How Brand Expression Is Shifting: From Strategy to Experience - Key Takeaways

In today’s dynamic marketing landscape, the line between brand strategy and content strategy is blurring fast. What was once a top-down discipline of guidelines and governance is now an ecosystem of stories, experiences, and voices.

During Knotch’s recent workshop “How Brand Expression Is Shifting to Brand Experience” three leading marketers—Kelly Fredrickson (Global Head of Brand and PR, T. Rowe Price), Kerry Nelson (Head of Brand Marketing, Samsung Ads), and Alex Craddock (Chief Marketing and Content Officer, Citi)—shared how brands can evolve from rigid identity systems to living, breathing experiences that connect meaningfully with audiences.

‍1. Balance Nonnegotiables With Flexibility

The foundation of a strong brand is a clear sense of purpose—but successful brands also know when to flex. Kelly described this balance as “the marriage of flexibility and nonnegotiables.”

“If you can establish your nonnegotiables and build experiences guided by that single-minded brand strategy, then you can allow for flexibility.” — Kelly Fredrickson

Alex agreed, noting that clarity and education are more effective than control.

“There will, of course, be flexibility, but there are elements that we need to help folks understand so they know what has to be present in every piece of content.”
— Alex Craddock

The takeaway: anchor every creative choice in a few core truths—and give teams the freedom to interpret them intelligently.

2. Empower and Educate Everyone to Be a Brand Steward

Ownership shouldn’t live solely within the brand team. Alex emphasized that large organizations must democratize their brand understanding.

“You’ve got to democratize that ownership and education so it can cascade. If you just rely on one team, it creates risk.”
— Alex Craddock

Kelly added that the real goal is cultural adoption, not bureaucracy.

“Everyone owns the brand. Our job as marketers is to demonstrate why it’s so important to own it—and when we do that well, everyone can be a brand ambassador.”
— Kelly Fredrickson

Education, internal workshops, and strong briefing processes turn brand consistency into shared pride rather than enforced compliance.

3. Use Data to Bridge Brand and Content Performance

Connecting brand equity with content performance remains a challenge—but it’s one every marketer must tackle.

“We’ve built dashboards upon dashboards… but what’s been most helpful is speaking directly to our customers, hearing what’s resonating, and tailoring our strategy accordingly.”
— Kerry Nelson

Alex argued that holistic measurement—quantitative and qualitative—is essential.

“You have to triangulate across multiple data points… engagement, perception shift, and ultimately, the behavior change that leads to business growth.”
— Alex Craddock

The message: combine dashboards with real human feedback to see both the numbers and the narrative.

4. Embrace AI Thoughtfully: It’s an Enhancer, Not a Replacement

AI is transforming marketing, but the panel warned that automation without intention can erode brand distinctiveness.

“It’s never been easier to create a large volume of bad content. Training AI on your brand voice empowers everyone in your organization to become better brand stewards.”
— Kerry Nelson

“Anything that saves time and makes my team more efficient—I’m all in. But I don’t believe it’s a replacement for thinking; it’s an enhancer.”
— Kelly Fredrickson

Alex’s rule of thumb summed it up best:

“Human + AI will always be better than human alone or AI alone.”

‍5. Collaboration Is the New Core Skill

As content and brand responsibilities converge, collaboration becomes the true differentiator. Alex framed it as a mindset shift:

“Content shouldn’t be treated as a tactical exercise, but as a strategic one.”
— Alex Craddock

Kelly shared a practical framework that helps her teams navigate large, cross-functional projects without confusion or gridlock:

“At the beginning of every project, we define who has a voice, who has a vote, and who has a veto. It clarifies roles, keeps people engaged, and makes collaboration far more effective.”
— Kelly Fredrickson

Meanwhile, Kerry reminded that alignment at the outset prevents chaos later:

“I’d rather have a really large kickoff meeting where everyone is briefed on the shared goal and purpose of the project.”
— Kerry Nelson

Action Plan: Building the Bridge Between Brand and Content

1. Define your nonnegotiables.
   Document tone, purpose, and visual principles that guide every execution.
2. Educate and empower.
   Launch internal brand-training sessions to help every team member act as a brand steward.
3. Measure what matters.
   Balance engagement metrics with sentiment, perception, and consideration.
4. Adopt AI with intention.
   Train models on your brand voice to enhance quality, not replace creativity.
5. Collaborate early and often.
   Bring cross-functional teams into the strategy room—not just the review cycle.

Final Thought

Brand expression is no longer just about consistency—it’s about coherence. As content multiplies and technologies evolve, the brands that will stand out are those that empower their people, learn from their data, and build experiences that feel unmistakably theirs.

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Published on November 4, 2025