10PlusBrand

Is performance marketing enough to grow a business in the AI age? Or does long-term success require a stronger branding strategy built on trust, differentiation, and customer experience?

In this episode, Joanne Z. Tan explores why branding strategy and performance marketing are not competing approaches—they are complementary forces. While performance marketing has traditionally measured ROI through clicks, likes, and conversions, these metrics become increasingly inadequate as Agentic AI transforms the customer buying journey. Sustainable business growth depends on brand building, brand positioning, brand trust, and brand equity that influence customer decisions both immediately and over the lo...

AI in Branding, Part 2: How to Stand Out, Create Content, and Build a Future-Proof Brand

Welcome back to Part 2 of our FAQ series! If you missed Part 1 (FAQ #1–#6), be sure to listen first — we covered where branding starts, brand DNA decoding, ROI, and more.

In this episode, we tackle FAQ #7–#12. Joanne dives deeper into the most pressing questions about AI in branding and what it truly takes to build an enduring, human-centered brand in the AI Age.

🎙️ Hosted by Joanne Z. Tan, founder and CEO of 10 Plus Brand — with 16+ years of experience helping brands decode...

Here are 12 FAQs (frequently asked questions) about the process of brand building and brand marketing by 10 Plus Brand, Inc. Part 1 of 2 answers the first six questions listed below. In Part 2, the last six.

To watch Pt 1 as a video

To read the FAQs

In the age of AI, your greatest competitive advantage may no longer be technology—it may be brand trust. As AI-generated content floods the internet with what many now call AI slop, business leaders face a defining challenge: How do you build a brand that customers actually trust?

In this episode, Joanne Z. Tan explores why trust, authenticity, and human judgment are becoming the ultimate brand moat in the AI era, against low-quality, mass-produced, and often inaccurate information, a/k/a AI slop. Brand trust is the goal, shield, and bottom line against endangerment of data privacy, transparency, and th...

AI search is rewriting who shapes the brand journey. Learn how to create brand journey as a collaborative co-creation among CEOs, customers, outside brand strategists, and internal marketing teams to win in the AI age.

👉 Watch this as a 13-min YouTube video

📖 Read the full article

📬 Subscribe to our free Newsletter: https://10plusbrand.com/newsletter-subscription/

To create brand journey in the AI age, you have to learn to share the road.

One-third of all web traffic now comes from AI chatbots and agents. AI search is growing 150% month-over-month. And 87% of AI-assi...

Sparking joy is the new driver of brand equity and emotional connection in creating human brand experience in the AI Age of "digital fatigue".

- Read as a blog
- Watch as a 8-min video

-Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for thought leadership insights on AI, branding, and human-centered innovation.

In today’s AI-driven landscape of digital fatigue, sparking joy is a strategic imperative for building lasting brand equity. Brands that prioritize human-centered brand experience create meaningful emotional connection, and inspire long-term loyalty.

This episode explores how organizations can move beyond transactional in...

I tracked my sleep and weight for 4 Years—then quit. What happened after was better quality of life - a personal story about reclaiming control and breaking free from digital dependency that led to more freedom and happiness.

What if the very tools designed to improve your life are quietly diminishing your quality of life?

In this episode, Joanne Z. Tan shares a deeply personal and thought-provoking story about her four-year journey living a data-driven lifestyle, and why she ultimately chose to walk away from it.

Like many professionals striving for optimization, she adopted habit fo...

User data land grab is costing companies far more than they realize — in diminishing data value and in the brand trust they are quietly destroying, while racing to seize consumer data without consent or compensation. The Real Price of the Data Land Grab — and Why It Will Backfire

Across industries, companies are spending hundreds of millions to lock in first-party data assets through mergers, acquisitions, and platform capture — treating data as the "new oil."

But NVIDIA's Jensen Huang has noted that AI technology's cost drops 100,000 times every ten years, and that within a decade, AI-generated synthetic data will d...

