136. Be Consistent But Not Boring…When Branding Goes Bad
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
Release Date: 06/13/2025
Food Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
As entrepreneurs many of us are quick to offer help—but far slower to ask for it. Can you relate? But why NOT ask people who have been there or have the right tools to help us unlock the next level of success we’re working towards?
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
Clint puts Katie in the hot seat to ask a question many food business owners are wondering: what is a brand strategist, anyway?
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
How food brands earn a place in everyday routines, go-to gifting, and meaningful traditions — and what it really takes to move from a transaction to a trusted, automatic choice.
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A mini masterclass in food business finances with Sarah Delevan. We're covering margins, growth scenarios, and why "scale" isn’t a financial strategy.
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
How choosing your Word of the Year can help you lean into who you were meant to be....a benefit to your brand, your business, and beyond!
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
In this fun episode, Katie & Clint swap stories about holiday traditions—and close with a simple idea about how brands become part of year-round rituals.
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A simple framework to help you review where you’ve been, regroup your resources, and refocus your next 12 months anytime you want more clarity and alignment. Great for year-end, or any time of year to reset!
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
A simple framework to help you review where you’ve been, regroup your resources, and refocus your next 12 months anytime you want more clarity and alignment. Great for year-end, or any time of year to reset!
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
If your message feels messy, it’s likely not that you’re bad at writing...it’s because your brand strategy needs more structure. In ep 159, Katie shows how a strong foundation makes your messaging clearer + more consistent everywhere.
info_outlineFood Business Marketing - Brand Strategy Tips to Build a Business You Love
If your message feels messy, it’s likely not that you’re bad at writing...it’s because your brand strategy needs more structure. In ep 159, Katie shows how a strong foundation makes your messaging clearer + more consistent everywhere.
info_outlineLet's talk about why strong brand strategy should guide creativity—not restrict it.
Brand strategy is meant to bring clarity, consistency, and confidence to how you show up—but sometimes it gets taken too far. In this episode, I talk about the "dark side of strategy"...i.e. what happens when brand strategy becomes so rigid that it starts to backfire.
Instead of guiding the team, it boxes them in...so then instead of helping your brand stand out, it causes your audience to tune out.
I share a real-life example of a brand that fell into this trap and walk through what to do differently to keep your brand recognizable, interesting, and fully aligned with your core strategy.
Whether you’re a food business founder, marketer, consultant, or creative, this episode will help you rethink how to bring your brand to life!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• What brand strategy is really meant to do (and what it’s not)
• Why consistency does not mean sameness
• A real-world example of a brand that became invisible by going too far on "consistency" (or so they thought, but they faded into the dreaded sea of sameness).
• How to avoid creative stagnation while staying on-brand
• What it looks like to treat your brand strategy like a sandbox—not handcuffs
• How to build trust and recognition without being boring
• Practical ways to invite more creativity while keeping your brand aligned
Related Resources:
👉 Download your free guide to avoid 4 common brand strategy mistakes (and how to fix them if you're making them) : www.realfoodbrands.com
IG: @realfoodbrands
LI: let’s connect!
Real Food Brands Brand Checkup Scorecard
Real Food Brands Marketing Roundtable Facebook Group
✨ Ready to see where your brand could be stronger as you get ready to scale up? Explore the Brand Review or the Brand Success System to move forward with clarity and confidence.
Let's go shake up shopping carts!
Katie Mleziva
Host & Food Brand Strategist | Real Food Brands