Brands In Action: Recent Episodes
David Baldwin
A podcast that asks brands the questions every brand should be asking. We believe a brand is a set of behaviors based on its values and beliefs. Some of those beliefs just happen to be advertising and design, but it can be much more than that. Join us as some of biggest and best brands in the world tell their stories about how they use their values to grow.
What happens when the host becomes the guest? Today, David Baldwin sits on the other side of the microphone to talk with Mitch Bennett, the ECD who took over creative duties for David, and Ashley Yetman, Co-CEO and head of strategy at Baldwin&, who recently bought the agency. Join us for a fun discussion about what it was like building three purpose-based brands, the power of creativity, and what retirement might look like for someone who can't stop creating things.
00:18 - David Intro
03:12 - David's Story/Podcast Purpose
09:20 - Balancing starting an agency with purpose
12:03 - David's Core Beliefs
14:31 - HB2 and Ponysaurus
20:31 - Creativity going forward
23:17 - Determining how to choose which idea comes next
26:54 - Stepping away and being held accountable
31:34 - How did you pull off the transition
https://www.baldwinand.com/
https://www.ponysaurusbrewing.com/
https://takeyourseat.co/
Mariah Eckhardt runs one of the coolest natural brands going, and one of the OG purpose brands at that. On today’s episode, we talk with Mariah about how running everything at Burt’s Bees – from PR and promotions to marketing and everything in between – has led her to know and live this brand, inside and out. She also talks about how their purpose drives everything they do, not just the communications.
00:18 - Mariah Intro
02:10 - Mariah's background
07:37 - Burt's Bees Mission
09:48 - How does Burt's Bees fit into the natural marketr
14:34 - Customer trust driving other products
16:29 - Who are Burt and Roxanne
22:34 - How does Burt live on now in the brand
24:28 - Other Iconography
26:10 - Conscious Beauty
31:31 - Where can the brand go that it hasn't and vice versa
37:28 - How did Burt's Bees influence Clorox
39:50 - Influencers and Social Media
Bojangles is an iconic Southern brand with a storied past and some pretty famous fried chicken around these here parts. Today, Bojangles Restaurants CMO Jackie Woodward talks about what it’s like to market a brand that is entrenched in the South and to take it to greater heights than ever before. Give it a listen.
00:18 - Jackie Intro
01:21 - How Jackie got to Bojangles
04:20 - What is Bojangles
09:22 - Bojangles "Southern” branding
14:03 - Tailgating
16:32 - Telling the Bojangles brand story
19:05 - Tone of Voice
19:52 - Hard Sweet Tea
22:35 - Testing/Research
24:03 - Championing Women Executives
26:35 - Where to find Bojangles
Can you think of a brand with better unaided awareness than Butterball? Today, Christa Leupen talks about how the company uses their purpose to drive the entire organization. Join us for a lively discussion on what makes the brand tick and how they use their purpose to drive the use of turkey every day – not just on Thanksgiving.
00:18 - Christa Intro
01:22 - Director of Purpose and Consumer Communication Role
02:34 - Path to this role
04:49 - Work/Life Balance
06:11 - Purpose defined by Butterball
12:42 - Iconography
13:22 - Challenges of being popular in specific seasons
16:37 - Turkey Talk Line
17:17 - Tone of Voice
18:29 - Branching outside of tukey
20:10 - Jimmy Fallon
22:11 - Influencers
26:17 - Driving the message for customers
27:28 - Where are you in driving the purpose throughout the entire organization
https://www.butterball.com/
Philip Freeman is a walk-the-talk kinda guy in every aspect of his life. As the founder of Murphy's Naturals, he's building a company that brings natural mosquito repellents to the world that are good for you and good for the environment at the same time. They call their philosophy DOG – Do Others Good. Philip uses the Murphy's brand and mission to drive everything they do, and they're growing like crazy – so maybe give it a listen.
00:18 - Philip Intro
01:13 - Murphy the Dog
02:40 - How did your background lead you here
05:16 - Formulation
09:50 - B-Corp Status
13:49 - The Dog Philosophy
16:53 - Articulation of Brand's Purpose
18:51 - Driving Culture
22:01 - Company Traditions
23:48 - Getting customer onboard
28:47 - What are you most proud of at Murphys
29:41 - The Loading Dock
32:18 - How can people find you?
