5 Things You Should Do To Upgrade and Re-Energize Your Brand and Image

Originally posted on Authority Magazine as a part of their series about "Brand Makeovers."

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit more. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been that person who just can’t stop asking ‘why.’ My curiosity lead me to journalism — a career where asking strangers prying questions is not only accepted but expected. I found my groove writing for big lifestyle publications like Bon Appétit and New York Magazine, where I got to dive deep into topics, making the complex seem simple and the mundane fascinating. My favorite part was interviewing experts and translating unfamiliar topics into something simple and interesting to readers.

But after about a decade on the editorial side, I started craving something different — something a bit more stable and dynamic. So when my husband and I relocated to Upstate New York, I seized the opportunity to pivot. I connected with the brilliant minds at Helen + Gertrude and made the leap into digital marketing, first as a copywriter and now as a communications strategist. What I love most is the variety — one day I’m working on a campaign for a skincare brand, the next I’m diving into the intricacies of medical technology. I’m always learning something new, which keeps that “why” in me alive and well.

Can you share a story about the funniest marketing or branding mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When I was first starting out, I thought creativity was the name of the game. We had a new client in Boston, and I was eager to impress. My team and I locked ourselves away for days, coming up with a bunch of clever names for their rebrand. We were so proud of our work that we practically waltzed into that meeting, expecting a round of applause. Instead, the room went dead silent. We’d completely missed the mark — our suggestions sounded like they belonged to a toothpaste upstart, not their industry at all. The funny thing is, they were kind enough to point us in the right direction, and we ended up learning a lot more about their brand than if we’d hit the nail on the head the first time.

Now, before the scope of the project is signed, we talk about meaningful research and what we can accomplish with their budget. I start my brand identity projects with a collaborative workshop where we go through the findings and discuss common threads with their existing brand. The process is still pretty quick, but I learned to bring the client along for the journey. Creativity is crucial, but alignment is everything — it ultimately needs to resonate with the client’s vision.

Continue Reading on Authority Magazine.

‍