Brandjam Podcast: Recent Episodes
Scott Oxford
When brand is your jam, you just can’t help but jam about brand.
But what’s the big deal about brand? (And no we don’t mean your logo either – brand is so much more than visual elements – it’s your story and every single way in which that story plays out.)
Brand continues to step up and take its place as a weapon that leaders use to bring transformational change to their businesses and organisations. But how did brand sharpen up and become powerful, and what are the ways this takes shape?
It all starts with some key questions, like how do brands build trust and connection, capture and express their authenticity and be memorable? How do they change hearts and minds and influence behaviours? And what are the great mistakes people make, and the big misconceptions about brand?
Agency head and brand evangelist Scott Oxford jams on all things brand with a variety of guests for whom brand is close to their hearts, and key to their professional practice.
Together they explore the strategic (and sometimes accidental) ways brands build meaning for people, how they find a place in our hearts and why leaders must understand and use brand to transform every aspect of their businesses and organisations, inside and out.
Scott jams with Xavier Amouroux, Executive Director, Marketing and Communication at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Based in Brisbane, QUT is one of the best young universities in the world, with approximately 50,000 students and a focus on transforming the learning experience by embedding work-integrated learning in their courses. Xavier discusses his transition from working in France to working in Australia, inspiring young people while they make big life decisions and rebuilding brands from the inside out. They explore what higher education looks like in a COVID-19 world, QUT’s strong brand history and what it means to deliver on a brand promise. Delivered through Xavier’s gorgeous accent, this is a conversation your ears do not want to miss.
Scott jams with Naima Wilson, Marketing Director for Patagonia Australia and New Zealand. Patagonia is a mission and values driven outdoor apparel company that has led the way for many businesses in the purpose-driven space having been founded on ethical principles by Yvon Chouinard nearly 48 years ago. Naima discusses the company’s environmentally and socially conscious approach, their support of grassroots environmental groups (nearly $110m to date!), customers as family and friends and the origins of the brand name. They explore the relationship between brand and marketing, the way Patagonia supports each employee’s individual journey as well as the company’s foray into food via Patagonia Provisions. It’s a brand that has succeeded through consistently being true in what they do, not just what they say.
Scott jams with Yasmina Pinto, Head of Brand at AGL, Australia’s largest energy retailer and energy generator. They discuss the long history of the brand, the challenges surrounding differentiation of a commodity most people take for granted, AGL’s strength in staying connected to customer’s needs and wants, and the importance of the people who live the brand every day in their work. They explore the relationship between brand and marketing, restoring human engagement in a performance marketing-driven world, and the role of brand across every touchpoint of an organisation. Yasmina talks about her passion for luxury branding and the joy of a brand experience that is fully manifested for the customer.
Scott jams with Daniel Flynn, co-founder and managing director of one of Australia’s most successful start-ups, Thankyou. It’s a fully for-purpose brand built on bottled water, founded to solve the world’s poverty-related water crisis, that continues to diversify into new products we all use every day to help solve the wider challenge of global extreme poverty. They discuss the decision to no longer sell the bottled water that made them famous, building a brand and business without the limits of business experience and being mission-led. Scott asks about getting shelf-space in supermarkets, the choice between not for profit and partially for profit and the thoughts and challenges around naming a brand Thankyou. Elon Musk, size 14 Nikes and Yeezy also get a mention, along with some hints as to where Thankyou is going next as they move ever closer to their goal of seeing every human free from poverty.
Scott jams with Matt Jones, co-founder and Brand Director for Four Pillars Gin, who grew from a small craft distillery to being named the world’s leading gin producer two years in a row. It’s a brilliant brand story, based on a desire to create the definitive modern Australian gin. Four Pillars is built on a mission to make something (i.e gin!) new and better, applying rich experimentation, Australia’s unique botanicals and a big dose of brand thinking, strategy and execution. They discuss what the four pillars are and mean, the evolution of the brand and its visual and physical execution, and the unique relationship they have with customers. The beautiful gin stills and their glorious names get a mention and like every great G&T, this conversation will leave you wanting for more.
