyle influencer and a culture of self-disclosure that provides this new figure with their audience. 

We also discuss Rojek’s research on parasocial relationships and “presumed intimacy” in order to understand what is happening in the space and the emotional layer of celebrity-fan relationships that drives our behavior. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 12: Celebrity Culture, Platform Brands and Parasocial Relationships Chris Rojek, Steven Galanis, Jasmine Bina 00:51:25 The nature of celebrity culture has changed in recent years, most notably with the rise of the influencer brand. But why is this happening now, and how have our digital tribes changed because of it? We speak with Cameo co-founder Steven Galanis about how he built a platform that has taken celebrity-fan culture to new levels of access, and sociologist and author Chris Rojek about the parasocial relationships and ‘presumed intimacy’ that is outpacing other forms of relationship in our lives. The nature of celebrity culture has changed in recent years, most notably with the rise of the influencer brand. But why is this happening now, and how have our digital tribes changed because of it? We speak with Cameo co-founder Steven Galanis about how he built a platform that has taken celebrity-fan culture to new levels of access, and sociologist and author Chris Rojek about the parasocial relationships and ‘presumed intimacy’ that is outpacing other forms of relationship in our lives. communications, strategy, marketplace, marketing, storytelling, public relations, cameo, celebrity cutlure, business, pr, parasocial, culture, celebrity, fan culture, narrative, brand strategy, identity, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, business strategy false full bd2fb779-0f6a-4b64-a491-5d5027939ee0 11: Who We Become When We’re Lonely & The Rituals That Will Save Us Brands are facing the fact that loneliness has become a part of our identities, crisis or not. But you can’t talk about loneliness without talking about the meaning of rituals first. 

As society becomes more secularized and isolated, we struggle to find the self-defining connection that rituals once afforded us. The weekly gathering that separated work from rest, the rituals of birth and death, the seasonal rituals of growth and change - all of these have been fading from our identities, and perhaps accelerated out of our lives with the arrival of COVID-19.

Many tech and D2C brands have rushed in to fill the gap, but as the after-effects of crisis set in and we emerge from the collective trauma of social distancing and major economic loss, loneliness and ritual will take on radically new meanings.

In this episode, we speak with three people whose work and research has significantly impacted our understanding of loneliness and human connection today:  Sasha Sagan, daughter of Carl Sagan and author of the social history book “For Small Creatures Such As We”, Harvard social scientist Kasley Killam, and Danielle Baskin, founder of the social connection app Dialup. 

If rituals and traditions are the glue that keeps us together and protect us from disconnection, then it's important to understand how they are created, what makes them work, and how they frame our perceptions of things like time, pain and meaning.

We explore models of ritual, different frameworks for connection, and how loneliness can actually pivot our lives in surprising ways.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 30 Apr 2020 07:55:09 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Sasha Sagan, Danielle Baskin, Kasley Killam, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/11-who-we-become-when-were-lonely-the-rituals-that-will-save-u%e2%80%aas%e2%80%ac/ Brands are facing the fact that loneliness has become a part of our identities, crisis or not. But you can’t talk about loneliness without talking about the meaning of rituals first. 

As society becomes more secularized and isolated, we struggle to find the self-defining connection that rituals once afforded us. The weekly gathering that separated work from rest, the rituals of birth and death, the seasonal rituals of growth and change - all of these have been fading from our identities, and perhaps accelerated out of our lives with the arrival of COVID-19.

Many tech and D2C brands have rushed in to fill the gap, but as the after-effects of crisis set in and we emerge from the collective trauma of social distancing and major economic loss, loneliness and ritual will take on radically new meanings.

In this episode, we speak with three people whose work and research has significantly impacted our understanding of loneliness and human connection today:  Sasha Sagan, daughter of Carl Sagan and author of the social history book “For Small Creatures Such As We”, Harvard social scientist Kasley Killam, and Danielle Baskin, founder of the social connection app Dialup. 

If rituals and traditions are the glue that keeps us together and protect us from disconnection, then it's important to understand how they are created, what makes them work, and how they frame our perceptions of things like time, pain and meaning.