In a world flooded with AI Slop, where misinformation, low-quality content, and synthetic noise overwhelm human judgment, what truly differentiates enduring brands from disposable ones? The answer lies in brand equity—the intangible yet powerful force built on trust, authenticity, and meaningful human connection.

In this episode, Joanne Tan of 10PlusBrand and AIXD explores the growing crisis of credibility in the AI age and reveals why brand equity is no longer a marketing luxury—it is a survival strategy. As consumers increasingly question what is real, brands must step into a new role: not just providers of products or serv...

AI avatars are rapidly becoming the new interface between brands and their audiences. They speak, represent, influence, and engage at scale. But as AI personalities evolve, so do the risks that come with them.

In this episode, Joanne Z. Tan breaks down the strategic reality behind AI avatars, AI agents, digital humans, and virtual influencers, and why they are redefining customer experience and user expectations across industries. More importantly, she addresses the growing threat landscape: deepfake misuse, synthetic identity manipulation, and the accelerating risk of brand damage and reputation harm.

👉 To read the full article: https://aixd.wor...

What is the best competitive moat in Agentic AI? Why AI Can’t Replicate Brand Trust and Identity?

Brand strategy, brand moat, brand trust, customer experience, Brand DNA, thought leadership, brand differentiation, AI era branding, AI experience design, AIXD™.

In an era where AI accelerates commoditization and competition, your brand is the one competitive advantage AI cannot copy.  In this episode, global brand strategist, Thought Leadership Coach, and AIXD™ pioneer Joanne Z. Tan breaks down what a brand competitive moat real...

Are In-House AI Brand Agents the Key to Winning Brand Visibility in the Age of AI Search?

If your brand isn't showing up in AI-generated answers, it doesn't exist — there is no "page two" on ChatGPT.

As AI replaces traditional search and agentic AI begins to reshape how consumers buy, not just how they browse, the brands that thrive will be the ones that stop optimizing for search engines and start optimizing for large language models (LLMs). The strategic shift: from SEO to SOM — Share of Model.

In this episode, brand strategist and thought leadership coac...

The Strategic Divide That Will Define the AI Native Age

To watch it as a 3-min video

To read it as a 1-min blog 

Have you ever felt that an AI-powered product was treating you as a data source rather than a human being worth serving?

I recently walked away from an app I had relied on for years. It refused to let me access my own account unless I consented to handing over my personal data — no alternative, no negotiation. I deleted it without hesitation.

This is not an iso...

Alysa Liu, in choosing joy and self fulfillment over winning at all cost, proved that doing it "my way" is the ultimate competitive advantage. In this episode of SoS – Sip of Solace

When Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu was asked how she felt about the gold medal around her neck, she shrugged with playful confidence: it matched her hair color. To her, the medal was just a physical object. Something she could even lose.

What she refused to lose was herself.

After rising to fame at 13 and stepping away at 16 from a win-at-all-costs training culture, sh...

With excitement, we are announcing the birth of AIXD.World, a subsidiary of 10PlusBrand.com. Learn what AIXD (AI experience design) is all about (hint: it is not anti-AI, but pro-human.) AIXD is not the same as UI and UX.

UI (user interface) and UX (user experience) are terms often associated with app design. As Google famously explains: if a digital product were a house, UX is the structure and wiring (how it works), while UI is the paint and furniture (how it looks).

AIXD goes further. It is both the architectural blueprint and the interior design—bu...

AI Native is shifting AI from a feature to the foundation of products, services, and business models. Why AI Native matters now and how AI Native design separates leaders from followers

AI Native is not about adding AI tools to legacy systems. It is about architecting offerings and operations where intelligence is built into every layer. Instead of rules-based logic and siloed data, AI Native models rely on connected, data-driven ecosystems that continuously learn, adapt, and improve performance.

👉To read the full article 

👉To watch it as an 11-min Youtube video

Organizations pursuing AI Nati...

This is  a short poem by Joanne Z. Tan: "Is life One Way or a Round Trip?"  using metaphor of creek, river, lake in Yosemite, rain, snow, lightning, thunders, clouds, and the fog in Golden Gate Bridge, symbolizing life's journey.

To watch it as a 2-min video

To read it as a blog 

A tiny creek 

In the high country of Yosemite

Born of melting snow

Filtered through the clefts of granite

Streaming down a thawing peak.

Dripping, dropping,

Dancin...

What is a brand story? - A brand story is a narrative about a brand, business or personal, based on facts, records, user experience, employee stories, testimonials, and founder’s memories, all of which illustrate brand DNA, values, and brand experiences.

👉 To watch this short intro as a 2-min video

👉 To read this short intro as a 1-min blog

You will learn:

- Facts alone don’t persuade—but stories do;

- Authenticity can’t be fabricated, only revealed;

- The most p...

Brand Design is the process of creating unique visuals, such as name, slogan, logo, to symbolize and amplify brand DNA, personality, and voice, through color, font, and brand image.

👉 To watch this short intro as a 2-min video

👉 To read this short intro as a 1-min blog

Now let me ask you something.

If AI can generate a logo in 30 seconds…
If Canva can give you 15 brand kits before lunch…
If everyone has access to the same tools…

Why do so few brands actually stand out?

And why do so man...

Your brand identity isn’t about design first. It’s about decoding your brand DNA. 
- What’s your brand really made of?
- Values that move people?
- A voice that feels human?
- Or just visuals that look unique?

👉 To watch this short intro as a 2-min video

👉 For a small fee, you can access the full article with the “secret sauce” at: https://10plusbrand.com/course-category/name-tagline-logo-identity-design/  It comes with a video too.

Why?

Because...

Game 7 of the 2025 World Series became an instant classic. With the Dodgers leading 5–4 in the bottom of the 11th, injured Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the mound on his own insistence. What followed was a rare display of mental strength, focus, and purpose at the highest level of competition.

In this SoS (Sip of Solace) episode, Joanne Z. Tan reflects on what made that moment historic. From Yoshi’s calm under pressure to the Dodgers’ climb out of a 0–3 deficit, this game reveals how discipline, teamwork, and belief shape true heroism.

A short, powerful takeaway on leadership and performance when eve...

To read it as a 5-min blog

To watch it as a 8-min video 

subscribe to our Newsletter

In this episode, Joanne Z. Tan explores the five dimensions of brand personality — sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, and ruggedness — and shows how leading brands like Apple, Nike, and Starbucks use personality to shape identity and influence purchasing decisions. Learn how to uncover your brand’s core traits, align them with your values and audience, and create authentic connections that drive loyalty a...

"How is it possible to even define LOVE? Only poetry can describe some aspects of it," said Joanne Z. Tan. This is one of the short poems written by Joanne Z. Tan.

To read it as a 2-min blog

To watch it as a 2-min video

subscribe to our Newsletter

Joanne Z. Tan is the Founder & CEO of 10 Plus Brand, Inc., a brand strategist, thought leadership coach, and speaker. She helps executives, board members, entrepreneurs, and organizations decode their Brand DNA, create authentic brand identity an...

The shocking assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 11, 2025 forces us to confront a sobering reality: political divisiveness and violence can tear a nation apart. At this fragile moment, each of us must choose whether to be consumed by hatred—or to call forth our better angels.

To read it as a 3-min blog

To watch it as a 7-min video

In this episode, Joanne Z. Tan shares an intensely personal story. As a child in China during the Cultural Revolution, she witnessed how political passion, once inflamed, turned ordinary ci...

In today’s world flooded with AI-generated content and “AI slop,” one quality stands out as the ultimate differentiator: Brand Authenticity. AI is a powerful tool, but it can’t replicate humanity. Half of consumers say AI content feels “off” or inauthentic. So how can your brand leverage AI without losing the human touch? Joanne explores how to let AI handle efficiency, while humans own creativity, storytelling, and emotional connection.

