After the Mic, Katya Allison reacting to: The Power of Design in Brand Strategy with JP Lacroix

After the Mic, Katya Allison reacting to: The Power of Design in Brand Strategy with JP Lacroix

From Let's Talk Marketing by Katya Allison

April 30, 2026 · 12 min · Season 4 · Episode 2

About this episode

JP Lacroix discusses the deeper aspects of brand strategy beyond logos and color palettes, emphasizing the importance of emotional connection in marketing.

Most brand conversations stop at logos and color palettes. JP Lacroix, President and CSO of SLD, one of North America's leading design consultancies, goes much deeper — and his core argument might reframe how you think about every marketing decision you make. The reason your brand isn't growing probably has nothing to do with your ad spend. About the Guest JP Lacroix is the President and Chief Strategy Officer of SLD (Shikatani Lacroix Design), a global brand and design consultancy he co-founded 35 years ago. SLD has led transformational brand programs for Dairy Queen, Midas, U.S. Bank, Regions Bank, and dozens of major Canadian brands. JP is also the author of Think Blink — a framework built on the idea that consumers make brand decisions in a split second, and that great design is what wins that moment. Key Takeaways Your brand doesn't have an awareness problem — it has a relevancy problem. Every brand, regardless of industry, faces the same core challenge: staying emotionally connected to the people it serves. Starbucks isn't struggling because people forgot about them. They're struggling because they stopped being the preferred place and became just the convenient one. Losing…

People in this episode

Host: Katya Allison

Guest: JP Lacroix

Topics covered

  • brand strategy
  • design
  • marketing decisions
  • emotional connection
  • consumer behavior

Keywords

  • brand growth
  • relevancy problem
  • emotional connection
  • Blink Factor
  • design consultancy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SLD, Dairy Queen, Midas, U.S. Bank, Regions Bank

Books & works: Think Blink

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