Scott jams with Jenni Hayward, General Manager of Mood, a new tea brand with a sole mission to fight youth suicide. Mood is the first consumer-facing brand by UnLtd, the media industry’s social purpose organisation, through their new social enterprise, Little Colossus.
Scott jams with Brian Fisher, Chevron Fuels’ head of brand for Caltex Asia and former McCann Erickson Account Director. They discuss the place of brand in marketing petrol/gas/fuel, the role of the customer in shaping brand, and they explore a range of famous campaigns Brian looked after for brands like Coca Cola, Mastercard and Motorola, and work he commissioned for Caltex.
Scott jams with Naomi Shepherd, Group Industry Director at Facebook and Instagram, to discuss the power of mobile to grow brands, the remarkable role of content creators who become influencers and trend-setters, and how consumer behaviour is the key driver to innovation and change on these global platforms. They explore algorithms, personalisation and what happens when platforms get it right, and wrong. They discuss the launch of ads on Instagram and the lessons learned, how they helped businesses get online during lockdown and Naomi shares a sneakpeek into some of the innovative directions Facebook is preparing for the future.
Scott jams with Adam Furness, APAC managing director for Impact, a company dedicated to transforming the way brands and enterprises manage and optimise all types of partnerships. Since they spoke the business has been valued at $1.5B proving that brands building connection through partnerships, via the emerging partnership economy, is only going to grow. They talk affiliate and other marketing partnerships, how businesses and not for profits work together, and how nano, micro and macro influencers continue changing the face of marketing and advertising. Adam explains referral armies via the unique trust micro influencers have with their followers, businesses with natural fit partnering with each other, the platform they use to do this and influence in general. They discuss how brands recover from major fails, talk online shopping and skewers, the word ‘thunk’ and what a few uniquely posed little green army men can teach us about life and business.
Scott jams brand and coffee with Phillip Di Bella - coffee king, serial business founder and genuine migrant success story. They explore the story of coffee, and the journey from bean to cup, as well as Italianality, the Australian brand identity and building a brand with your family name attached, then selling it. They discuss the importance of narrative and story, and staying true to your brand promise, and what happens when you don’t. Phillip shares on personal brand (and the time he damaged his), fatherhood, European cars, and using his experience to empower people and brands through his various projects, including The Coffee Commune.
Scott jams with Fiona Bateman, Head of Brand marketing at Menulog and overseer of the massive brand repositioning that put Menulog back on the home food delivery menu for Australians. She talks strategy and research and the valuable role a brand ambassador like Snoop Dogg plays in reaching the right audiences, as well as media choices and partnerships. They explore competing with global big guns, launching the new brand right in the middle of COVID, and managing the customer experience when you don’t own the food providers or the delivery fleet. Fiona discusses Menulog’s place within the global Just Eat empire and the valuable learnings she still applies today, from her time working for a startup where bravery was king and nothing was off the table brand-wise.
Scott jams with Steffen Daleng, the Chief Marketing Officer of Booktopia about selling books and selling anything online. They discuss competing with big international players, and winning, and the vital importance of constant communication with the customer. Steffen shares how Booktopia is contributing to the industry and literacy, on building and keeping trust and staying focused on doing what you do really well. Their mutual love of the Lego brand makes a showing as does the rise of gaming as a rival to movies and streaming, and the value of disrupting yourself to stay salient, grow and innovate while staying firmly focused in your lane.
Scott jams with George Zdanowicz, the CEO of Enhance Research and the President of the Australian Data and Insights Association, about the role of market research in the life and success of a brand and the ways it informs the building of connection through meeting the wants and needs, known or yet to be known, of their target market. They delve into the behaviour change realm, looking at not for profit and preventative health brands as well as the ways commercial brands influence behaviour. And they tap into brand promise, building empathy with an audience, and some brilliant GenX childhood favourite brands and jingles from the 70s and 80s. They also explore the path to working in market research and the research you can do yourself.
