Most brand conversations stop at logos and color palettes. JP Lacroix, President and CSO of SLD, one of North America's leading design consultancies, goes much deeper — and his core argument might reframe how you think about every marketing decision you make. The reason your brand isn't growing probably has nothing to do with your ad spend.

About the Guest JP Lacroix is the President and Chief Strategy Officer of SLD (Shikatani Lacroix Design), a global brand and design consultancy he co-founded 35 years ago. SLD has led transformational brand programs for Dairy Queen, Midas, U.S. Bank, Regions Bank, and dozens of major Canadian brands. JP is also the author of Think Blink — a framework built on the idea that consumers make brand decisions in a split second, and that great design is what wins that moment.

Key Takeaways

• Your brand doesn't have an awareness problem — it has a relevancy problem. Every brand, regardless of industry, faces the same core challenge: staying emotionally connected to the people it serves. Starbucks isn't struggling because people forgot about them. They're struggling because they stopped being the preferred place and became just the convenient one. Losing emotional connection is a slow leak — and no media budget can patch it.

• Consumers decide in a blink — simple, ownable design is how you win that moment. JP coined the "Blink Factor" in 1993 after a Pizza Hut focus group where customers kept saying they looked for "the Red Roof" — not the name, not the menu. In a world where people see over 40,000 marketing messages a day, instant visual recognition isn't a nice-to-have. Tide's bullseye. Pizza Hut's red roof. You know them before your brain catches up.

• Know your one emotional word — it's the foundation everything else is built on. Before storytelling, before design, before any campaign — you need to know the single emotional word your brand owns. Volvo owns safety. BMW owns performance. Staples owns easy. The brands that can answer that question clearly? JP says they're almost always the market leaders. Go ask your customers how your brand makes them feel — and keep asking why until you hit something real.

If you've ever wondered why your brand feels like it's stuck — or why customers know you but don't choose you — this episode is the conversation you didn't know you needed.

This episode of "Let's Talk Marketing" explores the transformative power of design in building lasting brand connections. Host Katya Allison interviews JP Lacroix, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Shikatani Lacroix Design (SLD), about how strategic design goes far beyond aesthetics to become a critical growth engine for brands. With more than 35 years of experience shaping Fortune 500 brands — from Dairy Queen and U.S. Bank to major Canadian institutions — JP unpacks the concept of the "Blink Factor," why emotional equity is the foundation of any successful brand, and how companies can use design, storytelling, and community-building to remain relevant in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or a brand builder just starting out, this episode delivers actionable frameworks you won't want to miss.

• Design is a growth engine, not just a compliance or aesthetic exercise.
• The Blink Factor: consumers connect with brands in a split second through color and shape.
• Brands lose market position when they lose emotional relevancy with their core audience.
• Starbucks lost its identity as the "third place" by becoming just another coffee stop.
• The first and most important tenet: every brand must own a clear emotional word.
• Less is more — overcommunicating on packaging forces consumers to think too hard.
• Storytelling is the third tenet; brands that tell a compelling story build loyal communities.
• The Trust Ladder: incremental transformation keeps both employees and customers on the journey.
• Long-term brand sustainability comes from deep emotional connections, not discounting.
• Behavioral science is an underutilized superpower for understanding why consumers really buy.
• Research your customers by asking how your brand makes them FEEL — not just what they think.
• Owning a distinct color and shape in your category is a non-negotiable brand asset.
• JCPenney failed its rebrand by moving too fast and losing consumers mid-journey.
• Future-proofing brands means building disruption playbooks before disruption arrives.
• Tide's bullseye is the gold standard of color-and-shape brand ownership in retail.

1. www.sld.com
2. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanpierrelacroix/

Most ABM conversations stay stuck in theory. Andrew Seidman, COO of Digital Reach, a B2B go-to-market agency, brings it back to earth — and his take might surprise you. The most powerful ABM move you can make right now has nothing to do with your ad spend.

Andrew Seidman is the COO of Digital Reach, a B2B go-to-market agency that helps companies align sales and marketing to drive real pipeline. He specializes in Account Based Marketing strategy — not the buzzword version, but the kind that actually closes deals.

• Your happiest customers are your best ABM strategy. Before running a single ad, double down on your existing advocates. Word of mouth and social proof drive higher close rates and better account access than any paid digital channel.
• ABM isn't one-size-fits-all. There are three levels — one-to-one (strategic), one-to-few, and one-to-many — and each requires a different approach. Relationship is at the heart of strategic ABM, which is why sales and marketing alignment is non-negotiable.
• Sales incentives, not strategy, are often the real alignment problem. If sales is compensated on volume metrics like meetings booked, no ICP framework will stick. Alignment has to start at the top with clear direction, data, and shared goals.
• Ignoring attribution is one of the most expensive mistakes in B2B marketing. Spending millions on ads without the infrastructure to track impact is like gambling. Getting your data house in order isn't optional — it's the foundation everything else sits on.
• Keystone assets are the secret weapon. Andrew's framework: six assets per ICP cohort — one to two top-of-funnel videos, one to two mid-funnel guides or instructional content, and one to two core offer assets. It's a low-cost way to prove value and move accounts from awareness to revenue.

If you've been spinning your wheels on ABM — or wondering why sales and marketing still can't get on the same page — this episode is required listening.