We explore models of ritual, different frameworks for connection, and how loneliness can actually pivot our lives in surprising ways.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 11: Who We Become When We’re Lonely & The Rituals That Will Save Us Sasha Sagan, Danielle Baskin, Kasley Killam, Jasmine Bina 01:34:10 Brands are facing the fact that loneliness has become a part of our identities, crisis or not. But you can’t talk about loneliness without talking about the meaning of rituals. We speak with Sasha Sagan, author of the social history book “For Small Creatures Such As We”, Harvard social scientist Kasley Killam, and Danielle Baskin, founder of the social connection app Dialup, about models of ritual, connection, and how loneliness can actually pivot our lives in surprising directions. Brands are facing the fact that loneliness has become a part of our identities, crisis or not. But you can’t talk about loneliness without talking about the meaning of rituals. We speak with Sasha Sagan, author of the social history book “For Small Creatures Such As We”, Harvard social scientist Kasley Killam, and Danielle Baskin, founder of the social connection app Dialup, about models of ritual, connection, and how loneliness can actually pivot our lives in surprising directions. communications, tradition, loneliness, strategy, marketing, storytelling, public relations, covid19, story, business, pr, culture, rituals, narrative, brand strategy, pandemic, crisis, identity, psychology, community, branding, behavior, brand, business strategy, coronavirus false full 1fa472c0-bc20-423a-9845-9e2ab47d696d 10: The Power of Perception, Permission and Choice in Society and Government A lot has been said about branding and behavior at the individual or tribal level, but perhaps even more interesting is how these concepts work at the government level. How can government bodies use different psychological and branding techniques to change behaviors around work, life, and crisis situations like the one we’re living in now with COVID-19? 

Even more importantly, how can choice, perception and permission be leveraged for a more fruitful society after a crisis has passed? 

Rory Sutherland, prolific writer and author of ‘Alchemy’, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy and TED Speaker whose videos have received over 6.5 million views talks to us about the psychology that is often missing from economic models, and how behavior can be profoundly changed not by punitive enforcement, but by speaking to our very human inclinations. 

Rory’s work has boldly explored human psychology and behavior for global airlines, international conglomerates and of course, governments. He calls himself an anarchist, some have called him a contrarian, and NPR has labeled him one of the leading minds in the world of branding.

In our conversation with him, we explore models of human behavior, social norms, belief systems and the nuance of what he calls America’s “gloriously optimistic consumer base”.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 23 Apr 2020 06:39:56 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Rory Sutherland) https://conceptbureau.com/10-the-power-of-perception-permission-and-choice-in-society-and-governmen%e2%80%aat/ A lot has been said about branding and behavior at the individual or tribal level, but perhaps even more interesting is how these concepts work at the government level. How can government bodies use different psychological and branding techniques to change behaviors around work, life, and crisis situations like the one we’re living in now with COVID-19? 

Even more importantly, how can choice, perception and permission be leveraged for a more fruitful society after a crisis has passed? 

Rory Sutherland, prolific writer and author of ‘Alchemy’, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy and TED Speaker whose videos have received over 6.5 million views talks to us about the psychology that is often missing from economic models, and how behavior can be profoundly changed not by punitive enforcement, but by speaking to our very human inclinations. 

Rory’s work has boldly explored human psychology and behavior for global airlines, international conglomerates and of course, governments. He calls himself an anarchist, some have called him a contrarian, and NPR has labeled him one of the leading minds in the world of branding.

