ABOUT
Hi, I'm Brenna, a brand architect specializing in strategy, positioning, and narrative storytelling that delivers outsized impact.
I've built unified brand frameworks that align advertising, marketing, and PR on messaging and meaning, enabling stronger, more consistent execution across functions for more than 150 brands across B2C, B2G, and B2B sectors.
My unified approach removes silos, accelerates timelines, and reduces investment while providing the speed and agility needed to stay ahead of market shifts.
My path to brand leadership began in ad agencies, where I worked as an art director after completing my brand advertising training at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning led me to leave agency life in 2006 for freelance work. In 2010, I accepted a three-month marketing contract at the California Museum that evolved into a decade-long role and reshaped the trajectory of my work.
During that decade, I refined a brand architecture practice centered on cultural meaning, narrative clarity, and message systems that drive awareness, loyalty, and ROI. The Museum’s mission to educate and inspire Californians on the state's legacy through history, arts, and culture presented me with the opportunity to build brand frameworks that unified story, experience, and audience impact that deliver results, which are principles continuing to guide my work today.
7 principles guiding my brand approach:
1. Brand architecture must drive the bottom line.
I build systems that create clear, consistent messaging and meaning across advertising, marketing, and PR. Effective brand architecture earns its keep, and I lead teams to deliver measurable financial outcomes.
2. Alignment is a strategic discipline.
I break silos and bring stakeholders to shared clarity, enabling faster decisions and unified execution instead of competing agendas or fragmented ideas.
3. Purpose must translate into action.
I connect brand values to data-driven storytelling that turns intention into attention, motivating audiences to engage, purchase, and remain loyal.
4. Craft elevated by technology.
My work blends the rigor of classic brand strategy with modern tools including AI, digital innovation, and scalable tech, ensuring creative and operational excellence at every stage.
5. ROI is a design requirement.
Every investment must justify itself. I prioritize for impact, turning lean budgets into disproportionate returns — including transforming $20K into $300K in value with a 1400 percent ROI.
6. Co-creation strengthens solutions.
Cross-functional collaboration creates alignment, accelerates adoption, and produces work that shifts both KPIs and organizational culture forward.
7. Diversity expands opportunity.
Building narratives for multicultural audiences increases recognition, reach, and long-term revenue. With the United States nearing a non-majority demographic, inclusive brand architecture is a strategic imperative for future growth.
CERTIFICATIONS & RECOGNITION
Beloved Brands
Mini MBA Certified
Led by Graham Robertson, Top 10 CMO
& Industry Thought Leader
Top 25 Portfolios of Design Leaders & Execs
— Marissa Louie, iOS Lead Designer at
Apple, Expedia, SiriusXM
Artificial Intelligence in Marketing Certified
Top 10% of Cohort; Recommended by former Google Chief Evangelist
SELECT CLIENTS & PARTNERS
Arts & Culture
California Museum
Charles M. Schulz Museum
Film Noir Foundation
Eames Office
Eames Institute of Curiosity
Skirball Cultural Center
Smithsonian Institution
Consumer
Black Angus Steakhouse
E&J Gallo
Go Girl/Nor-Cal Beverage
Redwood Creek Vineyards
Shoei Foods, USA
Pottery World Home Décor
Tower Records
Enterprise & Public Sector
Coit Services, Inc.
Dine Marketing
Maloof Sports & Entertainment
Mercedes-Benz USA
Milgard Windows
Offices of Governor Gavin Newsom & First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom