---
title: In 2014 we talked about how not to build a brand
description: A hangout from the archives. In 2014 we talked about how employers should absolutely not approach building their employer brands.
image: https://blog.tonic-agency.com/hubfs/firmday15may2014tonicdopeoplecareaboutyourbrand-140518110720-phpapp01.jpg
---

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# In 2014 we talked about how not to build a brand

[Tom Chesterton](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/blog/author/tom-chesterton)  Jun 08, 2022

![](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/hubfs/firmday15may2014tonicdopeoplecareaboutyourbrand-140518110720-phpapp01.jpg)

Looking through our archives it's easy to spot trends. In 2014 we talked about the end of push marketing. We called this blog Tonicon2. It even had a Google Hangout...

In the Hangout we cover content that's pretty wide-ranging. Including:

- Why employer branding is incidental
- The % of people from any group actively looking for a job
- Why life gets in the way of the attention we want to grab
- That brand is not relationship
- That relationships happen between people

There are notes of this thinking that still resonate in our advocacy work. So still pretty fresh. But be prepared for some challenge. The good stuff starts at about two minutes. Skip that first few minutes, (please...), or be prepared to wonder how running an agency for eight years can possibly affect your appearance that much! 

# TONICON2: HOW NOT TO BUILD YOUR BRAND (July 2014)

**Here’s a recording of our first Google Hangout where we’re sharing some Tonic thinking around how NOT to build your brand. We focus on a number of factors that mean traditional marketing has fundamentally changed and that building real engagement with your audience requires a fresh approach.**

**This presentation followed the well-received talk at the last #FIRMday. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks to share some more Tonic thinking with you all live, so watch this space…**

 

 

 

 

 

[EVP & EB](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/blog/topic/evp-eb)

[Global content production comes back with a bang](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/blog/global-content-production-comes-back-with-a-bang) [What brand story are you telling?](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/blog/what-story-are-you-telling)

### About Author

![Tom Chesterton](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202019-10-21%20at%2019.14.34.png)

Tom Chesterton

Chief Executive and Co-Founder of Tonic. Brand geek, dislikes charlatans.

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[![AI Isn’t Brand Magic. It’s Brand maths.](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/hubfs/The%20evolution%20of%20employer%20brand-1.jpg) AI Isn’t Brand Magic. It’s Brand maths.](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/blog/ai-isnt-brand-magic.-its-brand-maths)

[![Employer branding, minus the fluff, part three](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/hubfs/The%20evolution%20of%20employer%20brand-26.jpg) Employer branding, minus the fluff, part three](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/blog/employer-branding-minus-the-fluff-part-three)

[![Employer branding, minus the fluff, part two](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/hubfs/The%20evolution%20of%20employer%20brand-24.jpg) Employer branding, minus the fluff, part two](https://blog.tonic-agency.com/blog/employer-branding-minus-the-fluff-part-two)

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