Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders Kate Doerge, Principal, Kate Doerge Consulting – The Branding Blueprint: Aligning Strategy, Storytelling, and Authenticity
Summary:
Branding used to be as simple as product packaging. But today, it’s woven into every touchpoint — from social media and customer service to in-store experiences. With more opportunities than ever to connect, brands face the challenge of creating a unified, authentic experience that not only stands out but also stays true to their core identity. Our guest today is helping brands forge deeper, more meaningful connections with their customers...connections that last.
Kate Doerge is Principal at Kate Doerge Consulting and Operating Partner at Traub, a global business development, advisory, and investment firm focused on the consumer and retail industries. Kate works with her colleagues at Traub on all aspects of brand strategy and optimization across domestic and global markets.
Kate is a dynamic business leader, brand strategist, and trusted advisor driving organizational transformation and delivering impactful results. As an experienced brand marketing consultant, Kate champions innovation and optimizes brand performance to generate value for stakeholders. Her clients have included L'Oreal, H&M, Kate Spade, TAG Heuer, and Oscar de la Renta, among others.
Previously, Kate was Head of Marketing at iStar New York, leading iStar's branding and communications efforts. She launched the firm's first marketing department to drive awareness and also helped iStar play a central role in revitalizing Asbury Park, New Jersey with the Asbury Park Now brand campaign.
Prior to that, Kate was a partner at Paul Wilmot Communications, where she led the firm's fashion, beauty and wellness, accessories, culture, and lifestyle divisions. In 2015, Kate was appointed Vice Chair of the Board of Advisors of the Hospital for Special Surgery. She sits on the HSS Pediatric Council, and for the past 16 years, she has Co-chaired HSS's most successful fundraiser for the Pediatric Pavilion, raising more than 25 million to date.
She also sits on the Board and acts as a Strategic Advisor for the Penny Doerge Adaptive Pediatric Academy and is Co-founder and CEO of Penny's Flight Foundation dedicated to raising awareness and funding for neurofibromatosis, launched in honor of Kate and her husband Chad's daughter, Penny, who passed away from this condition in November of 2022.
In this episode, we explore how Kate Doerge is helping brands stand out by balancing authenticity with innovation, aligning messaging across platforms, and leveraging storytelling to create lasting connections in a rapidly evolving market.
Highlights:
- Kate's path into public relations and consulting (4:03)
- Memorable client experiences at Traub (9:48)
- Kate describes the Traub team (11:59)
- How Kate aligns brand strategies across entire teams (13:32)
- Challenges brands face when adapting their branding digitally (14:37)
- How Kate stays on top of trends and innovations (15:51)
- Adapting to trends while remaining authentic (18:20)
- How Kate's work at Traub informs her consulting business (20:05)
- Kate's philanthropic work and 'Penny's Flight Foundation' (22:24)
Links:
Kate Doerge Consulting Website
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.