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 | Chapter 1 | 3 Things to Know, 3 Things to Do, 3 Things to Share
Looking for a fresh perspective on brand building in today's chaotic digital landscape? We've distilled Chapter 1 from Kai D. Wright's game-changing book "Follow the Feeling: Brand Building in a Noisy World" into a practical preview for inspiration and motivation. In this chapter, learn the power of pattern recognition, get the foundations of what makes a strong brand, and hear about the work of Emilie Wapnik.
Using our 3x3 format, we deliver three (3) things to know, three (3) things to do, and three (3) things to share with others.
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.
Okay, so you're in the right spot If you want to sort of get the cheat sheet on a cool approach to brand building.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:We've been looking at this book. Follow the Feeling Brand Building in a Noisy World by Kai D. Wright.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I got to say it's a bit different than your average business book. So think of us as your friends who read it for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right, and are giving you the highlights. That's a good way to put it, you know. And Wright brings like a really unique perspective to the table too, because he's not just like an academic.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Who's you know throwing theories around. He's advised like big companies all across finance and tech, and even beauty.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:And he lectures at Columbia. So he's really seen like what works and what doesn't.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's got this amazing background and you can tell that it's a mix of like real world experience and then also like really deep thinking, yeah, so what we're going to try and do today is give you the essence of his ideas.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know sort of the core takeaways so you can start thinking differently about how brands connect in today's world.
Speaker 2:Such a crazy digital world out there.
Speaker 1:It really is.
Speaker 2:And so think of this as you're fast-tracked to understanding his core arguments.
Speaker 1:That's great, and we're going to jump into the first chapter with this cool format three by three.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So we'll talk about three things you should know, three things you can do, and then three things that are really worth sharing. Love it Just as a quick way to kind of grasp onto the core of what he's talking about in the first chapter.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's do it. Chapter one here we go.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Three by three lens First up three things to know.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:What really stood out to you as the most important from this chapter.
Speaker 1:Well, the first thing that I think really resonated was how Wright's early experience moving to the US from Germany and feeling like an outsider, like that, actually ended up being a really powerful asset for him. He talks about observing people and picking up on all these nuances that other people might miss, and that different perspective, that feeling of being on the periphery.
Speaker 2:Really shaped his ability to kind of analyze and understand different points of view later on.
Speaker 1:It's amazing how these like really early, sometimes formative experiences can become such huge strengths. Yeah, you know later on.
Speaker 2:I know it's like those things you don't expect.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He also talks about being part of this program for gifted students.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Where he really developed his skills in spotting patterns, putting the pieces together and problem solving.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:And you can see how those skills would be so crucial for understanding the whole world of branding.
Speaker 1:You can totally see how that would play a role. Yeah, it's all about patterns and connecting things.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Branding is all about understanding those patterns in how consumers behave Right and then bringing all these different elements together to create that unified message. Absolutely Branding is all about understanding those patterns in how consumers behave Right and then bringing all these different elements together to create that unified message Right. So the second key thing to know actually comes from his time teaching at Columbia. Okay, there was this classroom exercise about reimagining the New York City subway system.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And it led him to a really fundamental insight about brands. He realized that brands are driven by these two main forces, what they say he calls the lexicon and what they do which is the overall experience that they create.
Speaker 1:So simple, but so powerful, I know Right.
Speaker 2:When you think about it.
Speaker 1:It makes you immediately evaluate brands that you know and think about. Are they walking the walk?
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Talking the talk, you know, is there that consistency or that inconsistency?
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that consistency, or lack thereof, is so important for building trust, yes, and creating a strong identity for your brand.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So that leads us to the third thing from this chapter that I think is really important, okay, which is Wright's own career journey. Makes sense he draws this really clear contrast between his early days working at Ogilvy.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Where the focus was on making brands truly matter in a world before the internet was everywhere.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And his later experiences working more in the digital landscape, where there's this constant pressure to persuade or else-.
Speaker 1:It's such a different world right.
Speaker 2:It is such a huge shift, you know, from building that meaningful connection to this constant drive to convert people right away.
Speaker 1:It really highlights the whole evolution of marketing and brand strategy.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, so those are three super key things to know from chapter one.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Now let's think about our listeners. You know, what can you actually do with this information?
Speaker 2:That's the important part.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what are three action items that we can give them?
Speaker 2:Well, first, taking a cue from Wright's experience as an outsider, I think it's valuable to reflect on times when you might have felt like an outsider yourself.
Speaker 1:That's interesting.