In our conversation with him, we explore models of human behavior, social norms, belief systems and the nuance of what he calls America’s “gloriously optimistic consumer base”.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 10: The Power of Perception, Permission and Choice in Society and Government Jasmine Bina, Rory Sutherland 00:55:30 Rory Sutherland, author of ‘Alchemy’ and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy talks to us about psychological and branding techniques for managing behavior during and after transformative cultural moments like COVID-19 and beyond. We explore models of human behavior, social norms, belief systems and the nuance of what he calls America’s “gloriously optimistic consumer base”. Rory Sutherland, author of ‘Alchemy’ and Vice Chairman of Ogilvy talks to us about psychological and branding techniques for managing behavior during and after transformative cultural moments like COVID-19 and beyond. We explore models of human behavior, social norms, belief systems and the nuance of what he calls America’s “gloriously optimistic consumer base”. communications, strategy, marketing, storytelling, public relations, government, covid19, story, business, pr, culture, politics, narrative, brand strategy, pandemic, crisis, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, business strategy, coronavirus false full d6059f11-cec1-4da1-91a9-1c965408a2cb 9: What should brands be doing in the time of COVID-19? The big question: how is a brand supposed to act during a pandemic? How can CEOs and brand owners serve their users in a meaningful way while still struggling to survive themselves? It’s a difficult situation that requires sensitivity, listening and an open mind. 

In this house episode, Jean-Louis and Jasmine survey the current brand landscape for examples of companies that are doing it right. From Marriott’s open display of vulnerability to Parsley Health’s implicit giving of permission and Cameo’s smartly aligned feel-good content - the answer to this dilemma is never as simple as “We’re here for you” founder letters and reduced prices. 

To really serve your users, you have to read the room and know one thing: business may be slowing, but culture is accelerating. 

While all of us are holed away in our homes and commerce quiets down, our norms and beliefs are silently evolving in the background. Among other things, automation will change our relationship to work, a retreat to nostalgia will further the divide between Gen Y and Z, and a sense of self-sufficiency will change how we view our most intimate spaces.  

Throughout the episode we try to predict what the future may hold in a time of quarantine because, like all strategy, you can’t see your next move if you can’t envision how the world will change. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 9 Apr 2020 05:39:28 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jean-Louis Rawlence, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/9-what-should-brands-be-doing-in-the-time-of-covid-19%e2%80%aa%e2%80%ac/ The big question: how is a brand supposed to act during a pandemic? How can CEOs and brand owners serve their users in a meaningful way while still struggling to survive themselves? It’s a difficult situation that requires sensitivity, listening and an open mind. 

In this house episode, Jean-Louis and Jasmine survey the current brand landscape for examples of companies that are doing it right. From Marriott’s open display of vulnerability to Parsley Health’s implicit giving of permission and Cameo’s smartly aligned feel-good content - the answer to this dilemma is never as simple as “We’re here for you” founder letters and reduced prices. 

To really serve your users, you have to read the room and know one thing: business may be slowing, but culture is accelerating. 

While all of us are holed away in our homes and commerce quiets down, our norms and beliefs are silently evolving in the background. Among other things, automation will change our relationship to work, a retreat to nostalgia will further the divide between Gen Y and Z, and a sense of self-sufficiency will change how we view our most intimate spaces.  

Throughout the episode we try to predict what the future may hold in a time of quarantine because, like all strategy, you can’t see your next move if you can’t envision how the world will change. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 9: What should brands be doing in the time of COVID-19? Jean-Louis Rawlence, Jasmine Bina 00:56:29 The big question: how is a brand supposed to act during a pandemic? How can CEOs and brand owners serve their users in a meaningful way while still struggling to survive themselves? It’s not as simple as “We’re here for you” founder letters and reduced prices. To really serve your users, you have to read the room and know one thing - business may be slowing, but culture is accelerating. The big question: how is a brand supposed to act during a pandemic? How can CEOs and brand owners serve their users in a meaningful way while still struggling to survive themselves? It’s not as simple as “We’re here for you” founder letters and reduced prices. To really serve your users, you have to read the room and know one thing - business may be slowing, but culture is accelerating. communications, strategy, marketing, storytelling, public relations, covid19, story, business, pr, culture, narrative, brand strategy, pandemic, crisis, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, business strategy, coronavirus false full 2e43c746-cd31-4af6-a454-7b1130474cdc 8: How We Consume Fear in a Time of Crisis, and the Brands That Change the Story Times of uncertainty have a way of revealing the mindset of a society, and today’s imminent threats - from COVID-19 to political instability and global warming - are revealing a mental shift that emotion-led brands are responding to. 

