The Power of Specificity with Greg Monaco

Greg Monaco is a brand and story coach who strategizes with authors, entrepreneurs, executives, and artists to build compelling brands. In a career that’s included agency work with Fortune 500 brands and founding a global brand consultancy, Greg understands how specificity is critical in helping brands tell standout stories. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand Podcast.

About Greg Monaco

As a Brand and Story Coach, Greg Monaco strategizes with authors, entrepreneurs, executives, and artists to refine their voice, build their presence, and attract dream opportunities. Greg's online network, Fearless Brands, is helping people in their pursuit of getting paid to do the work they love. Previously, Greg was a Founding Partner of Monaco Lange, an independent global brand consultancy, and was a Senior Copywriter at Ogilvy helping tell stories for clients like Girl Scouts of the USA, American Express, AT&T Wireless, and IBM to name a few.

Beyond branding, Greg has enjoyed many pursuits as an architectural photographer, professional soccer player, and filmmaker. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Jill, and their three children Aidan, Cameron, and Kylie.

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Episode Highlights

From professional soccer to professional brand builder? “I started out pretty aimless after college,” Greg notes. While his varied career included a stint as a professional soccer player, he was always drawn to the creative arts—which led him to brand building. And in the agency world, creative work starts with a brief.

The difference between a good brief and a bad brief. I liken briefs to the baton in a relay. At Ogilvy, Greg learned the difference between a good brief and a poor brief. I asked him to share and he answered with one word: “Specificity.”

How to avoid generic brand storytelling. “You know you have a problem when you read the brief and it has a primary audience, a secondary audience, and a tertiary audience. When you try to do all of that your storytelling gets more generic.” You can’t be everything to everyone all the time. That’s why Greg prefers going beyond the idea of a target audience and straight to the bullseye.

What brand has made Greg smile recently? As the parent of two kids heading to college, Greg shared how he was fascinated by the branding in higher ed. Specifically, how his kids connected with the brands that the various colleges and universities projected.

To learn more, go to letsgomonaco.com.

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Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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