Additional Resources:
https://www.murphysnaturals.com/
We’re talking education this week with Quinn O’Brien, CMO at Carnegie Learning, which is the leading brand for education tools and methods. Quinn brings his experience working on mega brands like IBM, Volkswagen, and Lenovo to the space where Carnegie is dedicated to helping teachers create more “Aha!" moments” for students. Quinn has a lot of marketing wisdom, give him a listen.
00:18 - Quinn Intro
02:14 - Journey to current position
05:26 - Lenovo and IBM
10:47 - How did those experiences leave a stamp on you
15:27 - Unpacking Carnegie's offerings
23:09 - Carnegie Mission
25:46 - Biggest challenges
27:27 - What role do the parents play
29:14 - How do you advertise most effectively
30:30 - Brand Articulation
33:22 - The future of learning
35:54 - Tone of Voice
41:18 - Being an objective voice in education
https://www.carnegielearning.com/
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Christopher Symmes, Director of Marketing at Unilever where he manages their dressings line, including Hellmann’s, Sir Kensington’s, and Maille. Christopher is a living, breathing adherent to Brand Purpose and showing how it can drive your business – not just your advertising – to foster growth and create change. In fact, sometimes Brand Purpose isn’t part of the advertising at all.
00:18 - Christopher Intro
01:18 - What brought you to Unilever
06:50 - How do you define brand purpose and how does that fit at Unilever
13:17 - Super Bowl Commercials / Brie and Ham
18:56 - Does the purpose of food waste live outside of Hellman's within Unilever
19:54 - Does every Unilever brand have a social good component
22:26 - Customer feedback
25:21 - Other adjacent brands and their purposes
29:25 - How does your personal purpose manifest itself professionally
34:18 - Googling Hellmans Food Waste
Brilliant decisions, a great culture, and really smart people are the reason Best Buy has thrived during the great migration to e-commerce. That and smart people like Bruce Bildsten. Bruce has built a world class in-house agency and now produces work as good as any you can find in the biz. In today’s episode, he talks about what makes a great in-house agency, creative person, and brand.
00:18 - Bruce Intro
02:02 - Moving out of the "Silver Age" and going in-house
05:47 - What are the challenges of moving in-house
10:40 - Is it possible to have the same type of career if you're in-house
16:23 - Best Buy's comeback
20:33 - Articulation of Purpose
25:42 - Brand Iconography
27:18 - Tone of Voice Articulation
29:03 - What have you learned being on the inside at Best Buy that you would take back to the agency world
32:29 - BMW Films
37:23 - Should you get the warranty?
37:46 - What Best Buy work should people check out?
https://bestbuy.box.com/s/kiii5k51j21r29apuwt9yc5uviqlbmtw
How good are you when it comes to listening? Matty Wishnow believes it's one of the keys to growing a company and, in particular, to accelerating a startup's success and efficiency. Today I talk to Matty about his book, "Listening for Growth," it’s a great read about lessons he’s learned and the plan forward he developed for launching his three successful startups. A must-read for anyone thinking of starting their own company.
00:18 - Matty Intro
01:45 - Starting your first company
03:58 - How do you define growth
08:38 - The pressure to grow disrupting the company
10:09 - Epiphany leading to changes in entrepreneurship
13:31 - GPS (Goals, Problems, Solutions)
16:00 - Pentagon tool
20:53 - How do you institutionalize this mindset within a company
23:04 - Definition of “Listening"
25:58 - Experiments and Hypotheses
30:00 - When did you implement GPS with your companies
33:48 - The business you didn't start
36:47 - Past Prime Podcast
39:49 - How can people find you
https://www.mattywishnow.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattywish/
On this week’s episode, we take another look at excellence in B2B marketing with our guest Emma Powers, Executive Director of Enterprise Marketing at Comcast Business. Emma has had a ringside seat for some massive changes in technology over the years, including the BlackBerry and IBM's Watson. And, during our conversation, she talks about how to bring a human touch to B2B marketing. Give it a listen.
00:18 - Emma Intro
01:29 - Emma's background
04:10 - Beginnings of AI
06:51 - AI as a creative revolution
08:11 - AI at Comcast Business
10:17 - What drew you to Comcast
11:22 - How do you approach B2B marketing
14:59 - What have you learned as technology changes so fast
17:47 - How is Comcast showing up in the world
20:37 - What do the customers rely on Comcast for
22:32 - The human touch
23:25 - Advice to other B2B marketers
25:57 - Where can you find more about Comcast Business
Additional Resources:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmapowers/
On today’s episode, we welcome Amy Merrill. When it comes to brands leading the way in using what they do to create social change, Amy and her brand, Plan C, are the real deal. Amy talks about the opportunities and challenges Plan C has found in providing information and access to women who’ve been deprived of their personal choice. Branding, social mission, and creativity collide in a fascinating conversation.
