This is the first of several "mini episodes" of How Brands Are Built. Hopefully, you saw this mentioned on social media or in the newsletter: between now and the next season (TBA), I'll release a few short episodes on a range of topics—no consistent through-line, just some interesting, snack-sized branding content.

I reached out on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook asking for feedback on which mini episodes would be most interesting or useful. If you’re one of the many people who weighed in, thank you! And now that the results are in, I'm happy to share this first mini episode, all about careers in branding.

I've spent some time reviewing interviews from the past two seasons, looking at the advice guests gave, and grouping them into themes. I've boiled it down to six pieces of advice broken out across three categories:

Category 1: Where you work

1. Surround yourself with good people—it’s more important than getting to work on cool, big brands, especially when you’re just getting started. And it might mean starting out at a smaller agency, where you could have more exposure to clients and experienced coworkers.

Category 2: How you work

1. Master the basics, such as running an interview, presenting, and writing, as well as gaining a basic understanding of how business works.
2. Pick a lane; for example, research or analytics.
3. See the big picture—always think about the problem you’re trying to solve for the client. Know that saying, “To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”? Don’t be a hammer.

Category 3: Why you work

1. Get out there—experience new things
2. Enjoy what you do

This episode goes into more detail on each of the six pieces of advice, with clips, quotes, and insights from interviews with:

• Jeremy Miller of Sticky Branding
• Ken Pasternak of Two by Four
• Fabian Geyrhalter of FINIEN
• Caren Williams, independent brand consultant
• Dennis Hahn of Liquid Agency
• Ana Andjelic, strategy executive and doctor of sociology
• Alan Brew of BrandingBusiness
• Myra El-Bayoumi of Character
• Denise Lee Yohn, author of What Great Brands Do and Fusion
• Tim Riches of Principals
• Erminio Putignano of PUSH Collective
• Allen Adamson of Metaforce
• Gareth Kay of Chapter
• Adam Morgan of eatbigfish
• Laura Ries of Ries & Ries
• Marty Neumeier of Liquid Agency (and author of Brand Gap and Zag)
• David Aaker of Prophet (and author of Building Strong Brands and Brand Portfolio Strategy)