Vineyard Vines Founders Talk Brand at St. Luke's School

The Power of Brand teaches branding fundamentals and culminates in student teams presenting concepts such as AthlEats nutritious supplements for athletes, U Change CO2 emissions tracker and eco products, a strategy to elevate the popularity of Major League Soccer, and Good4You—an online catalog of “hobbies that bring you bliss.” This team created a sample Good4You webpage for their brand pitch.

Several St. Luke’s parents and trustees participated in The Power of Brand offering insights and critiques as students develop brand pitches. These SLS Mentors include Mike Gaumer, the President of Vineyard Vines; David Pakman, Partner at Venrock and co-founder of Apple’s Music Group; Rich Riley, former CEO of Shazam; and Chris Wearing, Vice-Chairman of Teneo Holdings.

CFL Director Kate Parker-Burgard says programs like this “develop students’ abilities to communicate with confidence, collaborate, and create something positive that benefits others.” This sentiment was echoed by a student participant: “It was really educational for me to be in an environment in which I had to think outside of the box, collaborate with a team of students, present, and really think through a concept.”

This was the second The Power of Brand mini-course. The first was part of the Leadership Lab Launch and featured Guest Mentors Gail Tifford, Chief Brand Officer of WW, formerly Weight Watchers and Charlie Denson, former Brand President of Nike.