Field Notes by Brand Shepherd • #20

Episode notes

Truth bomb: AI is probably giving you more work to do, not making you more efficient. It’s also likely to clutter your brand’s presence, confuse your audience, and muddy your brand’s purpose. Clarity is the answer, but clutter is the enemy of clarity. This week’s Field Notes (Issue 20!) makes the case for clarity. Special Price Until Oct. 1 for the new “Vibe, Tribe, & Why®” book A small group of Brand Shepherd clients were let in on special pricing for the new book, Vibe, Tribe, & Why®, and today that extends to our Substack subscribers. * $2.99 for Kindle/e-book * $9.99 for paperback On October 1, 2025, pricing returns to $10 for Kindle and $15 for paperback. This book is the game-changer for how brands thrive in this new, complex, AI-saturated, economically uncertain, and mismatched culture. It’s broken up into 4 sections, each with chapters. The sections are: * why clarity matters * the Vibe, Tribe, & Why® framework & methodology * application in the real world * activation & next steps Dan wrote it in a way that is reminiscent of social media posts. He hates walls of text.

• What the Industrial Revolution Can Teach Brands About the AI Moment47 / 100
• Print Is Making a Comeback. Three Things to Know Before You Dive In.48 / 100
• Build Your Brand From the Inside Out (Especially When Morale Is Low)38 / 100
• The AI Chasm: Why This Moment Divides Everyone
• Your Why Is Simpler Than You Think. That's the Point.