Feature Article | Ezequiel Abramzon

Brand Strategy Trends

October 21, 2024

Ezequiel Abramzon is the founder of LALO and a globally recognized brand consultant with 30+ years of creativity, branding, and innovation expertise across multiple industries. His career includes a transformative 22-year tenure at The Walt Disney Company, where he played a key role in developing major brands like Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar both in Latin America and Europe. He led award-winning international teams that created experiences, products, and services, and supported the launch of movies, TV channels, radios, shows, web, video games, virtual worlds, apps, theme parks, books, stores, and merchandising. As General Manager of the digital business in Latin America for most of those years, Ezequiel established several 8-figure B2B and B2C businesses.

Before Disney, he worked as a freelance designer and illustrator in different creative industries: Advertising, Editorial, Software, Animation and Event Production. He has also served as a Typography teacher at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 1996 and 2004. Ezequiel studied Graphic Design at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Business Management at the Instituto Argentino de la Empresa (IAE), and completed countless face-to-face and online trainings related to the digital world, creativity, innovation, and leadership.

He’s a certified Brand Architect with Marty Neumeier’s Level C. Argentinean by birth, enriched by the experience of having lived in the UK, and currently based in Spain, Ezequiel’s international perspective and commitment to brand building empower entrepreneurs worldwide to establish an indisputable market position for their startups.

Ezequiel Abramzon, founder of LALO and a globally recognized brand consultant

Unmtchd.: What are the key trends in the branding industry that you believe brands and founders should be aware of to stay relevant and succeed in today’s market?

Ezequiel Abramzon: I’ve been part of the creative industry since we designed logos by hand and have been in the digital world since we started talking about what a website is. Yup, I’m that old… So I’ve seen trends come and go for ages. 

I’d like to answer this question with a “3-2-1”: 3 trends, 2 bad habits, and 1 prediction:

Trend 1: The AI Takeover. (Duh!) AI is reshaping how we create, produce, deliver, and distribute, making processes faster, smarter, and more efficient. Automation and machine learning are streamlining workflows, reducing human error, and boosting efficiency across the board. Whether it’s content creation, supply chain management, or customer service, AI is enabling faster, smarter decisions and reshaping entire business models. I welcome this trend, I embraced AI, and I’m not worried about it… Yet 🙂

Trend 2: Branded Culture. In my work with tech entrepreneurs, I see a growing focus on building branded cultures. These are startups where the brand’s values and identity are deeply embedded in every aspect of the business, from the internal culture to customer interactions. It’s about living and breathing the brand, ensuring employees, customers, and partners feel connected to a larger purpose. I often find myself not having to explain this point too much and it’s awesome. There’s a new generation of leaders that are going the brand way from the very start of the business.

Trend 3: Emotion is King. Emotion has always played a key role in branding, but now more than ever, companies are intentionally crafting emotional, consistent brand experiences. It’s not just about one-off moments or campaigns but creating a cohesive, meaningful journey for customers over time. And I see tech companies working harder to ensure that every touchpoint reinforces the emotional connection, driving loyalty and trust.

Bad Habit 1: Templatization of Branding. A common bad habit I see is the copy-paste approach to branding. Too many companies, especially in B2B tech, use the same visual identity: blue logos, happy millennials on devices, or generic 2D clipart. Thus, most brands look and feel the same, blending into a sea of sameness. Designers often fall into the trap of using Pinterest for inspiration, which leads to cookie-cutter identities. This lack of originality dilutes brand impact and makes it harder for companies to stand out and bring something special to the market.

Bad Habit 2: Strategy-as-a-Service. Another issue I’ve noticed is the commoditization of strategy. Many freelancers and agencies offer “strategy” as a service just to inflate their fees, but they rarely deliver true strategic thinking because they don’t know how to. Instead, they fill out templated documents, call it strategy, and rush to the “fun” part: the production. This not only devalues the role of strategy but also gives clients a false sense of direction. Real strategy is not done in one week, it should dig deep and inform every decision, not just be a checkbox to increase billable hours on design and creativity.

Prediction: Sustainable Creativity. As governments worldwide set stricter sustainability regulations with firm deadlines, companies are being pushed to comply, and it’s not just about products anymore. Businesses are increasingly demanding transparency from their vendors about sourcing and sustainability practices. The creative industry will need to adopt sustainable practices, from sourcing materials to reducing their digital footprint. Soon, sustainability won’t be optional, it’ll be a deal breaker to have clients.

Unmtchd.: What changes in consumer behaviour have you observed that will impact how brands and founders relate to consumers?

Ezequiel Abramzon: One major shift in consumer behavior is the growing demand (or interest) for personalization. But I’m not talking about putting your initials on the product. Today, we’re more informed and more selective than ever before. With endless opinions, reviews, and alternatives at our fingertips, consumers now curate their choices carefully.

Before buying, we read reviews, check star ratings, and follow brands on social media. We analyze every aspect of a brand or a product from a very self-centered perspective, then we decide if we let them into our lives or become part of our identity. It’s not just about cultural relevance, but also about personal relevance.

I often say we’ve become brand sommeliers. We “smell, taste, and feel” brands, forming strong opinions even if we’re not buying from them. This means companies can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all approach. They need to deliver personalized experiences, building trust and connection with each client on a deeper level.

In a market full of replacements, brands that don’t resonate at a personal level might be left behind.

