Brands Made Meaningful is a series of conversations with the team at Sussner about purposeful branding and a brand’s role in inspiring unity, identity, and powerful change for growth-minded organizations.
Too many organizations and marketing leaders struggle with their branding and marketing and often focus on solving symptoms instead of the problems. This podcast is about uncovering and identifying the issues and having conversations meant to inform and inspire business leaders looking to have a brand that helps them communicate, differentiate and engage. For more on Sussner, visit sussner.com.
Architecture and brand are not two separate projects — they're two answers to the same question.
Derek and Howard are both designers working in different mediums, and when they compare notes, the process turns out to be nearly identical. Both start with listening, both are doing discovery, and both are chasing the same result: how a member feels when the work is done.
The conversation covers where architecture and brand identity meet, why the sequence matters more than most clubs realize, what happens when a club tries to design a space without first knowing who it's for, and why less is more is as true on a floor plan as it is on a brand.
The clubs that get this right aren't the ones who do design well and brand well in isolation. They're the ones who make sure the two are pointed at the same idea, and pointed there early.
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Nobody in this industry sees more clubs at once than a CMAA Chapter Director.
Join Derek with Kate Scott, managing director of the Carolinas Chapter of the CMAA, one of the largest and fastest growing chapters in the country. Her job puts her in the room with club leaders across the Carolinas constantly, which means she doesn't just see trends. She sees them forming.
Right now that story includes a labor market that isn't letting up, a generational gap between who's on the board and who's actually using the club, and the question of how long the Covid resurgence can carry clubs that haven't done the harder work of building for what comes next.
Her words for it were familiar. Be there, be available, and the value compounds over time.
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Most clubs think they have a strategy towards the future when what they usually have is a list of tactics to deal with the now.
Join Derek with Avi Olitzky, president and principal consultant at Olitzky Consulting Group, who has spent his career helping membership organizations understand and close that gap. Avi came to this work not through club management but through years of leading congregations and advising nonprofits, and that vantage point is exactly what makes his thinking on belonging land the way it does. A congregation and a private club have more in common than most people realize.
Sacred purpose, high emotion, legacy families, competing expectations, and deep questions about relevance. A club is never just amenities, it’s a promise of belonging wrapped up into an experience, and that’s exactly where the work sits.
If your club is doing a lot but can’t quite say what it’s building toward, this episode is for you.
For more information, visit www.sussner.com#PrivateClub #ClubIndustry #LeadershipPodcast #Branding #BrandingStrategies #ClubsMadeMeaningful
Half of all clubs have a waitlist right now, and the difference between the ones that do and the ones that don’t usually has nothing to do with the golf course.
Join Derek with Ed Heil, founder of StoryTeller Club Marketing, who has spent two decades helping clubs figure out why their story isn’t landing the way they think it is.
Ed walks through what that disconnect actually costs a club, from the 18 month window when a new member is most likely to become an advocate, to the shift happening right now in how people search for anything, including a club. Google traffic is down. AI search is up. And underneath all of it sits the same problem he keeps running into in his own work: clubs with core values so safe they could belong to any club in the country, and content with nowhere real to attach to.
If you’ve ever wondered why your communications aren’t landing the way they used to, this conversation is a good place to start.
For more information, visit www.sussner.com#PrivateClub #ClubIndustry #LeadershipPodcast #Branding #BrandingStrategies #ClubsMadeMeaningful
Satisfaction tells you whether someone enjoyed their last meal. It doesn't tell you whether they feel like they belong. April Seifert of Sprocket CX on what clubs aren't measuring, and why the most important question isn't how members feel about the food.
Most clubs survey their members annually. They track NPS scores, read comment cards, and walk away feeling like they've done the work. But a high satisfaction score can quietly mask something more concerning: a member who rates everything a nine and still doesn't renew — not because the experience was bad, but because the belonging was never there.
Join Derek Sussner and April Seifert, president and data scientist at Sprocket CX, as they explore the difference between measuring what members think and understanding why they stay. April brings a PhD in social cognitive psychology and years of work at the intersection of sports fan loyalty and human behavior — and the parallels to private club membership are sharper than you might expect.
Whether you're a general manager wondering why strong operational scores aren't translating to member retention, a board trying to make sense of survey data that doesn't point anywhere useful, or a leader ready to ask better questions of your membership, this episode reframes what it means to truly understand your members.
For more information, visit www.sussner.com #PrivateClub #ClubIndustry #LeadershipPodcast #Branding #BrandingStrategies #ClubsMadeMeaningful
A milestone is only as meaningful as the intention behind it. A logo on a napkin and a one-night gala check a box. What Casey Newman did at Lakeside Country Club for their 75th anniversary was something different entirely.
Join Derek with Casey Newman, General Manager and COO at Lakeside Country Club in Houston, as she shares how her team turned a yearlong celebration into something members and staff felt genuine ownership of. Lakeside has been through Hurricane Harvey, a pandemic, and a full golf course renovation. The 75th wasn't just a number. It was a chance to honor the resilience of a membership that rebuilt something together and look forward to what comes next.
Whether you're a GM with a milestone on the horizon, a board member wondering how to make your club's history feel relevant to newer members, or a leader trying to build culture that outlasts any single event, this episode offers a grounded perspective on what it means to know your story and use it well.
Because your club's story isn't something you make up. It's built every day through the people in it and the memories they make together.
For more information, visit www.sussner.com
A new website won't save you. Neither will a new logo, a pickleball court, or a redesigned menu if you haven't defined the problem you're trying to solve. Are you mistaking a solution for a diagnosis?
Whether you're a GM navigating a board pushing for quick fixes, a club leader sensing something is off but unsure where to start, this episode gives you a framework to slow down before you speed up. Because the clubs that invest wisely aren't the ones with the fastest answers. They're the ones who asked the right questions first.
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Member satisfaction scores look solid. But when the survey asks about value, the numbers soften. Most boards reach for pricing adjustments or reworking their messaging, but what do you do when that shows no results?
Join Derek Sussner and Aaron Dawson, founder of Viewpoint EQ and a club leader with more than 30 years in the industry, as they unpack why that gap between satisfaction and value has almost nothing to do with cost and everything to do with how easily the club fits into a member's life and how it makes them feel when they are there.
Whether you are a board reviewing survey results you cannot fully explain, a general manager trying to close the gap between a great operation and a lukewarm value score, or a leader wondering how emotional intelligence connects to member retention, this episode reframes the conversation around two questions every club should be able to answer.
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A new general manager inherits more than a title. They inherit a culture, a team, a membership — and a window of clarity that closes faster than most people realize. Join Derek with Luke Burbach, the new general manager at The Club at Golden Valley. This conversation is an on-the-ground look at what principled leadership looks like in motion: how to build structured listening into the calendar before acting, how to find quick wins that signal engagement without forcing change, and why the single greatest risk of a mishandled first 90 days isn't operational — it's relational.
Whether you're a board preparing for a GM transition, a general manager stepping into a new club, or a leader wondering how identity stays alive once the brand work is done, this episode offers a candid, human account of what it actually takes to turn a strong identity into a living culture.
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Most clubs describe themselves the same way. Great amenities. Welcoming culture. Excellent service. And most of the time, the club down the street says the exact same thing.
Join Derek and Tucker as they dig into one of the most persistent and underexamined challenges in the private club world: what real differentiation looks like and how to know whether your club has an identity problem, a communication problem, or both.
Whether you're a general manager frustrated that your club can't articulate what makes it special, a board member trying to understand why strategic plans aren't producing momentum, or a marketing director searching for language that actually resonates with prospective members, this episode cuts through the noise and gets to the real question: what could your club claim that every competitor would agree belongs to you?
Because differentiation isn't built in a boardroom. It's uncovered and lived daily, at every touchpoint.
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A membership director's job isn't just filling seats. It's curating the first year of someone's belonging—one introduction at a time.
Join Derek and Tucker as they sit down with Melissa Hanson, Director of Marketing and Membership at The Club at Old Cypress in Naples, Florida. With 15 years of experience living the brand daily, Melissa reveals what it really takes to transform prospects into advocates, new members into ambassadors, and a marketing role into the heartbeat of club culture.
