Explore the forefront of strategic brand identity on Brand Champions with Mike White and Janine Hogan, sponsored by Vendasta. Meet industry leaders and discover the secrets behind their most successful campaigns, from digital innovations to timeless branding principles. Today, White and Hogan spoke with Douglas Spencer and Big Al Gruswitz.
Douglas Spencer
President and Chief Message Builder of Spencer Brenneman
Website Address: https://spencerbrenneman.com/
Short company description:
Spencer Brenneman is a brand strategy and strategic messaging consultancy founded in 2014 by Douglas Spencer, who spent more than 30 years in marketing and branding, including as Vice President/Global Head of Brand at Thomson Reuters. Since 2020, the firm has focused on purpose-driven organizations, from for-profit companies solving big problems to nonprofits serving those who need it most. Its Ask, Build, and Connect methodology starts with the right questions, including a competitive messaging audit. It then builds a core messaging framework and creates the tools to bring that message to life, from website copy to complete rebrands.
Big Al Gruswitz
Owner of Boundless Creativity by Big Al Gruswitz
Website Address: https://www.boundless-creativity.com/
Short company description:
I have 30 years as an art director/ACD, primarily in NYC at Saatchi & Saatchi. I have been working freelance in my own company for 32 years. As Boundless Creativity, I have specialized in 3D and 2D photorealistic illustration, medical illustration, difficult retouching, and the last 4 years A.I. imaging.
If you had one message to get across to future customers, what would it be?
Spencer: We are all way too close to our own work to present in a way that resonates with others.
Gruswitz: Having been an art director myself, I am accustomed to working as a team member. Therefore, I keep the agency informed every step of the way on a project.
How do you help a brand maintain consistency across multiple channels and platforms?
Spencer: Brand governance, especially in the age of AI, plays an integral role in building and protecting brand value.
Gruswitz: I won the account and then was responsible for the medical, consumer, and international launch of Rogaine. The first cosmetic pharmaceutical product.
Can you share a rebranding project that taught you valuable lessons about brand identity?
Spencer: One client came to us because he knew none of his partners could describe the firm the same way. But during the process, I actually watched him fall back in love with his profession.
Gruswitz: I was the art director on Tylenol when it was discovered someone put cyanide in bottles of capsules. And art directed the full-page newspaper ad that helped restore consumer confidence in the brand.
What strategies do you use to build and maintain brand loyalty in a competitive market?
Spencer: We have a proven, yet always evolving methodology called, Ask, Build, and Connect.
Gruswitz: The Tylenol strategy was to face the crisis head-on. Admit the problem and then do a total recall of all Tylenol capsule products and then replace them with bottles of tablets at the company’s expense.
What’s your approach to navigating a brand crisis and rebuilding trust with audiences?
Spencer: Leaning hard into the brand strategy you have already established (assuming it’s not out of date or no longer relevant), then communicate with as much transparency and authenticity as possible.
Gruswitz: This crisis changed how OTC medications are packaged with inner seal and secure lids making it impossible to remove and reseal the bottles.
