Cultivating a Creative Culture with Justin Dauer

“Culture internally seems like one of the most intuitive things to support. It’s a no brainer. And yet …” We miss it. Often. Thankfully there’s a new book to help us keep the connection between brand and culture top of mind — Cultivating a Creative Culture. The author Justin Dauer is my guest on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.

About Justin Dauer

Justin Dauer is the author of Cultivating a Creative Culture. The belief behind his book is simple: a happy and well-supported employee is a fueled, charged, inspired creator. Quality of work is elevated, quality of life is strengthened, and the organization’s brand becomes organically championed by the very people it supports. Justin graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. With Josef Müller-Brockmann and user advocacy claiming equal parts of his creative heart, he’s crafted digital experiences for clients like Sony, Chase, SRAM, IBM, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Through bloodshot tunnel vision, he’s drawn from those career experiences across agency side, client side, design studio, and pure tech to foster healthy, dynamic, supportive creative cultures.

Episode Highlights

“Brand and culture are synonymous.” As Justin said, “Some of the best ideas come from people at all levels. Not just the product or marketing team.” This also send a strong message to the rest of the team that “everyone’s ideas are valued.”

“Some brands put a muzzle on their people.” And when they do, they miss out on the enormous potential that can be leverage when employees organically champion the brand.

Who does a great job of this? Justin shared some of his favorite examples including Clear Left, Shopify, and Hubspot.

What brand has made Justin smile recently? A self-proclaimed denim elitist, Justin shared the Japanese denim brand Iron Heart for the powerful experiences he’s had as a customer.

To learn more, connect with Justin on Twitter and Instagram, check out his website, and his new book Cultivating a Creative Culture.

As We Wrap …

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.

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

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