An interview with Jamie R. Cox

If you’ve ever tried to define “brand strategy” and found yourself spinning in circles of jargon, vague promises, or soulless positioning statements … this one's for you. I recently sat down with Jamie R. Cox, a true brand strategist (and self-described “No, but…” gal) who cuts through the noise with honesty, clarity, and a lot more personality than your average corporate deck.

In a world of overused buzzwords and underwhelming messaging (Strategy? Authenticity? Synergy?), Jamie’s approach stands out for one simple reason: it’s human. She helps build brands that attract the right people and repel the wrong ones, without selling out or blending in.

This conversation is full of truth bombs about what brand strategy actually is, how to know when your brand is holding you back, and why “authenticity” isn’t a vibe, it’s a behavior. Read on for hot takes, real-world client wins, and one particularly brilliant metaphor involving fudge.

How do you describe what you do and what do you really want people to understand about brand strategy that most folks miss?

I help B2B service providers build a brand presence that attracts the right folks (their clients) and repels the wrong ones (their haters). My work creates a foundation for marketing and decision-making that’s aligned with long-term goals, so folks stop wasting time and money on marketing tactics that go nowhere.

I’d love for people to understand that brand strategy is just as much about defining who you aren’t as it is about who you are. It’s the part most folks skip, but it’s where clarity comes from. For me, the work is fun because it’s uncomfortable. Brand strategy is all about asking hard questions, poking and prodding until we get to the stuff that actually makes a business stand out and worth connecting with.

Serious question - what is brand strategy, really? As we discussed, it’s one of those words that gets thrown around, but how would you define it, and why does it matter? 

I think about brand strategy as the who, what, when, and why of your business. It’s the foundation that helps you answer: What problem do you solve? Who do you solve it for? Why are you the right one to solve it? When do they need you? 

That may sound incredibly simple, but you’d be shocked how many business owners can’t answer these questions. And I’m not just talking about small, service-based businesses. Huge companies I’ve talked to don’t have this stuff figured out!

It’s not just a positioning statement or a pitch deck, but the throughline that connects your business decisions, marketing, messaging, visual identity, customer experience—EVERYTHING. When you’re clear on your brand strategy, you start making intentional business decisions that actually move things forward.

Let’s talk about boring brands (or more importantly, how to avoid them). What makes a brand “boring,” and what do you do to help clients show up with more personality, creativity, or courage?

I came up in the travel and tourism industry, where everything felt fun and full of possibility—I mean, who doesn’t love thinking about vacation? My job was to brand and sell a small town as a must-visit destination. Then I moved into B2B, and suddenly everything was buttoned-up, sterile, and afraid of having a personality. But the truth is, a lot of the same principles apply: you’re still selling an experience, and people still want to feel something.

At the Convention & Visitors Bureau I worked at, we had to answer to a board and government officials, so the work had to thread a really small needle: professional enough for stakeholders, but compelling enough for tourists. That tension (important for a brand!) showed me that a brand can be credible and full of personality at the same time.

Boring brands happen when people confuse “professional” with “robotic” (and yes, I am throwing shade at the AI-generated fluff out there). They show up without a point of view, without any spark, and expect the work to speak for itself. But people don’t just buy results—they buy relationships, values, and shared perspective.

My job is to help my clients uncover what makes their point of view and experience interesting and valuable. I do that by showing up as my full green-haired self, asking unexpected questions, and making space for honest, human answers. I’m great at turning all of those insights into messages that help my client see themselves in a new light.

You’ve made the intentional decision to work with service-based entrepreneurs. Why that audience? What do you love about helping people who are selling their work, not just a product?

I’ve worked across so many industries—tourism, CPG, SaaS. But after years of industry-hopping, I realized my biggest impact was helping service providers show up as their full selves in their business.

When you’re the service, you get to decide how you show up. You get to highlight the parts of yourself that maybe weren’t welcome in your past roles or careers. That’s where the magic happens—when people stop trying to be “for everyone” and start building a brand that resonates with the right people. 

In a previous life, I was told I was “too honest.” When I went out on my own, I decided to lead with that.

If you need a “yes” person, I’m not your gal. I’m your “No, but…” gal.

I’ll help you figure out what you’re actually trying to say or do—and uncover a more aligned way to get there. That’s what I love about working with service providers—the freedom to build a business that fits who you really are.

One of the reasons I wanted to chat with you is because the second I saw your branding, I thought “oh, this is a person who really knows who they are.” Can you tell us about the process of finding your own voice and brand? (Often the cobblers’ kids have no shoes, but your business kids seem to have beautiful shoes! :) ) 

Oh, Madeline—if you could only see where I was in 2020! Ha! When I first started out on my own, I thought I had to be what everyone else needed me to be. And sure, I got leads—lots of them opened with “I love your style!” But the truth was, I hated my style. It was muted. Boring. It blended in and didn’t really say anything.

Unsurprisingly, I got a lot of soul-sucking projects that drained me more than any job ever did. Eventually, I realized: Oh, I’m attracting people who like a version of me that isn’t real. What would happen if I showed up as me instead? The turning point came when I told a client I didn’t think we were a good fit anymore. I said, “I think I’ve taken you as far as I can, and anything else you spend with me would be a waste.” (There’s that honesty again.) She paused and said, “Jamie, you are a strange woman.”

That was the moment I decided to scrap everything and show up as my full, weird self—the one with strong opinions and quirky anecdotes. And what happened? People trusted me more and faster. They showed up more honestly, too. The work got better.

I went from getting inquiries from luxury brands I didn’t align with to working with small business owners who genuinely care about the world around them. Folks who want to build something meaningful—to themselves, their audience, and the communities they touch. Not just something that looks good on paper, but something that actually creates impact.