Whether you're a membership director trying to move beyond transactional tours, a general manager wondering how to scale authentic connection, or a club leader looking to turn members into your best salespeople, this episode offers hard-won wisdom from someone who lives at the intersection of brand and belonging every single day.
Because at exceptional clubs, membership directors aren't just filling a pipeline. They're matchmakers for friends, architects of relationships that turn "I joined" into "I belong."
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A new general manager doesn't just inherit operations, they inherit a once-in-a-decade opportunity to see what everyone else has stopped noticing.
Join Derek and Tucker as they explore why the first 90 days of a GM's tenure matter more than most boards realize—and why rushing to "get back to normal" wastes their prime strategic reset.
Whether you're a board preparing to hire a new GM, a general manager starting fresh at a club, or a leader wondering why past transitions didn't generate the momentum you hoped for, this episode offers a framework for turning handoff into breakthrough.
Training isn’t just about teaching tasks—it’s how culture becomes real.
Join Derek and Tucker as they sit down with James Cronk, co-founder of Guru Collective and creator of Golf Industry Guru, to explore what private clubs can learn from the public golf world about building engaged, accountable teams. James shares why public facilities have been forced to master service and culture in order to survive—and how private clubs risk complacency when they stop “earning” the member experience every day.
Our episode tackles practical ideas for defining your employee value proposition, using data instead of anecdotes, and creating systems that make expectations clear—without losing the humanity of hospitality.
Whether you’re a general manager struggling to shift culture, a board member trying to invest wisely in people, or a leader wondering how to turn training into a true competitive advantage, this conversation offers a grounded framework for moving forward.
Because the clubs that thrive tomorrow won’t just upgrade their facilities—they’ll build teams who understand why their work matters today.
"We've always done it this way" might be the seven words of a dying organization—unless what you've always done actually means something.
Join Derek and Tucker as they untangle one of the most contentious challenges facing private clubs: knowing the difference between traditions worth preserving and habits disguised as heritage. When members invoke tradition to resist change, are they protecting something essential or just clinging to familiar comfort? And how do the best clubs honor their past while designing their future?
Whether you're a board member navigating pushback on necessary changes, a general manager trying to modernize without alienating legacy members, or a club leader wondering which parts of your history actually define you, this episode offers a framework for moving forward without leaving your soul behind.
Because tradition should inspire evolution, not prevent it. And the clubs that understand that difference are the ones that thrive across generations.
Join Derek and Tucker as they sit down with Sean Bleyl, Client Development Executive at MembersFirst, to explore how private clubs can transform their digital presence into something truly meaningful. Sean shares real stories from the field to reveal how the best clubs are planning their digital communications strategy years in advance, treating it as essential as any clubhouse renovation.
Whether you're a general manager navigating a digital transformation, a membership director trying to attract the next generation, or a communications professional balancing the needs of multiple demographics, this episode offers practical insights on creating digital experiences that inform and inspire broader member engagement.
Because when done right, your digital presence does more than showcase your club. It helps people understand where they belong.
This episode explores the role of board members as long-term stewards, discussing why confident leadership, clear vision, and mission-driven decision making matter more than seeking constant member approval.
Derek & Tucker sit down with club industry veteran Kevin Carroll of Peacock + Lewis to discuss a wealth of understanding when it comes to the indispensable assets for your club design.
On today's episode, Sussner sits down to take a deep look at Club Communities and the continuous cycle of club member recruiting through the eyes of the often most overlooked and most valuable asset - the new club member. These members are often your strongest advocate, but do they know your club's true identity? Find our insights on today's episode of Club's Made Meaningful.
Sussner sits down with Jake Vogt, the head golf professional at the Club at Golden Valley, about the importance of creating lasting member value in private clubs. They discuss the role of a golf pro, the significance of merchandising in enhancing member experience, and the challenges of navigating branding changes.
Welcome to Clubs Made Meaningful. A podcast by Sussner where strategy, culture, and brand come together to create real belonging. Today we take a look back on all we've learned for private club branding.
Meet Clubs Made Meaningful - The Podcast by Sussner meant to help you discover your club, your members, and what they stand for.
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Derek and Tucker discuss why forward-thinking clubs invest in branding, blending tradition with intentional evolution to stay relevant and attract right-fit members.
Derek and Tucker dive in to creating foundational clarity for you and your team.
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Derek and Tucker dive in to creating foundational clarity for you and your team.
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Derek and Tucker are joined by Skip Avery, a Club Development Director, to discuss his wealth of experience in guiding clubs towards their true identity.
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Derek and Tucker discuss how to strengthen your culture through brand analysis and club perception.
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Derek and Tucker are joined by Amy Dailey to discuss the intersection between club branding and marketing from the perspective of a member.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the intricacies and challenges of creating and maintaining perception in the private club industry.
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Derek and Tucker are joined by Drew Rogers, a seasoned golf course architect, to explore the intricate relationship between golf course design, identity, and culture.
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To learn more about Drew Rogers:
https://www.jdrewrogers.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewrogers1/https://www.instagram.com/drewrogers8499/
Derek and Tucker break down unique approaches to applying your brand to your marketing to attract the right fit.
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Derek and Tucker are joined today by Craig Pratt to discuss finding the courage to challenge the status quo.
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Derek and Tucker take a look at steps you can take to ensure you aren't selling your club short.
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Chris Coulter, Vice President of Club Consulting with the McMahon Group, joins Derek and Tucker to discuss the intersection of branding and consulting in the private club space.
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Derek and Tucker dive into the differences between generational club members, their wants and needs, and how to balance out expectations across the board for a more intentional future.
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Derek and Tucker are joined today by Tom Wallace, Partner at KKandW, to shed light on recruitment practices and employee retention for managers looking to grow and cultivate the workplace.
https://kkandw.com/
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Derek and Tucker finding the right opportunities to reinvent your brand and how to express your brand with crystal clear clarity.
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Derek and Tucker are joined today by Don Kovacovich, the General Manager for The Club at Golden Valley, to discuss their rebranding with the team at Sussner.
https://www.theclubgv.com/
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Derek and Tucker analyze how to approach your separate audiences with unified messaging through value propositioning.
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Derek and Tucker are joined today by Jackie Carpenter, author of People First.
For more on Jackie and People First check out:
https://threeandjackie.com/
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Derek and Tucker discuss when to celebrate milestones and how to best utilize your history while looking towards the future.
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Derek and Tucker have the pleasure to speak with Ricky L. Potts Jr. about how powerful moments can be for your club members.
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Derek and Tucker discuss pivotal key moments in your legacy and how to transform your story through renovation.
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Derek and Tucker highlight how your members relate to your club and branding.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the challenges their client's have moved through when approaching differing styles of branding.
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Derek and Tucker take a look back on logos they've designed over the years and explain the strategic reasons behind their choices.
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Derek and Tucker divulge the steps to evolving your brand while retaining your core values.
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Derek and Tucker take a look at crafting specific merch to celebrate landmarks and special times of the year.
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Derek and Tucker take a break from talking shop to talk about who they are and what they stand for.
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Derek and Tucker discuss what it takes to stand out in unique ways for your club.
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Derek and Tucker take a look at the often missed and easy to overlook.
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Derek and Tucker break down the building blocks for long lasting branding.
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Derek and Tucker take a close look at one of their recent rebrands.
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Derek and Tucker break down how to find the perfect timing when launching a club rebrand.
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Derek and Tucker break down the steps to take and the reasons why you should consider a club rebranding.
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Derek and Tucker define the line between marketing and design and how they intersect to inform one another.
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Derek and Tucker show us how to build infrastructure guidelines to unify your brand experience across the board.
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Derek and Tucker we cover what Identity Systems entail and how to discern between internal and external methodologies.
Derek and Tucker bring clarity to uniting your company under one cohesive vision.
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Derek and Tucker assemble your need-to-know facts when putting together your committee.
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Derek and Tucker go over the top ways private clubs can find the balance between pleasing old members while attracting new ones, all while making moves towards the future.
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Derek and Tucker cover how to best convey your business with color.
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Derek and Tucker break down how to craft effortless experiences when considering your brand as a whole.
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Derek and Tucker dive into 6 distinct types of transformations for a wide range of brands.
