Follow the Feeling: Brand Builder
Follow the Feeling is a brand-building podcast produced by Kai D. Wright, Columbia University lecturer and author of Follow the Feeling: Brand Building in a Noisy World. A companion to the award-winning book, the podcast offers expert guidance and proven methods to help individuals build emotionally resonant, community-powered brands. Each episode breaks down the five brand-building moments that matter most—Lexicon, Audio, Visuals, Experience, and Culture—while providing actionable strategies and inspiration to grow with clarity and purpose.
Learn more at FollowTheFeeling.com.
Follow the Feeling: Brand Builder
Follow the Feeling: Brand Building | Preface and Introduction | 3 Things to Know, 3 Things to Do, 3 Things to Share
We dive behind the scenes of "Follow the Feeling: Brand Building in a Noisy World" by Kai D Wright, offering a backstage pass to the Preface and Introduction.
In this episode, we unpack:
- Surprising research from Bill Gross of Idealab reveals timing is more important than team or idea for startup success
- Only half of Fortune 500 companies survive over time, highlighting the vulnerability of even established brands
- Today's business landscape is increasingly social, data-driven, experiential, and digitally enabled
- The LAVEC framework (Lexicon triggers, Audio cues, Visual stimuli, Experience drivers, and Cultural connections) provides a system for creating emotional brand connections
- Humans are "feeling machines that think" and emotions drive our decisions more than rational thought
- Brands like SoulCycle, Airbnb, Disney, and Gatorade have successfully embedded positive emotions in their DNA
- Assess what feeling your brand currently triggers and what feeling you want it to evoke
- Evaluate your brand across the five LAVEC territories to identify strengths and areas for improvement
For creative inspiration, subscribe to the weekly Brand Builder Lab newsletter.
Produced by Kai D. Wright. Follow Kai on LinkedIn.
Buy the companion book, "Follow the Feeling: Brand Building in a Noisy World" on Amazon.
So we're going to be looking at this book like it's a backstage pass.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay.
Speaker 1:We're going to be going behind the scenes of follow the feeling brand building in a noisy world.
Speaker 2:I like that backstage pass idea.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just really trying to snag the insights and get them to you.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 1:Think like we're your book ninjas.
Speaker 2:Insight ninjas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, insight ninjas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 1:And we're going to be hitting you with our signature, three by three recap.
Speaker 2:Three by three.
Speaker 1:If you've never caught one of these recaps before.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for our new listeners.
Speaker 1:We're going to be giving you three things to know, three things to do and three things to share.
Speaker 2:I like it. I like that format. It keeps it nice and simple.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it keeps it really punchy, so educational and easy to follow.
Speaker 2:Easy to follow.
Speaker 1:So our mission today is to give a quick and concise overview of Follow the Feeling by Kai D Wright.
Speaker 2:Kai D Wright Follow the Feeling Excellent.
Speaker 1:All right, so let's jump into this thing. First up, three things to know.
Speaker 2:Three things to know.
Speaker 1:Number one early entrepreneurial roots.
Speaker 2:Love it.
Speaker 1:So back when Kai was in fourth grade, he had a business.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, fourth grade, that's impressive.
Speaker 1:It was a nonprofit recycling phone book.
Speaker 2:Recycling phone books. Ok, that's interesting. So even back then he was trying to solve a problem.
Speaker 1:Yeah, super young and thinking that way. That entrepreneurial spirit already brewing Right, and then fast forward a few years he is 12.
Speaker 2:OK.
Speaker 1:And he has his grass cutting business.
Speaker 2:The classic. Classic, yeah, and he's cutting that St Augustine grass down in Florida. Oh yeah, I've heard about that stuff. It's tough.
Speaker 1:It is tough stuff and he had to work with all the constraints of family time.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And school and get this For six years. He was essentially doing CRM before CRM was even a thing.
Speaker 2:Wow, six years, that's a long time.
Speaker 1:I know it's a long time really learning customer relationship management right how to get new customers, how to keep those customers happy yeah, customer acquisition, customer loyalty yeah, and he said he learned a lot about how to make businesses work or not makes sense.
Speaker 2:So six years of practical experience there, all right. So what's our second thing to know?
Speaker 1:second thing to know is the primacy of timing.
Speaker 2:Primacy of timing.
Speaker 1:Okay so this is really interesting.
