blog

sit back, relax, and take in some lessons about marketing and branding with a touch of nostalgia

Read or Listen!

All blog posts are also available as audio on the Making the Brand podcast.

How to Be Extremely Online Like Lizzo

How to Be Extremely Online Like Lizzo

Who is the most engaged and responsive celebrity on social media?  Lately, I’ve been in awe of Lizzo’s online presence. She not only sees and hears her fans, but she engages back.  I especially noticed this on TikTok, when her song ‘About Damn Time’ went viral over...

How the Boy Band Wars Can Boost Your Social Media Engagement

How the Boy Band Wars Can Boost Your Social Media Engagement

Like it or not, pretty much every brand has its competitors. It’s a reality of being in business. Coke has Pepsi. McDonald’s has Burger King. Nike has Adidas.  The list goes on and on. But the first time I declared my own brand loyalty was during the historic rivalry...

Want to Get Hired? T-Pain Says You Need a Personal Website

Want to Get Hired? T-Pain Says You Need a Personal Website

I never imagined that my blog would have not one but two posts inspired by hip-hop artist, T-Pain, but this man is more influential than we may give him credit for.    My original post about T-Pain talked about his masterful use of autotune and how it helped put...

All the Small Things Content Creators Need to Remember

All the Small Things Content Creators Need to Remember

It’s no secret that my love of teenybopper boy bands is a big part of my personality. And while I was never the girl at the rock show, I still had love in my heart for Blink-182. I was driving in my car the other day and “All the Small Things” by Blink-182 was...

This Simple Content Idea Works Every Time

This Simple Content Idea Works Every Time

Content creation usually requires a lot of trial and error, but for a content idea that ALWAYS works, I looked to some of my favorite movie scenes for inspiration. Like in Miss Congeniality when the frumpy FBI agent Grace Hart becomes a stunning pageant queen. Or in...

What the Spice Girls Teach Us About Brand Purpose

What the Spice Girls Teach Us About Brand Purpose

If you were a young girl growing up in the ’90s, you pretty much had no choice but to love the Spice Girls. They were absolutely EVERYWHERE. If it weren’t for them, I certainly would have had a much harder time making friends on the playground. I owned the CDs, saw...

Why ‘Ava Dean Beauty’ by AJ McLean is Marketing Gold

Why ‘Ava Dean Beauty’ by AJ McLean is Marketing Gold

Every time I open up my Instagram, it seems like I’m introduced to a new celebrity beauty line.  I can’t say I blame these celebs — if I had massive influence and millions of Instagram followers, I’d want to cash in on this $50 billion industry, too. It’s what made...

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on Brand Storytelling

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on Brand Storytelling

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song is one of those timeless classics. In fact, I love it so much, I recently awarded it the top spot on a podcast where I ranked the top five ’90s sitcom theme songs. Whether you’re listening to it on your couch or at the bar, you...

TRL and the Magic Formula for Raving Fans

TRL and the Magic Formula for Raving Fans

If you grew up in the late ’90s and early 2000s, long before Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube, Carson Daly was your gateway to new music.  On September 14, 1998, a little show called Total Request Live (TRL) premiered on MTV. It was a driving force that helped launch the...

The Problem with the MTV Video Music Awards

The Problem with the MTV Video Music Awards

Even in a pandemic, the show must go on. MTV is hosting their annual Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 30th. We all know that the best part of the VMAs are the performances. This year Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, The Weekend, BTS, and CNCO are just a few acts to take...

Pop-Up Video’s Lesson for Content Creators

Pop-Up Video’s Lesson for Content Creators

It’s wild to think that TikTok has become a vehicle for people to discover music. Growing up, I turned to traditional media to fuel my passion for music — radio, print, and television.  One TV show I always gravitated toward was VH1’s Pop-Up Video. Although it only...

Marketers, Put Your Brand Voice on Autotune

Marketers, Put Your Brand Voice on Autotune

When you hear the word autotune, who comes to mind? If you’re a pop culture fanatic, you may think of Cher, who is often credited as the first artist to experiment with autotune with her 1998 single, "Believe." But if there’s anyone who's known for using autotune...