Scott jams with Lucas Patchett, CEO and co-founder of Orange Sky, the incredible not for profit brand powered by generosity, trust and everyday volunteers. Originally Orange Sky Laundry, the organisation runs a fleet of vans and provides showers, laundry and conversation to people who most need it. Lucas shares about the origins as well as the organic growth of their brand, the key aspects that build and maintain trust and ownership, and the multiple strands of their internal brand across supporters, staff and volunteers. They discuss Lucas throwing in an engineering/commerce degree to create a social purpose business brand (i.e. not for the money), it’s life beyond Australian shores and its global potential. And Billabong and Patagonia get a discussion too.
In this episode Scott jams with Sunny Bonnell, the award-winning CEO and co-founder of Motto, one of the top leadership and branding consultancies in the US and author of the ground-breaking business/career book, Rare Breed: A Guide to Success for the Defiant, Dangerous, and Different. It began as a book on brand and after a rework and a publishing bidding war is now becoming a powerful movement, being adopted by little businesses like Microsoft. Sunny also talks about breakdancing, parachute pants and the role of the Nike brand, Princess Diana’s unique brand and the Dallas Cowboys, Goorin Bros. hats and how leaders miss the mark when they don’t take the time to understand the power and importance of brand. It’s an amazing book and an inspiring chat from one of Brooklyn’s brand luminaries.
In this episode Scott jams with Graeme Yardy, the Domestic Market Manager for Meat & Livestock Australia. He’s responsible for the sales and marketing efforts for 11 billion dollars worth of Australian beef and lamb in Australia alone. They talk about the big lamb ad, the role lamb plays culturally in Australian life and the differences between marketing beef and lamb. Graeme talks about the sometimes weighty burden of supporting the nation’s red meat producers, farmers in a time when farming is harder than ever, with brand awareness, marketing and sales. They also explore iconic Australian surf brands, Graeme’s time at Wrigley and Mars, and going beyond selling ‘boxes of product’ to being a business or organisation with true purpose.
In this episode Scott jams with Mim Haysom, Executive General Manager, Brand & Marketing for the Suncorp Group, about the family of insurance brands they own, including AAMI, AAPIA and Shannons, and the way each has its niche in the Australian market. She reflects on her time in agency land, owning the officially ‘most recognised jingle’ in Australia, creative effectiveness and the secret to brand salience and keeping old brands fresh. She shares her approach to customer research, the importance of being agile and responding to cultural moments, and literally getting to know your customer face to face to stay current and customer focused. It all rounds out with a look back at some classic and memorable campaigns from the 70s and 80s where both host and guest show their age.
In this episode Scott jams with Jaynee Dykes, Sr. Brand Manager, SPAM Brand, Hormel Foods, about branded food and the 84 year old SPAM brand and its incredible trajectory across different international markets. They discuss that Monty Python sketch and the Broadway show that followed, where the name came from, who invented it and the SPAM museum that shares the story. They discuss customer research and tastes, dispel some myths and explore the fact that this incredible brand of tinned meat just keeps on yielding personal stories from people everywhere who know it as the brand that brings families together. And yes, they ham it up along the way.
We jam with Vanessa Morrish, Head of Brand and Creative for Who Gives a Crap, the online toilet paper company donating millions of dollars to build toilets for those who don’t have them. Find out what it's like to build a brand from the ground up, the unique aspects of a ‘for purpose’ brand, subscription models and in-house creative. We muse on the earworm power of jingles, sustainability and just how important a brand like this is to the people who work within it. We reflect on the toilet paper hoarding craze, authenticity and ethics, and the role of toilet humour in helping solve serious issues like poverty. And yes, there is a naughty word used in this episode, but don’t let it put you off—it’s for a very good cause.
In this episode Scott jams with two software marketers from different ends of the spectrum—Louise Flynn, who specialises in startups, and Deb Manning, head of global campaigns for Autodesk, on the role brand plays in software. They explore the shift from software in a box to software as a service (SaaS), how holistic brand experience impacts on software adoption and retention, and discuss the wider technology companies and their platforms, and the all important aspect of building trust and customer-focused experience. They reflect on the relatively short amount of time since software began, the value of looking back as well as forward, and making promises you can keep, and then keeping on keeping them.