Speaker 2:I'm intrigued.
Speaker 1:He references Bill Gross, who's the founder of Idealab.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, I know Idealab.
Speaker 1:You know Idealab.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they've been behind some big companies.
Speaker 1:Huge companies Airbnb, Instagram, Uber, YouTube, LinkedIn.
Speaker 2:Huge yeah. And he looked at all these startups and the factors that led to their success.
Speaker 1:Okay, interesting. So what did he find? So he looked at timing, the team, the idea, the business model and funding.
Speaker 2:Pretty comprehensive list.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the findings were pretty surprising.
Speaker 2:So what was the most important factor?
Speaker 1:Timing.
Speaker 2:Timing really more than the team or the idea.
Speaker 1:Even more than the team or the idea.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's fascinating.
Speaker 1:And he also drops this knowledge bomb. Only half of Fortune 500 companies survive.
Speaker 2:What only half.
Speaker 1:Over time only half.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, that really makes you think about the importance of timing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's huge right. Like these are massive established companies.
Speaker 2:Right, exactly, and they're still vulnerable.
Speaker 1:Still vulnerable.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So really puts it into perspective.
Speaker 2:It does Okay. So we've got entrepreneurial roots, We've got timing.
Speaker 1:What's our third thing to know? Our third thing to know is the shift in the business landscape.
Speaker 2:Okay, so how has the business landscape changed?
Speaker 1:So he contrasts the business world that he grew up in. He calls himself an elder millennial.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But a digital native, Okay, and how different it is today from you know the business world of the past.
Speaker 2:Right, Like how is it different?
Speaker 1:It's so social now, data-driven, experiential content-driven and digitally enabled.
Speaker 2:It's like a whole new world.
Speaker 1:Whole new world and every new platform, new piece of tech, every service. We're just drowning in data.
Speaker 2:Drowning in data? Yeah, I feel that.
Speaker 1:You feel?
Speaker 2:that Absolutely. We're constantly bombarded with information.
Speaker 1:And even experienced leaders can get totally lost in it.
Speaker 2:Makes sense. It's overwhelming.
Speaker 1:It's overwhelming, and it's this tension between you know, having tons of data and finding meaningful insights.
Speaker 2:Right, it's not just about the quantity of data, it's about what you do with it.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and it's interesting, he even talks about his own personal struggle with that.
Speaker 2:So how does he deal with this data overload?
Speaker 1:Well, he calls it his time management issue Time management issue. Okay, but it's really this balancing act of constantly learning and doing?
Speaker 2:Oh, I see, yeah, trying to stay ahead of the curve while still getting things done.
Speaker 1:Right, and that's what led him to be a scholar practitioner.
Speaker 2:Scholar practitioner, so both teaching and advising.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and you know he really sees the value in bridging that gap between theory and real world.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a valuable perspective.
Speaker 1:It is.
Speaker 2:So he's teaching at Columbia and advising businesses.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly, and by the time he was on the Forbes 30 under 30 list.
Speaker 2:Okay, impressive.
Speaker 1:He had five dream jobs.
Speaker 2:Five dream jobs.
Speaker 1:Wow, he's not wasting any time. Right, he was advising on huge brand and marketing campaigns.
Speaker 2:So at a young age he was already working with major companies.
Speaker 1:Working with celebrities, shaping personal brands for top execs influencers.
Speaker 2:He was really immersed in the branding world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and through all of that he saw these five core parts of any brand.
Speaker 2:Interesting, so those experiences really informed his understanding of branding.
Speaker 1:Yes, and he also brings in his background in economics from UChicago.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And he was a science fair enthusiast.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, so he's got this analytical side to him as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he connects it all to pattern recognition and how important that is for strategy.
Speaker 2:That makes sense, seeing those trends and understanding what they mean.
Speaker 1:And you know, professionally, he's always focused on how companies can use digital to connect with audiences.
Speaker 2:Right, because that's the landscape. Now Everyone's online.
Speaker 1:Right no-transcript. They're making our relationships feel colder.
Speaker 2:Interesting. So in this age of hyper-connectivity, we're actually feeling more disconnected.
Speaker 1:Sometimes it feels that way. Yeah, I could see that, and academically he's interested in behavioral economics 12-year-old economics Okay. And he studied under Gary Becker, a Nobel laureate.
