Let’s Get Your Story Right
Brand and messaging strategies to power engagement, brand preference, and excitement.
Michael Van Ausdeln
I help tell your story, so users feel you get them.
In their gut.
As a brand strategist, I set the stage with brand positioning and messaging that directs everything from design to the UX experience to tone and voice.
Whether it’s through an agency or directly for your website, you come away with a clear direction and a powerful story for your target audiences.
Get your story right.
Michael Van Ausdeln
I started my career in Alaska, among the moose, dark winters, and midnight sun.
You learn a lot about human behavior on that kind of journey.
That’s where the underpinning of my approach started. Understanding that people, all of us, including me, primarily choose based on emotional triggers. Often backfilling our choices with rational reasons. (Look. That saleswoman said only I could pull off that leather jacket.)
Brand preference is only created by emotion, tapping into those emotional triggers that drive behavior.
Sure, you must give audiences rational reasons to affirm their choices. But it all starts with emotion.
Let me help you craft your emotional story.
Featured Work
It’s simple. The best messages come from the perspective of the customer, what they seek, what they fear, and what moves them.
Inside-out thinking does nobody any good. What you think may be important may not be all that persuasive to your audience.
Think outside-in. What do they see and feel?
Edelman’s
Brand Strategy, Story Framing, Copywriting
Buying or selling bullion, coins, or precious metals, you don’t want to be taken.
Sekure Merchants
Brand Strategy
Merchants don’t care about the how POS systems work. They don’t even want to think about them.
Iron Culture
Brand Strategy, Story Framing, Copywriting
Iron Culture is an attitude.
Frost King
Brand Strategy, Copywriting, Ad Copy
Feel the difference in your energy bill – and in your home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What services do you offer?
I provide the brand strategy for brands wanting to be market leaders, developing a brand position and story to power engagement and brand preference. My range of services also include brand strategy development, brand positioning, messaging strategy, copywriting, story framing, and content creation.
How do you approach a project?
The process starts with interviewing you and any key stakeholders to better understand your needs, the market, and what sways audiences. This stage also includes competitive analysis and any primary or secondary research.
What is your experience level?
I have over 20 years of experience in branding, messaging, research, and copywriting, working with brands both big and small across various industries and countries.
What is a Messaging Strategy?
A messaging strategy is related to brand strategy, defining how you communicate value, purpose, and offerings for target audiences on digital platforms, such as websites. It helps shape the work to follow, including design.
❞
Mike has a way of finding out what customers want at an emotional level. He takes these findings and turns them into great stories that brands use to win.
James Gibson
Senior Director of Marketing, Triton
❞
Michael brings thoughtful perspectives to positioning and communications, turning complex ideas into clear, engaging messaging.
Melissa Allison
Global Marketing Director, Abbott
❞
Michael is an architect of clarity. His brand positioning doesn’t just sit on a page, it provides a flawless, actionable roadmap.
Ivan Kashlakov
CEO, Microgravity Creative Studio
