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ashnelsonthings.com
About
See All Posts
About
See All Posts
The Premise of Merchandising
Case Studies Ash Nelson 3/17/25 Case Studies Ash Nelson 3/17/25

The Premise of Merchandising

Exploring the impact of merchandising on storytelling and brand positioning.

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An Editor’s Guide to Curation
Case Studies Ash Nelson 3/10/25 Case Studies Ash Nelson 3/10/25

An Editor’s Guide to Curation

Looking to the DNA of fashion editors to connect taste-making to the concept of curation.

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How Kimora Lee Simmons Brought High Fashion to Hip Hop
Case Studies Ash Nelson 3/7/25 Case Studies Ash Nelson 3/7/25

How Kimora Lee Simmons Brought High Fashion to Hip Hop

In the mid-2000s, Kimora Lee Simmons used high fashion nuance to build Baby Phat into a cultural entity.

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On Taste-Making
Case Studies Ash Nelson 3/3/25 Case Studies Ash Nelson 3/3/25

On Taste-Making

Taste is a social activity that drives cultural capital. Notes on taste communities and brand strategy.

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I’m Seeing Motown as a Flywheel Too
Case Studies Ash Nelson 2/17/25 Case Studies Ash Nelson 2/17/25

I’m Seeing Motown as a Flywheel Too

With an ear for hits, Berry Gordy built Motown into an iconic record company. It’s another good example of a flywheel. For music artists and strategists alike.

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The Flywheel Effect
Case Studies Ash Nelson 2/10/25 Case Studies Ash Nelson 2/10/25

The Flywheel Effect

Flywheel as another word for ecosystem. The purpose of this post is to officially enter this model into the record, using Goop to illustrate.

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My 2025 Theme Sheet
Case Studies Ash Nelson 2/1/25 Case Studies Ash Nelson 2/1/25

My 2025 Theme Sheet

A roadmap for my blog the next 15-months. In service of play and following my curiosities.

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House Rules for World Building
Case Studies Ash Nelson 1/14/25 Case Studies Ash Nelson 1/14/25

House Rules for World Building

To be fair, culture is a spark you can’t necessarily account for. World building helps create the containers to catch it in. How to catch lightning in a bottle.

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The Science of Pop Icons
Case Studies Ash Nelson 12/11/24 Case Studies Ash Nelson 12/11/24

The Science of Pop Icons

Defining world building in music terms using semiotics.

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How to Manage a Luxury Brand
Case Studies Ash Nelson 11/25/24 Case Studies Ash Nelson 11/25/24

How to Manage a Luxury Brand

Thinking through what elements of luxury brand management I would take from the traditional model to build something fresh. These are my strategic considerations.

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How to Market Your Influence
Case Studies Ash Nelson 9/9/24 Case Studies Ash Nelson 9/9/24

How to Market Your Influence

This is a story about what happens when culture drives brand strategy. Read the full report.

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“Lizzie McGuire” Positioning Deep-Dive
Case Studies Ash Nelson 11/11/23 Case Studies Ash Nelson 11/11/23

“Lizzie McGuire” Positioning Deep-Dive

Some strategic considerations about what made the television series Lizzie McGuire resonate well with its tween audience, for marketing’s sake.

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The Independent Recording Artist’s Guide to Infrastructure
Case Studies Ash Nelson 11/6/23 Case Studies Ash Nelson 11/6/23

The Independent Recording Artist’s Guide to Infrastructure

LaRussell’s approach builds for the long term in music, business and technology. These are the elements that make his music machine go.

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The Culture of Blogging
Case Studies Ash Nelson 8/26/23 Case Studies Ash Nelson 8/26/23

The Culture of Blogging

If I was thinking of building influence as a brand or creator today, I’d build my foundations on the strategies of bloggers in the early 2000s.

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Defining the New Millennium with Hype Williams
Case Studies Ash Nelson 5/15/23 Case Studies Ash Nelson 5/15/23

Defining the New Millennium with Hype Williams

With his signature directorial style, Hype Williams ushered hip-hop and R&B into the new millennium visually.

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The Building Blocks of Ghetto Fabulous
Case Studies Ash Nelson 10/15/22 Case Studies Ash Nelson 10/15/22

The Building Blocks of Ghetto Fabulous

From the parties, to the music, to simply living fly, these are the building blocks of Ghetto Fabulous.

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Building Community with Issa Rae
Case Studies Ash Nelson 4/9/22 Case Studies Ash Nelson 4/9/22

Building Community with Issa Rae

Issa Rae got to Hollywood using original content as a platform for building genuine community. Her strategy unlocked the model for doing so online.

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Breaking Down Lebron’s SpringHill Company for Modern Creators
Case Studies Ash Nelson 4/2/22 Case Studies Ash Nelson 4/2/22

Breaking Down Lebron’s SpringHill Company for Modern Creators

The SpringHill Company is a creative example of owning your IP. This is how to build a brand for business in the Creator Economy.

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What Y2K Taught Us About the Metaverse
Case Studies Ash Nelson 1/29/22 Case Studies Ash Nelson 1/29/22

What Y2K Taught Us About the Metaverse

As the Metaverse sets the stage for the next cultural reset, Y2K and the decade that followed gives us glimpses into possibilities opened when tech and culture collide.

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