Speaker 2:Wow, so he's got some serious academic credentials.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you know that's really shaped his thinking how people behave, what motivates them.
Speaker 2:Right, because ultimately, branding is about understanding people.
Speaker 1:Exactly so. How does all of this come together in the book? So he analyzed 1,500 companies 1,500 companies.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's a lot of data.
Speaker 1:To identify those five parts of a brand.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And 100 anomaly companies.
Speaker 2:Anomaly companies. What are those?
Speaker 1:These are companies that defied the typical patterns.
Speaker 2:Oh, so they were doing something different, something unique.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they had exceptional brand resonance.
Speaker 2:Interesting, so he's looking at what sets these companies apart.
Speaker 1:Right, and that's what informed the core framework of the book.
Speaker 2:Makes sense. So what is this framework Select?
Speaker 1:Okay, Lexicon triggers audio cues, visual stimuli, experience and cultural connections.
Speaker 2:Okay, so it's like a holistic approach to branding.
Speaker 1:It is and it's all about finding your brand's true North Star.
Speaker 2:True North Star. And like that and hacking and hijacking culture.
Speaker 1:Hacking and hijacking culture. Okay, that sounds a little bit edgy.
Speaker 2:It's about being disruptive.
Speaker 1:I see. So it's about finding that sweet spot between authenticity and cultural relevance.
Speaker 2:Exactly and he has this global perspective. You know he lived in Germany as part of a military family, traveled extensively and he emphasizes that these five brand areas are universal.
Speaker 1:That's interesting, so it's not just limited to one specific culture or region.
Speaker 2:It's a global framework.
Speaker 1:All right, so let's talk a little bit more about Kai himself. Yeah, what's his background?
Speaker 2:So Kai D Wright is a strategy advisor.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:For senior execs.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Lecturer at Columbia. Impressive Global consulting partner at Ogilvy.
Speaker 1:Wow, he's got a pretty impressive resume.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's been recognized by Forbes and Adweek. Yeah, he's been recognized by Forbes and Adweek. Okay Worked with Bank of America HP.
Speaker 1:Big names, spent a decade at Columbia as a student and as an instructor.
Speaker 2:Okay, so he's really familiar with both the academic and the business world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and his focus is on influence and persuasion.
Speaker 2:Makes sense for someone working in branding.
Speaker 1:And he calls himself an intellectual misfit. Intellectual misfit, that's an interesting way to describe himself, yeah, shaped by his upbringing and his diverse experiences.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And he's really at the intersection of media tech and culture.
Speaker 2:So he's got this unique perspective.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and the book argues that the most important expression of a brand is how it makes people feel.
Speaker 2:How it makes people feel, so it's all about emotion.
Speaker 1:It is, and you know he argues that we are driven by emotions.
Speaker 2:Right, we're not always rational creatures.
Speaker 1:And that strategically leveraging feelings through Levesque is a competitive advantage.
Speaker 2:So it's not just about logic and reason, it's about tapping into those emotional connections.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and he has over 100 brand examples and insights from behavioral science.
Speaker 2:So he's backing up his claims with real world evidence.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he even talks about his own selfish career goal.
Speaker 2:Selfish career goal. What's that?
Speaker 1:He always wanted to be constantly learning.
Speaker 2:OK, so always seeking out new knowledge and experiences.
Speaker 1:Yeah, through short term roles, starting with his first position at Ogilvy, and then five dream roles in 10 years.
Speaker 2:Now, that's a lot of movement.
Speaker 1:He intentionally sought out those different experiences.
Speaker 2:So he's a big believer in continuous learning and growth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he encountered so many questions from leaders.
Speaker 2:Like what kind of questions?
Speaker 1:How large companies can learn from startups.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, that's a common one.
Speaker 1:How brands can stay relevant.
Speaker 2:Especially in today's noisy world.
Speaker 1:Right how to navigate this digital revolution and what are the new rules of branding?
Speaker 2:Yeah, the game has changed, for sure.
Speaker 1:And he mentions Emily Wapnick's three traits for disruptors.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I've heard of her.
Speaker 1:What are?
Speaker 2:those traits Adaptability, synthesizing information and pattern recognition. So basically being able to adjust, to change, make sense of data and spot trends.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and those are super relevant today.
Speaker 2:Absolutely crucial for success in any field, really.
Speaker 1:And he highlights the difficulty of building loyalty and driving behavior in the digital age.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's hard to cut through the noise and get people to pay attention.
Speaker 1:And the need to jump the technology chasm quickly.
Speaker 2:Right, you've got to adapt or get left behind.
Speaker 1:And he touches on the evolution of branding.
Speaker 2:How has branding changed over time?
Speaker 1:You know it used to focus on creative assets.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:But now it's more intangible elements like customer experience and brand purpose.
Speaker 2:Right, it's not just about the logo and the tagline anymore. It's about the whole experience.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and that leads to that complex web of metrics we were talking about earlier.
Speaker 2:Yeah, trying to measure all those different aspects of the brand.
Speaker 1:And he uses this analogy of managing a brand today is like a tough mudder.
Speaker 2:Tough mudder like the obstacle course. Yes, okay, I like that analogy.
Speaker 1:With digital being the next big obstacle.
Speaker 2:So it's challenging, but you got to push through it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you got to push through it.
Speaker 2:So what's the solution? How do we navigate this new branding landscape?
Speaker 1:He argues for a new playbook for branding in the digital age.
Speaker 2:Okay, A new playbook. So we need to rethink our approach.
Speaker 1:And often the best story wins.
Speaker 2:The best story wins, so it's about crafting a compelling narrative.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and going back to that central challenge, how do we make sense of all the digital metrics?
Speaker 2:Right, how do we filter out the noise and find the signal?
Speaker 1:And pinpoint your brand's true value.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what really matters.
Speaker 1:And he contrasts old push marketing with today's focus on lifestyle integration.
Speaker 2:Okay. So it's not just about pushing your message out there, it's about becoming part of people's lives.
Speaker 1:Right and how brands make consumers feel.
Speaker 2:So empathy is key.
Speaker 1:Empathy is key and he points out that consumers control brand visibility now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, word of mouth, social media reviews. It's all in the hands of the consumer.
Speaker 1:And earning positive engagement is critical.
Speaker 2:Right, you got to give him something to talk about, something to share.
Speaker 1:And he sees branding as this intersection of design and psychology.
Speaker 2:Interesting. So it's not just about aesthetics, it's about understanding how people think and feel.
Speaker 1:And it's about hacking and hijacking hearts and minds.
Speaker 2:There's that phrase again hacking and hijacking.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's about being disruptive, being memorable.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm starting to get it.
Speaker 1:And he introduces this idea that humans are feeling, machines that think.
Speaker 2:Feeling machines that think so. Our emotions drive our decisions.
Speaker 1:Often they do.
Speaker 2:Interesting. So we're not as rational as we think we are.
Speaker 1:And he defines brand as how the consumer remembers you.
Speaker 2:How they remember you.
Speaker 1:And that's rooted in emotion.
Speaker 2:So it's not just about the product or service, it's about the feeling they associate with it.
Speaker 1:And we tend to have a stronger recall of negative feelings.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:So the challenge for brands is to cultivate positive association.
Speaker 2:Right, make them feel good.
Speaker 1:And he highlights brands like SoulCycle and Airbnb.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:That evoke this very specific central feeling.
Speaker 2:So they've really nailed down their emotional core.
Speaker 1:And then you have those iconic brands like Disney, Gatorade, Corona.
Speaker 2:Yeah, brands that everyone knows and loves.
Speaker 1:That have positive emotions embedded in their DNA. Okay, and he reiterates that those five territories of Levesque are key.
Speaker 2:To creating that emotional connection.
Speaker 1:Yes, and he references Kahneman.
Speaker 2:The Nobel Prize winners in behavioral economics.
Speaker 1:Yes, so grounding his framework in science.
Speaker 2:It's not just a hunch. It's based on research.
Speaker 1:And he positions following the feeling as the universal brand metric.
Speaker 2:Following the feeling.
Speaker 1:And Levesque as that system for navigating digital transformation.
Speaker 2:So it's a guide for building brands in this new world.
Speaker 1:Exactly, and he even talks about new tech that can measure cognitive emotions in real time.
Speaker 2:Wow, so we can actually see how people are feeling.
Speaker 1:And the book is this exploration of brand strategy, design thinking, psychological principles. Sounds fascinating, yeah strategy, design thinking, psychological principles Sounds fascinating? Yeah, and he includes practical case studies. Advice for revitalizing a brand with emotion.