00:24 - Amy Intro
01:35 - Amy's Story
14:41 - Making world changes in a capitalistic society
17:49 - How did Plan C come about?
24:47 - US background compared to other countries
30:02 - Complexities of working with each state
36:50 - Bigger goal for the company
44:44 - How do you get the message out via the brand
47:43 - Does "C" have another meaning
51:01 - Formerly Alien
54:27 - How can you find Amy and Plan C
Additional Resources:
Amy Merrill
https://www.eyesopendesign.com/about
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyjmerrill/
instagram.com/amyjmerrill
Plan C
https://www.plancpills.org/
instagram.com/plancpills
Formerly Alien
https://www.formerlyalien.com/
Formerly Alien on Spotify
instagram.com/formerlyalien
The NYT podcast Amy referenced on the story of how abortion became a politically conservative issue:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/07/podcasts/the-daily/roe-v-wade-supreme-court-jane-roe.html
It's not often you get to talk to someone who is transforming the music industry but that’s exactly what Garland Brown, CEO and founder of Swaye for Music, is doing. Garland describes how his super cool company lets fans support the artists they love while putting musicians in charge of the music they create. Talk about a powerful mission – check it out!
00:18 - Garland Intro
01:15 - America's "Techiest” Lawyer
03:52 - What is Swaye?
07:36 - How does it work for independent artists?
10:54 - Where does Swaye "live”?
12:47 - What does this do for streaming partners?
14:49 - What is the music industry excited about this?
22:25 - How does it work for an artist who signs up
24:42 - Brand mission
32:15 - How can you find Swaye?
Additional Resources:
https://swaye.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/garlandb/
Every now and then, we’re going to replay your favorite episodes. This one features Andy Pearson, VP of Creative at Liquid Death. Andy talks about how to grow a business using creativity as a fame builder and how to turn a startup into a category dominator.
00:32 - Andy Intro
01:39 - Andy's story
04:20 - Journey of Liquid Death
11:22 - Plastic in the environment
12:16 - Purpose Brand
14:52 - Traditional Brand Work prior to the product
18:00 - Articulation
25:14 - What is too far?
26:02 - Using agencies
29:31 - Using the first idea
31:22 - Creating Briefs
33:30 - Business ethos
37:17 - Hiring creative in house
39:29 - What advice do you give start ups?
43:51 - What's next for Liquid Death
Additional Resources:
https://liquiddeath.com/
Today’s episode is a doozy. We’re featuring Mike Watson: technologist, marketer, entrepreneur. The man was on the team that invented Bluetooth, of all things. Now he’s turning his acumen to the spirits category as president of Lonerider Spirits, which is new on the scene of spirits but sure to make noise with Mike in charge.
00:18 - Mike Intro
01:22 - How does a Tech and Bluetooth background lead to Spirits
03:54 - Origin of Lonerider Spirits
05:01 - Decision to move from beer to spirits
07:51 - How do you make your brand stand out on the shelf
12:31 - What are the challenges for being known for the Lonerider Brewery
12:58 - Beer only drinkers vs Spirits only drinkers
16:09 - How did you gain the expertise to make whiskey
17:28 - Lonerider sub-brands
21:22 - Driving penetration
24:22 - Tone of Voice
25:36 - How do you use measurements
27:48 - Marketing specific cocktails and using influencers
29:42 - How did Covid affect Lonerider
31:25 - Sober curious movement
39:16 - What's next for Lonerider
https://loneriderspirits.com/
Today we welcome Tara Sahu, VP, Head of Integrated Marketing at Varo Bank. Tara talks about Varo's mission to democratize financial power and create a world where that power is no longer a privilege – providing access for over 100 million underbanked people. When was the last time you were inspired by a bank? Today. Today is the answer. Give it a listen.