A new league of brands has created businesses around beautifully designed, high style, premium disaster kits and products that are suddenly relevant in a space that’s gotten very little attention in the past. Meanwhile, the world’s elite have invested in luxury bunkers, exotic real estate and indulgent doomsday plans. 

When did disaster preparedness become so fashionable? What can these companies teach us about branding in a time of crisis?

We speak with BBC and Vox journalist Colleen Hagerty, eschatologist and end-of-world expert Phil Torres, and founders Ryan Kuhlman and Lauren Tafuri of the popular disaster kit brand Preppi to explore the different narratives and deep rooted human beliefs that make sense of this trend. 

Don’t be misled by beautiful design and luxury veneers. There’s something going on in the subtext here that can explain a meaningful shift in our cultural values.  

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 19 Mar 2020 07:48:31 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Lauren Tafuri, Colleen Hagerty, Ryan Kuhlman, Jasmine Bina, Phil Torres) https://conceptbureau.com/8-how-we-consume-fear-in-a-time-of-crisis-and-the-brands-that-change-the-stor%e2%80%aay%e2%80%ac/ Times of uncertainty have a way of revealing the mindset of a society, and today’s imminent threats - from COVID-19 to political instability and global warming - are revealing a mental shift that emotion-led brands are responding to. 

A new league of brands has created businesses around beautifully designed, high style, premium disaster kits and products that are suddenly relevant in a space that’s gotten very little attention in the past. Meanwhile, the world’s elite have invested in luxury bunkers, exotic real estate and indulgent doomsday plans. 

When did disaster preparedness become so fashionable? What can these companies teach us about branding in a time of crisis?

We speak with BBC and Vox journalist Colleen Hagerty, eschatologist and end-of-world expert Phil Torres, and founders Ryan Kuhlman and Lauren Tafuri of the popular disaster kit brand Preppi to explore the different narratives and deep rooted human beliefs that make sense of this trend. 

Don’t be misled by beautiful design and luxury veneers. There’s something going on in the subtext here that can explain a meaningful shift in our cultural values.  

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 8: How We Consume Fear in a Time of Crisis, and the Brands That Change the Story Lauren Tafuri, Colleen Hagerty, Ryan Kuhlman, Jasmine Bina, Phil Torres 01:14:23 Times of uncertainty have a way of revealing the mindset of a society, and today’s imminent threats - from COVID-19 to political instability and global warming - are revealing a mental shift that emotion-led brands are responding to. We speak with BBC and Vox journalist Colleen Hagerty, eschatologist and end-of-world expert Phil Torres, and founders Ryan Kuhlman and Lauren Tafuri of the popular disaster kit brand Preppi to ask one big question: How do you brand in a time of crisis? Times of uncertainty have a way of revealing the mindset of a society, and today’s imminent threats - from COVID-19 to political instability and global warming - are revealing a mental shift that emotion-led brands are responding to. We speak with BBC and Vox journalist Colleen Hagerty, eschatologist and end-of-world expert Phil Torres, and founders Ryan Kuhlman and Lauren Tafuri of the popular disaster kit brand Preppi to ask one big question: How do you brand in a time of crisis? communications, strategy, marketing, storytelling, covid-19, business, pr, culture, psychology, branding, behavior, brand, coronavirus false full a77dcf0b-9be3-4d77-a729-ceef092dd7a6 7: Cultural Constructs Are The Real Brand Opportunity Brands like Ring and Billie leverage the uncertainty of our changing value systems to create new interest in old paradigms. In other words, they play with cultural constructs: arbitrary systems determined by our culture or our community, rather than a truth that stems from an immovable aspect of human nature. They prove that when constructs start to change, real brand opportunities start to emerge. 

In this house episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis talk about some of the biggest constructs defining our lives right now, from the nuclear family and privacy to gender and personal hygiene. These are constructs in limbo, creating a new brand whitespace for smart companies to play in.

