Community Highlights: Meet Rande Vick of Vick Agency

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rande Vick.

Hi Rande, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m probably the only brand strategist in LA who got fired from their dream job at Fender – and considers it the best thing that ever happened to them. That moment of losing everything I thought defined me led me to discover something bigger: the actual neuroscience behind why certain brands become obsessions.

I spent my early career living the dream – touring musician who started landing iconic gigs at companies like Avid, InMusic, Yamaha, and eventually Fender. My whole identity was wrapped up in it – I’ve been a “Fender guy” since I was 17. Then 2020 hit – and brought on the chaos of COVID – and Fender laid me off. Honestly, it was a little devastating. But it made me dig deep.



I was forced to ask: Why do some brands capture our souls while others just… don’t?



That question consumed me. Eventually, it led me to dive deep into neuroscience research, studying how memories form around sensory experiences, why certain sounds or visuals trigger instant emotional responses. Why do certain stories resonate in our minds so deeply that we feel part of that story? I became obsessed with understanding the brain chemistry behind brand love – not just the marketing psychology we all know, but the actual neural pathways that make brands unforgettable.”



Most brand strategists rely on intuition or traditional marketing frameworks. I use neuroscience. My book ‘Neurobranding’ breaks down the actual brain-based method for creating brands that stick. It’s proving to be an incredibly fresh strategy framework.



In addition to neurobranding, I might describe myself as part Epictetus – the discipline of understanding human nature at its core – and part Rick Ruben – knowing that the most powerful connections happen when you strip away the noise and hit that primal frequency.



Through Vick Agency, I work with challenger brands who refuse to blend in. We don’t just build brands; we create neurological imprints. When done right, your brand doesn’t just get noticed – it rewires how people see the world.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth? Not even close.

Starting a business is a little like building a plane while you’re flying it – and the engines are on fire. I’ve faced the usual gauntlet; cash flow crunches, clients that ghost you at the 11th hour, the constant scramble for leads, but the real struggle has been deeper.

When I got laid off from Fender, it wasn’t just a job loss – it felt like an identity crisis. My musical DNA had been wrapped up in that brand for so long I didn’t even realize how enmeshed I was. It was a reminder that even as a strategist, I’m still human, and still emotionally tethered to the brands I love. That experience forced me to rethink what branding even means, beyond the buzzwords and case studies.

Then there’s the loneliness of the solopreneur path. When you’re the one making the calls, taking the punches, and putting out fires at 2 a.m., it’s easy to question why you started this thing in the first place. But that’s also where the clarity comes; the realization that every struggle is an opportunity to refine your craft, to get to the heart of what really matters, and to double down on what sets you apart.

I wouldn’t trade those rough patches for anything. They gave me the perspective to build the agency and create the NeuroBrand Method framework. Life is filled with wild rides, right? But if it wasn’t for the rides, most of us would just stay stuck.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Vick Agency isn’t your average branding shop. We don’t just churn out logos and taglines. We build brands that stick. We utilize the NeuroBrand Method – a method I developed that fuses neuroscience, storytelling, and strategic thinking to create brands that don’t just get noticed but get remembered.

What sets us apart? We understand that branding isn’t about vanity metrics or marketing fluff. It’s about creating real, emotional connections. We dig deep into the science of memory, trust, and decision-making to craft brand experiences that stick in the minds of your audience, not just for a campaign cycle, but for the long haul. We’re talking about brands that live rent-free in people’s heads.

I’m proud of the work we do because it’s unapologetically different. We challenge the status quo. We push clients to think beyond their logo and see their brand as a living, breathing story that shapes how people feel, act, and connect.

But what really sets us apart is the focus on radical value. We don’t just want to make brands memorable, we want to make them meaningful. That means helping businesses find their North Star, cut through the noise, and build something that actually matters to the people they serve.

So if you’re tired of generic marketing platitudes and want a brand that actually sticks, Vick Agency is where you start.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I can still remember the first time I died. Can you? I was in second grade, and Ms. Clifton made us memorize a poem every week. And not like nursery rhymes – we had real poems to commit to memory. And then on Friday’s she’d call on a few kids to stand in front of the class and recite the whole poem.

Well, the first time she called on me, I trembled to the front of the class, and I died.

Ok, not like dead-dead. But the curious peer of 29 peers? It was too much. I was light-headed. Everything spun just a little. And I started to speak, but I’m sure nobody could hear me.

I was a shy kid. Always felt like a weirdo. Always lived in my head, buried in my thoughts.

But ever since Ms. Clifton’s class, I have developed a deep love for words, and writing, and poetry, and ideas.

And I was always a sucker for a well-told story.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vickagency.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rande_vick_agency/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randevickagency/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randevick/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8V4Rwee-28IiTdhuqcsOYg

Image Credits
Brianna Vick
Brian Oliva