00:18 - Tara Intro
02:05 - Journey to where you are now
10:11 - Varo Bank Charter
13:14 - Trust with online banking
14:48 - Varo Mission Statement
18:56 - History of income equality in banking space
22:49 - Definition of Underbanked and Unbanked
24:19 - Varo ideal customer
27:21 - How does Varo make money
28:42 - Getting people to switch to Varo
30:04 - Purchase Funnel
34:38 - Diversity moving from Coke to Fintech
37:09 - How does the brand drive the culture
38:31 - What keeps you up at night
Would you look at that, our 50th episode. While that ain’t nothing but a thing, we do have a doozy for you this time, an episode about the impact of AI. Few creative people in the ad industry know AI the way George Tannenbaum does. Considering his long stint working with Watson at IBM, who better to engage in a thoughtful discussion about the effects and ramifications of AI? As usual, George says things you should listen to – so listen here.
00:18 - George Intro
02:57 - George's thoughts on AI
04:29 - George's AI Experience
07:44 - Gutenberg Press
09:10 - Has the Smartphone changed us
13:05 - What does AI do well
15:29 - AI and Economic Pull
26:49 - Curating the bottom but creating the top
30:32 - 10 year AI ad projection
35:11 - Behaviors affecting brands
38:33 - AI and churn
45:56 - Showing companies and value and downfall of AI
https://georgeco.de/
In this episode of Brands In Action, we welcome Will Burns, CEO and Founder of Ideasicle X, to talk about creativity and, more specifically, how to generate a ton of ideas that will solve a problem for you. Ideasicle X’s philosophy is “Nothing is Unthinkable,” and Will tells you all about the platform and how it can transform your work.
00:18 - Will Intro
01:58 - Ghosts
2:57 - How your experience led to the creation of Ideasicle
9:59 - How does Ideasicle work
12:32 - How does Ideasicle work with people
15:22 - Crowdsourcing
16:45 - How do you put a team together
17:55 - Brainstorming doesn't work
21:04 - Bad ideas leading to good ones
24:25 - Is Ideasicle a product or brand?
28:19 - Where else can Ideasicle go
32:57 - Where does AI fit into this platform
35:52 - Creativity as a force versus a resource
39:30 - What's next for Ideasicle
42:08 - Who plays Will Burns in the movie
https://www.ideasiclex.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamoburns/
Yeesh, when you talk about clients who understand how to build a brand through great work, you’ll undoubtedly bring up Melissa Waters, CMO of Upwork. Melissa talks about how Upwork is leading the way in the “new work awakening” and telling those stories with some of the best advertising of the year, their “This is how we work now” campaign…okay, the Zombie CEO campaign. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll want to.
00:18 - Melissa Intro
02:04 - Journey to Upwork
05:42 - Upwork Mission
08:47 - Does Upwork drive the industry or fill the need
12:41 - Covid affecting strategy
15:38 - Empathy with your customer
20:22 - Company culture in a remote workforce
23:21 - Global layoffs bringing opportunity to Upwork
26:02 - Smart advertising
37:39 - What needed to change at Upwork when you arrived
39:51 - Tone of voice
44:27 - Where can you find Upwork
https://www.upwork.com/howwework
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissawaters/
Welcome to the Best of Brands in Action. Today we’re replaying our most popular episode of 2022 with our guest Joey Manfre from Fender Guitars. Joey talks about keeping the flame alive to take one of America’s most iconic brands into the future. Happy holidays everyone.
00:33 - Joey Intro
01:45 - How did you get to Fender?
05:51 - Being mission driven
08:23 - Fender culture
11:43 - Intimidation to start working for Fender
13:23 - Response to "Guitar is Dead”
18:35 - Influencers
22:43 - Mission of Fender
24:39 - How does Fender support artists
33:07 - Genre stories in marketing communication
37:48 - Fender Brand ID
41:05 - New Fender guitar
42:40 - Imitations
44:11 - Tone of Voice
46:21 - What knowledge would you take with you to former self
47:31 - How can you find Fender
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-manfre-10218612/
https://www.fender.com/en-US/start
https://www.facebook.com/Fender/
https://twitter.com/Fender
https://www.instagram.com/fender/
https://www.youtube.com/user/fendermusical
Not everyone gets to climb a mountain twice. Almost 20 years ago, Chris Knott built a brand called Peter Millar working out of his closet, turning it into a global force in the process. And now he’s doing it again with his new partners at johnnie-O. Chris talks about how his merchandising knowledge and his sense of design come together to help him make very special things.
00:18 - Chris Intro
01:33 - How Chris got here
07:03 – johnnie-O Style
10:12 - Distribution Strategy
13:46 - Label vs Brand
16:03 - Brand Articulation
20:16 - Near Luxury Casual
22:52 - Is the SoCal lifestyle aspirational everywhere?
25:38 - Value
32:33 - Who plays Chris Knott in the movie?
