Michael Dargie on Creative Strategy, Storytelling & Making Your Brand Unforgettable
In this episode of the Post Shift Podcast, I had an inspirational conversation with Mike Dargie — creative strategist, author, international speaker, and host of The RebelRebel Podcast, where audacious entrepreneurs and creative rebels share how they break rules, build stories, and win in business.
Mike is the founder of Make More Creative, an agency that helps brands discover and amplify what makes them remarkable. He’s also the author of BrandJitsu™: Move Your Brand From ‘Meh’ To Memorable, a practical yet bold framework for business identity, market clarity, and purpose-driven growth.
Why Many Brands Stay “Meh” — And How to Fix It
One of the strongest threads in this episode was Mike’s take on how businesses — especially in hospitality — fall into the “meh” trap. Too many bars, restaurants, and service businesses operate on repetition: routines, templates, and safe decisions that check the boxes but don’t move feelings. Mike’s BrandJitsu™ methodology zeroes in on that gap: emotional resonance.
BrandJitsu™ isn’t about gimmicks or trend-chasing. It’s about clarity of story, consistency of action, and creating a brand identity that people feel, not just see. Whether you’re a bar program, restaurant group, or consultancy, Mike laid out how brands become memorable by connecting with their audiences at an emotional level — the kind that makes a guest tell a friend, “This place feels like this.”
Brand Through Action, Not Just Aesthetics
Mike pushed back on a common misconception: that branding is only visuals, logos, or social aesthetics. For him, the brand is:
What people feel when they step in
How staff talk about the place when the manager isn’t around
The consistency of experience across every touchpoint
The stories your customers tell about you when you’re not in the room
He reminded us that business identity isn’t built overnight — it’s lived through the sum of actions, decisions, service delivery, and cultural signals that create emotional alignment with your audience.
Hospitality Meets Creative Strategy
What makes this episode especially valuable for hospitality pros is how Mike bridges big-picture strategy with boots-on-the-ground execution. A strong brand in hospitality isn’t just a cool logo or Instagram feed — it’s a living promise that gets delivered every shift, every service, and every guest interaction.
Mike talked about how operators can:
Define a core BrandJitsu™ statement — a short emotional promise that anchors every decision.
Audit every guest touchpoint — from signage to service flow to online reviews — for emotional consistency.
Empower staff to communicate the brand by living it, not reciting it.
Use story frameworks to turn everyday service into memorable moments.
These principles help hospitality businesses not only attract attention but keep guests returning because they feel understood, welcomed, and genuinely seen.
Why This Episode Matters for Operators, Creatives & Rebels
Whether you run a bar, lead a restaurant team, or build a hospitality brand, this conversation is a reminder that:
Clarity beats chaos — when you know who you are, customers do too.
Emotional connection drives loyalty — people don’t remember drinks, they remember how they felt.
Brand isn’t a department — it’s every action — and every staff member has a role in shaping it.
Creativity and strategy are inseparable — art without strategy is decoration; strategy without soul is sterile.