ICSC 2025: Brand Excellence in the Motor City
As the founder and CEO of COHN, I am immensely proud of achieving our 25th anniversary this year. It’s been an amazing journey.
I started my career in the retail industry and spent 18 years at the acclaimed Rouse Company. Rouse was a retail real estate pioneer, and the company brought excellence to every property. We truly had an amazing brand. Most of my work there involved downtown and urban properties, which suited my passion to improve our cities.
When I started COHN as an agency in 2000, I realized there was a clearly defined need for cities, counties, economic development commissions, and business improvement districts to compete more effectively with the booming shopping centers and malls being developed throughout the U.S. in the 80s, 90s, and 00s. These jurisdictions needed professional-level marketing and branding services. By 2005, we had over 30 cities and BIDs as clients, from Long Beach to Albany, from D.C. to Colorado Springs. It was rewarding and creative work.
As the agency grew, we found ourselves working for many retail real estate companies as well as healthcare providers throughout the U.S. and Canada. But given my personal experience and the company’s foundation, I have always had a soft spot in my heart when I see cities and urban places getting it right. Even if we were never involved, I applaud the efforts of those cities, urban developers, and their marketing providers. Hey, we all need to celebrate everyone’s success! And that leads me to my fun discovery at ICSC 2025 in Las Vegas.
A “Eureka” Brand Moment in Las Vegas
I attended ICSC this year with Chris Thomas, COHN’s Creative Director for over 13 years. We often try to see the entire convention floor (that’s a lot of footsteps) to see the hidden gems of the industry. While there is admittedly a “sea of sameness” in this industry, sometimes something just pops out and screams, Look at us! As marketers and creatives, we love to see it. And that’s what happened this year.
While walking through the Las Vegas Convention Center, a booth screamed out at us. The company, Bedrock Development (again, for clarity, nothing to do with our agency), had this small but mighty trade show booth presentation that lured us over. It turns out that Bedrock is focused primarily on the urban Detroit market. We all know the many stories we are hearing about Detroit’s bounceback and its organizations, like the Detroit Eastern Market and companies like Shinola and Bedrock, that are making this happen. But here’s the best part.
The booth was a beautiful presentation of Detroit’s uniqueness and distinctions. Bedrock is tying their brand distinction to their passion for their hometown. The booth features murals created by hometown artists, celebrations of the Motown era, and fantastic presentations of opportunities that center on the Detroit market. On top of this, their representative was an incredible ambassador of both the city and the company. She was truly living the brand!
Brands are always about distinction and clear messaging. Some companies truly appreciate the value of this investment. Creating a powerful brand strategy and compelling creative expression of the brand is what creates this distinction. It sets you apart from everyone else in the industry. The marketing and leadership team at Bedrock has demonstrated this distinction by clearly positioning their company as a leader in the Detroit Renaissance. The brand is clear, beautiful and fully realized.
Celebrating GOOD through Brand
As a key part of our 25th anniversary, COHN is committed to celebrating the GOOD that marketers and companies are bringing to the world. Our 25th Anniversary celebration is all about “doing well by doing good,” and encouraging others to do the same.
You can help by clicking here.
That’s why we want to amplify the good work being done by Bedrock and others in the comeback city of Detroit.
After over 35 years of attendance at this convention, it’s incredible to still see vibrancy and creativity in an industry that is evolving and changing. We hope to work with many other organizations in the future to help them define their brand and shout it from the rooftops, wherever place or destination they happen to be located.
