Before we begin, I have some announcements about my private marketing community! Ya girl has been making changes in Brand Insiders over the past couple weeks and I am so excited to bring you more trends, live events, discounts, and networking in 2025 ✌️ Here’s what’s new: * Kara’s
Read moreAs I wrap up another 12 months, I’m realizing the biggest takeaways didn’t come from epic wins or massive failures. They were about the everyday grind—refining how I work, who I work with, how I take care of myself, and what I’m willing to tolerate. Some
Read moreWhen you think of Thanksgiving, what comes to mind? Turkey, football… and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. For nearly a ONE HUNDRED YEARS, this parade has been the fodder of our holidays. But it’s not just a festive event—it’s a masterclass in branding that has kept
Read moreYou do not have a brand if your employees are not living it every day. Your customers aren't reading your brand manuals, they are experiencing the product and service your team is delivering. And if they aren't aligned, I have bad news for you: your brand
Read moreLet’s talk about something way less sexy than a rebrand or a viral campaign—but way more important: measuring your brand. I get it—brand measurement isn’t the buzzword that gets everyone hyped (clients always get way more excited about my Creative Director's presentations than mine)
Read moreLet’s talk about something that trips up brands without them even knowing: confirmation bias. You know the drill—we get an idea about what’s working, or who our audience is, and then we only pay attention to data that supports that belief. Anything that doesn’t fit? We
Read moreEver been in a crowded room and still manage to hear someone mention your name? That’s the Cocktail Party Effect in action—your brain’s ability to filter out irrelevant noise and focus on something personally significant. This phenomenon is more than a party trick. As Richard Shotton, author
Read moreFollower counts, likes, views, web visits, open rates.... At some point, these types of metrics have been shunned to the outskirts, detached from business goals because they can't be tied to actual revenue. While I don't advocate that vanity metrics should lead your strategic marketing decisions,
Read moreEver look back at your career and cringe at some of the decisions you made? Of course you do, you're here because you're just as obsessive and anxious as I am about our work. I am thrilled to announce that instead of dying inside when I
Read moreEver wonder how some of those LinkedIn Influencers keep jumping in follower and engagement counts in mere hours? It's not just their great content, they are using engagement pods: a third party integration that cheats the algorithm. Last week I hosted Daniel Hall on my LinkedIn Live. He
Read moreDigital content is meant to be shared and engaged with in an open forum. But when does "sharing" and "engagement" cross an ethics boundary? This has been an increasingly popular topic in social spaces as more brands are using memes without permission, people are copying and
Read moreWhy would you want to share enemies with your audience? In personal AND corporate branding, knowing who you're battling is critical. We make emotional decisions, life is a f-in hustle, and we tend to work with people who not only get it, but who are leading the way
Read moreHappy weekend to everyone! Can we take a collective moment of gratitude, because we're all still here, in it together, and building things (even if progress is sometimes slow). I would always rather be growing and creating through hard times than standing still in comfort. Wouldn't
Read moreBesties, We have a serious problem with corporate leadership in this country. (TW: Mental health, toxic work abuse, suicide) Too many people in positions of power have little to no ability regulate their own emotions. It's basically why I started Backroom. (While I love brand marketing to its
Read moreEveryone told me that I had to niche down when I started Backroom (and they still do 10 years later) but it never felt right to me! I stayed true to my generalist nature for both my agency and my personal brand, and have seen consistent 25% YoY growth for
Read more