They are also constructs that affect our everyday decisions. Some may seem inconsequential, others may seem like they are fading, but don't be fooled. Many of our archaic constructs are alive and well, dictating how we move within our lives. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 27 Feb 2020 07:15:31 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jean-Louis Rawlence, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/7-cultural-constructs-are-the-real-brand-opportunit%e2%80%aay/ Brands like Ring and Billie leverage the uncertainty of our changing value systems to create new interest in old paradigms. In other words, they play with cultural constructs: arbitrary systems determined by our culture or our community, rather than a truth that stems from an immovable aspect of human nature. They prove that when constructs start to change, real brand opportunities start to emerge. 

In this house episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis talk about some of the biggest constructs defining our lives right now, from the nuclear family and privacy to gender and personal hygiene. These are constructs in limbo, creating a new brand whitespace for smart companies to play in.

They are also constructs that affect our everyday decisions. Some may seem inconsequential, others may seem like they are fading, but don't be fooled. Many of our archaic constructs are alive and well, dictating how we move within our lives. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 7: Cultural Constructs Are The Real Brand Opportunity Jean-Louis Rawlence, Jasmine Bina 00:50:39 Brands like Ring and Billie leverage the uncertainty of our changing value systems to create new interest in old paradigms. In other words, they play with cultural constructs: arbitrary systems determined by our culture or our community, rather than a truth that stems from an immovable aspect of human nature. They prove that when constructs start to change, real brand opportunities start to emerge. Brands like Ring and Billie leverage the uncertainty of our changing value systems to create new interest in old paradigms. In other words, they play with cultural constructs: arbitrary systems determined by our culture or our community, rather than a truth that stems from an immovable aspect of human nature. They prove that when constructs start to change, real brand opportunities start to emerge. d2c, strategy, marketing, storytelling, business, culture, brand strategy, psychology, branding, consumer brands, behavior, brand false full be2cc18f-ca42-4d43-836a-fcbc56d60f5a 6: Burnout Brands and the Burden of Potential The undercurrent of burnout in American society and has opened the doors to a whole new breed of D2C branding that promises to heal us from the ills of the modern world. From analyses to antidotes, our obsession with burnout is changing the way we consider products and consider ourselves.

In this episode, we speak with Emmett Shine, cofounder of Pattern Brands, and previous cofounder of the lauded branding agency Gin Lane. Emmett and his team have created some of the most powerful D2C brands of the past decade including Harry’s, Hims, Recess, Everlane and Warby Parker, and now his own sub-brands Equal Parts and Open Spaces… all, in some way or another, speaking to the larger burnout narrative.

We also speak with psychotherapist Abby Krom who has researched an emerging form of burnout among millennials called The Burden of Potential. She sees an even deeper shift in millennials and Gen Z who are negotiating the tension between wanting to achieve, and not wanting to be vulnerable. Her work explores how these conflicting needs are exhausting us emotionally and physically.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 13 Feb 2020 06:42:25 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Emmett Shine, Jean-Louis Rawlence, Abby Krom, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/6-burnout-brands-and-the-burden-of-potentia%e2%80%aal%e2%80%ac/ The undercurrent of burnout in American society and has opened the doors to a whole new breed of D2C branding that promises to heal us from the ills of the modern world. From analyses to antidotes, our obsession with burnout is changing the way we consider products and consider ourselves.

In this episode, we speak with Emmett Shine, cofounder of Pattern Brands, and previous cofounder of the lauded branding agency Gin Lane. Emmett and his team have created some of the most powerful D2C brands of the past decade including Harry’s, Hims, Recess, Everlane and Warby Parker, and now his own sub-brands Equal Parts and Open Spaces… all, in some way or another, speaking to the larger burnout narrative.

