Aaron Keller
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Twin Cities Business
Founder @CapsuleDesign / Columnist @TCBmag / Co-Author, Physics of Brand / opinions could be yours if you changed your mind. Speaks on #packaging #design #brand
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Articles by Aaron Keller
Think & Link with David Fischer and Patrick Hanlon
Overview We are seeing new light in the darkness of culture. The brands we adopt and content we consume have a central role in how we see the world. We have David Fischer, Business Affairs and Acquisitions at Angel Studios with Patrick Hanlon Author of Primal Branding on our stage in September. Angel studios is behind some of your favorite family friendly stories, movies and streaming content.
It’s Time to Rethink Private Equity
Private equity needs a rethink. There are legendary stories of leaders who went into a private equity–owned business and came out with a personal oath to never step inside again. You might know one—you might be one of those people. Yet the brush is too broad when it paints all of private equity as bad for culture, business, or humanity. It is a business model that serves an important role.
Guest Commentary: Brands Are Facing Off Against Politics and AI
Brands are extensions of the founders, leaders, and teams who shepherd them. Great brands represent the best versions of ourselves. Those with great longevity, history, heritage, and meaning have become lighthouses on the shore, allowing us to navigate the waves of uncertainty. A few years ago, Apple, with its focus on personal security and privacy, provided an example when the company denied government access to customer data.
Two Expos, One Lesson
There’s a legendary story of Burger King’s “fast follower” strategy. While McDonald’s had a large team dedicated to selecting the perfect new location, Burger King had one person whose job was to open a new store as close as possible to each McDonald’s. As long as McDonald’s continued expanding, Burger King could piggyback on their success. This phenomenon isn’t limited to fast food; it happens in many industries, if you’re observant.
Humans Need to Convene
Earlier this month I traveled 1,847 miles to Anaheim, Calif., to attend Expo West—the massive natural and organic products trade show—along with nearly 70,000 other people. And I found myself attending Naturally MN’s Mingle @Expo West event with a sizable contingent of Minnesotans who are CPG founders, retailers, creatives, and industry pros. A great group, and also couldn’t help but think: this was quite a journey for a bit of casual afternoon networking with fellow Minnesotans.
When In-House Ad Campaigns Go Awry
Your brand is your largest intangible asset, and having a capable in-house team to manage it and execute your marketing plan is essential for any organization. In fact, if you’re a publicly traded corporation and you’ve outsourced all your brand knowledge to an external agency, you’ve created an unnecessary risk.
For Better Meetings, Try Nordic Style Sparring
The brightness of my monitor jolts me awake, reflecting my groggy morning look. It’s 8 a.m. here in Minneapolis, and we’re starting a video meeting with our Nordic client. It’s 4 p.m. in Helsinki, and they’re fully caffeinated. They’ve had all day to prepare, armed with their sharp Nordic good looks and the intellectual energy of first-year marketing students. This is where we practice what our Finnish friends call “sparraus,” or sparring, for those of us with clumsier tongues.
Working Out My Relationship with Robots
We are heading into the next revolution, exponentially larger than the internet revolution. It will change so many things we will again wonder how we ever lived without an artificial intelligence in our life. It will be seen as a gift we’ve created for all of humanity. And, spontaneous utopian communities will show up everywhere. This is the optimist in me. We will be required to see the difference between human and machine creations, and the machine will be able to fool many.
Calling All Minnesota Creatives: Let’s Design a Better Flag
Minnesota’s contributions to agriculture, timber harvesting, mining, paper production, and food manufacturing are well documented. But creativity, generally, is now one of our state’s most invaluable intangible assets. On the whole of it, Minnesota often punches above its weight class as a community. The Minnesota Legislature’s recent decision to open up suggestions for new state flag designs is a unique opportunity to harness this creative power. The state will continue to accept ideas through Oct.
Remembering Design Pioneers Miranda Moss and Peter Seitz
Within just eight days, the world lost two remarkable Minneapolis design pioneers: Miranda Moss and Peter Seitz. For those who have a deep love and appreciation for the world of design, these two names are etched in our memories. To those less familiar, allow me to introduce you to their profound influence. Miranda Moss, originally from Washington, D.C., co-founded the renowned Minneapolis-based brand design firm Yamamoto Moss (now known at Yamamoto).
Making the Most of Breakfast with Ted Sarandos
As mere 30 year olds starting our own firm, we didn’t have enough gray hair to be trusted with valuable brands. We still sometimes look back and marvel at how our first big rebrand client, Byerly’s, entrusted us with removing the lines and wrinkles in the brand identity and retail experience of this much loved community grocer. The balance of respecting heritage and relationships while seeing greater potential is central to how we help brands refresh themselves.
