Why I’m Drawn to Brand Strategy

I approach brand strategy like a puzzle I’ve grown into. I like studying brand histories and letting the strongest parts of a story lead the solution. My perspective comes from curiosity, culture, and an artist’s instinct to highlight what’s already there—then bring it out in a way others can finally feel and see.

The problems I care most about solving are rooted in:

  • Understanding audiences

  • Translating culture into experience

  • Designing moments that resonate

  • Supporting creative legacies in the present

My interest in strategy is always evolving, because every puzzle teaches me a new way to solve it. I’m still shaping what that means for me, but over time, the pieces get clearer—and so does the picture.

I’ve Been Reading…

I’ve been reading The Brand New Future by Bob Sheard, and it’s been pretty helpful.

I’m taking my time with it. I’m also using these next few journal entries to process what the book is stirring up in me, because I can already tell it’s shifting how I think about brand.

One of the biggest reminders so far is that brand strategy and design are not “extra.” They are the foundation of identity. Not identity as a vibe, but identity as something people can recognize, trust, and repeat back to you.

That idea keeps making me think about how much of brand is actually earned.

Earned identity, to me, is simple. It’s what you’ve done that proves who you are. It’s the track record that makes the story believable. It’s the evidence.

And once identity is earned, it becomes authority. It becomes a credible reason a brand gets to exist and speak. Not because it’s loud, but because it’s justified.

I keep returning to that word: justified.

What has a brand done that justifies its place?

What actions back up the story it’s telling?

What makes people believe it?

As I keep reading, I want to sit with how these ideas connect to experience too. Because I don’t think brand lives only in language or visuals. I think it lives in what people feel, what they remember, and what they can step into.

For now, I’m staying with the foundation. Identity. Proof. Authority.

And I’m letting the rest unfold slowly.

The Vision Gap: Why Sustainability Feels Hollow (and How to Fix It)

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with the "through-line" between high-level brand strategy and the messy reality of the fashion industry. I’ve been processing this through the lens of Bob Sheard’s The Brand New Future, specifically his argument that Vision is what "emotionalizes ambition." It’s the destination.

But when I look at how most brands approach sustainability, there is often no destination—only a technical checklist.

This disconnect was perfectly captured in a recent article, “Reclaiming as Practice: Third Spaces, Regenerative Business, and Shaping Fashion’s Technological Future,” by Mona Cassandra, where she shared her reflections from the FUSION Fashion Tech Summit. One insight, in particular, acted as a catalyst for my own thinking:

“One critical insight was that sustainability often fails because it is not communicated in a way that people can process emotionally or cognitively. It is layered, technical, and frequently framed through guilt rather than possibility. Luxury, by contrast, understands aspiration. The challenge is whether sustainability can be branded with clarity, empathy, and cultural relevance without becoming hollow.”

The "Add-On" Trap vs. Strategic Conviction

This idea of "hollow" branding resonated deeply with my experience attending the Circular Dialogues Symposium. As I listened to the speakers, I realized that for many brands, sustainability is treated as an additive—a "green" sticker slapped onto an old business model.

According to Sheard, Conviction refers to what a brand fundamentally stands for; it’s what gives a brand "texture." Without conviction, sustainability has no soul. It’s just an extra task on a to-do list for a team that is already exhausted by the demands of running a global brand and hitting production targets. It’s hard not to be "additive" when you’re just trying to keep the machine running.

The Power of Partnership: The ANYBAG Model

I saw the antidote to this at the symposium through ANYBAG. I was particularly struck by the "white-glove" approach led by Kat Hoelck, their Director of Strategic Partnerships.

What ANYBAG does is brilliant because it solves the "clarity" problem. Most major brands want to be better, but they are too close to their own operations to see the solution. They lack the headspace to build a new infrastructure for their waste.

ANYBAG doesn't just offer a one-off collaboration or a "sustainable bag." They offer a partnership of conviction. By handling the technical "layers" of circularity with a high-touch, white-glove service, they allow the brand to buy into a mission without the friction. They provide the clarity that these brands can’t find on their own, turning what could be a "hollow" marketing play into a foundational shift in how the brand views its own waste.