8 Personal Branding Moves to Survive an Unpredictable Job Market

8 Personal Branding Moves to Survive an Unpredictable Job Market

I saw on the news that 6.6 MILLION people have applied for unemployment amid the coronavirus pandemic. This makes my heart hurt. Aside from social distancing, I wanted to help any way I knew how. So I've put together eight essential personal branding moves you should...

Blast From the Past: At-Home Fitness Marketing

Blast From the Past: At-Home Fitness Marketing

While the coronavirus outbreak has forced us to put our gym memberships on hold, people are transforming their living rooms into gyms. It’s one of the few ways we can get a sweat session in while social distancing. But I can’t help but chuckle over the fact that...

Jessica Simpson’s Brilliant Tips to Build Your Online Presence

Jessica Simpson’s Brilliant Tips to Build Your Online Presence

When you hear the name Jessica Simpson, many people think of her ditzy moments on the MTV reality show, Newlyweds. But if you ask me, who cares if it was chicken or fish? Jessica Simpson is not the dumb blonde that society paints her to be. Her true fans know that she...

Aviation Gin and Pop Culture Marketing Mastery

Aviation Gin and Pop Culture Marketing Mastery

Ryan Reynolds is certainly a successful fixture in popular culture. You may love him for his movies, his looks, or his charm, but I love him for something more: his creative genius. In February 2018, Ryan (yes, I've decided to affectionately call him by just his first...

6 Reasons to Use Pop Culture in Your Social Media Strategy

6 Reasons to Use Pop Culture in Your Social Media Strategy

Let’s go back to one of my favorite eras: the late ’90s. Imagine you’re surfing Internet Explorer on your dial-up connection, minding your own business as you research fansites, games, and chatrooms. Life is good. Then suddenly, you’re assaulted by a flurry of pop-up...

6 Steps to Turn Ordinary Customers into Passionate Groupies

6 Steps to Turn Ordinary Customers into Passionate Groupies

From Taylor Swift’s adoring “Swifties,” to Lady Gaga’s feisty “Little Monsters,” Justin Bieber’s dedicated “Beliebers,” and Beyonce’s fierce “Beyhive,” there are lots of passionate fan bases out there. My favorite has to be J.Lo’s sassy J.Lovers, or the new crowd of...

4 Things TikTok Does Better than Every Social Media Platform

4 Things TikTok Does Better than Every Social Media Platform

If you didn’t make up dances with your friends, did you even have a childhood? I have vivid memories of hosting sleepovers with my friends where we’d either choreograph our own dances to whatever was on the radio, or copy moves from the music videos we saw on TRL. ...

Designer Wins Christmas with Cash Packaging

Designer Wins Christmas with Cash Packaging

Let's face it — cash is always a crowd-pleasing gift, but stuffing it in a boring envelope is not a fun experience neither for the gift-giver nor the recipient. But Twitter user, @TwoClawsMedia found a way to solve this problem and add even more joy to Christmas...

This Christmas Card Trend Can Help Your Marketing

This Christmas Card Trend Can Help Your Marketing

When is the appropriate time in your relationship to send a family Christmas card?  My husband and I love each other very much, but I’m pretty sure Christmas cards aren’t part of our holiday plans until we have children. For current parents though, there is a...

Why Boomerangs are the Worst Thing to Happen to Instagram

Why Boomerangs are the Worst Thing to Happen to Instagram

It seems like I can’t go a Sunday morning without seeing a Boomerang of clinking mimosas on Instagram.  As much as I love mimosas, this bothers me.  Look, I’m not here to rain on the basic bitch parade — if you’re on social media to have fun and cheers to living your...

3 Reasons You Should Want Your Brand to Get Made Fun Of

3 Reasons You Should Want Your Brand to Get Made Fun Of

In case you missed it, Jennifer Lopez hosted Saturday Night Live this past weekend, and just like anything she does, it was epic.  Source: NBC J.Lo had a series of hysterical sketches, but one that stood out was her spoof of the boutique fitness gym, Barry’s Bootcamp....

The Big Mistake Your Small Business Is Making on Instagram

The Big Mistake Your Small Business Is Making on Instagram

Every time I see another small business in my community shut its doors, I think about the 1998 modern classic, You've Got Mail. Source: Warner Bros. I’ve never owned a brick-and-mortar business of my own, but Meg Ryan's character helps me empathize with small business...

