Richard Sauerman

Richard Sauerman's Biography

Richard Sauerman is known as The Brand Guy and has been ranked in the Global Top 30 Brand Gurus since 2014 (currently ranked 9th).

He has 35 years experience working on brands at some of the world’s greatest advertising agencies (Saatchi & Saatchi, Ogilvy & Mather, DDB, McCann Erickson) as well as in his own business, from global brands (Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Levis, Streets, Toyota, Nescafe, Vodafone) to Australian brands (Arnott’s, CSIRO, QBE, Data61, Surf Lifesaving Australia, Breast Cancer Trials, Tourism Australia, Mortgage Choice) to start-ups (LeukBook, T-shirt Ventures) and pro-bono clients (Maturious).

He works closely with CEOs and Executive, HR and Marketing teams to provide guidance for rebooting and reshaping their brands and business, and he is an Advisory Board member for a fashion start-up.

Richard pioneered a new way to do branding, where everything you do and say as a business or organisation is driven by and aligned to your brand strategy and purpose: the way you do business, the way you treat your people, the way you treat your customers and suppliers, your products and services, as well as [and not just] your marketing communications.

Your brand is not something the Marketing Department adds to your business, your brand is the reason your business exists. Your brand is the Purpose, Vision, Mission, and Values that propel everything your business, company or organisation says and does. This makes branding a leadership matter, not a marketing one.

The brutal reality of today’s over-saturated brand world is this: If you don’t stand for something you’re dead, it’s just a matter of time. Do you know what your brand stands for? Is your marketplace positioning unique? Does your brand essence resonate with your people? Is your brand strategy, vision and values driving your company culture? Do you have a clear and powerfully articulated brand purpose that drives engagement and customer loyalty? Does your brand matter, and if so, why?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions then nobody else will know either, and nobody else will care. In order to create a powerful brand and maintain successful strategic brand management - both inside your business (brand on the inside) and outside in the marketplace (brand on the outside) - you need purpose, differentiation and conviction.

Richard has created brands from the ground up and rebooted and reshaped brands and businesses in Australia and internationally: from some of the most established brands in the world to some of the most highly disruptive startups.

Richard has worked on over 200 brands in his career, from insurance to financial services, healthcare, recruitment, technology, legal firms, R&D organisations, disability services, construction and manufacturing, arts and museums, industry associations, solar energy, horticulture and fashion.

Some clients are looking to sharpen the saw when it comes to their brand and branding, other clients are looking to evolve their brand to reflect a change in their business, and some are looking for a complete transition or reinvention of their brand and business.

Richard's unique proprietary branding methodology works for all clients, whatever your industry or your branding requirements.

Speaking Topics Include

Real You - Stop doing your job and living your life with the handbrake on

Companies don’t make things happen: People do. When it comes to work and the workplace, too many people are doing their job with the handbrake on. Each of us has potential that extends far beyond our actual day-to-day performance. Instead, we settle for being a 7/10 because it’s a reasonable position to take, it gets the job done, it doesn’t require taking any unnecessary risks, and it’s just a very safe place to be.

Real YOU removes the barriers that are holding people back by inviting participants to step out of their comfort zone and step up their game.

When it comes to people, self-belief and attitude are everything. What people think, feel, and believe about themselves shapes and drives their identity, their performance at work, and their lives. Real YOU lays the foundations of positive self-belief and attitude for all people, at all levels and in all roles: Leaders, managers, sales and marketing teams, customer service teams, business owners, creatives and innovators.

Real YOU is a journey of self-discovery designed to take give participants an experience they will literally never forget. It’s like riding a bicycle: Once you learn how to ride a bicycle, you know forever; it’s always in you.

Richard does not give a lecture: His task is one of facilitation, removing the obstacles that are stifling peak performance and helping people to reach their full potential both professionally and personally. As such, his approach is aligned with the ideas and practices of the Human Potential Movement (Abraham Maslow, Viktor Frankl, Alan Watts, et al) and Positive Psychology (Martin Seligman).

Real YOU is highly interactive with lots of audience participation. While the subject matter may be considered serious, the experience is high energy, fun, funny, and very real. Richard’s delivery is backed up with videos, music, and powerful images.

Real YOU is not an esoteric navel-gazing exercise. Real YOU has a practical hard-headed impact on people’s everyday concerns and quality of life. Participants leave the Real YOU experience with a feeling of freedom and empowerment, and a plan of immediate action.

Power Branding – Branding & Marketing

Branding & Marketing How to build brands that make sense and are believed and loved Most branding falls short of being powerful because it’s too rational. It makes sense, but it’s not believed and loved. And that’s the big trap you want to avoid: You don’t want a brand that just makes sense, you want a brand that people are going to believe and love, that also makes sense. Power Branding is based on the pioneering work of The Brand Guy, Richard Sauerman. People build brands, and power brands are about people: How you treat your staff, how you treat your customers and suppliers, how you conduct your business, as well as [and not just] your marketing communications. Power brands build trust, win customers, attract and keep talent, and stand out from the competition.

Audiences will learn: Why power brands are important today. What it takes to build a power brand. How power branding is everything you do and say. How power branding understands and connect with people. How power branding is a major source of intangible value.

Branding The Inside - People & Culture

How to profit from purpose and passion. Companies don’t make things happen: People do. And when it comes to work and the workplace, Gallup reports that only 17% of employees in Australia (and the world) are engaged. Not only is this bad for business, but it’s also bad for people and their lives. Branding the Inside is based on the pioneering work of The Brand Guy, Richard Sauerman. One of the most effective ways to transform your culture is through branding, but not as you know it. Along with the traditional bottom line, organisations have a second bottom line: A return on human investment that advances a larger purpose beyond just making money. This is Branding the Inside, and it drives high employee engagement, loyalty and retention.

Audiences will learn: How to discover the truth and purpose of your brand. How to put purpose at the heart of what you do and say. How to build a brand-driven culture. How to use your brand to engage your employees. How to shift attitudes, performance, your world.

Business As UNusual - Change & Innovation

How to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty in a changing world. If Covid taught us one thing it’s that the world is not as stable and predictable as we once thought. Living and working with change is the new norm now more than ever before. Despite that, talk of ‘change’ creates unease, anxiety, and stress. And that’s because our brains are biologically hardwired to resist change – the #1 reason why 70% of Change Management processes fail. Richard will make the case for taking more intelligent risks in business (as well as in life), and he will leave his audience with a stronger determination to back themselves and their ability to be brave and bold agents of change in a world that’s not waiting for anyone.

Audiences will learn: What change looks like. Why people resist change. How people resist change. How to change people’s attitude towards change. What things never change. How to make change work in your favour.