In this video, global brand strategist and thought leadership coach Joanne Z. Tan unpacks:
✅ What brand authenticity really means (beyond buzzwords)
✅ How brands like Cracker Barrel and Coca-Cola show t...

So what IS brand authenticity, and how to build it, in the AI age? – Decode your brand DNA, clarify your vision, and decide what humans control—and what AI supports. Humans must lead the creative work of connecting with other humans. That’s how you build an authentic brand that lasts. Consumers trust brands more than governments or media—but only when brands live by real values, vision, and purpose. Brands that show up authentically in culture and community.

- To read it as a half-min blog  

- To watch it as a 1-minute video

Half of cons...

"Happiness, to a large extent, depends on what you choose to pay attention to," "the journey IS the destination," says Joanne Z. Tan. By celebrating each mile, step, or inch forward, you fuel the momentum for the next milestone.

👉 Key Takeaways from this video:

✨ Celebrate often. Celebrate here and now. Celebrate yourself, your team, and the small victories that shape the bigger picture.

✨Celebrate not only milestones but also incremental progress.

✨Use celebration as a leadership practice to build morale and trust.

✨Anchor yourself in values while embracing change in the AI era.

As Joanne Z. Tan emphasizes, celebration is a leadership skill, a mental discipline, and a path to success. By learning to direct your focus toward the uplifting, you gain control over your state of happiness and empower those around you. Happiness is not a reaction, it’s a choice. Celebration is your daily practice for resilience, connection, and leadership impact.

- To read it as a half-min blog  

- To watch it as a 1-minute video

When do we need celebration the most? Paradoxically, in the darkest moments. True leaders and professionals can redirect attention from...

This episode explores why a brand audit is the smartest way to ensure your anchor holds and your sails are ready—so you don’t just drift with the crowd, but chart your own course. Our world is shifting fast—what worked in calm waters won’t hold in turbulence. Storms are coming—will your brand sink or sail? A quick audit could be the difference between drifting and thriving.

Leaders and organizations alike need to check their anchors (values, beliefs, purpose) and trim their sails (strategies, plans, adaptability). A solid anchor keeps you steady; well-set sails let you harness th...

Even the most brilliant minds stumble on one of the most common mistakes in naming. For 15 years, Joanne Z. Tan has witnessed this pattern while helping leaders and companies with corporate identity, renaming, branding, and rebranding.   Create business names that are both  "user-friendly and owner-proprietary", said Joanne Z. Tan.

- To read it as a 3-min blog

- To watch it as a 6-minute video

Think about it:

What’s Amazon got to do with the river? Nothing.

What’s Apple got to do with the fruit? Nothing.

What’s Axion...

There is nothing morbid or fearful about the thought of death. It is the final equalizer. “Begin with the end in mind,” said Stephen Covey.  PRETEND that your doctor told you that you have two years to live (God forbid). What will you let go or stop doing? What will you regret that you never did? What will you start doing right now? 

Sometimes the easiest way to reset a computer is to turn it off and back on again.

In life, we can leverage the thought of mortality to reset our priorities. We can simpli...

Aging is a blessing. Who knows, perhaps the best time to pursue your dreams starts in your 60's!  Stay healthy, curious, and active to reinvent and rebrand yourself. "Boomers will be late bloomers", said Joanne Z. Tan, brand builder and thought leadership coach. Hint: What 66-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis said about her best years... 

- To read it as a half-min blog 

- To watch it as a 1-minute video

Here is the link to the articles mentioned at the end of this Sip of Solace:

https://10plusbrand.com/2024/02/10/rebranding-retired-executives-over-60-self-guide-4-tips-personal-branding-business-branding-by-joanne-tan/

h...

