In today’s episode, I have an amazing conversation with one of the true leading brand innovators in the industry – Marty Neumeier. Marty has worked with so many innovative companies to advance their brands and culture and written many books on the topic that I, and millions of others, have fallen in love with. With empathy being such a strong thread through everything he talks about, we discuss the role of empathy and good design in creating a charismatic and authentic brand.
Key Takeaways:
- You have to have empathy for your audience – but then you need to test things.
- There is a right way and a wrong way to test creative designs and brand strategies!
- Empathy is a marketing metaskill that enables you to make better creative decisions and campaigns.
- You have to be okay with accepting feedback and checking your ego if your ideas don’t resonate with the customer. Customer feedback helps you to be a better creative.
“As creative people, we fall in love with our ideas.. Empathy is the starting place. But then you have to prove your ideas work. You have to make sure your compass is accurate.” – Marty Neumeier
About Marty Neumeier: Marty Neumeier is an author, designer, and brand advisor whose mission is to bring the principles and processes of design to business. His series of “whiteboard” books includes Zag, named one of the “top hundred business books of all time,” and The Designful Company, a bestselling guide to nonstop innovation. His first book, The Brand Gap, has been read by more than 23 million people since 2003. A sequel, The Brand Flip, lays out a new process for building brands in the age of social media and customer dominance. His latest book, Scramble, is a “business thriller” about how to build a brand quickly with agile strategy.
In 1996, Neumeier founded Critique magazine, the first journal about design thinking. He has worked with innovative companies such as Apple, Netscape, Symantec, Kraft Foods, Adobe, Google, Microsoft, Riot Games, and Capital One to help advance their brands and cultures.
Today he serves as Director of CEO Branding for Liquid Agency in Silicon Valley, and teaches a five-tier program on brand mastery through his company Level C. Neumeier travels extensively as a workshop leader and speaker on the topics of brand, design, and innovation. He and his wife divide their time between California and France.
Connect with Marty Neumeier:
Level C masterclasses: levelc.org
Personal website: martyneumeier.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/martyneumeier/
Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy
Connect with Maria:
Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com
Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.com
Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross
LinkedIn: Maria Ross
Instagram: @redslicemaria
Twitter: @redslice
Facebook: Red Slice