33:55 - Where can you find johnnie-O?
https://www.johnnie-o.com/
You wanna talk grit? In our latest episode of Brands in Action, Brett McCoy, CEO and founder of Huck Cycles, talks about how his career in the Army, client-side marketing, and agency strategy has prepared him to become the founder of a hybrid electric motorcycle startup. Their mission is to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. and maybe change the way you get to work.
00:18 - Brett Intro
01:24 - The journey to Huck
02:30 - What did you learn in the army to become a better marketer
03:07 - The Huck Story
06:00 - Mission of the company
07:15 - Barriers to manufacturing in USA
07:45 - Brand driving your organization
09:55 - How has it worked getting into the E category
13:28 - Customer Base
15:27 - Adding to product line
16:50 - Women in customer base
17:06 - Bolts vs Welding
18:24 - Repairs
19:02 - Design Inspiration
20:35 - Brand behaviors within the company
22:26 - Brand Articulation
23:59 - Tone of Voice
27:06 - What price do you pay starting a business while working full time
30:16 - Importance of life experience plus paycheck
31:51 - How can you find Huck
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettmccoy/
https://huckcycles.com/
Can you imagine having the guts to start a food company when you’re only 25? Ian Walker and a friend did just that to create Canada’s largest organic bulk foods distributor. And now they have an amazing brand called Hippie Snacks, a better-for-you, plant-based food that’s sold all over the place. In this BIA episode, Ian talks about how leading with their values has been a key ingredient in their success.
00:18 - Ian Intro
01:50 - Journey of starting a food distribution company at 25
05:49 - Original Brand
08:36 - What ties your different brands together?
10:48 - Articulation of purpose
16:41 - Real food movement
20:28 - Articulation of Hippie Snacks
26:32 - Could Hippie Snacks exist with a copacker
29:41 - How are you fostering employee development
34:11 - How does the brand focus on social relevancy
38:30 - What advice would you give to a new CEO
39:47 - Who plays Ian Walker in the movie?
https://www.hippiesnacks.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-walker-a8725318/
Leah Day, CMO of Red Hat, joined the company over 20 years ago and has worked through many different roles on her way to the top. She talks about the company’s journey: From open source rebel-brand, dead set on bringing down the big players, to becoming the leader in the open source movement by making coopetition a superpower. Give it a listen.
00:18 - Leigh Intro
02:12 - Evolution of Red Hat
03:57 - Linux Vs. Unix
05:53 - Journey to becoming CMO of Red Hat
07:44 - Marketing through the digital experience
08:49 - Brand Values
13:35 - Rebellion to Cooperation
15:15 - Team dynamics
18:54 - Design voice
22:38 - How Covid affected remote work
26:12 - Red Hat and internal communication
27:51 - How do you drive awarement
30:48 - Red Hat Summit
33:11 - Lightning Round of Questions
https://www.redhat.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/leigh-cantrell-day-8436312/
Here’s part two of our interview with Melissa Katrincic, founder and CEO of Durham Distillery, known for producing one of the best gins anywhere. Don’t just take our word for it, their Conniption Gin’s win all the prizes everywhere they go. But building a world class Gin isn’t all Juniper and Coriander, it’s a tough business. Join us as Melissa talks about the rise of this great brand.
00:30 - Kinship
09:46 - The Tito's factor
12:43 - Women in the gin industry
24:18 - Celebrity brands
27:23 - What magical thing do you want to happen with Durham Distillery
https://durhamdistillery.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissagreenkatrincic/
Today’s episode of Brands in Action is part one with our guest Melissa Katrincic from Durham Distillery. We hear how Melissa is building an empire from out of this little distillery in Durham, NC. She and her husband started from absolutely nothing and have built one of the finest gins in the world.
00:18 - Melissa Intro
02:06 - Origin Story
09:3 - Entrepreuners and actually doing it
15:42 - Covid Taskforce
19:19 - Making the product feel big with design
23:38 - What makes gin "gin”?
31:06 - How do you educate about gin via messaging
32:34 - Differences in types of gins and how that relates to messaging
36:27 - Categorization in gin competition
https://durhamdistillery.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissagreenkatrincic/
Kevin runs one of the biggest brands in advertising: Advertising. As CEO of the One Club for Creativity he manages a big swath of the Awards Industry itself. Kevin talks about how the One Club is much different from many other bigger awards shows because it’s a nonprofit and is driving education and diversity as much as the creative conversation. They’re making a huge difference in the industry. Lend it an ear.
