TL;DR: What do I do? Use what I've learned working with global businesses such as Nike, MasterCard and LG Electronics to help startups and SMBs with brand creation, brand development, and integrated marketing strategy.How do I get my clients and strategic partners there? Since the goal is not only to get people to buy your product/service, but to get people to buy [into] your brand, I always begin there to make sure all is shored up. From there I look at target and culture to determine the best way to communicate through tech & media. Trust me, it works. Let's draw it out.➡️ “YOUR BRAND IS YOUR BUSINESS’S MOST IMPORTANT ASSET.”The quote above embodies the perspective from which I, as a marketer who has increased client revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars, approach strategy and planning:Additionally, I’ve been viewed as a social media expert and a DEI leader. And while the attention and accolades are appreciated, the celebrated expertise is built upon a foundation of understanding, creating, and executing marketing strategies built on an explicit foundation of branding.Anything I’ve done regarding strategy, whether social, real-time, experiential, business, or marketing, have all come from brand strategy first because:Furthermore, my career track, includes the likes of—MasterCard, LG Electronics, Nike, Condé Nast, and Universal Records, Magnolia Bakery, Twitter, Coca-Cola, & Kaiju Capital Management. Furthermore:● As a strategist: the formation of strategic frameworks and processes—based, in part, design thinking, and thick description methodologies—designed to create stronger connections between businesses and their consumers that lead to more substantial acquisition, retention, and sales;● As an educator and trainer: how to create better relationships between clients, social platforms/strategic partners, and agencies to present and translate trends and other relevant data leading to more intelligent usage of tools and better client comfort with agency activity;● As a speaker: discussions on the critical relationships between cultural relevance, diversity & inclusion, and higher revenue, whether panel, fireside chat, lecture, or a keynote; and● As a writer: I contribute POVs on all things branding & marketing, as seen on LinkedIn, Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, The Drum, and other industry trades.All of the pillars above are necessary to build better brands and, in turn, better business. Full adoption of these pillars is the key to reaching the most favorable outcomes.