We also speak with psychotherapist Abby Krom who has researched an emerging form of burnout among millennials called The Burden of Potential. She sees an even deeper shift in millennials and Gen Z who are negotiating the tension between wanting to achieve, and not wanting to be vulnerable. Her work explores how these conflicting needs are exhausting us emotionally and physically.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 6: Burnout Brands and the Burden of Potential Emmett Shine, Jean-Louis Rawlence, Abby Krom, Jasmine Bina 01:04:18 We speak with Pattern Brands co-founder Emmett Shine and psychotherapist Abby Krom about the undercurrent of burnout in American society and how it has opened the doors to a whole new breed of D2C branding. From analyses to antidotes, our obsession with burnout (and how to heal it) is changing the way we consider products and consider ourselves. We speak with Pattern Brands co-founder Emmett Shine and psychotherapist Abby Krom about the undercurrent of burnout in American society and how it has opened the doors to a whole new breed of D2C branding. From analyses to antidotes, our obsession with burnout (and how to heal it) is changing the way we consider products and consider ourselves. agency, d2c, strategy, marketing, gen z, storytelling, cpg, millennial, consumerism, business, culture, brand strategy, psychology, burnout, behavior, brand, direct to consumer, digital first brands false full ea5624d9-b4ec-4a2d-a321-a7b3ccf39bfe 5: The Emerging Languages and Symbols of Social Media We’re leaving the current age of social media and entering a new one where our symbols and our languages are changing. Any time a new age is born, the rules get harder, the audience becomes more discerning, and all of us - people, brands, identities - are separated into those that move ahead and those that are left behind.

The question now is, what is this new age that we’re walking into?

In this episode we speak with two experts on opposite sides of the spectrum in order to answer this question. 

Erin Weinger is the Vice President, Social Editorial, at Sony Pictures Television who has also worked with some of the biggest influencers and publishers in the game. Her vision of the new age of social media is a stark departure from where we are now.

We also speak with Dr. Therese Mascardo, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of the wellness community Exploring Therapy. Dr. Mascardo is in a unique position to talk about the cultural shifts happening in social because she’s both in the practice of mental health, where much of social media can be more clearly understood, and in the practice of building a social media brand… as an influencer herself.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Learn more about Dr. Therese Mascardo and Exploring Therapy here.  

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 16 Jan 2020 06:27:11 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Erin Weinger, Jean-Louis Rawlence, Dr. Therese Mascardo, Jasmine Bina) https://conceptbureau.com/5-the-emerging-languages-and-symbols-of-social-medi%e2%80%aaa%e2%80%ac/ We’re leaving the current age of social media and entering a new one where our symbols and our languages are changing. Any time a new age is born, the rules get harder, the audience becomes more discerning, and all of us - people, brands, identities - are separated into those that move ahead and those that are left behind.

The question now is, what is this new age that we’re walking into?

In this episode we speak with two experts on opposite sides of the spectrum in order to answer this question. 

Erin Weinger is the Vice President, Social Editorial, at Sony Pictures Television who has also worked with some of the biggest influencers and publishers in the game. Her vision of the new age of social media is a stark departure from where we are now.

We also speak with Dr. Therese Mascardo, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of the wellness community Exploring Therapy. Dr. Mascardo is in a unique position to talk about the cultural shifts happening in social because she’s both in the practice of mental health, where much of social media can be more clearly understood, and in the practice of building a social media brand… as an influencer herself.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Learn more about Dr. Therese Mascardo and Exploring Therapy here.  

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 5: The Emerging Languages and Symbols of Social Media Erin Weinger, Jean-Louis Rawlence, Dr. Therese Mascardo, Jasmine Bina 01:13:23 We speak with Sony Pictures Television executive Erin Weinger and clinical psychologist Dr. Therese Mascardo about the passing of the current age of social media and the beginning of another. Any time a new age is born, the rules get harder, the audience becomes more discerning, and all of us - people, brands, identities - are separated into those that move ahead and those that are left behind. The question now is, what is this new age that we’re walking into? We speak with Sony Pictures Television executive Erin Weinger and clinical psychologist Dr. Therese Mascardo about the passing of the current age of social media and the beginning of another. Any time a new age is born, the rules get harder, the audience becomes more discerning, and all of us - people, brands, identities - are separated into those that move ahead and those that are left behind. The question now is, what is this new age that we’re walking into? strategy, marketing, storytelling, consumer, business, instagram, culture, influencer, brand strategy, community, branding, behavior, brand, social media false full 26cc4d0b-593c-42a9-bde5-28f598d02b58 4: Look To The Future To Understand The Present We’re used to looking at history in order to understand the present, but what happens when we look to the future? In this house episode we conduct ‘100 Year Thought Experiments’ - a simple mental device for brand strategists - to better understand the current cultural mechanics of health, careers, environmentalism and food.

