Branding

Tariffs—or at least their impact—have been top of mind for consumers for most of 2025. (I counted the other day, and nearly every month between February and September had some kind of tariff announcement, implementation, or change. That’s slowed, but now the whole thing is rolling through the court system.)

They’ve also been top of mind for businesses, and therefore brands. And provide a great illustration of why brand is so important, as A Matter of Brand so efficiently illuminates:

Thoughts on building a media network from the NBA Front Office Show that’s also great brand building advice. 🏀

> You want to do things really well before you just try to do a lot of things. > > That’s one of the biggest mistakes people make is, “I want to do everything.” > > Let’s do one thing really well first. > > Find your niche. Get great at that. Then you can branch out.

Building a brand is:

• Expensive in the short run
• Cheap in the long run

But a strong brand can also become a crutch.

See: Nike.

When you’re trying to build a brand you’re aggressive. Focused.

Your focus is on meeting your customer where they are and doing the things that create moments of delight for them. On doing the things that make people, first, fall in love with your brand and, then, talk about it to others. To begin to incorporate your brand into their identity.