00:18 - Kevin Intro
02:06 - History of The One Club
04:19 - What Makes The One Club different?
09:54 - What is the mission for The One Club?
13:50 - Cannes
19:47 - Purpose Brand
25:13 - Trends of the amount of money spent on award submissions
29:52 - Scam Policy
35:57 - The One School and education
40:36 - The One Club in 5 years
43:26 - Uniqueness of The One Club
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinswanepoel/
https://www.oneclub.org
One of the most powerful things about a brands purpose is how, when it’s well articulated, it can drive everything the company does. Marketing is only one aspect. On today’s episode Hannah Magnan from Bandwidth, tells how the ethos within the walls of the company informs everything they do, top to bottom and side to side. Give it a listen.
00:18 - Hannah Intro
02:16 - Creativity is the ultimate competitive advantage
04:28 - Story of Bandwidth and how you got there
08:12 - Navigating the world of acronyms in B2B
13:52 - Tone of voice
19:21 - Purpose Brand
21:35 - “Bandmates"
32:32 - Culture
35:31 - What will the brand not do
38:03 - If Bandwidth was a Pinterest board
42:10 - Internal Structure
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmagnan/
https://www.bandwidth.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bandwidth-inc/
https://twitter.com/bandwidth
https://www.youtube.com/user/bandwidth
https://github.com/bandwidth/
Jeremy Jones and his team are building a full service agency inside of Mailchimp, and they’re doing work any ad agency would love to have done. On this week’s episode, Jeremy talks about his career and how MailChimp uses their brand to drive everything they do.
00:18 - Jeremy Intro
01:34 - Doing work with soul
03:58 - How did you get to Mailchimp
05:52 - Story of Mailchimp
07:56 - Mailchimp Magic
09:39 - Empowering the underdog
10:32 - Small business vs Large enterprise
14:19 - How does Mailchimp fit into Intuit world
15:59 - Brand Articulation
19:58 - Importance of design
22:28 - Design & Tone of Voice
25:22- Wynk
26:22 - Dream project
27:22 - Bringing creative dreams into your role
32:44 - Keeping creatives motivated
34:08 - Purpose
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyejones/
https://mailchimp.com
https://www.facebook.com/mailchimp/
https://twitter.com/Mailchimp
https://www.instagram.com/mailchimp/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/intuitmailchimp/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Mailchimp
https://www.pinterest.com/mailchimp/
Joey Manfre leads creative for Fender Musical Instruments, one of the coolest and most iconic brands in the world (OK, maybe one of the coolest brands in the history of brands). Joey talks about Fender turning the quarantine into an advantage, working with artists to take the brand into new places, and generally how Fender fits in popular culture.
00:18 - Joey Intro
01:30 - How did you get to Fender?
05:36 - Being mission driven
08:08 - Fender culture
11:28 - Intimidation to start working for Fender
13:08 - Response to "Guitar is Dead”
18:20 - Influencers
22:28 - Mission of Fender
24:24 - How does Fender support artists
32:51 - Genre stories in marketing communication
37:33 - Fender Brand ID
40:49 - New Fender guitar
42:25 - Imitations
43:55 - Tone of Voice
46:06 - What knowledge would you take with you to former self
47:16 - How can you find Fender
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-manfre-10218612/
https://www.fender.com/en-US/start
https://www.facebook.com/Fender/
https://twitter.com/Fender
https://www.instagram.com/fender/
https://www.youtube.com/user/fendermusical
If there’s a more courageous brand out there right now, we don’t know it. Liquid Death is succeeding by overturning all the category norms and driving not only customers but advocates. They do it by going to 100 on everything they do – if it’s them, they do it and they do it well. Andy Pearson, VP of Creative, tells us what they’re up to and how they look at what a brand is.
00:18 - Andy Intro
01:25 - Andy's story
04:05 - Journey of Liquid Death
11:08 - Plastic in the environment
12:01 - Purpose Brand
14:37 - Traditional Brand Work prior to the product
17:36 - Articulation
24:59 - What is too far?
25:47 - Using agencies
29:17 - Using the first idea
31:07 - Creating Briefs
33:15 - Business ethos
37:03 - Hiring creative in house
39:15 - What advice do you give start ups?