Brands Should be Humanized, Not Politicized
At a time when brands of all sizes feel compelled to wade into issues that divide our country into red and blue, it’s not easy to create a “mic drop” moment that truly rises above debate. But that’s what Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard did in late 2022 when he gave away his company. No caveats. No stunts.
The State Fair Could Fare Better
The great Minnesota calorie intake is here again, better and bigger than ever. As one of the longest standing get-togethers of the North Star State, starting in 1859, you can see our history reflected in its activities, vendors, and visitors. Academics have studied the history of the Minnesota State Fair and identified the point at which we transitioned from a production driven society to consumption driven. There was a time when your identity was tied to how much you produced, not consumed.
How Retailers Feed Our Inner Hermit
If fasting is a cleanse of toxic foods, then hermiting is a cleanse of toxic culture. In the early days of e-commerce, being a hermit was something of a novelty—the ability to order groceries, essentials, and even entertainment made it possible to go weeks without leaving home. TV news stations would try it as a stunt, locking a reporter in an apartment to see how long they could survive on online shopping.
How to Market the Office
Shutterstock It isn’t really the office anymore. “Out of office” messages now amuse me. Many people have been out of the office for a year and a half. Now people on vacation are “out of pocket,” “out of communication,” or out of their thinking mind for at least a week. The pandemic detached “work” from the “office.” Let’s be honest—it meant something when you said, “I’m going into the office.” I’m going to do something productive for society. I’m going to earn for the family.
Nourishing Content
The Golden Globes are changing their name to the Bronze Globes. You heard it here first: The awards show is no longer worthy of the precious-metal moniker and has been asked to drop it from their name. I jest—but not about the show’s viewership decline, down 64 percent from 2020, to fewer than 7 million viewers for the 2021 event that aired in late February. For context, in 2004, the Golden Globes show drew 26.8 million viewers.
Can We Trust Predictive Research?
Quantitative research has always been a fascination of mine, but also a point of disgust. The idea that we can use personal opinion research to predict human behavior is a farce. We attempt to remove our guilt (as researchers) for getting it wrong by claiming “it is within the margin of error.” We can’t live in the “margin of error” and therefore can’t trust predictive research.
The Lies We Tell Ourselves
Shutterstock People are always asking business owners: What does it take to be a successful entrepreneur today? They want to know: How do you do it, day in and day out, as an entrepreneur surviving Covid? Then there’s the classic and slightly overused, “What would you tell your younger self just starting out in entrepreneurship?” My answer: Be honest with yourself, and take responsibility. All the rest can be learned.
Entrepreneurship is Dangerous
I was fortunate enough to do an informational interview with an entrepreneur in my senior year at the University of St. Thomas. It wasn’t for an entrepreneurship class, because I didn’t take one. It was part of the marketing major work and this gentleman just happened to be a marketing professional and entrepreneur.
This is Our Chance to Redesign the Education System
This is my first pandemic and like everyone else, I’m learning as I go. Learning, for me, has been a lifelong adventure and it gets me up in the morning, along with the smell of coffee. And, a pandemic is an ideal time to learn, because change is forced upon existing systems and we get to see how those systems respond. Our K-12 education system has seen the greatest impact and has the largest responsibility.
The Hate of Facebook and a Healthy Net Promoter Score
Facebook is facing an existential crisis on multiple levels as large brands continue to abandon the platform for a month and evaluate if they should be there. The media of social has attempted to stay away from being traditional media, thus avoiding the chains of regulation attached to fairness and publishing “the truth.” We already see the bias, or the blurry line between fact and fiction playing out in our traditional media sources.
What If We Accept That We Are All Racist?
Opinion Opinion An exploration of thought experiments that could lead to greater empathy. Illustration by VasilkovS via Shutterstock June 04, 2020 I am a racist. The human race is racist. Six months ago I started to write a column starting with the premise that every human is a racist. My process for writing often includes talking to people I am close to, in order to “temperature check” an idea. Not a single person said I should write the article.
What is Your Future Employee Experience?
Opinion Column TM Embracing new habits and a working revolution. Shutterstock May 11, 2020 How long does it take for a habit to set in? Sixty-six days. The myth you believe to be true is 21 days, that’s the minimum. If your team left the office when we did, after the second week of March, and if we return the first full week of June, that’ll be 77 days. We are ten days past a cemented habit. This new structure for work becomes a “normal” habit by the time we’re supposed to head back to an office.
The Economic Pandemic is Next
Opinion Column TM The case for opening things up. Shutterstock April 24, 2020 Gov. Tim Walz, this is an open letter—er, blog post—written to make a case for starting the first phase of the opening process on or before May 4th. Someone let something loose in a faraway land and it spread like many could never have predicted. We learned a lot along the way about the virus,how it impacts our health and wellness. Our response, specifically in Minnesota, in my humble opinion, was Olympic Gold Medal worthy.
