McDonald’s, Pepsi, Netflix, and You. What’s the common thread? You’re all brands. Yes, you read that right. Even if you don’t think of yourself that way— You are a brand. Here’s why: You’re selling something (but not in the way you think). You make an impression on people. You need fans. You stand for something. […]

Create a good logo… Find your target audience… Make your website look professional… And post on social media as often as possible. At this point — everybody knows that stuff. Sure, those things are important— But are they the most effective things you could be doing to build your platform? Here at Leverage, we’ve tested […]

“Did you guys see the IHOP rebrand?” “Yeah. Super weird. They’re International House of Burgers now. How crazy is that?” See that up there? ^ That’s “brand equity.” It’s the intangible, intrinsic business value that comes from instant recognition and attention. Mega-brands like Nike, Coca Cola, McDonald’s, and even IHOP (or should I say IHOB?) […]

Ever wonder why certain personal brands become wildly successful and some never get off the ground? I have. In fact, for a long time, I thought building a personal brand that actually caught on was the equivalent of winning the lottery. A few fortunate souls received a golden ticket—and the rest didn’t. But luckily, I […]

It was a cold January morning at IHOP headquarters. A group of creative directors sat around a conference table. “Our bread-and-butter is pancakes. There’s no way we could switch to burgers. That would just be bananas.” “Ellis, I think it’s bologna too. But if we don’t do this, we’ll be toast. Waffle House will consume […]