It all sounds obvious in hindsight (especially since this is a lot of my work now), but the shift was huge. Once I gave myself permission to be fully me, everything else fell into place.

There’s so much talk about “authentic branding,” but it’s often surface-level. What does authenticity actually mean in your process? And how do you help clients access something deeper than just using casual language or a photo of their dog?

First of all, let me be clear: I will always accept dog photos.

But back to your question.

“Authenticity” became a branding buzzword in response to the overly filtered, hyper-curated world Instagram ushered in around 2012. It started as an antidote—but quickly became another kind of performance. Instead of being real, people just started saying they were real.

But if you have to tell people you’re authentic, are you really?

Authenticity isn’t a label; it’s a behavior. It’s how you show up. It lives in your values, your voice, and the choices you make. So don’t just say you’re authentic. Prove it. 

In my work, I try to create space for real, human conversations. Sure, I come into discovery calls with an agenda, but the real gold shows up in the throwaway lines. Like when someone casually mentions their first job as Sonic as a carhop, and suddenly we’re on a deep dive into the time they broke their arm and joined theater instead—and how that’s what gave them their public speaking confidence.

It’s never about perfectly polished answers. It’s about following the unexpected threads that reveal something honest and memorable.

Authenticity means showing up in a way that’s natural and sustainable, especially if you are the product. You shouldn’t have to put on a mask to go to work. Your brand is an extension of who you really are, not a costume you wear to fit in.

What’s a recent client win? Tell me about a time you saw a client really click into their brand and what changed for them.

I’ve been doing ongoing work with a company that was originally positioned as a SaaS brand. But after about a year in the market, it became clear that people weren’t really buying the software—they were buying the founder. What clients really wanted was the founder’s guidance on implementation and change, not just a tool.

So, we leaned into it. We repositioned the brand as an organizational change management consulting firm that uses proprietary technology, rather than leads with it. That shift gave us a completely different level of flexibility in how we market and sell.

Now, instead of chasing scale with a $12.99/month product, we’re focused on landing four $50k consulting clients. The founder’s marketing feels more natural because it’s rooted in her real expertise. She can tap into her network more intentionally, create content that sparks conversations (and conversions), and show up in a way that fits who she is and how she works.

It’s a perfect example of how brand strategy isn't just about logos or messaging—it’s about making business decisions that are aligned and sustainable.

We talked a little about finding people at the right time (or creating systems where they find us) … When do you know a client is ready to evolve their brand? Are there signs or patterns you see when someone’s brand is no longer serving their growth? (in other words, what should people look out for in their own brand and marketing to realize it’s no longer serving them?) 

You mentioned previously that founders DIY their brand for far too long—and amen to that. In the beginning, scrappy is fine. Necessary, even. But at some point, what got you started can’t carry you forward.

One of the biggest signs it’s time to evolve is when creating or marketing your brand starts getting in the way of actually selling your work. When you're spending hours rewriting your About page or freezing up every time you open Canva (don’t get me started)—something's off. A lot of folks spend way too much time tinkering and not enough time testing and doing.

Your brand is designed to create momentum, not friction.

Another clue that your brand needs to evolve is when marketing always takes a backseat to client work. If you're constantly saying, “I’ll update my site later” or “I’ll post when things slow down,” it's a sign your brand isn't working with you—it’s working against you.

Those are the time and resource signals. But there are some other red flags I see again and again:

🚩 You're attracting leads that just don’t get what you do.

🚩 The people in your inbox aren’t ready—or willing—to pay your rate.

🚩 Your pipeline is a rollercoaster: feast one month, famine the next.

🚩 Folks love your vibe but aren’t the right fit (see my personal example above).

🚩 You’re hesitating to raise your rates. When your brand reflects your value, raising your rates feels less scary.

Some folks might see these as sales problems (partially true), but the bigger problem here is brand clarity. Your brand should filter, educate, and connect before you even step into a sales conversation. If it’s not doing that, it may not be broken outright, but it is time to evolve.

Since you’re basically a brand strategy artist, if your business had a signature color palette, mood board, or scent, what would it be and why?

I love that you asked about scent, because it highlights that branding is more than what you see. It’s a full, sensory experience!

I used to work across the street from a candy store, and rumor had it they pumped the smell of chocolate fudge out onto the sidewalk to draw people in. It worked—people would follow their noses.

So if my brand had a signature scent, it would be fudge. Inviting, familiar, and a little indulgent. It pulls you in. But once you’re inside, you realize it’s not all sugar. There’s a little sour in there, too. A kick of something unexpected. Maybe even something that challenges your taste.

That’s how I like to think about my work: warm and approachable on the surface, but built to surprise and challenge you…and maybe stick in your teeth a little after the first bite.

Where can we find you and keep up with you? 

You can learn more about me and my work on my website, or you can follow me on LinkedIn for spicy takes and weekly dog pics. I also write a newsletter called Brand Burnout, where I share brand and marketing insights for small business owners. Finally, I offer a FREE 5-Minute Brand Audit for those who are curious about whether their brand is doing the heavy lifting for them!

Do you see what I mean about how cool she is?! It’s easy to talk about branding like it’s just fonts, colors, or clever copy, but as Jamie makes clear, your brand is a living, breathing filter for your business. When done right, it helps you show up honestly, connect more deeply, and grow in ways that feel sustainable and exciting.

Whether you’re DIY-ing your brand into oblivion or starting to sense that your current vibe isn’t quite doing the heavy lifting, Jamie’s insights are a call to stop tinkering and start evolving. Your brand should work as hard as you do.