We're doing things a little differently on this week's episode of the podcast! Hosts Larry Roberts and Sara Lohse each chose one of our own favorite brands whose values and missions align well with our own.

We start with Sara's choice of Cards Against Humanity, a card game company whose branding verges on demarketing, but truly knows its audience and uses its platform to do good for the world. We look at self-deprecating humor as a branding tactic, the use of social movements to promote a company, and the importance of remaining authentic.

After, we dive into Larry's choice of LEGO, which to this day is his favorite past-time. Looking at each of LEGO's brand values, we see how clearly they align with the brand experience and how important values like imagination, creativity, and fun are no matter what age we are.

Key takeaways:

• Self-deprecating humor can make people relatable and can be effectively used by brands to connect with their audience, but if taken too far can have negative effects.
• Lego is a brand that embodies values such as imagination, creativity, fun, learning, caring, and quality, which align with the speaker's own values.
• Consistency and authenticity are crucial in building a strong brand. Deviating from established values and authenticity can lead to difficulties in maintaining a brand's reach and audience.