Speaker 2:So it's not just theory, it's actionable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and personal stories from his own journey.
Speaker 2:Adding that personal touch.
Speaker 1:And he concludes by emphasizing the value of this framework for brand survival.
Speaker 2:Okay, so that was a really comprehensive overview of the process and introduction.
Speaker 1:All right. So those are the three things to know.
Speaker 2:Three things to know.
Speaker 1:On to the three things to do.
Speaker 2:Three things to do.
Speaker 1:Number one start thinking about feelings.
Speaker 2:Start thinking about feelings.
Speaker 1:Ask yourself what feeling does your brand currently trigger?
Speaker 2:So what's the emotional impact of my brand right now? And even more importantly, what feeling do you want it to evoke? Right? So what feeling do I want to cultivate?
Speaker 1:This is about aligning your brand with those deeper emotional drivers.
Speaker 2:It's about moving beyond just the functional benefits and focusing on the emotional connection.
Speaker 1:Number two familiarize yourself with Levesque.
Speaker 2:Levesque Okay.
Speaker 1:Start assessing your brand across those five territories.
Speaker 2:Lexicon audiovisuals, experience and cultural connections.
Speaker 1:Okay, Start assessing your brand across those five territories. Lexicon audio visuals experience and cultural connections. Right, so you know. Lexicon, the language you use, okay, Audio cues, the sounds and music, you're right. Visuals, your design elements Got it.
Speaker 2:The experience, the customer journey, okay, and cultural connections Right, how you tap into trends and values.
Speaker 1:Identify where your brand is strong and where you can improve.
Speaker 2:So it's a comprehensive brand audit.
Speaker 1:It is. And number three, seek inspiration from others.
Speaker 2:Seek inspiration.
Speaker 1:You know, pay attention to brands, large and small, that connect with you emotionally. Okay, analyze how they use Levesque.
Speaker 2:So look at how they're using language, visuals, customer experience to create that feeling.
Speaker 1:Learn from what connects with you and others.
Speaker 2:Right. See what's working for them and see if you can apply those principles to your own brand.
Speaker 1:All right, so those are the three things to do.
Speaker 2:Three things to do check.
Speaker 1:Now the three things to share.
Speaker 2:Three things to share.
Speaker 1:Number one the power of timing in business. The power of timing. You know that research from Bill Gross, Right. Share that surprising revelation.
Speaker 2:That timing was the most important factor for startup success.
Speaker 1:Even more than the idea or the team.
Speaker 2:It's a game changer.
Speaker 1:It is, and this is great to talk about with colleagues, friends, anyone in business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it really challenges our assumptions about what drives success.
Speaker 1:Number two, the idea of feeling machines.
Speaker 2:Fearing machines.
Speaker 1:Okay, you know share that concept that humans are driven by emotions.
Speaker 2:Right, we're not always as logical as we think we are.
Speaker 1:And how that impacts marketing and branding.
Speaker 2:So how do we use this knowledge to connect with our audience on a deeper level?
Speaker 1:And the third thing to share.
Speaker 2:OK, what's the last one?
Speaker 1:The upcoming workbook.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, the workbook.
Speaker 1:Kai's releasing it this summer.
Speaker 2:So a practical guide to applying these concepts.
Speaker 1:Hands-on exercises tools to help you implement Levesque.
Speaker 2:Awesome.
Speaker 1:Something to look forward to.
Speaker 2:So we've got the book and now the workbook to really dive deep.
Speaker 1:So, to sum up, yes. This has been a look at the preface and intro of Follow the Feeling.
Speaker 2:By Kai D Wright.
Speaker 1:The message is clear emotions are vital for building strong brands.
Speaker 2:Especially in today's digital world.
Speaker 1:Think about Wright's perspectives on timing and the balance between data and human connection.
Speaker 2:It's about finding that sweet spot between the analytical and the emotional.
Speaker 1:And for creative inspiration, check out the Brand Builder Lab podcast and follow Kai on LinkedIn.
Speaker 2:Yeah, great resources.
Speaker 1:And a final thought. Okay, hit me with it. In a world driven by data and tech, how can prioritizing emotional connection be your brand's competitive advantage?
Speaker 2:That's a great question, something for all of us to ponder.
Speaker 1:Thanks for tuning in.
Speaker 2:It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 1:We'll catch you next time.
Speaker 2:See ya.
