ABOUT
Hi, I'm Brenna, a brand architect specializing in strategy, positioning, and narrative storytelling that delivers outsized impact by transforming lean resources into maximum results.
I've built unified brand frameworks that align advertising, marketing, and PR on messaging and meaning, enabling stronger, more consistent execution across functions and brand systems for more than 150 brands across B2C, B2G, and B2B sectors.
My unified approach removes silos, accelerates timelines, and reduces investment while providing the speed and agility needed to stay ahead of market shifts.
My path to brand leadership began in ad agencies, where I worked as an art director after completing my brand advertising training at the Academy of Art University. Curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning led me to leave agency life in 2006 for freelance work. In 2010, I accepted a three-month marketing contract at the California Museum that evolved into a decade-long role and reshaped the trajectory of my work.
During that decade, I refined a brand architecture practice centered on cultural meaning, narrative clarity, and message systems that drive awareness, loyalty, and ROI. The Museum’s mission to inspire Californians on the state's legacy in history, arts, and culture enabled me to build brand frameworks that unified story, experience, and audience impact backed by consistent, measurable results. The leverage-based process I refined there became principles that guide my work today.
7 key principles guiding my approach:
1. Brand architecture is a system of leverage that drives ROI.
I design unified messaging and meaning across advertising, marketing, and PR, creating structural advantages that deliver measurable financial outcomes.
2. Alignment is a strategic discipline.
I eliminate silos and create shared clarity that accelerates decision-making, reduces friction, and enables unified execution across teams.
3. Purpose works only when it becomes action.
I connect brand values to data-informed storytelling that turns intention into attention and motivates audiences to engage, purchase, and stay loyal.
4. Craft scales when strengthened by technology.
I combine the rigor of classic brand strategy with AI and digital innovation to deliver creative and operational excellence across brand systems.
5. Leverage turns lean resources into outsized ROI.
I prioritize impact, turning limited budgets into disproportionate returns, including transforming $20K into $300K in value with a 1400% ROI.
6. Co-creation creates stronger solutions.
Collaborative processes accelerate adoption, improve alignment, and generate work that moves KPIs and organizational culture forward.
7. Diversity expands commercial opportunity.
Narratives built for multicultural audiences increase recognition, reach, and revenue. With the U.S. nearing a non-majority demographic, inclusive brand architecture is a competitive advantage.
CERTIFICATIONS & RECOGNITION
Beloved Brands
Mini MBA Certified
Led by Graham Robertson, Top 10 CMO
& Industry Thought Leader
Top 25 Portfolios of Design Leaders & Execs
— Marissa Louie, iOS Lead Designer at
Apple, Expedia, SiriusXM
Artificial Intelligence in Marketing Certified
Top 10% of Cohort; Recommended by former Google Chief Evangelist
SELECT CLIENTS & PARTNERS
Arts & Culture
California Museum
Charles M. Schulz Museum
Film Noir Foundation
Eames Office
Eames Institute of Curiosity
Skirball Cultural Center
Smithsonian Institution
Consumer
Black Angus Steakhouse
E&J Gallo
Go Girl/Nor-Cal Beverage
Redwood Creek Vineyards
Shoei Foods, USA
Pottery World Home Décor
Tower Records
Enterprise & Public Sector
Coit Services, Inc.
Dine Marketing
Maloof Sports & Entertainment
Mercedes-Benz USA
Milgard Windows
Offices of Governor Gavin Newsom & First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom