I'm about to tell you something you already know.
You won't like it.
Most strategists won't change because of it.
But the ones who do will be the only ones left standing in three years.
“Branding isn't dead. Brand strategists are.”
Not because AI replaced them. Because strategists replaced themselves with processes, frameworks, and deliverables that could be replicated.
They optimized for scalability instead of irreplaceability.
They chose templates over thinking.
They built assembly lines when they should've built judgment.
And now the assembly line is automated.
The branding that survives, the only branding that survives, isn't a thing you do. It's a way of seeing.
Let me break that down.
From Norse farmers burning cattle to Marlboro selling masculinity to AI generating brand voices, every evolution in branding has been about one thing: helping people choose.
Farmers marked cattle so buyers could choose. Artisans carved symbols so customers could choose quality. Brands built identities so consumers could choose who to become. And now, in 2025, brands need to help people choose in an infinite sea of options that all look, sound, and feel the same.
That's the work.
Giving people a shortcut to trust in a world where trust is the rarest commodity.
And here's what that actually requires:
You have to be willing to alienate. To say "this brand isn't for you" and mean it. To turn away customers who don't fit because clarity is more valuable than reach.
You have to be willing to commit. To kill every other option and bet everything on one direction. Not "strategic pivots." Not "test-and-learn." Conviction.
You have to be willing to be wrong. Publicly. And then change based on what you learn. Not defend the strategy deck. Not protect the framework. Adapt.
Most strategists won't do this.
They'll keep selling brand strategy as deliverables. They'll keep positioning themselves as "frameworks experts" and "strategic thinkers." They'll keep pretending that organizing information is the same as making decisions.
And they'll keep losing clients to AI and cheaper alternatives until they're out of the industry entirely.
The strategists who survive will stop calling themselves brand strategists.
Because the label is poisoned. It's associated with decks and workshops and three-month timelines and expensive ambiguity.
The ones who survive will be decision-makers. Clarity-bringers. Pattern-breakers.
They won't sell brand strategy. They'll sell relief from uncertainty.
They won't create guidelines. They'll create conviction.
They won't position brands. They'll force choices.
And they'll charge more than they ever did for traditional brand strategy. Because in a world where anyone can generate a brand voice, the ability to choose the right voice and defend why it's right — is worth everything.
So where does that leave you?
You can either evolve or die slowly.
The evolution isn't learning new AI tools. It's not adding "AI-powered" to your service descriptions. It's not taking courses on prompt engineering.
It's building the one muscle AI can't replicate: forcing clarity through discomfort.
Asking the questions that make the room go quiet. Challenging the CEO's pet idea. Killing the concept everyone loves because it's strategically wrong. Making the team face the trade-offs they're avoiding.
That's the work.
Deciding.
Most people reading this won't change. They'll bookmark this email, feel uncomfortable for a moment, and then go back to doing what they've always done.
The ones who do change? They'll be the only one left in 2028.
— Shashank
P.S.
We started with farmers burning cattle to mark ownership. We end with strategists burning their own playbooks to survive. The ones who can't let go of the burn mark will be the ones left behind.
Also, the brand engine is launching next week for a price it won’t ever be.
Stay tuned!