“When the definition of something changes, the stigma around it changes, too.“

In all of these areas, definitions are starting to change. Our words and language, our perceptions and beliefs are shifting in exciting new ways that are more readily revealed when we look to the future first.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Thu, 2 Jan 2020 18:18:57 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence) https://conceptbureau.com/4-look-to-the-future-to-understand-the-presen%e2%80%aat%e2%80%ac/ We’re used to looking at history in order to understand the present, but what happens when we look to the future? In this house episode we conduct ‘100 Year Thought Experiments’ - a simple mental device for brand strategists - to better understand the current cultural mechanics of health, careers, environmentalism and food.

“When the definition of something changes, the stigma around it changes, too.“

In all of these areas, definitions are starting to change. Our words and language, our perceptions and beliefs are shifting in exciting new ways that are more readily revealed when we look to the future first.

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode:


Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 4: Look To The Future To Understand The Present Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence 00:43:19 We’re used to looking at history in order to understand the present, but what happens when we look to the future? In this house episode we conduct ‘100 Year Thought Experiments’ - a simple mental device for brand strategists - to better understand the current cultural mechanics of health, careers, environmentalism, and food. We’re used to looking at history in order to understand the present, but what happens when we look to the future? In this house episode we conduct ‘100 Year Thought Experiments’ - a simple mental device for brand strategists - to better understand the current cultural mechanics of health, careers, environmentalism, and food. strategy, marketing, environment, business, mental health, economics, culture, work, brand strategy, psychology, branding, future, behavior, brand, food false full bd746483-55d4-473a-a73f-32146b799685 3: Women, Beauty, Money and Motherhood Influencer-led beauty veteran Ria Muljadi gets deep with us about the current role of a women’s brand, what it means to have a realization about yourself through a brand experience, the personal impact of reconsidering your national identity, and how burnout is the new cause.

“When this conversation started, it was almost like a floodgate. People felt it but never knew what it was until somebody said it.“

Ria is the CFO of Em Cosmetics, and formerly Head of Finance for Ipsy. She has the unique perspective of being someone who literally helped build the modern influencer-first beauty industry, but also seeing it more objectively from a non-branding role.

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Sat, 7 Dec 2019 02:49:29 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Ria Muljadi) https://conceptbureau.com/3-women-beauty-money-and-motherhood/ Influencer-led beauty veteran Ria Muljadi gets deep with us about the current role of a women’s brand, what it means to have a realization about yourself through a brand experience, the personal impact of reconsidering your national identity, and how burnout is the new cause.

“When this conversation started, it was almost like a floodgate. People felt it but never knew what it was until somebody said it.“

Ria is the CFO of Em Cosmetics, and formerly Head of Finance for Ipsy. She has the unique perspective of being someone who literally helped build the modern influencer-first beauty industry, but also seeing it more objectively from a non-branding role.

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 3: Women, Beauty, Money and Motherhood Jasmine Bina, Ria Muljadi 00:46:38 Influencer-led beauty veteran Ria Muljadi gets deep with us about the current role of a women’s brand, what it means to have a realization about yourself through a brand experience, the personal impact of reconsidering your national identity, and how burnout is the new cause. Influencer-led beauty veteran Ria Muljadi gets deep with us about the current role of a women’s brand, what it means to have a realization about yourself through a brand experience, the personal impact of reconsidering your national identity, and how burnout is the new cause. strategy, marketing, storytelling, retail, business, economics, culture, brand strategy, startup, psychology, behavior, brand, money, women false full 0896825b-4e5b-4290-b40d-fadfa9f1105d 2: Where Identity Meets Behavior We speak with luxury branding expert Ana Andjelic about the imagined communities that form around identity brands, the importance of hacking subculture over hacking growth, and the gendered stories that tap into our collective psyche.

“Brands now create a sense of belonging to a specific community which is imagined, because we don’t know those people, we just know we like similar things and we share the same values.”

Ana is the former Chief Brand Officer for Rebecca Minkoff, former SVP and Global Strategy Director for Havas’ LuxHub, and currently serves as an Executive Brand Consultant for companies like David Yurman and Mansur Gavriel.

She’s also a Doctor of Sociology, prolific writer on all things retail, consumer behavior, branding and strategy.

Read all of Ana’s writing: http://www.andjelicaaa.com/

Read the article we discussed where Ana describes the value of hacking culture: https://medium.com/@andjelicaaa/hacking-culture-hacking-growth-a0cbf22917cf

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Sat, 7 Dec 2019 02:47:25 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Ana Andjelic) https://conceptbureau.com/where-identity-meets-new-behavior/ We speak with luxury branding expert Ana Andjelic about the imagined communities that form around identity brands, the importance of hacking subculture over hacking growth, and the gendered stories that tap into our collective psyche.

“Brands now create a sense of belonging to a specific community which is imagined, because we don’t know those people, we just know we like similar things and we share the same values.”

Ana is the former Chief Brand Officer for Rebecca Minkoff, former SVP and Global Strategy Director for Havas’ LuxHub, and currently serves as an Executive Brand Consultant for companies like David Yurman and Mansur Gavriel.

She’s also a Doctor of Sociology, prolific writer on all things retail, consumer behavior, branding and strategy.

Read all of Ana’s writing: http://www.andjelicaaa.com/

Read the article we discussed where Ana describes the value of hacking culture: https://medium.com/@andjelicaaa/hacking-culture-hacking-growth-a0cbf22917cf

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 2: Where Identity Meets Behavior Jasmine Bina, Ana Andjelic 00:52:45 We speak with luxury branding expert Ana Andjelic about the imagined communities that form around identity brands, the importance of hacking subculture over hacking growth, and the gendered stories that tap into our collective psyche. We speak with luxury branding expert Ana Andjelic about the imagined communities that form around identity brands, the importance of hacking subculture over hacking growth, and the gendered stories that tap into our collective psyche. strategy, marketing, storytelling, retail, consumer, business, culture, brand strategy, startup, identity, psychology, enterprise, behavior, brand false full 4412f03a-e9ae-4080-8931-3a6802955263 1: The New Rules of Brand Strategy It’s the edge cases that hint at what’s to come in the next 5-10 years of brand strategy: the coming wave of new consumerism, reaching peak complexity as a society, and the fallacy of the D2C model.

In this launch episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis talk about how to create brand strategy frameworks that expand and contract so that you arrive at a defensible position, and explore current movements in especially noisy verticals like CPG, politics and education.

“So much of brand strategy is creating frameworks that deconstruct why the world works the way that it works, and then reconstructing it so it works differently.” 

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> Sat, 7 Dec 2019 02:43:27 +0000 Jasmine@theconceptbureau.com (Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence) https://conceptbureau.com/the-new-rules-of-brand-strategy/ It’s the edge cases that hint at what’s to come in the next 5-10 years of brand strategy: the coming wave of new consumerism, reaching peak complexity as a society, and the fallacy of the D2C model.

In this launch episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis talk about how to create brand strategy frameworks that expand and contract so that you arrive at a defensible position, and explore current movements in especially noisy verticals like CPG, politics and education.

“So much of brand strategy is creating frameworks that deconstruct why the world works the way that it works, and then reconstructing it so it works differently.” 

Check out our website for more brand strategy thinking, and come connect with us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

]]> 1: The New Rules of Brand Strategy Jasmine Bina, Jean-Louis Rawlence 01:08:10 The coming wave of new consumerism, making users pay a premium for the story, and how to create brand strategy frameworks that consistently lead to defensible positioning. In this kickoff episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis explore the edge cases of strategy in today’s marketplace, and the ideas and trends that are changing the branding landscape. The coming wave of new consumerism, making users pay a premium for the story, and how to create brand strategy frameworks that consistently lead to defensible positioning. In this kickoff episode, Jasmine and Jean-Louis explore the edge cases of strategy in today’s marketplace, and the ideas and trends that are changing the branding landscape. d2c, strategy, marketing, communication, retail, consumer, business, economics, culture, politics, brand strategy, startup, psychology, community, behavior, brand false full