David Brier

12/28/2025

Insane Year-end Bonus:

Rich Brand Poor Brand Hardcover Edition: Only $29.70

https://a.co/d/iEsczJC

12/27/2025

On Thursday, I made 10 Briertinis, an original non-alcoholic espresso recipe that's like love's first kiss on a misty moonlit night.

Family members who were there will remember that tingly, "Ooh, is this even legal?" feeling.

Those who were not there are experiencing "espresso envy"...

12/25/2025

It's good to known people in high places (like the North Pole)

11/01/2025

35 years. 2 unicorns. 1 unstoppable partner.

Stu Sjouwerman sold his company.
Five days later, my phone rings.

"Retirement's not for me. I have an idea. Let's go to lunch."

That's Stu.

While others talk about building brands, we build them.
The last one hit unicorn status in 8 years. From zero.

Now we're building the next one.
And I already know it'll be his next unicorn.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 $𝟵𝗕 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻:

Decisive people don't need meetings about meetings.
They don't need consensus.
They need lunch and a napkin.

That Steve Jobs quote nailed it:
"Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people."

But he forgot to mention: The team better be unstoppable.

35 years later, Stu still can't sit still.
And I wouldn't have it any other way.

♻️ REPOST if you in lightning striking 3X in a row.

10/31/2025

BBC built a billboard that transforms with the sun.

By day: Random wooden stakes. By night?

Dracula's face in shadows.

No screens. No CGI. No AI.
Just physics and perspective.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 $𝟵𝗕 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻:

Every stake is positioned with surgical precision.
Every shadow calculated.
When darkness falls, Dracula appears.

While everyone else burns budgets on digital billboards, BBC used sunlight.

𝗟𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘀: Throw tech at everything
𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀: Make physics "their bitch"

The best ideas don't need electricity.
They need imagination.

Happy Halloween. 🧛‍♂️
Bravo BBC Creative Team.

♻️ REPOST if you agree that this sucks, in the best way possible.

10/29/2025

Claude Silver's new book should be required reading.

Not for CEOs. For humans.

"Be Yourself at Work" went live yesterday.
Vaynerchuk wrote the foreword.
Of course he did—she's 's Chief Heart Officer.

But here's what matters:
Claude Silver gets something most leadership books miss.

She's not selling you another "10 steps to authentic leadership" framework.
She's giving you permission to stop performing and start being.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆:

Most workplaces are wired for efficiency over humanity.
Most leaders preach vulnerability while wearing armor.
Most of us are exhausted from pretending to be "professional."

Claude's framework cuts through the BS:

𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗺 – Leading with hope (not hype)
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 – Having hard conversations with heart
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 – Driving clarity through compassion

This isn't soft. It's strategic.

Because telepathy isn't a management style.
And "fitting in" is a fast track to burnout.
And imposter syndrome.

And pretending to be someone else is
insanely expensive. For you and your company.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

After Claude and I met in her offices at Vayner,
Claude and I instantly knew there was something unique
and real to our relationship. Even though we'd only just met face-to-face.

That's when I made a decision:
I wanted Claude to write the foreword
to my upcoming book, Rich Brand Poor Brand.

Her words on the book:
"This is a MasterClass!!
Throw out all your other books on branding!
David has somehow managed to turn branding
wisdom into the most entertaining reality check I've ever read."

We each knew the power of being genuine and authentic.
Whether we were empowering brands or humans.

Your weird is your wealth.
Your truth is your advantage.
Your humanity is your strategy.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿:

You need to grab Claude's book here:
https://a.co/d/gi1JeBY

And in honor of Claude's launch,
I've arranged something insane with Amazon:
Rich Brand Poor Brand is currently 89% off.

THAT is how passionate I am about Claude's book.

$8.76 instead of $79.
(Limit: 4 books per customer)
Get it for your team.

Because with Claude's teaching us to be ourselves at work,
I'm teaching your brand culture to build a fire so bright
that even your enemies will bring marshmallows.

Different books.
Same rebellion.

Stop performing.
Start mattering.

P.S. Get Claude's book. Then get mine.
Your future self, your bottom line &
your top talent will thank you.

♻️ Here are the links to order your copies today:
"Be Yourself at Work" https://a.co/d/gi1JeBY
"Rich Brand Poor Brand" https://a.co/d/a31PMTJ

09/29/2025

Oren Klaff asked me the billion-dollar question.

And exposed why YOUR brand might be 90 days from death.

Oren Klaff is the NY Times bestseller who’s known as “The Dealmaker” generating deals in the billions. Yes. Billions.

Making a question from Oren very important to listen to.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀:

"What's changing in branding that's hard to recognize?"

My answer made him lean forward:

→ Successful brands get high on their own sh*t
→ They become product-centric
→ They forget their actual role
→ They die

"Give me an example," he said.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 $𝟲 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵:

Blockbuster thought they were in the video rental business.
Netflix knew they were both in the entertainment business.

One married their stores.
One married their purpose.

Blockbuster: One location left in Bend, Oregon
Netflix: 301 million subscribers, worth $528 billion

The difference? $527,999,999,999

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂:

Product-Centric Brands (dying):
→ "It's our cooler!" (Yeti at risk)
→ "It's our technology!" (BlackBerry dead)
→ "It's our features!" (Kodak bankrupt)

Purpose-Centric Brands (thriving):
→ "It's the adventure we enable" (+300% growth)
→ "It's the connection we create" (worth billions)
→ "It's the transformation we deliver" (category kings)

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗳𝗹𝗶𝘅 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 (𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀):

DVD-by-mail → Digital streaming → Original content

Same purpose. Different delivery.
Market value: $528 billion

They didn't protect their product.
They protected their promise.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟵𝟬-𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:

Your brand is dying if:
→ Founders left and stories stopped
→ You lead with features in every pitch
→ Sales are flat despite more marketing spend
→ Employees can't explain what makes you different

Sound familiar? You have 90 days.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝗳𝗳 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁:

I turned it on him:

"Pitch Anything" isn't your brand.
Your brand is high-stakes transformation.

The book could vanish.
Your role remains.

Oren's thinking, "That's worth a billion right there."

09/29/2025

Memorable or forgettable. That's the choice:

They said: "David, introduce yourself."

So I opened with a line nobody expected.
That line? Co***ne.

The room froze. HR shifted uncomfortably.
Then I delivered the punchline:

"I'm David Brier—the guy CEOs call when they've burned so much cash on marketing, their spouses think they have a coke habit. I'm like rehab for your brand, except instead of getting you clean, I get you profitable. Think of me as the Betty Ford Clinic of branding, but with better ROI and no group hugs. (Explains why I wrote the bestseller Brand Intervention that Daymond John calls "Genius.")

The tension broke.
Everyone laughed. Even HR.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻:

Most intros are forgettable word salads.
"I help companies achieve synergistic growth through strategic brand optimization..."

Yawn.

Mine? It's a pattern interrupt wrapped in truth.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

1. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲
Opens with something nobody expects
Forces attention in a world of noise

2. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻
Every CEO knows that marketing money pit
Makes them think "That's exactly my problem"

3. 𝗨𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿
Rehab for brands? Betty Ford for branding?
Memorable because it's absurd yet accurate

4. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
"No group hugs" shows I'm not taking myself too seriously
But serious about results

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:

Your intro is your first impression.
Most people waste it being "professional."

Professional is forgettable.
Memorable is profitable.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲:

Rewrite your intro.
Kill the corporate speak.
Find your "co***ne moment."

In a world of vanilla introductions,
the one who dares to be different wins the room.

P.S. That book I mentioned? "Brand Intervention."
Amazon bestseller. Has created millionaires.
It turns out that naming a book after rehab works too.

P.P.S. Still introducing yourself with your title and years of experience?
Your competitors love you for being forgettable.

I can help you if your introductions
are so dull, they cause amnesia.
Seriously.

09/28/2025

They said: "David, introduce yourself."

So I opened with a line nobody expected.
That line? Co***ne.

The room froze. HR shifted uncomfortably.
Then I delivered the punchline:

"I'm David Brier—the guy CEOs call when they've burned so much cash on marketing, their spouses think they have a coke habit. I'm like rehab for your brand, except instead of getting you clean, I get you profitable. Think of me as the Betty Ford Clinic of branding, but with better ROI and no group hugs. (Explains why I wrote the bestseller Brand Intervention that Daymond John calls "Genius.")

The tension broke.
Everyone laughed. Even HR.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻:

Most intros are forgettable word salads.
"I help companies achieve synergistic growth through strategic brand optimization..."

Yawn.

Mine? It's a pattern interrupt wrapped in truth.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

1. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲
Opens with something nobody expects
Forces attention in a world of noise

2. 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻
Every CEO knows that marketing money pit
Makes them think "That's exactly my problem"

3. 𝗨𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿
Rehab for brands? Betty Ford for branding?
Memorable because it's absurd yet accurate

4. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
"No group hugs" shows I'm not taking myself too seriously
But serious about results

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:

Your intro is your first impression.
Most people waste it being "professional."

Professional is forgettable.
Memorable is profitable.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲:

Rewrite your intro.
Kill the corporate speak.
Find your "co***ne moment."

In a world of vanilla introductions,
the one who dares to be different wins the room.

P.S. That book I mentioned? "Brand Intervention."
Amazon bestseller. Has created millionaires.
It turns out that naming a book after rehab works too.

P.P.S. Still introducing yourself with your title and years of experience?
Your competitors love you for being forgettable.

I can help you if your introductions
are so dull, they cause amnesia.
Seriously.

09/24/2025

I was shocked to hear of Joe's passing. Joe was a talented, quiet, thoughtful designer who preferred to stay out of the limelight. We all had seen his work for Woody Allen movies (like Manhattan) and other legendary movie posters.

How do I know this? In the early 1980s, Joe, I, and Phyllis Shenny almost partnered at a point when Joe was considering phasing out of the business. Godspeed.

Joseph Caroff, a prolific graphic designer, died at 103 on August 17, 2025, just before his 104th birthday. Born in 1921 in Linden, New Jersey, Caroff studied at Pratt Institute and worked under poster designer Jean Carlu. In 1962, he created the iconic James Bond 007 logo for the first film, Dr. No, transforming the "7" into a gun inspired by Ian Fleming’s Walther PPK. Commissioned for a publicity letterhead, he was paid $300 without royalties or credits, yet the logo became a global symbol, featured in every Bond film. Caroff’s portfolio included posters for West Side Story, A Hard Day’s Night, Cabaret, Last Tango in Paris, and Manhattan, plus title sequences for films like The Last Temptation of Christ. Despite his extensive work on over 300 film campaigns, he remained relatively unknown, rarely signing his designs. His 007 logo, praised for its simplicity and elegance, endures as a cinematic hallmark. Caroff later founded J. Caroff Associates and retired in 2006 to focus on painting. His legacy, highlighted in the 2022 documentary By Design: The Joe Caroff Story, continues to influence graphic design