In Defense of Peloton’s Awkward Holiday Commercial

In Defense of Peloton’s Awkward Holiday Commercial

Peloton is facing backlash for a commercial, "The Gift That Gives Back" that they released on November 21 amidst the holiday shopping season. Seriously, Twitter is having a field day with this one. I can understand why people are critical of this ad. On the surface,...

How to Market Yourself Like Elle Woods

How to Market Yourself Like Elle Woods

Last month, I returned to my alma mater, the University of Central Florida to talk about marketing and personal branding with a group of students. Of course, I had to teach them what I know the best way I know how — with pop culture references.I started brainstorming...

The Secret Science Behind Red Bottom Shoes

The Secret Science Behind Red Bottom Shoes

In my last podcast episode of Making the Brand, my guest Gina and I talked about what bloggers can learn from Sex and the City. One of the things we touched on was Carrie Bradshaw’s obsession with shoes, which really stems from Sarah Jessica Parker’s real-life...

What Brands Can Learn From the Pumpkin Spice Phenomenon

What Brands Can Learn From the Pumpkin Spice Phenomenon

There’s something magical about the fall. The leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping, and football season is in full swing.  But perhaps what people most look forward to during this change of season is pumpkin flavored everything. And by far, the darling of...

This Backstreet Boys Song Is Actually About Marketing

This Backstreet Boys Song Is Actually About Marketing

It seems as if there is a song to overcome every personal obstacle — a breakup, low self-esteem, a tough workout, or even the loss of a loved one. There is inspiration in lyrics everywhere you turn. But sometimes, songs can even help us navigate challenges in the...

Phoebe Buffay Proves Your Email List is Your Biggest Asset

Phoebe Buffay Proves Your Email List is Your Biggest Asset

Perhaps Phoebe Buffay is the most enterprising character in Friends. With an unconventional education background, Phoebe worked some odd jobs in her career. Before becoming a masseuse, she mugged people on the street. She also had brief stints as a telemarketer,...

Modern Networking: How to Slide into DMs the Right Way

Modern Networking: How to Slide into DMs the Right Way

It was May of 2013. I was 23, single, and visiting Las Vegas for an annual girls trip. My friends and I threw on our glitziest dresses and most uncomfortable heels before heading to a nightclub at Caesar’s Palace, which had free drinks for ladies until midnight. After...

Brands are Taking DNA Tests Thanks to Lizzo

Brands are Taking DNA Tests Thanks to Lizzo

For once, Maury Povich isn’t the only one talking about DNA tests.  Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard the anthem every woman has been singing all summer long: “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo. The song is so popular, it’s been sitting at #1 on the Billboard charts for...

6 Irresistible Words to Help You Sell Better

6 Irresistible Words to Help You Sell Better

If you’ve ever worked for a non-profit, you know how rewarding yet challenging fundraising can be. Non-profits depend on donations, events, auctions, etc. in order to advance their cause and continue the work that they do. But sometimes, inspiring people to dig into...

What Brands Could Learn From Jennifer Lopez’s Phone

What Brands Could Learn From Jennifer Lopez’s Phone

This past July, I had the pleasure of seeing Jennifer Lopez in concert on her It’s My Party Tour. It was the second time I’d seen her perform live, but this time was special. This tour was to celebrate her 50th birthday with the people she loves most (besides her...

Upgrade Your Audience Research with an Empathy Map

Upgrade Your Audience Research with an Empathy Map

It’s the first thing you’ll learn in any marketing class: know your audience.  When it comes to content creation, you can’t know what your message should be if you’re not clear on who it is for.  Most of the time, brands tackle this need by defining target personas....

The Fool-Proof Content Marketing Formula

The Fool-Proof Content Marketing Formula

In school, math was never really my thing (still isn’t!). I’ve always been the left-brained, creative type, which is how I got into content marketing. So don’t look to me to help you with the quadratic formula. But one thing I did absorb about mathematical formulas is...

BSB DNA: Marketing an Album in the New Millennium

BSB DNA: Marketing an Album in the New Millennium

I'll never forget May 18, 1999. I was an antsy, nine-year old girl, waiting impatiently for my dad to pick me up from school. I remember bolting through the doors toward his truck and buckling myself in as fast as I could. We drove straight to Wal-Mart to buy my...