Building a Long-Term Legacy for Your Brand with Lucas Conley

On Brand with Nick Westergaard

“Brands that endure have long-term ambitions. They make a durable difference.” When it comes to celebrating your brand’s legacy, age is relative. In some industries it’s a benefit while others are looking for the latest, greatest thing. But your legacy is bigger than what you’ve left behind. Business journalist Lucas Conley shared the five pillars that make up a brand’s legacy on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.

About Lucas Conley

A journalist with an eye for stories that change how we see the world, Conley began his career at The Atlantic Monthly and has written for The Boston Globe, Fast Company, ESPN: The Magazine, SPIN, and The Wall Street Journal Magazine, among others. Lucas has been invited to speak about his work on The Colbert Report, ABC World News, CNN’s BookTV, NPR, and at South by Southwest.

Lucas’s books explore the human dimension of business. Author of Obsessive Branding Disorder (one of Strategy + Business’s best books of 2008) and coauthor of The Method Method (listed as a “top ten” marketing book in 2011 by Advertising Age), his third book, Legacy in the Making, coauthored with award-winning strategist Mark Miller, was published in March 2018.

Lucas holds a BA in creative writing from the University of Arizona and JD from the University of New Mexico School of Law. A writer with The Legacy Lab, he lives in Los Angeles, California. When not writing, he lights out for North America’s most remote and spectacular wildlands.

Episode Highlights

What is Obsessive Branding Disorder? This idea came up years ago when Lucas was reviewing books for Fast Company. Let’s just say several of the books were branding books. This led Lucas to a big question — are they just trying to dress up the business? Or is their something bigger driving branding today?

“Age is relative.” Lucas went on to share that in some businesses like automotive, you want that established legacy. In other industries like the hotel business, millennials want the hot new thing.

The 5 Pillars of Legacy. Lucas shared the five pillars covered in his latest book, Legacy in the Making:

1. Take Leadership Personally
2. Behave Your Beliefs
3. Let Outsiders In
4. Invent Your Own Game
5. Never Stop Making Legacy

What brand has made Lucas smile recently? “I love keeping up with the brands in the book — like the Bluebird Cafe.” Lucas shared the story of this Nashville destination venue for aspiring artists and singer/songwriters.

To learn more, go to For more information, visit the website, Facebook, and Twitter for The Legacy Lab.

As We Wrap …

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On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.

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Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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