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Derek and Tucker discuss designing and delighting your club members with tailored events.
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Derek and Tucker discuss how high level promoters increase your NPS and how to turn the tides on your detractors.
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Derek and Tucker talk about gathering feedback while prioritizing every voice.
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Derek and Tucker discuss if and when you should be honing in on your audience vs. casting as wide a net as possible.
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Derek and Tucker dive into the parameters of what makes a name and the reasons yours may not be working for you
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Derek and Tucker discuss the intricacies and common pitfalls of branding for Private Golf Clubs.
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Derek and Tucker breakdown how to identify and remedy a brand's identity crisis throughout thoughtful and intention brand management.
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Derek and Tucker explain the vast difference between Branding and Marketing and how to make sure the two are complimenting each other.
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Derek and Tucker expand on the importance of laying the right foundation for your organization.
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Derek and Tucker break down the Branding Process from the high-level building blocks to the subsets.
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Derek and Tucker dive into how your business should maintain relevancy and the risks of resting on your laurels.
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Derek and Tucker break down how to help your business grow in the right direction when it comes to areas you are meant to win.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the nuances of developing sub-branding and strategies.
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Derek and Tucker dive into how to overcome the fear of change and the nature of constant refinement of your brand.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the impact made for their clients when the right balance is made between strategy and design.
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Derek and Tucker discuss how to figure out where to start when considering your branding priorities.
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Derek and Tucker discuss how crucial it is to ensure your brand is standing out amongst the competition.
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Derek and Tucker take discuss how they build brand foundational elements specifically geared towards each individual client.
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Derek and Tucker take an in-depth look into the wide variety of their clientele.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the importance of hiring beyond professional skill sets
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Derek and Tucker discuss the importance of knowing where and why you stand.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the purpose behind revitalizing your brand.
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Derek and Tucker take a closer look into the "F&Bs" of company branding.
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Derek and Tucker discuss an often underlying issue in branding.
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Derek and Tucker get into the challenge within the challenge - the change management within a brand transformation.
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Derek and Tucker discuss one of the greatest questions they've been asked by a client - "How do we live this brand?"
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Derek and Tucker kick off Season 2 by diving into what makes brands authentic.
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Derek and Tucker celebrate their silver sober edition episode by diving into what we can learn from our competition - and how to set ourselves apart from them.
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Derek and Tucker discuss gathering emotional insights from multiple vantage points to help define your brand.
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Derek and Tucker discuss how we change our thoughts and get into a different mindset to refine and revise our branding.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the different paths of developing or redeveloping a brand, and how to know which road to take.
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Derek and Tucker take a look at a case study for one of their clients.
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Derek and Tucker discuss how preconceived perceptions can affect how our brands are viewed - and how those views can be altered.
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Derek and Tucker take us through the important distinction between having a dialogue and having a monologue with your audience.
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Derek and Tucker further hone in on golf course design.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the bar for golf course design - and how to push past it.
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Derek and Tucker talk taglines in today's episode.
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Derek and Tucker discuss how to refresh an athletic department.
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Derek and Tucker discuss how to brainstorm branding a club.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the power behind internal branding
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Derek and Tucker sit down today to discuss the meaning of stereotyping within the branding world.
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This episode digs into the rallying cry for the greatness your team is going to accomplish.
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Derek and Tucker sit down today to discuss what logos mean within branding.
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Derek and Tucker sit down today to discuss how to discover what business you are really in to better understand your mission statement.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the importance of looking ahead towards the big picture to better hone the purpose behind what we do in the now.
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Derek and Tucker discuss the Branding of Spaces
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Derek and Tucker discuss what a name can say - and not - about your company
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Derek and Tucker jump into the discovery phase of branding before it hits the drawing board.
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Today Derek and Tucker discuss the concepts within content and its common misconceptions such as the phrase "Content is King."
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Derek and Tucker sit down to discuss visual impact and what that could mean for your brand.
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It's not about being the only option, it's about being the right option. Join Derek and Tucker as they discuss Differentiation & Distinction.
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Our introduction episode will tell you everything you need to know about who we are, what we do, and how we make it meaningful.
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