BrandFuel co-founders Mark Wendt and Stephanie Wright spent years developing a framework designed to help companies respond to changing consumer demands without sacrificing their core identities.
BrandFuel is a Covington-based marketing and design firm that has worked with recognizable brands such as Cheez-It, Maker's Mark, Nutri-Grain and Nissin, among others. Through its work, the firm helps shape how brands look and are perceived in the physical world, whether by designing a bourbon bottle or selecting a color palette for a box of granola bars, both of which compete for consumers' attention on store shelves.
At the center of Wendt and Wright's branding philosophy is behavioral equity, or a brand's ability to act and respond in ways that reflect its identity. The concept underpins their Brand Experience, or BX, model, which the duo unveiled on Thursday, Oct. 8, after years of development.
"Are you prepared in these moments when they strike unexpectedly, and how do you be prepared," Wright said. "If not, use the tool (BX). How distinctive am I? How relevant am I?"
The central premise of Brand Experience is that brands must be able to adapt and respond to cultural shifts in real time. As the internet and social media have transformed the relationship between brands and consumers, the marketing landscape has become increasingly fragmented, with companies navigating a growing number of digital platforms and opportunities for consumer engagement.
Wright said the first step in applying the model is identifying a brand's "tribe," or a group of consumers who share the company's values, beliefs and cultural interests. Unlike traditional customer segments, which are often defined by demographics and purchasing behaviors, tribes form around shared identities and emotional connections.
"They don't just want a brand that's going to advertise in traditional ways," Wendt said. "They want a brand that's going to speak to them. They're going to have back-and-forth conversations with them."
Once a tribe is identified, the next step is humanizing the brand by establishing a recognizable personality, behaviors and instincts. The goal is to create a consistent identity that allows companies to engage authentically with consumers across different platforms and respond to unexpected cultural moments.
"What humans have that today a lot of brands don't have are instincts," Wright said. "You have to define what those instincts [are]. You have to define what those behaviors are."
However, Wright warned against chasing trends simply to stay culturally relevant, especially when it conflicts with a brand's established identity.
A prominent example she highlighted was Levi's partnership with Lalaland.ai, a Netherlands-based artificial intelligence studio, to experiment with AI-generated models wearing its clothing. The announcement sparked backlash from ardent consumers and critics, who questioned why the company would use AI models instead of hiring human models.
For a brand like Levi's, which has built its reputation around comfort, familiarity and rugged authenticity, the decision risked undermining the qualities that made it recognizable to consumers. Essentially, Levi's damaged its reputation with consumers by prioritizing short-term cultural relevance over its customers' values and expectations.
BrandFuel's BX model is built on the idea that a brand's identity extends beyond its logos, slogans and advertising campaigns. By establishing recognizable behaviors and developing a deeper understanding of their consumer communities, companies can respond to cultural changes while preserving the qualities that differentiate them from competitors.
Wendt and Wright believe the model can be applied across a variety of industries, including food, tech, apparel, consumer products and spirits, and more. Ultimately, they envision it as a way for companies to remain competitive with the ever-changing demands of the consumer and markets.
