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\u201cYou have to find people who\xa0like\xa0you but aren\u2019t like\xa0you.\u201d This is a mistake many brands make. They look for customers just like them \u2014 with their specific interests and characteristics \u2014 instead of people who like your brand and what it stands for. Melanie Spring is a speaker, facilitator, and brand strategist at Branded Confidence.\xa0We discussed community, culture, and more on this week\u2019s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by\xa0Twenty20.\nAbout Melanie Spring\nWhen you ask a brand strategist how she defines her brand and she says \u201cApproachable Badass\u201d, you know you\u2019ve found someone who can help you define your own brand.\xa0Melanie Spring\xa0was put here to get you outside of your box and firmly in your purpose \u2013 professionally and personally.\nMelanie runs Branded Confidence as an international speaker and facilitator \u2013 bringing her charisma and confidence to humans worldwide. She\u2019s so dedicated to her purpose that she once drove 7,000 miles in 3 weeks to find out why great brands work.\nEpisode Highlights\nWait \u2014 7,000 miles in 3 weeks?\xa0I had to ask Melanie about this first. \u201cFive and a half years ago I was frustrated with my life so I took a road trip to learn about brands.\u201d And being a brand practitioner herself, she gave it a name and branded it!\n\u201cThe Live Your Brand Tour\u201d\xa0led Melanie from DC to California and back again, visiting a variety of brands from Timbuk2 and Chobani (check out our podcast episode featuring\xa0Chobani) to a jewelry store in San Luis Obispo. She documented her travels and the brand stories she uncovered in\xa0Entrepreneur\xa0magazine.\nKnowing your humans.\xa0Many of her stories focused on brands building community and culture. But what if you don\u2019t know your humans? \u201cMost haven\u2019t asked. If you just ask them they\u2019ll tell you everything.\u201d\nGrandma\u2019s still not sure \u2026\xa0When being an \u201capproachable badass\u201d is part of you\u2019re bound to raise some eyebrows. And sometimes they are your grandmother\u2019s eyebrows! Melanie joked that her grandma said, \u201cShe\u2019s still not okay with the \u2018ass word.\u2019 The \u2018f-word\u2019 is off limits because then mom can\u2019t share it with her church friends! But brands need a bit of an edge.\u201d Melanie specifically uses the word \u2018badass\u2019 to help screen potential clients. \u201cIf you can\u2019t handle the word \u2018ass\u2019 you won\u2019t like working with me!\u201d\nWhat brand has made Melanie smile recently?\xa0\u201cI just moved from DC to Denver and I love REI.\u201d Melanie then shared their recent #OptOutside campaign. \u201cIf you can get an everyday human like\xa0me to giggle, I\u2019m all over that kind of stuff.\u201d\nTo learn more, go to\xa0brandedconfidence.com\xa0and\xa0kickasshumansclub.com.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices