Dear Dreamers and Doers,

​“Branding is a tool of the empire.” 

That’s what we heard recently in a fascinating conversation with an organization devoted to art, nature and mindfulness. It’s quite a quote, and one we don’t necessarily disagree with. Actually, we would say this is the point of view from which most people first come to know branding – as a cog in the wheel of the big commercial propaganda machine.  And for those of us who communicate on behalf of nonprofit services or arts and culture organizations, the Empire Method of marketing does not represent our truths or values in what we provide or how we speak to our communities.

This quote, entirely, captures why DRMTM came into existence: to turn this idea on its head and teach arts and culture organizations how to understand the power of branding to share their mission and build relationships, not sell tickets or fill up program rosters. If you offer a compelling community experience people want and need, the rest follows.

Throughout 2024, our emails to you will reveal DRMTM’s Truth of a Bold Relevant Brand. We’re breaking down the tried-and-true points from our intensive workshop that teach you how to communicate your value and purpose and build a loyal following. So take notes. You will find some great capacity-building ideas and language to carry into your main messaging and grant writing work.

You don’t want to miss this series! Our first installment is coming February 20th.

And remember, DRMTM is always available to answer your questions with a free Happy Half-Hour consultation. Email ​hello@thedrmtm.com​ to get your HHH on the calendar! Don’t forget to ask about our Bold Brand Assessment.

Here’s to walking with some Darth Vader swagger as your theme song plays,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

​Welcome to 2024! There’s a bright new year ahead, full of possibility. The good news? Anything can happen. The bad news? Anything can happen.

Of course we know everyone is starting off with a very brilliant and easily implemented plan for astounding success so there’s nothing left to do or think about. If. Only.

Working in the creative world of arts and culture is challenging and rewarding no matter what the year may bring. In wrapping up 2023, we had many great conversations with organizations like yours who were asking big questions related to their brand strategy in 2024.

What’s the greatest question asked?

“How do we know if and when we should rebrand?”

Believe it or not, that’s an easy question for DRMTM and one we love to answer. But sometimes the answer is surprising – especially for organizations who want to rebrand but then find out they shouldn’t.

If and when to make brand changes can cause a lot of confusion for organizations. Your brand is a complex, living part of your mission. Making changes makes an impact — good or bad. This is not a time for guesswork.

If your organization is wrestling with real questions about which direction to go, DRMTM can assess your current brand and offer you clarity.

It’s an easy, fun process:

1. Start with our free, expert consultation.

2. Engage in a customized Bold Brand Assessment utilizing DRMTM’s brand research, messaging, design and culture best practices.

3. Get professional advice and tools informing your decision to rework, refresh or rebrand.

As Schoolhouse Rock taught us: Knowledge is Power. Don’t make a branding plan without assessing your brand first. Reach us at hello@thedrmtm.com or LinkedIn to get your Bold Brand Assessment rolling.

Here’s to KiP,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

​It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Streaming apps are in full Holiday movie mode. And so are we.

We’ve all got our favorites. A Christmas Story, The Family Stone, Die Hard, The Holiday, and of course, Home Alone. Little Kevin with his hands framing bright pink lips and an iconic open-mouthed scream of after-shave agony.

What does this have to do with bold branding, you ask? It has to do with Home, and if your family is siloed off in separate rooms, hanging out together in the game room, or heaven forbid, left you all alone.

An alarming number of cultural organizations are feeling alone in their own “homes” because of the fractured culture their complex programming is creating. Recent calls on the DRMTM line are asking how to bring this complexity home under one meaningful brand experience.

It all comes down to your brand and building the right sub-brands. 

Think of your brand as Home. If the foundation is strong, you can build many rooms (programs) with their own décor and ambiance, inviting guests to enjoy diverse offerings and opening doors to connect on deeper levels. These rooms are distinct but well-designed sub-brands, which all support and uplift the roof on your Home.

If the foundation is weak, meaning your home brand is lacking in purpose, cohesion or cultural identity, then mis-aligned programs and sub-brands can create cracks in the walls and quickly erode your house. Guests feel no real connection under your roof and are left without a place to belong or reason to come back, no matter what door they entered through.

Ahead in 2024, DRMTM is building more research and strategy into sub-branding to help your cultural organization firm up the foundation and build loyalty through everything you do. We’ll bring you a lot of thought and tools on this topic so stay tuned.

Feeling Alone at Home? Reach out to us at hello@thedrmtm.com or LinkedIn for a free half hour to talk sub-brand basics.

Here’s to Forced Fun,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Remember that nice little lull in the season calendar? 

Yeah. We don’t either.

It’s been a looooooong time since we’ve heard any arts and culture organization say they had a break in the schedule to do some focused planning, strategizing, or just plain fun creative brainstorming around their brand.

