Robin Landa, Professor and Author, Branding as a Cultural Force

Today, we’re welcoming Robin Landa back to the show. I first interviewed Robin in February 2023 about her book The New Art of Ideas, and I’m thrilled to continue that conversation.

Robin is a distinguished professor at Kean University and a globally recognized expert in creativity and branding. She received the 2024 Gold Design Education Recognition Award, was named by the Carnegie Foundation among the ‘Great Teachers of Our Time,’ and will be inducted into the New Jersey Advertising Hall of Fame in 2025.

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@proflanda on Instagram

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Robin on YouTube

Author of 25 books—including Graphic Design Solutions, Strategic Creativity, Advertising by Design, and Shareworthy (with Greg Braun)—Robin now turns to her new release: Branding as a Cultural Force: Purpose, Responsibility, and Resonance

1. From The New Art of Ideas to Cultural Force

• Robin, when we talked in February 2023, you laid out a practical pathway for generating and shaping ideas. What’s evolved in your thinking since then—and how did that trajectory lead to Branding as a Cultural Force?

1. Branding as a Vehicle for Systemic Change

• Your new book argues that branding can—and should—shape culture, not just reflect it. What catalyzed this call to action, and how does it challenge conventional brand playbooks?

1. From Product Stories to Cultural Movements

• Which brands or campaigns today truly function as cultural forces? What makes them work—and what can creative teams learn about purpose, responsibility, and resonance?

1. Authenticity, Accountability, and Risk

• When brands take a stand, what’s the right balance between authentic purpose and measurable responsibility? How should leaders navigate backlash, skepticism, and “purpose-washing”?

1. Teaching Creative Courage

• You’ve shaped thousands of careers through teaching, mentoring, judging, and writing. What practices help people move from safe, incremental ideas to bold, world-shaping concepts—without losing strategic clarity?

1. The Next Generation of Brand Leaders

• With AI, rapid cultural shifts, and fragmentation of attention, what skills—and mindsets—will define tomorrow’s most effective brand leaders?

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And before you go, remember to download your free e-book of Your World of Creativity when you visit mark-stinson.com.