Anyone who says branding isn't important, remind them of this: Liquid Death raised $125 million. A brand built on a rebellious attitude, fun, and having an unmistakable voice in the water space. Then remind them of this: Liquid Death is just "canned water."

McDonald's ruined my billboard rankings. With a cowboy jacket. I wrote "The 12 Best Billboard Ads of All Time." Then they showed up with golden fries disguised as leather fringe. Big Macs hidden in belt buckles. No logo. No slogan. My list suddenly felt one fry short of a Happy Meal. So I started a new collection. 9 more campaigns that prove the same lesson: In an age of AI slop and beige walls of shallow BS, the brands winning aren't describing. They're demonstrating. Not one of these ads explains the benefit. They make you 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 it. That's not a billboard skill. That's a communication skill. Your pitch deck is a billboard. Your homepage is a billboard. Your elevator conversation is a billboard. The question isn't "Do I have a bigger budget?" It's "Do I have a bigger idea that's as fast as life?" Here's the full collection of killer billboards: risingabovethenoise.com/9-mo…

Just published: "#150: McDonald's made my last article obsolete ". Check it out and subscribe to get everything I'm making. david-brier.kit.com/posts/15… via @kit

Most brands measure outcomes. Very few measure confusion. open.substack.com/pub/davidb…

This guy ruined my birthday open.substack.com/pub/davidb…

Just published: "#149: Most agencies can't explain what branding actually is. Harrison Ford can." Check it out and subscribe to get everything I'm making. david-brier.kit.com/posts/14… via @kit

Just published: "#148: Average has become an epidemic (it's killing your business)". Check it out and subscribe to get everything I'm making. david-brier.kit.com/posts/14… via @kit

David Bowie said it simply: "Product plus personality equals brand." Most companies obsess over the product. Then stop. They assume it speaks for itself. It doesn't. It whispers in a world that screams. Bowie didn't just make music. He created Ziggy Stardust. The Thin White Duke. Space Oddity. Fame. Each album/breakout hit got a persona. Each persona made the music MEAN something. The 3-step framework: 1. Finish the product, and then forget that. Instead, ask: What is the role of this in the world? 2. Build personality around it. Bowie built personas nobody saw coming. 3. Go all-in 100%. A tentative, half-hearted personality is worse than none. Products compete on specs. Personalities compete on meaning. Specs get commoditized. Meaning gains attention and relevance. What personality is your brand known for? This sequence was shot in 1995 and released in the film Creativo Paradiso (2025).

Just published: "#147: The tagline that redefined this monopoly". Check it out and subscribe to get everything I'm making. david-brier.kit.com/posts/14… via @kit

Just published: "#146: AI just made mediocre brands look expensive". Check it out and subscribe to get everything I'm making. david-brier.kit.com/posts/14… via @kit

AI made average look professional. That's the real danger. Everyone's using it to generate logos, copy, and content. Most of it looks completely professional. 99.7% of it is completely forgettable. That gap (that "hell" between professional and memorable) is the most dangerous place a brand can live right now. The uncomfortable truth? AI doesn't create sameness. It amplifies whatever was already there. If your brand had clarity before AI showed up? You're pulling away from the competition. Fast. If it didn't? AI just handed your mediocrity a megaphone. Tomorrow I'm breaking down exactly how Patagonia, Nike, and Coca-Cola are using AI to widen their lead — while the same tools are quietly destroying brands that skipped the hard work of knowing who they are. Plus the three questions every brand needs to answer right now. Before AI answers them for you. (Badly.) The gap is widening. Tomorrow, you'll know which side you're on. Subscribe here so I can deliver it straight to your inbox: risingabovethenoise.com/land… See you then. 👊

Welcome to the Surprise Economy open.substack.com/pub/davidb…

This doesn’t look like McDonald’s… until it does open.substack.com/pub/davidb…

The Outlier Hiding in Plain Sight open.substack.com/pub/davidb…

Just published: "#142: One brand reached space. Another reached 900%.". Check it out and subscribe to get everything I'm making. david-brier.kit.com/posts/14… via @kit

Jimmy Fallon cried in his car after a podcast interview. Not because of the interview. Because of what happened after. Steven Bartlett did something so simple, yet so specific, it moved him to tears. Cost almost nothing. This is what I call THE UNKNOWNS — the invisible layer your competitors will never copy. New article breaks down: • The 3 properties of unforgettable brand moments • Why a $4 gesture outperforms million-dollar campaigns • The exact framework to find yours Read the full article👇 risingabovethenoise.com/bran…

Just published "Your Competitors Are Reading My Weekly Newsletter. You’re Just Getting My Highlights." medium.com/p/your-competitor…

My next newsletter "Monday Bonus: Closing The Genius Gap" is coming tomorrow. Subscribe to get it and stay in the loop on everything I'm creating. david-brier.kit.com/posts/ via @kit

Just published What Is Branding? The Art of Differentiation Explained medium.com/p/what-is-brandin…