Last week, I went to Matchstic’s Brand Camp. It was awesome.

Brand Camp is a two – day offsite immersion workshop digging into your brand, what makes it special, and what makes it different.

What makes Brand Camp any different than reading Positioning or Zag? In theory, not much – the principles are the same (in fact, they would both make for perfect homework for Brand Camp). The difference is that you actually do the stuff. You leave with a brand brief. In your hands! All in two days with fantastic tutoring, mentoring, and perspective. 

I think two things separate it from anything Ripple has done in the past:

1. Matchstic sends their founding partners to guide you through the process. That’s pretty helpful since these guys do nothing but brand strategy all day. They are smart, passionate about brands, and committed to keeping things on track. They are great for brainstorming and advice of course, but also for a swift kick in the behind when needed. That was frequently needed.
2. There are four other companies camping as well. Which is pretty cool because everyone is working together. It really keeps the process from getting into ruts. The creative juices are always flowing, and there is always a “civilian” from one of the other companies to say “I don’t really get what your saying.” That is something you never really get when your working with just marketing people + your own people. Both can fall victim to the Curse of Knowledge - but there is no such curse when four unrelated companies are in the room.

Bonus: You’re in the woods, getting to know other people with similar challenges, and eating grilled meats. Sitting around a conference table pales in comparison.

The combination of marketing geniuses, regular folks, and beer makes the process a special one. It’s an experience I would highly recommend.