Stop Playing ‘Dress Up’ Urges Acclaimed Brand Strategist

What do brands like Planet Fitness, Everlane and Bombas all have in common? They’re capturing peoples’ emotions and winning customers’ hearts. And they are based on commodity products or services. Following the success of his #1 bestselling book, “How to Launch a Brand,” brand strategist Fabian Geyrhalter of the Los Angeles brand consultancy FINIEN is back with a new book that digs deep into today’s brand creation challenges. “Bigger Than This” — release date is January 23 — asks companies – to discover or rediscover their spark and connect with consumers.

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In “Bigger Than This,” Geyrhalter analyzes brands based on commodity products – watches, socks, shoes, fish – that managed to turn into beloved brands. He emphasizes the importance of storytelling, encourages brands to embrace 8 simple traits, and offers specific, actionable commandments that any brand can implement. Instead of playing “dress-up,” he wants businesses to uncover the roots of their ventures and share honest, empathetic stories.

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Fabian Geyrhalter serves as a columnist for Inc and Forbes, and has been published by the likes of The Washington Post, Mashable, Entrepreneur and The Huffington Post. He is an advisory board member of Santa Monica College and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California and Art Center College of Design. Geyrhalter notes that “I kind of started my writing career with the piece for GDUSA” and was featured on the cover of GDUSA’s People To Watch edition in 2005.

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