Strategic Brand Communications for Entrepreneurs

What You’ll Do

Project: Articulate your brand and put the right words in others' mouths.

What You’ll Learn

A hands-on introduction to the softer and more nuanced sides of brand, reputation, positioning, and the media for product/ tech minded folks.

You're not what you say are. There are key opinion shapers out there - from investors, to press, to potential users of your product - and they're the ones who will ultimately define your brand if you don't. Many nascent, young brands are so busy fulfilling their vision of a product that they don't think about outward messaging and what their constituents need to hear. This class is not about logos and taglines - that's just part of the equation. You'll leave this class having defined your brand based on the 360 degree experiences that you want everyone who interacts with it to have.

You'll work through your own brand - yes, you should have a product or at least a vision in mind already - and do the following throughout the class:

Brainstorm all the ways people can experience your brand (from UX to Customer Service)
Write up the dozens of tough questions a journalist or cynic might ask about your brand / product
Craft your message / brand articulation
Write up your mission statement, pitches, and FAQs

This is a very independent class that's designed to give you the resources and time you need to follow through on the steps above. I'll provide you with all of the reading, templates, and/or examples you need to get you through each stage of this class, and I encourage you to collaborate with each other in the Discussions and Groups for this class when you feel stuck. I'll pop in to the online Discussions to give direction and insight, and I'll host a live Q&A at the very end, where I'll give feedback on your work as well as answer questions.

Beginner Level

No formal prerequisites but you should be a fairly strong writer, have an in-depth understanding of your brand and product and its place in the world, as well as some existing communications that we can analyze and hopefully improve on.

About Your Teacher See Full Bio

Colin Nagy · Executive Director, The Barbarian Group

Colin Nagy, Executive Director, The Barbarian Group

Colin works at The Barbarian Group as executive director of earned and social media. He co-founded the travel startup Fortnighter.com, and is also a brand and communications advisor to several NYC-based startups including Percolate OLO, and Lot18.

Prior to joining The Barbarian Group, he was a partner at Attention, a social media marketing agency based in New York. At Attention, Colin evolved into a leading expert in the evolution of digital media. He helped Tina Brown launch the The Daily Beast, and advised other publishers such as CNN, Newsweek, Mashable and the Guardian. He also represented luxury brands such as Ligne Roset and Herman Miller as well as respected hospitality brands Morgans Hotel Group, The Ritz-Carlton and Hilton Worldwide.

Previously, Colin worked in policy, crisis communications and public affairs roles for a range of commercial and public sector entities around the world, including The Brunswick Group, based in New York, and the East West Institute, based in Prague.

His work has been cited in publications including The New York Times, The Financial Times, Fast Company, Creativity and Monocle. Colin has written for AdWeek, the innovation blog PSFK, as well as various arts and culture publications.

Colin graduated from New York University with a degree in Politics and European studies.