Parliament | When news breaks does your brand break with it?
Let's talk about something we don’t often associate with brand clarity: SPEED.
Knowing who you are and what you believe allows you to capitalize on newsworthy moments without delay. Having your Brand Being Manual on hand (inside of Claude) allows you to produce content at lightning speed when the moment strikes.
We produced a newsletter the day after the election because we know who we are, who our target is, how we sound, and we’ve got the tools to act quickly.
Here's the tea: Most brands move like molasses in January when news breaks. Why? Because they're stuck in endless approval loops, second-guessing their voice, and wrestling with whether that post sounds "on-brand enough."
Plot Twist: We Don't Have That Problem
You know why? Our Brand Being Manual isn't just another dusty style guide crying in the corner of your Google Drive. It's our secret weapon for moving at the speed of culture.
We know exactly who we are, what we stand for, and how we show up—because it's all crystallized in our Brand Being Manual.
The Math Ain't Mathing? Let Us Break It Down:
Traditional Brand Response Time: 24-48 hours (aka centuries in internet time)
With Brand Being Manual: Same damn day, baby 🔥
Think of your Brand Being Manual as your marketing team's cheat code. It's not just guidelines—it's permission to move fast and break things (in a good way). When you've done the deep work of defining your brand's soul, the "should we/shouldn't we" paralysis evaporates.
But Here's the Real Tea...
Your Brand Being Manual isn't just about moving quickly—it's about moving confidently. Because when you know who you are:
You stop second-guessing your voice
You quit playing it safe
You start showing up as unapologetically YOU
And that's when the magic happens. That's when you stop chasing trends and start setting them.
The ROI of Ready
71% of consumers expect brands to respond to cultural moments within an hour
First-mover advantage can mean up to 3x more engagement
Authentic, timely responses drive 2.5x more brand recall
The Bottom Line?
In a world where tomorrow's news is already old news, your Brand Being Manual isn't just a nice-to-have—it's your competitive edge. It's the difference between watching culture happen and making culture happen.
Want to learn more about how we help brands find their voice and use it? Let's talk. Because the next viral moment isn't waiting for your approval process to catch up.
Artwork by Nya McClain, article by Senior Art Director, Bri Thomas
Your Brand Shouldn't Wear a Santa Hat:
Why Holiday Design Often Goes Wrong.
Ah, the annual pressure to "holiday-ify" your brand. You know what I mean – slapping a Santa hat on your logo, sprinkling snowflakes across your website, or temporarily turning your brand colors to red and green. I'm here to say what we're all thinking: Stop compromising your brand identity for a month of forced festivity.
Why We Need to Kill the Corporate Christmas Card
Your brand identity isn't a seasonal costume. It's the culmination of strategic decisions that reflect your company's values, personality, and promise to your audience. When you dramatically alter it for the holidays, you're essentially telling your audience that your brand principles are negotiable. Think about the strongest brands you know: Apple doesn't turn their logo into a Christmas ornament. Nike's swoosh doesn't turn into a candy cane. Tiffany & Co. doesn't abandon their iconic blue for holiday red and green. There's a reason for that.
The Real Cost of Holiday Brand Compromise
When you twist your brand to fit holiday traditions, you dilute your brand recognition and interrupt your visual consistency. You prioritize temporary relevance over long-term brand equity. Ultimately missing out on an opportunity to stand out during a noisy season.
Making the Season Work for Your Brand (Not Vice Versa)
The key is to let your brand dictate how it celebrates, not the other way around. Keep your core brand elements intact and ask "How would OUR brand naturally celebrate?" Some strong examples of this are:
Patagonia: Instead of traditional holiday promotions, they lean into their environmental mission with repair workshops and sustainable gift guides
Spotify: Their Wrapped campaign is perfectly on-brand while capturing the year-end reflection spirit
REI: #OptOutside remains their strongest holiday statement, perfectly aligned with their brand values
The Bottom Line
Your brand is a carefully crafted identity that should be strong enough to celebrate any season without compromising its core elements. The holidays are not an excuse to abandon your brand standards – they're an opportunity to demonstrate their strength and flexibility. The most meaningful holiday expressions come from brands being authentically themselves, not from trying to fit into someone else's idea of festive.
P.S. If a client asks you to "make it more Christmas-y," feel free to send them this article. Consider it my holiday gift to your brand's integrity.
