Yesterday was an absolute cracker at Sunderland AFC’s iconic Stadium of Light, where I had the pleasure of speaking at the “Powerful Branding: From Identity to Impact” workshop. Huge thanks go out to RTC North, Business Durham, and Sunderland City Council for inviting me to be part of such an energetic, engaging event!

From the moment we kicked off, the room was buzzing—packed with enthusiastic business owners and marketers eager to explore exactly what makes a brand memorable, meaningful, and (most importantly) impactful.

What Actually Happened? (Spoiler: More Than Logos!)

We quickly established one key insight right from the get-go: your brand isn’t just a logo—it’s how people feel whenever they interact with your business. To bring this to life, we dived straight into our interactive Cocktail Party exercise 🍸, which challenged everyone to think differently about their brand’s personality.

It was brilliant to see everyone fully engaged, laughing, sharing, and exploring new perspectives. We even brought in real-world case studies that helped the group uncover fresh ways to dial up their brand’s personality and truly stand out.

Key Branding Takeaways from the Day

Here’s a quick recap of the biggest insights from our session:

• ✅ Your Brand is a Feeling – Your customers don’t just buy your products; they buy into the experience, the emotions, and the story you share.
• ✅ Dial Up Your Brand Personality – Don’t be shy! The more distinct and genuine your brand personality, the more memorable you become.
• ✅ A/B Test Your Messaging – Refine and validate your brand messaging by regularly testing what resonates best with your audience.
• ✅ Balance Organic and Paid Strategies – Effective branding blends genuine engagement with strategic paid promotions to drive growth.
• ✅ AI & Automation for Scaling – Leveraging automation tools and AI can dramatically enhance your branding efforts, freeing you to focus on strategy and creativity.

Thanks to Everyone Who Made This Possible!

Events like this don’t just happen—they take tremendous effort and collaboration. A huge thanks to the brilliant teams at RTC North and Foresight eLearning and Creative Limited, especially Lesley Hawke MIEx, Barry Braley, and Lee Daymond, alongside our fantastic supporters Business Durham and Sunderland City Council through the #UKSPF Programme.

Special gratitude to Sunderland AFC, Michael Duell, and the events team for their top-notch hospitality. 🙌

Let’s Keep Building Brilliant Brands Together

Already looking forward to session two—let’s continue crafting brands that don’t just exist, but truly make an impact.

💡 What’s one key takeaway from the session that really stuck with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts—let’s discuss in the comments! 👇