This Is Not a Book Launch (But It Might Be)
Issue No. 54 -- My Book Pitch, E.I meets A.I (Uhh Ohhhhhh!) and Behind the Mascot Curtain
Dear readers -
I am having a lovely summer and I hope you are as well.
Before I hit send for the 54th time here on Substack (that’s a deck of cards’ worth of newsletters, minus the jokers), a quick plug: I’m on Instagram for now. I’ve permanently deleted my account at least five times, so don’t get too attached. But while I’m there, come say hi.
Also, here’s my LinkedIn if that’s more your scene
Let’s get this party started!
Mascot Love
I love being a contributing writer to The Branding Journal. And my latest piece explores something near and dear to me: mascots.
The Japanophile in me has adored mascots for decades. Here’s a photo I took in Japan a while back that captures that magic.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
Everything needs a mascot.
And I put my money where my mouth is. If you recall, this newsletter has it’s very own mascot: Lil’ Inc!
But back to my point. So yes, I mean it. Mascots bring warmth, memorability, and a bit of weird joy to the otherwise overly polished world of B2B: Mascots in B2B: The Secret Weapon You’re Probably Ignoring.
I’m on a bit of a mission to bring more personality back into how companies market themselves—whether that’s authentic messaging, bold creative risks, or apparently… mascots.
Nelly’s E.I. but A.I. instead (A.I., A.I., uhh ohhhhhh!)
How has Nelly not been hired to do a remix of E.I. for a tech conference?
Looking at you, Nvidia. Salesforce. OpenAI. This writes itself.
But seriously—this AI stuff? It’s getting real real.
Whether you currently have a job, are between gigs, or plotting your great escape, AI needs to be front-of-mind.
Not in a Skynet way (yet), but in a “this is bigger than electricity” kind of way.
Like the invention of farming equipment.
Electricity.
The pager.
Big Mouth Billy Bass.
WiFi.
Except these previous leaps took decades. Now? It’s happening every few months.
It’s fast. It’s mostly unchecked. And it’s going to make a lot more billionaires.
The steady stream of layoff announcements? That’s not slowing down.
Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath
So… what are you going to do about it?
Ready Player One—great book, decent movie—is looking more prophetic by the day.
But let’s bring back the positive vibes.
Every great technological shift created new opportunity. This one will too.
We’re not heading toward 40 years at IBM and a gold watch—we’re heading toward portfolios of roles, fueled by experience, creativity, and smart AI use.
The future? It’s the creator economy colliding with consulting, supercharged by AI.
The creator economy could approach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027
I don’t have all the answers—but my spider senses are tingling. You don’t need to turn your life into an AI startup.
Just… start. Read about it. Experiment.
Figure out where your interests, skills, and AI can play nicely together.
That’s the future. In fact, it’s IkigAI (get it?).
The Dickens of Business Books?
I am toying with the idea of writing a ‘business’ book. Think Who Moved My Cheese? meets How to Win Friends & Influence People meets The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Just kidding. It would be nothing like that.
In fact, I pitching to you right now for feedback. Here goes.
Book Pitch: This Is Not a Business Book
Most business books follow a formula.
This one breaks it—then draws a mustache on it, tells a story about grief and Hello Kitty, and shows you a better way to lead, brand, and communicate in a world that’s starving for authenticity and meaning.
This Is Not a Business Book is a mashup of brand strategy, creative leadership, surrealist humor, personal storytelling, interviews, photography, and comic strips. And maybe some playlists.
It’s part memoir, part marketing manual, part museum of unconventional wisdom—written by Daniel Incandela, a former CMO, artist at heart, and professional complexity buster. He also had cancer once.
This book doesn’t hand you a step-by-step process. It hands you a revolution in a box.
Inside You’ll Find:
Stories that hit: Grief, creativity, parenting, boardroom experiences, and messaging—all told with wit and bluntness.
Brand strategy that sticks: Messaging houses, brand archetypes, creative rituals, and how to turn internal clarity into real life momentum.
Unconventional interviews: Not just CMOs, but hospice workers, jazz musicians, product designers, and barbers—people who understand what connection really means.
Visual storytelling: Comic strips, photo essays, marginalia, and prompts that encourage thinking sideways and upside down.
A completely different tone: Vulnerable. Irreverent. Weird. And most importantly, authentic.
Who It’s For:
Leaders, marketers, creatives, and humans who:
Are tired of jargon and hungry for soul.
Want to build things that matter—internally and externally.
Believe that branding isn’t just about what you sell, but how you show up.
Crave a book that inspires and delivers.
Why This Book, Why Now:
Because business isn’t just business anymore. It’s emotional. It’s cultural. It’s human.
And if we’re going to lead in it, we need more than playbooks. We need perspective, empathy, and the courage to make things weird, personal, and real.
This Is Not a Business Book is your invitation to do just that.
*I’d love your thoughts, feedback, ideas, comments and so on. Thank you!
Consumption
Everything going in this brain of mine.
Reading:
Welcome to the Creative Club: Make Life Your Biggest Art Project
Movies:
Mickey 17. I will watch anything with Robert Pattinson and anything directed by Bong Joon Ho. (Max)
Jaat. My goodness am I a sucker for an overly dramatic Bollywood action movie. Throw in some musical dance scenes and I am a fan for life. (Netflix)
Ballerina. Give me anything from the John Wick universe and I will happily eat it up. This was a good action movie with a bad ass female character. (Theaters).
Nobody. How good is Bob Odenkirk? Great. This is kind of like a Winnipeg John Wick. Great action and some creative death scenarios. (Peacock).
F1. The Top Gun of racing movies. Go see it in IMAX. Great visuals, great racing, great music, decent acting and script…but a blockbuster movie. (Theaters).
Links:
We Finally Have Our First Look At Beyond The Spider-Verse
What if Tokyo was run by little professionals? KidZania Tokyo.
Here’s what’s in the big bill that just passed the Senate
Overcrowded Louvre Launches €270 Million Design Competition
Official Look at the LEGO x Nike Dunk Low
Sotheby’s London to Sell ‘Greatest Collection of Surrealism to Emerge in Recent History’
Nike Icon Air Max 90 Card Wallet
Salesforce CEO ignites firestorm after layoffs and praise for AI
This is where I sign off. I want you to know I am rooting for you.
Much love, Daniel
love the concept, need to add a pre-order link!