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I'm speaking at the 2026 Brand Builders Summit - Free Event

  • 1 day ago
  • 2 min read

Hello folks. I've got a BIG message for all Brand Builders out there. I'm thrilled to be speaking again at the 2026 global Brand Builders Summit. And you should 100% sign up!

The brilliant Jacob Cass (my co-host on the JUST Branding Podcast), is bringing together 40+ global brand leaders for a Summit like no other (if past events are anything to go by!). When is it?:

📅 8–11 September 2026 What is it?: 🌍 Four virtual days, backed with brand building value, available globally How much is it?: 🎟️ FREE to attend (yep you read that right!)



I'm up on Day 3. My keynote will ask this question: Why do good brand strategies die?

Spoiler alert: In my experience they die because they hit the organisation. 🤔 People. Politics. Competing priorities. Risk aversion. Endless edits. The desire to keep everybody happy. Until a bold strategy becomes a 'safe' strategy.

And a safe strategy becomes something nobody cares about.

I'm going to be talking about exactly this.

My keynote is entitled:

WHY STRATEGY DIES IN THE BOARDROOM (and how to stop it)

I'll be exploring why organisations naturally favour certainty over possibility, why data can keep us trapped in the past, and why attempts to "de-risk" strategy can end up removing the very thing that made it valuable in the first place.

But I don't just want to diagnose the problem.

I'm going to give brand builders a practical Strategy Survival Guide for doing something about it.

We'll get into how to:

  • Collaborate and build genuine leadership alignment

  • Win the room before you enter it

  • Make the customer the referee when opinions collide

  • Prototype ideas so leaders can see what's possible

  • Experiment rather than endlessly debate

  • Tell a story that builds emotional commitment

  • Launch strategy internally before taking it externally

  • Create the rituals that keep strategy alive long after the workshop ends

Because if you're a brand builder, whether you're a strategist, designer, marketer, consultant, creative entrepreneur, founder or brand leader, creating the strategy is only part of your job.

You have to help the organisation believe in it, commit to it and keep it alive.


I'll also be joining the wonderful Sarah Robb LIVE on September 11 at 7:15 AM CT for an interactive Q&A - so if my talk raises some awkward questions about what's happening inside your organisation, bring them along!

If you're serious about becoming a better brand builder, there's an amazing programme waiting for you.

See you at the Summit.



 
 
 

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