 As AGI (artificial general intelligence) is fast approaching at super human level, not just entry level jobs will be replaced, but traditional leadership roles as well. To beat AGI, leaders need thought leader coaching to develop solid, authentic, and original thought leadership. Joanne. Z. Tan shares how. This episode combines all 3 parts previously published. It includes why thought leadership is needed in the AI age, what is thought leadership, what is thought leadership coaching, and why the time is now to develop it. 

- To read it as a 5-min blog

- To watch it as a 11-m...

Everyone is feeling some anxiety while AI is disrupting everything with lightning speed. How to stay calm AND at the same time make your loved ones happy?  Hint: You need to be DOING something, such as...

- To read it as a half-min blog 

- To watch it as a 1-minute video

Here is the link to the combined 3 parts podcast about building thought leadership, as mentioned at the end of this Sip of Solace.

©Joanne Z. Tan  all rights reserved.

Please don't forget to like it, comment, or better, SHARE IT W...

What are the 5 ways for a thought leadership coach to accelerate your thought leadership journey?  This Part 3 is the third and last 4-minute segment of a 3-part "Five Ways to Build Thought Leadership in the Age of AI". 

- To read Pt. 3 as a 2-min blog

- To watch Pt. 3 as a 3-minute video

- To listen to the ENTIRE 10-minute (all 3 parts) (coming soon)

What is a thought leadership coach? -Thought leadership coaching is a specialized professional service that helps leaders such as CEOs, founders, executives, coaches, board members, and experts become re...

What are the 5 ways to build thought leadership?  This Part 2 is the second 3-minute segment of a 3-part "Five Ways to Build Thought Leadership in the Age of AI". 

- To read Pt. 2 as a 2-min blog

- To watch Pt. 2 as a 3-minute video

- To listen to the ENTIRE 10-minute (all 3 parts) (coming soon)

Thought leadership in the AI Age is multifaceted, multi-disciplinary, and multidimensional. It is a combination of at least five elements, based upon a whole-person approach:

First, Vision, Principle, Character. Perhaps the most important characteristic of th...

Thought leadership building: Why do you need it? What is the ROI? Why now? Will AGI replace CEOs? This Part 1 is the first 3-minute segment of a 3-part "Five Ways to Build Thought Leadership in the Age of AI". 

To be called a thought leader is more than a marketing or promotional technique. Thought leadership is really another way of building relationships per co-author Cindy Anderson: “Thought leadership is not a marketing campaign. It’s not an ad. It’s not a news article. It’s a long-term relationship building, brand-building approach.” Find out what, why, and when.

- To read...

Jensen Huang on why AI will be indispensable, how he uses AI, synthetic data and AI generated knowledge in 10 years to be 99% on all AIs, and his own American Dream.

This Part 3 is the third and last 10-minute segment of a 3-part recording of Jensen Huang’s entire 30-minute talk in Stanford on July 26, 2025. 

Part 3 Summary: 

to read Pt. 3 as a 5-min blog

To watch Pt. 3 as a 16-minute video

Part 3 Summary:  Jensen Huang advised young people to learn how to reason and break things down to first principles. To know what...

“AI is about solving these cognitive, reasoning, planning, and search problems.” “And it comes down to one thing: Do you have more ideas than you wish you could pursue if you were more productive? Do you have more dreams, and they can come true, if you had more time? And if you have those things, productivity is going to result in your growth. But if you don’t, then productivity is going to result in more idle time.”

This Part 2 is the second 10-minute segment of a 3-part recording of Jensen Huang’s entire 30-minute talk in Stanford. 

Part 2 Summ...

“If we build it, will they come?” Jensen said: “If we don’t build it, they can’t come.” “You have to believe in what you believe, and you have to pursue that belief.” “This is at the core of our company.”

The “big bet” Jensen Huang made 30 years ago:  by inventing the technology AND the market at the same time, Jensen aimed to expand, augment, and accelerate general purpose computing CPUs with specialized algorithms for the video game niche. Jensen Huang had the foresight three decades ago to create CUDA, a compatible accelerated computing architecture that became the pillars for AI advancemen...