43:36 - What's next for Liquid Death
https://liquiddeath.com/
https://www.instagram.com/liquiddeath/
https://www.tiktok.com/@liquiddeath
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpRMG5MU1RurWtdiRFtPyvQ
It’s not often that you find a company whose mission is to make a difference on the planet and off. But this week, we get to hear from Shawn Linam, CEO of Qwaltec – a company helping the aerospace industry do just that. Shawn talks about being a woman in a male-dominated category and how Qwaltec looks at marketing a mission that’s bigger than most.
00:18 - Shawn Intro
01:30 - Story of Qwaltec
04:42 - AX1 Launch
05:56 - Qwaltec mission
08:47 - Brand Strategy
11:01 - Advice for working with branding companies
13:13 - Product Planning and Strategy
15:25 - How has privatization affected the business
21:28 - Personal brand within the larger brand
23:00 - Being a woman in a male dominated industry
27:09 - STEM for females
30:25 - Plans for the next few years
32:04 - Commercialization and margins
33:06 - Creative Team
33:38 - Where can you find Qwaltec
https://www.qwaltec.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/qwaltec/
https://www.facebook.com/qwaltec/
https://twitter.com/qwaltec
Here’s part two of our discussion with Jenny Bonchak, Founder of Slingshot Coffee Co/Needs & Wants. In this episode, Jenny talks about her newest brand – a line of sparkling superfruit teas called Needs & Wants – as well as the pitfalls of brand purpose, the importance of commitment to craft, and, oh yeah, social media. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Jenny is the epitome of humanity in the world of entrepreneurs.
00:18 - Part 2 Intro
00:32 - Where purpose can go wrong
01:04 - What does Community mean?
06:13 - Goal of beverage
13:07 - Needs and Wants Design
17:37 - Commitment to Craft
21:04 - Needs & Wants - The Brand
25:17 - Big P Purpose
34:31 - How do you drive trial?
36:23 - How do you use social media?
39:07 - Where can you find Slingshot?
https://slingshotcoffee.com/
https://www.instagram.com/slingshotcoffee/
https://www.facebook.com/SlingshotCoffeeCompany/
https://twitter.com/slingshotcoffee
If you’re interested in seeing how passion turns into an incredibly diverse set of brands in just a decade, then this episode is the one for you. Jenny Bonchak, Founder of Slingshot Coffee Co/Needs & Wants, talks about the company’s journey from kitchen table idea to emerging as a force in the category. So much so, they’re now expanding into new ones. Jenny is the epitome of humanity in the world of entrepreneurs.
00:18 - Jenny Intro
01:35 - How does it feel to watch how Slingshot has grown?
04:03 - The story of Slingshot
11:14 - Hustle Culture with Entrepreneurs
12:06 - LinkedIn
20:55 - Loneliness that comes with being a company founder
21:59 - Pioneers in Entrepreneurship
29:52 - Do you think of yourself as a Purpose Brand?
https://slingshotcoffee.com/
https://www.instagram.com/slingshotcoffee/
https://www.facebook.com/SlingshotCoffeeCompany/
https://twitter.com/slingshotcoffee
You might not think of a waste management company as a leading Purpose Brand but if that’s true you don’t know about WM, a company dedicated to a more sustainable tomorrow. Today we talk to Stu Redsun, Vice President of Brand & Marketing for WM, who is leading the charge to get their story out.
00:18 - Stu Intro
03:32 - How did you get to WM?
08:06 - How does name change play into where the brand is going?
10:34 - “Big P” brand
11:52 - Consumer & B2B
14:16 - How do you use the brand within each channel of business?
14:57 - Importance of brand purpose living within the company?
17:31 - What messaging do new employees get at WM?
19:18 - Has purpose brand led into other categories?
21:09 - Overcoming perceptions
23:34 - How much does imaging limit or power the company?
24:45 - What are you trying to measure?
26:44 - Circular Economy
28:22 - Recycling right
31:02 - Tone of voice
32:20 - Look and feel
34:16 - What is WM celebrating in five years
35:10 - How can people find out more about WM?
https://www.wm.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/waste-management/
https://www.facebook.com/WasteManagement/
https://www.instagram.com/wastemanagement/
https://twitter.com/WasteManagement
https://www.youtube.com/user/wastemanagement
What do NFT’s, Crypto, DAO’s, the Tokenomy and Web 3.0 have to do with a new line of Cannabis infused drinks? Everything. Find out in today’s latest episode featuring Robert Lund, co-founder and Chief Creative at Studio TBD, a company bringing Web 3.0 to life across a number of businesses.
00:18 - Robert Intro
01:34 - How Studio TBD came to be
09:11 - Did you bring brand training into Studio TBD?