Redefining the Status Quo

As Mona pointed out, the beauty of luxury is its power to dictate the status quo. Luxury brands have the unique ability to educate a clientele that is already buying into "status."

When sustainability is integrated into a brand's Vision—the desired end state—it stops being a technical burden and starts being an aspirational value. It moves from "guilt" to "possibility."

For me, the goal isn't perfect sustainability; it’s progression over perfection. It’s about brands finding partners who don't just help them reach a one-off goal, but help them build the infrastructure for a future where sustainability is the standard, not the exception.

Link to Mona’s article: https://evoexai.substack.com/p/reclaiming-as-practice-third-spaces



The Partner Brand: Solving the Crisis of Connection

We are living in a paradox. Social anxiety is at an all-time high, yet the longing for belonging has never been more intense. Gen Z and Millennials are starving for "rituals of kinship," but the traditional social media "slop" only increases the noise.

In The Brand New Future, Bob Sheard defines the Partner Brand as one that positions itself in a place of affinity with the rituals of being together. Its emotional values are loyalty, compassion, and generosity. It stands explicitly against loneliness.

CUPE and mmerch are two powerful examples of this "Partner" role in action. They both aim to turn "being a sum" into "being a part," but they use different tools to facilitate that trust.

1. CUPE: The Proximity Partner

CUPE addresses the "straightforward" rational value of the Partner Brand. It recognizes that in a city like New York, you can be surrounded by millions and still be lonely.

  • The Ritual: By using a 50-meter radius, CUPE lowers the barrier of social anxiety. It’s not about a global feed; it’s about the person standing right there.

  • The Role: It acts as a digital icebreaker for real-life (IRL) spontaneity. It’s the "dependable" partner for students who want to move from digital "Waves" to physical presence.

2. mmerch: The Wearable Flag of Fandom

If CUPE is the map to connection, mmerch is the uniform. As Colby Mugrabi suggests, "Fandom is a nation... Merch is its flag."

  • The Innovation: By embedding NFC chips into products, mmerch transforms a static object into a "Wearable Wallet™."

  • The Role: It creates a "gamified IRL experience." When you wear the merch to a curated location, you aren't just a customer; you are an "evangelist" checking into a community. It rewards the "rituals of togetherness" with exclusive content and loot boxes. It turns a purchase into a long-term relationship.

The Through-Line: Authenticity in Partnership

How do these two distinct models reconcile the "Brand as Partner" role?

Feature

CUPE - (Social Utility)

mmerch - (Experiential Utility)

Primary Goal

CUPE: Combating loneliness/Social anxiety

mmerch: Building "Superfans" and Fandom

The "Partner" Value

CUPE: Compassion: Meeting students where they are.

mmerch: Loyalty: Rewarding long-term engagement.

The Connection

CUPE: Spontaneous IRL interactions.

mmerch: Gated content and "Experience Networks."

The Ritual

CUPE: Sending a "Wave" within 50 meters.

mmerch: Scanning a chip to unlock a "Loot Box."

Why Brands Must Break the Barrier

Successful brands in 2026 are those that act as facilitators. They don't just sell a product; they provide the infrastructure for belonging.‍ ‍mmerch does this by partnering with brands to create "sticky" communities that feel exclusive and rewarding.

  • CUPE does this by partnering with students to make the physical world feel less intimidating.

Both companies understand that Everything isn't for everyone. Fandom and community require boundaries—whether that’s a 50-meter radius or a gated NFC chip. By creating these "third spaces" (both digital and physical), they allow users to bypass the "doom scrolling" and find the "shared obsession" that makes life feel connected.Conclusion: Progression toward Kinship

Whether it’s a college student in NYC finding a friend via CUPE or a fan unlocking a digitized archive via an mmerch hoodie, the strategy is the same: The brand is the sum of the connections it facilitates. By moving away from "interruption marketing" and toward "partnership utility," these brands are helping us reckon with our social anxiety by giving us a reason—and a tool—to be together again.

Link to mmerch: https://mmerch.xyz

Link to CUPE: https://www.instagram.com/cupe.encounter/