How Gap Revived Its Brand with New Leadership and Partnerships

Every DTC brand dreams of scaling but few survive the leap from $10M to $100M. Brian Berger, Founder and CEO of Mack Weldon, built one of the first modern DTC brands in men’s apparel, long before “performance basics” was a category. On this episode, we dive deep into what it takes to actually scale a consumer brand in a capital-efficient way: - Lessons from the early DTC wave (and what still holds true) - Why retail is essential again, even for digital-first brands - Building true brand equity in a world dominated by performance marketing Brian’s honesty about market corrections, the long journey, and strategic pivots makes this one a must-listen for every brand operator. Links in the comments below 👇

“The company has lost 50% of its market cap earned from brand power.” That line stopped me in my tracks. Not from a brand strategist, but from Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon – in a full-page newspaper ad calling out the business he created. Half of its market value, he says, came from brand power. And half of that has now disappeared. For all the talk of metrics and management science, it’s a rare, public acknowledgment that brand power is measurable – and that when belief fades, it shows up in the numbers. Wilson’s frustrations cover a lot: products, operations, leadership. But underneath it all is something simpler – the brand lost sight of who it’s for. He built Lululemon around “the woman who inspires the culture.” That simplicity and clarity created everything: the product, the energy, the community – and the value. Somewhere along the way, the noise crept in. More analysts. More stakeholders. More people trying to systematise what was originally instinctive. That’s when clarity turns to confusion, and conviction gives way to consensus. It’s a trap we see in B2B all the time. Brilliant products, smart people – but so many markets, messages and opinions that the brand stops standing for something clear. You can’t be for everyone and expect to stay powerful. Wilson’s letter isn’t just a founder’s rant. It’s a case study in what happens when brand belief leaves the building. And a rare reminder, from someone who’s built billions in value: 👉 Brand isn’t soft. It’s the hardest, most valuable thing you own.

🔧 Real brand transformation isn’t glamorous. It’s gritty. It’s the messy middle between who a company is and who it wants to become. The work goes deeper than design — it’s about aligning mission, culture, and customer experience. Brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft have nailed this because they treat brand evolution as a reflection of internal truth, not just a marketing refresh. Nike’s “Never Done Evolving” AI-driven campaign and Coca-Cola’s Gemini-powered personalized experiences prove transformation happens when innovation meets identity. The hardest part? Sustaining that alignment long after the campaign fades. 💡 Transformation isn’t a moment — it’s a mindset. What brand transformation has inspired you most, and what made it stick?

In consumer markets, technical benchmarks matter less than identity alignment. A 200K context window doesn’t create loyalty; shared values and community do. Anthropic is showing it doesn’t need Times Square billboards to make its presence felt. By choosing depth over breadth, its strategy resembles that of a luxury brand—trading scale for loyalty and resonance. This is the subtle power of well-executed brand activations. ✈️ https://lnkd.in/gV9-PpHC

In today’s competitive market, brand equity has become one of the most valuable yet complex assets for any company. Some argue it’s built through emotional connection and trust, while others emphasise consistent customer experience or continuous innovation. Question: Which factor do you believe has the most significant long-term impact on brand equity — and why? For context, David A. Aaker defines brand equity in Building Strong Brands as: A set of assets (and liabilities) linked to a brand name and symbol that add to (or subtract from) the value provided by a product or service to a firm and/or that firm’s customers.

Earlier this year, my boss made me read How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp (thanks Mateusz Kardas), and it completely reframed how I think about brand growth. One key takeaway stuck with me: true growth comes from acquiring new customers, not just retaining existing ones. Today at Advertising Week New York, I heard Joon Silverstein, CMO of the brand Coach, speak about how the brand put that exact principle into action. For years, Coach focused heavily on retention, which meant it lost relevance with younger audiences and became seen as a “mum’s brand.” Recognising this, they pivoted to make new customer acquisition the core of their growth strategy, repositioning from “accessible luxury” to “expressive luxury” to better connect with Gen Z. Another key takeaway from Joon: “Bigger budgets with fewer messages.” That's all well and good, but not every brand has bigger budgets, let alone just big ones. For smaller brands, that translates to focusing your spend on one clear, consistent message that truly defines what you want to be known for.

Once, brand positioning was simple: own one word in the customer’s mind. Coca-Cola = Happiness Volvo = Safety Nike = Just Do It Clear. Simple. Absolute. But the playbook has changed. Today, positioning isn’t about a single slogan stuck in memory it’s about living inside culture. Then: One-way messaging → Craft, broadcast, repeat. Now: Two-way connection → The audience co-creates the brand story. Then: Differentiation = Product features. Now: Differentiation = Experiences, values, and communities. Then: Compete against rivals. Now: Stand with people, causes, and movements. Think about it: Apple sells creativity, not just tech. Patagonia sells saving the planet, not just jackets. The strongest brands today don’t just live in the mind They live in the heart, the feed, and the conversation. Maybe that’s the real shift: From owning words → to sparking worlds. What do you think: Is this the golden age of brand positioning or the most challenging one yet?

🔑 Partnerships have become a strategic lever for legacy brands navigating relevance in a rapidly shifting market. Gap is showing how collaboration can serve as a catalyst for reinvention. From Mattel to Dapper Dan, these partnerships aren’t just about products — they’re about embedding the brand back into cultural relevance. For digital leaders, the takeaway is clear: ✅ Partnerships can unlock new audiences ✅ Co-creation fuels innovation ✅ Relevance is earned through cultural connection, not just campaigns The future of brand growth won’t be built in isolation — it will be built together. #DigitalLeadership #BrandStrategy #Partnerships #Innovation #Retail #Gap #Collaboration #FastCompany https://lnkd.in/efEhCqvZ

The future of brand growth isn’t built on reach — it’s built on relationships. At WWD’s L.A. Beauty Forum, leaders from NYX Professional Makeup, cocokind, and NOYZ — Malena Higuera, Priscilla Tsai, and Arnaud Kerviche — shared how they’re turning customers into communities. What stood out wasn’t their campaigns. It was their connection. Cocokind’s Priscilla Tsai shared that six of eight fans on a brand trip got matching tattoos of the word kind. That’s not marketing — that’s meaning. Nyx and Noyz spoke about how true engagement starts when brands listen, adapt, and reflect back what their communities are feeling. As Arnaud Kerviche said: “You can buy all the views in the world, but if you’ve got an engaged community, that’s value that lasts beyond a viral moment.” Gen Z doesn’t just want brands they follow. They want brands that see them. When a brand moves from transaction to transformation — from campaign to connection — it creates something that can’t be replicated: memory.

How Internal Pressures Can Erode Brand Identity. Lululemon's journey highlights a critical lesson for brand leaders: the tension between product-driven sales goals and authentic creative marketing. Our new 5-slide carousel unpacks how this dynamic reportedly led to a "soul-killing" shift in Lululemon's brand strategy. Key takeaways for marketing and executive teams: - The danger of letting product strategy overshadow brand purpose. - The long-term cost of losing creative edge and community connection. - The importance of protecting brand voice from internal pressures. Read the full analysis to understand how maintaining creative integrity is vital for sustained brand loyalty.