The Sticky Brand Playbook: Brands aren't born with "it" but they do have good genes.
They have Sticky Brand DNA™. Part 1 of the Sticky Brand Playbook Series, a guide to building a brand and business people are obsessed with.
If you're a founder, or part of an early-stage team building a product brand and feel like you’re doing all the things when it comes to marketing but the results don’t show it, or no one really gets what makes your brand super cool or special - this is for you.
The thing is, most brands think they have a marketing problem, but what they have is a brand problem.
We’re talking about what makes a brand stick, versus get stuck.
The brands that stick aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most followers.
They’re the ones that know exactly who they are, who they’re for, and how to show up for them, consistently with value that goes beyond “buy my product”.
They have Sticky Brand DNA ™.
Sticky Brand DNA ™ gives you the foundation to connect, convert, and grow.
If you’re new here, (SBDNA) is my signature 5-part framework for building a brand people are obsessed with, and a sustainable business that drives revenue.
This week, in an interview, someone asked me, “Where did Sticky Brand DNA ™ come from Sax?”
And I was like, “I can tell you exactly where it came from.”
This Sticky Brand Playbook is a series where I’ll share the full framework and your guide to building a successful brand in 2026 here on Substack. The same one I’ve shared with tons of other beauty, wellness, fashion, and lifestyle clients and guests in my marketing workshops.
Get your invite to the next live workshop in May at the end of this post!
What’s Inside:
Why basic brand strategy doesn’t cut it anymore
Sticky Brand Qualities
The Sticky Brand DNA ™ Framework
The Three Core Elements of Building A Sticky Brand + A Sustainable Business
Basic brand strategy doesn’t cut it anymore
I’ve been in the “brand” space in various capacities, I've spent 20 years building and studying brands from the inside, as a CMO, a DTC founder, a trends lead, consultant, mentor, advisor and workshop host ~
In 2023, when I had wrapped up my 2 year CMO consulting project with Kate Hudson, I had the vision for what my business is now, and was in deep research mode and early product development for the Creating Forward Incubator.
I thought (LOTS of things 🫠) but essentially -
“Where are we heading with brands?”
“What are brands getting right?”
“Where are brands going wrong?”
“How is the customer culture shifting?”
“What is my unique approach to brand building?”
The things that kept coming up were connection, community, and storytelling.
So, that’s where it started. Then I thought about -
“Ok, what are the processes I’ve used to build brands? How do I go about it?”
“What is it about the brands I’m obsessed with?”
“Where are brands succeeding, or going to succeed in this era?”
Sticky Brand Qualities:
A cool founder story
Doing something different and standing out in the market
They’re future thinking, future proof
Tapping into their customer like a friend would
Unique brand perspective
Gotta have it product positioning (that’s easy to understand)
Good banter, aka, conversation and value to bring to the table (beyond product)
Feel human, like, they care
People that talk about it
A sense of community that’s not just for the sake of the word
And of course - a sick product
That sells
Over and over
With customers that tell their friends about it
The Creating Forward Sticky Brand DNA Framework
The brands that stick aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most followers.
They’re the ones that know exactly who they are, who they’re for, and how to show up for them, consistently with value that goes beyond “buy my product”.
Sticky Brand DNA gives you the foundation to do that.
The Three Core Elements of Building A Sticky Brand + A Sustainable Business
It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the fragmented advice out there “do this, don’t do this, do it this way, use this prompt, try this tool”.
I call this the WTF Next Founder Spiral and you probably know it too well…
But, I have one simple philosophy when it comes to building a brand people love, and a sustainable business:
CONNECT » CONVERT » GROW
Connections = conversion, it’s hard to make a sale or get a yes to anything without a genuine connection.
Conversion = growth, you can’t grow your business without any sales.
Sticky Brand DNA ™ = the core element of this theory.
Sticky Brand DNA is your foundation. It gives you confidence and keeps you centered, part of that, is you (BFF) Customer Profile.
It’s increasingly hard to get in front of people, AND hold their attention long enough to make a connection, AND get them to buy, AND make an impression that keeps them coming back, AND want to tell all their friends about it.
In my experiences (and the brands I shared above) it’s the human approach that works best.
And what I mean by that isn’t necessarily AI related, it’s like the fundamentals of what makes humans work.
How do humans build connection and community?
Humans have their own unique DNA to guide their decisions.
Humans create connections through conversation.
Humans cultivate loyalty by showing up.
That’s part of the reason we’re seeing every brand race to the IRL party in 2026.
Connection is your number one KPI.
Conversion is the outcome.
I’ll break down each of the 5 Elements of the Sticky Brand DNA Framework in the next edition of The Super Dose, my weekly no-bs brand-building and marketing newsletter.
With examples of how you can leverage SDNA to make life, marketing, sales and content easier,
AND - I’ll be hosting my signature Marketing Workshop, [Connect, Convert, Grow] in May.
I’ll break down the Sticky Brand DNA Framework in detail, with cool brand examples, and you’ll leave with:
A clearer understanding of what makes your brands connect
A perspective shift on how to increase your conversions
A sharper lens for evaluating your marketing decisions
A take-home Dashboard + Exercises to implement the work right away
In the meantime, here’s a question for you to sit with:
“What makes your brand actually different, and who is it really for?”
Can you answer it in two sentences, confidently, without rambling?
If not, that’s your starting point. And that’s exactly what the SBDNA Framework is built to give you.
Drop your brand in the comments so I can check it out, and we can jam on what elements of Sticky Brand DNA you are missing.
I’m in Europe working remotely for a few weeks right now, so byyyeeee from Amsterdam!
Sax - X
super sticky! a very good read x