Unmtchd.: As a brand strategy expert, how do you believe startups can build winning brands? What does a great brand strategy look like?

Ezequiel Abramzon: A great brand strategy is one well executed. You can have a detailed, well-thought-out plan, but if the company doesn’t act on it or misinterprets it, it’s just wasted potential. To build a winning brand, you need what I call a brand mindset.

I believe that what stands in the way of many entrepreneurs is not what they do. It’s how they think. They lack the mentality to build a brand. A typical belief I hear is that “if the product is good, people will buy it”. But then, we wonder why so many startups fail, right?

My work focuses on shifting this mindset from just creating better products to creating better clients. That’s why I call my methodology “Epicenter.” We put the customer at the center of the brand and the brand at the center of the business.

Think of the brand mindset as the software you install in the hardware, your brand strategy. You don’t constantly replace your computer, but you update the software to keep it running smoothly and add new features. Similarly, you build a strategy for long-term direction, and the mindset is what keeps your business and team moving forward through your short-term decisions.

In a way, ​​your brand strategy is the resource, and having a brand mindset is you being resourceful.

Unmtchd.: How important is community and collaboration in branding today? What role do you see community playing in branding in the future? 

Ezequiel Abramzon: I’ve adopted Marty Neumeier’s definition of a brand: it’s what people feel about a product, service, or organization. If that’s true, then a brand is essentially a community, built and shaped by multiple stakeholders involved in the process.

Branding is the ultimate collaboration. It touches every area of a company and all employees, plus customers, partners, vendors, experts, and more. Everyone contributes to how the brand is experienced and perceived.

The way this collaboration is orchestrated depends on your business model, industry, and resources. But one thing is clear: in today’s landscape, creating a sense of identity or belonging is crucial to branding. People want to feel part of something, and companies that understand this build stronger connections and loyalty. 

In the future, Web3, blockchain, and decentralization will make community even more crucial to branding. These technologies enable greater authenticity and transparency, giving communities more ownership and control. Companies that treat their audiences as active participants, not just clients, and embrace this co-creation will thrive in the new decentralized landscape.

Unmtchd.: What is important for young founders to know about the industry today to succeed?

Ezequiel Abramzon: They need to be strategic in every aspect of their business. It’s not just about making a few high-level decisions. It’s about embedding strategic thinking at every level of the company, in every department, and in every decision. As a strategy consultant, I see my role with a due date. My goal is to help founders develop this strategic mindset so they can make confident, aligned decisions long after my job is done.

One of the biggest problems in the branding and marketing industry is that 90% of players are focused on selling “the thing”, whether it’s a logo, website, video, or content. Companies often hire multiple vendors for these pieces, each with its own strategic process, which creates massive inconsistencies across platforms and departments.

By embedding strategy internally, knowing who you are, what you stand for, and where you want to go, you can guide all those vendors and partners seamlessly. This ensures consistency across the board, avoiding the chaos that comes from starting from scratch with every new project or vendor. It’s about leading with clarity instead of reacting to short-term needs.

To illustrate, during my time at Disney, we knew everything about our characters, their stories, our brand values, and exactly what we wanted to achieve. We didn’t need external partners to tell us who we were or where to go. What we needed was the talent to execute: people to help with development, design, writing, video production, facilitation, and research to bring our strategies to life.

It was a perfect example of keeping the brain inside and hiring the muscle outside. By having a clear strategy in place internally, we could guide external partners with precision, ensuring everything we created aligned with our vision and values. That’s the mindset young founders should adopt: own your strategy and then bring in the right people to execute it.

Unmtchd.: How do you believe the branding industry will change in the next 12-18 months due to technologies like AI?

Ezequiel Abramzon: As Yuval Noah Harari said, “AI is not a tool, it’s an agent.” It’s the first tool that has the ability to make decisions. Without going down the Terminator rabbit hole, this makes me think that soon we’ll be interacting with companies in ways we can’t even fully comprehend today.

AI won’t just assist companies. It will act as a decision-making entity, transforming customer interactions. Imagine brands powered by AI that adapt and anticipate your needs, provide personalized experiences and products in real-time and even interact with you like a human would, only faster, smarter, and more tailored. This will bring a new branding paradigm: the true era of sense-making.

Unmtchd.: Is there anything else you would like to share that you believe is important for founders to know?

Ezequiel Abramzon: Founders often make the mistake of leaving branding “for later”, thinking they’ll focus on it when they have more resources, time, or budget. But the reality is, that branding starts from day one. One of the first decisions they make is a branded one: naming the company. Then they add a logo, a color, and a homepage. Then for years they stop making meaningful brand decisions and focus on other stuff like pitch and product-led sales or improvised advertising efforts.

In those early stages, founders need to move fast, wearing multiple hats and making quick decisions. But the truth is, that a strong brand strategy helps you move faster. When you know exactly who you are, what you stand for, and what you’re not going to do, you eliminate friction and unnecessary experimentation. You make faster, more confident decisions because everything is aligned.

As the company grows and hires more people, often from other companies with their own ideas and best practices, there’s a risk of cultural misalignment. Without a clear brand strategy, you start to feel the pain of different people pulling in different directions.

A brand strategy from the start helps you balance short-term agility with long-term perspective. It aligns everyone around a shared vision, allowing you to move fast without losing focus, and keeps things consistent as the company scales.