Speaker 2:Even in really subtle ways, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Think about how did that experience shape your perspective. Yeah, think about how did that experience shape your perspective.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Could that unique point of view that you gained from that actually be a strength in how you approach your own work Right, or your projects Totally, you know? Think about those times when you felt a little bit different and the insights that you gained from them.
Speaker 1:It's like turning what might have felt like a negative into a positive.
Speaker 2:Exactly so. The second thing you can do is actually analyze a brand okay that stands out to you, either positively or negatively. Okay, use that lexicon and experience framework we just talked about, right? What are they saying in their marketing materials on our website? Yeah and their customer service interactions, and what's the actual experience of interacting with their products or using their service?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What overall feeling do those two things create for you?
Speaker 1:That's a good question.
Speaker 2:Are they in sync?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's really a practical way to look at it. It is, you know moving beyond just liking or disliking a brand.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But really understanding why.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like that.
Speaker 2:And the third thing you can do is consider the core message you're trying to communicate yourself. Okay, whether it's for your own personal brand or for your company, right? What is that feeling that you want to evoke in others?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:How are you currently trying to persuade them Right, especially in this world where we have so many different platforms?
Speaker 1:It's so true.
Speaker 2:Could you be more intentional about aligning your message?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:How you deliver it. Yeah, to create that feeling.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's crucial advice for anyone who's trying to make an impact.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because you've got to think about that emotional connection, not just the information that you're putting out there, right, okay, so we've got our no's, we've got our do's, yeah, yeah. Let's move on to three things that you can share from this chapter. All right, these are ideas that might spark some really interesting conversations with your colleagues, your friends, whoever.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:So what's the first shareable concept?
Speaker 2:Well, the first one is actually this term that uses brand promiscuity.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Which is kind of a funny way.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:But he uses it to describe agency planners who work with all these different brands.
Speaker 1:I see.
Speaker 2:You know, across different industries.
Speaker 1:Makes sense.
Speaker 2:And I think it's an interesting way to think about the benefits of being exposed to all these different approaches to branding.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, so sharing this with people might spark a discussion about how looking outside your own immediate field Right Can bring in fresh ideas.
Speaker 1:It's like flipping the idea of specialization on its head and saying hey, sometimes a broader view is actually better.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:I like it Okay, what about the second idea?
Speaker 2:The second one is Wright's belief that data alone doesn't give you the full story about a brand's health Interesting. He really stresses how important it about a brand's health Interesting he really stresses how important it is to understand the feeling that a brand creates.
Speaker 1:Makes sense.
Speaker 2:So maybe you could ask colleagues or friends to think about brands that they have a strong emotional connection with, whether positive or negative.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's a great way to bring that human element into branding that sometimes those numbers miss.
Speaker 1:It's so easy to get caught up in all the metrics.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:That we forget about the core human emotions.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:That drive all those decisions in the first place, right, okay, and a third thing to share.
Speaker 2:Last but not least, mention Wright's observation about how complex persuasion is in today's world there are so many channels so much data to try and sift through. He calls for a more streamlined approach that focuses on the core emotion that the brand wants to inspire.
Speaker 1:Makes sense.
Speaker 2:So this can really resonate with anyone who feels overwhelmed by the digital marketing landscape.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Yes, it's so overwhelming.
Speaker 2:I know right, yeah, and it might spark a conversation about simplifying those strategies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, sometimes the most effective thing is just to like cut through the noise and really focus on that human connection.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, that's so important.
Speaker 1:So we have done our three by three. Look at chapter one. Hopefully it's given you guys a good taste of his thinking. Yeah, I think so, but he ends by saying that the next chapters are going to dive deeper into emotions, consumer behavior and all the ways that you can use feelings in branding.
Speaker 2:Sounds really interesting.
Speaker 1:It does.
Speaker 2:I'm excited to keep reading.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So to sum it all up for you guys, yeah. The core message of Follow the Feeling is that, in today's world, where everyone is shouting for attention, right and there's so much noise. It's true, really understanding and using the feelings that you create in your audience was absolutely crucial for building a brand that not only survives but thrives that's the key and for those of you who want to explore this stuff further right we have some great news. What's that?
Speaker 1:He right is releasing a workbook that goes along with Follow the Feeling this summer. Okay, so that'll give you a really practical way to dig in and apply these concepts.
Speaker 2:That's really cool.
Speaker 1:And for even more creative inspiration daily and weekly, follow the Brand Builder Lab podcast and follow Kai on LinkedIn.
Speaker 2:Great advice Okay.
Speaker 1:Until next time, keep following those feelings.
Speaker 2:I will.
Speaker 1:And we'll see you.
Speaker 2:Sounds good.
