Cohort 5

What every early stage company needs to know about purpose, position, and personality to build the foundation for a distinctive brand.

Arielle Jackson

Startup Brand Strategy

First Round

Square

Google

Unlock your company's next level of growth by gaining clarity on what you do and why you do it. You can’t be everything to everyone, but you can be something great for someone. Join this two-week crash course to learn how.

Great startups deserve great brands

Early stage startup founders who are just getting started (pre-seed to series A)

Growth marketers who want to add brand strategy to your skill set

Founding teams at any stage looking to better (re)position your product

Who this course is for:

Master the skills and frameworks that help build a lasting brand

You can't be everything to everyone, so be something great for someone. Define who that someone is for the next 18 months.

Narrow in on your target audience using the concentric circle model

If you don't define your category, someone else will do it for you — and not in a way you'll necessarily like.

Choose the category in which to play

Startups worry too much about other startups and not enough about the old way of doing things, which is often what loses when you win.

Define your foil (what you're up against) in your customers' minds

Brand is a lens through which to make decisions and your company's purpose is your north star. Articulate one that will make people want to root for you.

Craft your purpose and use it to make company decisions

Most people think branding is about adding flourish, but actually it’s largely about paring things down to their essence. We'll demystify brand strategy and explain why it's important to unclutter your messaging and get a few key components right from the earliest stages of company building.

What's a brand and why you should care

Stop circling on mission and vision. You just need one thing: a purpose. We'll use cultural tensions and your brand's best self to formulate your reason for being. Great brands use this as a compass for company decision making — and to make people root for them.

How to articulate your purpose

Do you know your exact target market and the position you want your product to take in your customers' minds? If you've ever felt unsure about how you talk about your product, or whom you're talking to, this section is for you.

How to nail your position

Brands are like people: they need tension to be interesting. Define your brand personality and see how brands come to life from brief to launch-ready assets.

How to bring your brand to life

Course syllabus

VP & General Manager, Disney+ (and future founder)

Need more convincing?

Meet your instructor

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Introductory session

Workshops are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am to 12:00pm PT to allow for people from as many timezones as possible to attend.

4 workshops

Refine your work with feedback from your instructors and fellow students.

Pre-work / homework

Optional office hours follow each of the 4 workshops.

4 office hours

Graduation

Course schedule

This is a crash course that's taught live and interactively. Workshops aren't simply lectures — there will be live examples, breakout rooms, discussions, and Q&amp;A.

Active learning, not passive watching

Surround yourself with like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you. Get feedback from your peers and instructors to refine your thinking.

Connect and learn with a cohort of peers

Trying to do this on your own is tough. This course keeps you honest and forces you to do the work in a supportive community with expert guidance.

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