Some of the most surprising reveals from our 2023 Bold Brand workshop testimonials, including organizations of all sizes, budgets, knowledge and needs, went like this:

This time spent was a great energizer to move forward on branding opportunities for our organization.

Great opportunity to unplug from everything else to focus on the power of our branding.

It was a great opportunity to get on the same page with our brand goals as a team.

Carving time from your calendar to focus on your brand story and strategy can seem impossible. But in return, you get at least a year’s worth of benefit in cohesive identity, communications and capacity growth.

So set the date, promise lots of premium coffee and snacks, and demand people show up — no excuses.

It’s what many of us as kids now remember fondly as Forced Fun – like when we didn’t want to leave our friends to go on some lame trip with our lame parents but then had a total blast and wouldn’t have missed it for anything when dad lost his swim trunks on the 300-foot water slide – and, well, you get it.

Season schedules are upon us. Time is critical. Give your brand 2 or 3 hours. We guarantee your team wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Need some tips to get started? Reach out to us at hello@thedrmtm.com or LinkedIn for a free half hour of brand joy and clarity.

Here’s to Forced Fun,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

We LOVE this reaction from arts and culture organizations who change the way they think about branding after spending an afternoon training with us:

“DRMTM’s workshop clearly explained how the importance of branding affects the other aspects of your organization. I wasn’t aware that growth and branding were tied so tightly.”

We love blowing some minds.

Even more than that – we love seeing arts and culture organizations of all sizes, knowledge and budgets break through barriers that have been holding them back by learning to lead with a bold brand.

A bold brand is the foundation for strong operations. 100%. Why? That’s where your mission, values and ability to achieve sustainable growth and support live. Your brand’s power to build capacity can blow away your organizational goals.

We learned most small to mid-sized organizations, and even some large ones, don’t know how to utilize their brands to grow and meet goals. DRMTM’s process of research, design, messaging and culture is engineered with capacity growth in mind. By wielding the tools of a bold brand, you align your ability to secure more resources and support for future growth and sustainability.

DRMTM is on a mission to get funders and foundations to award capacity-building grant money so arts and culture organizations can improve brand strategy.

If there’s another thing we keep hearing, it’s “funders don’t award money for marketing projects.” Sad, but true. We think they should. But branding isn’t marketing. To quote our friend Brian Sooy, “marketing is the push; branding is the pull.” The pull is what attracts resources and support to grow our missions.

DRMTM is teaching organizations how bold branding leads growth and working with funders to support them. We see breakthrough, do you?

Let’s talk about how growing a strong brand grows your organization’s capacity.

Schedule a happy-half-hour free consultation to ask us about bold brand training, workshops and funding for capacity-building. Reach out to us at  hello@thedrmtm.com or LinkedIn.

Here’s to breaking through,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl

Dear Dreamers and Doers,

Please forgive our recent email silence  — our small but mighty team was on the road building bold brands this summer! Hope you’ve all stayed shaded and hydrated. It’s not quite the Thunderdome, but it’s the Heat Dome. Anyway, we are incredibly glad to reconnect with you here in this late-summer episode of the Silver Lining.

The past months we were privileged to meet more than 100+ arts and culture professionals from the greater Miami, San Francisco and Memphis regions while teaching DRMTM’s Bold Brand methods.

We sat with executives, marketing staff and board members in deep conversation about their challenges, opportunities and how their brand was or wasn’t furthering their goals. What did we hear most often?

Arts organizations don’t want their brand to get lost in promoting programs, exhibits and performances. With a full season of offerings, how do you keep your brand consistent and recognizable on websites, social feeds and collateral?

They want to move their brands forward and make changes but are worried to lose people. How do you grow and maximize opportunities without leaving your community and partners behind?

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“I never even thought about branding this way. My eyes are open to so many new possibilities. I feel empowered.”

ArtsMemphis Participant

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They believe their brand can play a bigger role in strategy but aren’t sure how to execute. How do you approach branding from a capacity-building perspective and convince stakeholders to invest in your brand’s potential?

WELL.  We were more than thrilled to share how even the smallest steps forward with brand research, messaging, design and culture give you greater leverage among all your stakeholders to reach your goals.

Wondering how to move your brand forward? DRMTM can show you how.

We offer free Happy Half Hour sessions to talk over your questions and needs. We will help you strategize, make a plan, or redesign your brand. The sky’s the limit! Come work with the best.

We’re cracking open another ice-cold bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola to stave off the lingering heat while basking in the air-conditioned inspiration of Our Summer of Arts and Culture. Can’t wait to hear from more of you! Reach out to us at  hello@thedrmtm.com or LinkedIn.

Enjoy our summer scrapbook!

Here’s to Chilling With Your Cool Brand,

Surale + Laura + Cheryl