Mitch Dunn

SVP, Brand Lab

Mitch is the ultimate utility player. In his 16 years at Empower he has played key roles in Client Leadership, Integrated Planning, Strategy, innovation, and culture. The common thread that runs through his work is uncovering human truths and putting them to work for brands who understand the necessity of emotionally resonant, differentiated storytelling.

In his current role as the leader of Empower’s Brand Lab, Mitch is focused on developing direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands from scratch and working with cross-functional teams to build them into sustainable businesses.

Mitch’s work in the Brand Lab enables him to operationalize his passion: creating constraints and then working within them to develop wholly new ideas that live at the confluence of media and message.

Interview.

Mitch Dunn

What is your favorite DTC product?

My absolute favorite DTC brand is called Proper Cloth. They nailed the essence of a great DTC product: truly differentiated, clearly positioned, and approachably priced. Getting a new shirt from Proper Cloth is like Christmas morning: I have new threads, the future is bright, and I’m ready to go conquer the world.

The line between “media” and “creative” has never been blurrier.

What reflections have you had on the media industry within the last year?

I think there are five truths that have become increasingly clear: the line between “media” and “creative” has never been blurrier, it’s never been easier to be a creator, media creates more valuable information in a day than we used to collect in a year, once impossible dreams can now seemingly come true, and everything is media. We can have a transformative impact when we put these to work for brands in a cohesive fashion.

Why do you love Pickleball?

Well you kind of can’t get me started on pickleball or we’ll be here a while. But let’s put it this way: I have never had so much fun pursuing a sport as I have in the last two years of playing pickleball. I grew up playing soccer, I have played tennis and golf extensively, and I snowboard, wakeboard, and bike quite a bit. But none of them are as fun as two or three hours on a pickleball court. I essentially created a second full-time job when I launched the Cincinnati Pickleball Club, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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