In this episode Scott jams with Sean Marsh, an ethical business designer and strategist, on ethical and purpose-driven brands. They discuss the intimate nature of the relationship people have with these brands, the importance of trust, transparency and authenticity and what happens when that trust gets broken. And they look at values-based brands that are doing this brilliantly. The discussion explores green-washing, corporate mea culpas, sustainability and sustainable fashion and discuss how brands help us achieve our purpose, like superannuation funds and other businesses that invest our money in positive and negative ways. The dancing environmentalists on TikTok get a look-in too.
Scott jams with Nicole Schulz on everything brand reputation, her specialty within strategic comms firm Sefiani Communications. They explore why brands need help with their reputations, the glass box brands live in and how consumer savviness has changed everything. They look at celebrity endorsement, influencers, authenticity and accountability and how certain brands have strategically changed the conversations consumers are having about them. They also explore some cautionary tales and and mistakes to avoid and bask in a heap of really great advice from a specialist in her field.
Scott jams with Darren Wright, Flight Centre Travel Group’s global brand manager and a builder of travel brands from scratch in the Australian and global markets. They discuss Flight Centre’s unique internal brand culture, it’s distinctive external brand, the Captain character, and the various different brands under its global house. They also chat about the world-wide freeze in travel, how the industry is coping and what happens next, exploring how brands and consumers alike are responding, and the importance of having a brand marketer in the C-suite. Darren tells some tales from previous roles with Air Asia and Scoot, launching that brand in various countries as it grew, about customers, differentiation, online shopping, people and culture and travel, travel, travel!
Scott and Brooke jam about the role of purpose in the life of a brand and the ways it impacts trust, authenticity, connection and behaviour. We discuss neuromarketing, cars and sport, brand betrayal and the big decisions we all make in life. They talk about the role brands play in helping or hindering us, including intellectual disability, retirement and plaintiff litigation.
Scott and Ashley jam about the complex relationships customers have with brands, the importance of brand purpose and the new rules for brands. They discuss consumer brands like Heineken, McDonalds (and their relationship with cricket), Netflix and Philips. They also explore new directions in market research, brand tracking, the demise of Australian car brand, Holden, and why on earth you’d want to drink alcohol-free beer.
Scott and Kate jam about the tangible value of brand, discussing vital links between people roles and brand roles in business, and the pivotal role brand plays in business health and success. We explore the worlds of recruitment, psychology and business evolution and we unpack a key rebrand project Kate led, across a range of acquired businesses, doing similar work. Find out about a major American brand that impacted her long before it made it to our shores, why she loves her superannuation fund and the role brand plays for her in her current role at Revelian.
Scott and Michael jam on the way brands live their values and bring their brand stories to life, what brands can do for team pride and what it is to be the brand custodian of a couple of fairly famous meercats. They also explore FMCG at length, including brand awareness and salience, and the mandate for a product or service to deliver on what the brand promises. Add in chats about cycling and identity, as well as a solid wrestle with market research methods and a good dose of behavioural science thrown in.
Debbie shares her experience as Head of Marketing for News UK during the transition of The Times from broadsheet to tabloid. Debbie gives us her perspective on brands that betray and we jam about brands finding special places in our family life and in our hearts. We unpack the old ‘brand is not your logo’ confusion, the role of competitor brand insights and focus on the people who live and breathe your brand every day.
But what’s the big deal about brand? (And no, we don’t mean your logo either—brand is so much more than visual elements—it’s your story and every single way that story plays out.) Brand continues to step up and take its place as a weapon leaders use to bring transformational change to their businesses and organisations. But how did brand sharpen up and become powerful, and what are the ways this takes shape? It all starts with some key questions, like how do brands build trust and connection, capture and express their authenticity and be memorable? How do they change hearts and minds and influence behaviours? And what are the great mistakes people make, and the big misconceptions about brand? Agency head and brand evangelist Scott Oxford jams on all things brand with a variety of guests for whom brand is close to their hearts, and key to their professional practice. Together they explore the strategic (and sometimes accidental) ways brands build meaning for people, how they find a place in our hearts and why leaders must understand and use brand to transform every aspect of their businesses and organisations, inside and out.