Three-Box Solutions During Seclusion
Opinion Column TM How to channel the downtime into a period of invention and transformational change. Shutterstock April 13, 2020 Over the course of days, maybe weeks, we’ve sent everyone to their homes to be secluded together with roommates, kids and spouses, and for the unfortunate few, inlaws. We’re given limitations (can’t go to retailers, can’t go out to eat, can’t sneeze in front of strangers, etc).
Quarantine Can Change Trajectory, for Good
Opinion Column TM Three things you can do now to build your business for the future. Photo by Eva Blanco / Shutterstock April 05, 2020 We have seen an unprecedented volume of support from the business, government and nonprofit communities. The headlines of collaborations, heros and everyday people making amazing sacrifices are more abundant than our toilet paper supply. What do you do when you’re in the high-design business of air movement? You design a ventilator in ten days. Thank you, Dyson.
Maintaining Company Culture from a Distance
Opinion Column TM What advice can anyone give knowing this is the first time all of us are experiencing a pandemic and potential global recession? Shutterstock March 26, 2020 This writing thing is my side hustle. We are a small business, and like every other responsible citizen and employer, we created distance by having our teams work offsite, immediately. We are fortunate to be able to run a business that can be mobile in a day and still serve our clients with great work.
Three Reasons to Feel Optimistic
We are in a global pandemic that could lead to a global economic recession. The number of people dying is profoundly sad and lives are changing every minute. Tand the doom and gloom seems to be washing over us all. When 911 happened we felt compelled to be with others;, to combat coronavirus, we are being told -- rightly so -- that we need to be alone or isolated as much as possible. We’re dealing with this pandemic all alone, together.
Wrapping Our Arms Around Kris Lindahl's Divisive Ad Strategy
Opinion Column TM Does annoying pay off in the long run? October 28, 2019 A city bus pulled up outside our office, and all you could see was the larger-than-life head and torso and outstretched arms of Kris Lindahl, Minnesota’s most talked-about real estate agent. This same Lindahl pose recently occupied the roof of U.S. Bank Stadium. It’s on billboards and pop-up ads that likely follow you around the internet. Loud, and uncharacteristically in our Minnesotan faces, to be sure.
The Future of Business
I am writing from a perch above Fifth Avenue in New York City—watching the strolling hominids with keys and supercomputers walking to their destinations. I happened to be in the city the same day as the Business Roundtable—a lobbying organization that represents many of the largest companies in America—convened a “secret” meeting of nearly 200 business leaders, including the CEOs of Best Buy, Land O’Lakes, and 3M.
Brand Madness, March and Beyond
The oracle of comedy, Jerry Seinfeld, pointed out an interesting fact about fanatical fans of sports teams. Imagine all of the players on the Gophers basketball team abruptly switch their allegiance and decide to go play for the Badgers and vice versa. The outcome from this thought experiment is the discovery that we (as fans) follow the jersey not the player. Yup, you’re a fan of a jersey. Gopher fans might face a smidge of disappointment, no disrespect to the team just over the border.
How I Wish I Built This
As a writer, entrepreneur, investor, creative individual, I consume a lot of content on a daily basis. One of my favorite podcasts for awhile now is “How I Built This” with Guy Raz. He interviews founders and goes through their origin story, harrowing moments, failures, and then asks if they think their huge success was luck or hard work and intellect. The stories include those of Daymond John, Kate Spade, Ben & Jerry’s, Steve Ellis of Chipotle, Jake of Burton Snowboards and so many more.
Twin Cities Business - Designing Conversations - If you dread networking, take this advice on how to make conversations more memorable and meaningful. It can work for your brand, too.
Have you considered the concept of designing your conversations? Setting: cocktail party, somewhere opulent during the holidays. Someone: “Hello Mr Blah, Blah, what brings you to this event?” Me: “An Uber and the chance to meet some interesting thinkers, and you?” Someone: “Kids are off at college so we’re having more fun.
Twin Cities Business - Why Your Work Environment Matters - The office playground is evolving.
The quote from influential management consultant Peter Drucker is “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”—and lunch, dinner, and late-night apps. So now we have foosball tables, Ping Pong balls flying everywhere, and beer carts clinking around the office around 4 o’clock. The “culture = how much fun we have at work when we’re not working” formula is vanishing; the office playground is evolving.
Twin Cities Business - Connecting the Dots - How to stay open to new ideas without sending your company off the rails.
Where do you get your ideas? How do they survive? My answer used to be “reading,” because it stimulated higher brain activity and ideas ended up in the margins of pages. Then I read Idea-Links: The New Creativity by Jim Link and realized there was something more interesting at work in our brains, culture, and human behavior. As we age and gain experiences, if we practice creative exercises we’re more able to connect divergent concepts and identify new ideas.
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