Warren Kornblum’s Notes From The Brand Stand Examines Why Emotional Trust Is the Real Currency of Enduring Brands
New York, NY — As brands extend into new categories, partnerships, and licensed products, veteran brand leader Warren Kornblum believes the biggest risk isn’t saturation—it’s emotional erosion.
In Notes From The Brand Stand, publishing in January 2026, Kornblum explores why the brands that last are not the loudest or the most ubiquitous, but the ones that earn what he calls “Share of Heart”—a level of belief that travels with the brand wherever it goes.
Drawing on decades of experience building and advising brands—including his tenure as Global CMO at Toys “R” Us—Kornblum reflects on what happens when brands scale without clarity, consistency, or conviction.
“Licensing only works when belief scales with it,” Kornblum says. “If a brand doesn’t stand for something meaningful, every extension exposes that gap.”
Rather than offering tactics or trend forecasts, Notes From The Brand Stand takes a leadership-level view of branding—one that resonates with brand owners, licensing executives, and partners responsible for protecting meaning across ecosystems. The book examines how inconsistency weakens trust, why price-led strategies struggle to build affinity, and how emotional connection—not awareness—ultimately determines longevity.
Written in a narrative, reflective style, the book is built on real moments observed at what Kornblum calls the “brand stand”—where strategy meets culture, customer experience, and commercial reality.
“Every licensed product is a promise,” Kornblum adds. “When that promise feels hollow, consumers don’t just reject the product—they question the brand’s integrity.”
About the Author
Warren Kornblum is a brand strategist and advisor, and a former Global CMO of Toys “R” Us. Through his consultancy, Shadow Branding, he works with leadership teams to align brand, culture, and customer experience from the inside out. He is the creator of the Share of Heart philosophy, which focuses on earning emotional loyalty rather than chasing short-term attention. Notes From The Brand Stand is the first book in Kornblum’s Share Of Heart series.
