Seen/Heard/Noted

The Harris Campaign Rebrand

The Vice President’s new memoir revisits the 107 days of her campaign — part behind-the-scenes account, part political post-mortem. It reads like an apologia: measured, careful, more managed than confessional.

I love any political behind-the-scenes story, but here you can feel the guardrails. Lots of regret and reflection with equal amounts repair, while floating the not-so-subtle possibility that she might run again.

M&M’s Mascot Resurrection

First, M&M’s retired the “spokescandies” after right-wing backlash over their new, allegedly “woke” redesigns (the green one wore sneakers instead of heels!). Then, after a temporary handoff to Maya Rudolph as “Chief of Fun,” the mascots quietly crept back for the brand’s anniversary campaign.

Taylor Swift’s NFL Era

The NFL thinks it’s borrowing her fandom; she’s actually rebranding the league in her image. What started as a celebrity sideshow has evolved into a full-blown marketing strategy — camera cuts, merchandise tie-ins, and the choreography of visibility.

It’s easy to dismiss it as hype, but she’s doing what every strong brand does: reframing the stage to make herself the story. The NFL gets a cultural sugar high; she hands us a masterclass in audience expansion. Guess who comes out ahead.

The New York Times and the Business of Trust

The Times has launched another campaign built around “independent journalism” and the question “Who do you believe?” — a direct nod to a culture where truth itself feels negotiable. The ads are polished and the message earnest, but the subtext is harder to miss: trust has become a marketing problem.

The paper’s authority once derived from its being accepted without explanation. Now it has to explain. When credibility becomes a campaign, you know the ground has shifted.

The Takeaway

Each one of these stories is about control — who owns the story, who shapes it, who gets to say what it means.

Whether it’s a politician trying to shape the public narrative, a megastar reframing a billion-dollar industry, or a legacy brand defending its own relevance, the question is the same: how much truth can a brand afford?

The M&M’s saga might seem trivial next to politics or the press, but it’s the same machinery at work — reacting instead of leading, confusing noise for feedback, and ending up with a brand trying to get out of its own way..

I spend my days helping people define what’s real in their own work. Watching these public gymnastics, I’m reminded that the only thing riskier than telling your story is letting someone else tell it for you.

(P.S. You can always find more tools and ideas at thebranddame.com.)

💬 How to Write the One Sentence That Will Change How You Talk About Your Work — Forever

If you’re like many people, you know what you do — but explaining it is another story. Most people, even people at the top of their game, struggle to talk about their work in a way that’s clear, compelling, and memorable.

They ramble. They undersell themselves. Or they sound just like everyone else.

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Check It Out!

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