14:57 - How do you create a mainstream brand?
18:34 - Web3
28:37 - Creating an Enterprise/Brands
32:24 - Storytelling
33:59 - TBD Brand/Product
41:02 - How do you tell story within brand?
44:46 - Where do you get TBD?
45:18 - Conversation on evolution of internet
51:30 - How can you find out about Studio TBD?
https://studio-tbd.io/
https://studio-tbd.io/tokens/Launchpad2.0byStudioTBD.pdf
We hear a lot about bravery in our industry but rarely do we see it in action like we do with Priscilla Johnson. Brands come from all sort of interesting places and experiences, but Priscilla faced down a global corporation who tried to falsify their environmental data and paid a huge personal price. One of the amazing outcomes of the experience was EcoBellus, a sustainable cleaning products company that is trying to change the equation in the industry.
00:18 - Dr. Intro
01:20 - Journey to EcoBellus
14:33 - What does EcoBellus do?
16:33 - What does the name EcoBellus mean?
20:12 - Toxicity in endocrine system
22:22 - Articulation of brand
23:48 - EcoBellus values
28:41 - Product Formulation
32:28 - Perception of natural ingredients
35:03 - Getting sample product out
35:45 - Marketing to drive product
36:48 - How much of the brand is Dr. Priscilla?
39:00 - Brand changes from EcoDaisy to EcoBellus
41:04 - If EcoBellus was a Pinterest board
41:14 - EcoBellus in five years
41:43 - Where can you find Ecobellus?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/priskainc/
https://ecodaisyusa.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ecodaisyusa/
https://www.instagram.com/ecodaisyusa/?hl=en
Our first truly luxury goods episode, Randy Ramsey co-founded Jarrett Bay custom boats when he was 18 and his positive impact and outlook has gone in every direction on everything he touches. If you want to hear “paying it forward” in action, this is the episode for you.
00:18 - Randy Intro
02:08 - How did Jarrett Bay start?
07:58 - Boat building cycle
10:14 - Collaboration
11:03 - Scaling the business
13:49 - Boat repairs
15:24 - Brand articulation
16:54 - Furniture line
18:28 - Jeff Burton’s boat
19:03 - Sun Communities acquirement
23:40 - Marketing
24:33 - Measuring ROI
26:28 - Accidental boat builder
28:45 - Company’s values
30:23 - Dream build
31:03 - Educating others
33:49 - What keeps you up at night
34:43 - The next five years
https://www.jarrettbay.com
https://www.facebook.com/JarrettBayBoatworks/
https://twitter.com/JarrettBay
https://www.youtube.com/c/jarrettbay
https://www.instagram.com/jarrettbay/
On today’s #BrandsInAction #podcast episode, we welcome Steve Luttmann, a serial innovator and entrepreneur. Maybe it’s because Steve has the rules down from his time in the traditional packaged goods space that he’s found ways to break them into pieces to create so many amazing brands in the spirits category over the last few decades. His newest, Hercules Mulligan, is another hit 🥃
00:18 - Steve Intro
01:53 - Journey to Hercules Mulligan
03:35 - Who was Hercules Mulligan?
08:01 - What category is the drink in?
10:15 - What did you bring from packaged goods background?
11:50 - Brand look and feel
15:13 - Brand articulation
15:41 - Tone of voice
17:02 - Distribution with Flaviar
18:52 - How are you driving awareness?
20:42 - How bartenders/mixologists are serving it
22:10 - Covid affecting business
23:22 - What does the brand stand for?
24:22 - Small p purpose brand
25:40 - Using influencers
26:50 - Work with Sephina
28:46 - Work with Betty Buzz
29:59 - What else are you working on?
32:08 - What’s next for Hercules Mulligan?
33:07 - Where can you find Hercules Mulligan?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveluttmann/
https://www.herculesmulligancompany.com
https://www.instagram.com/herculesmulligancompany/
https://twitter.com/HMulliganCo
https://www.facebook.com/HerculesMulliganCompany
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hercules-mulligan-company/
Today we welcome Jon Schlesinger, Vice President and General Manager, Hidden Valley Ranch at the Clorox company. Jon talks about taking a storied brand into new categories and new possibilities by listening to culture and even helping to shape it a bit. Jon is one of the smartest marketing minds we’ve ever worked with on a previous client, we always learn a lot from him. You will too.
00:18 - Jon Intro
02:03 - How do you manage all the specific brands under the Clorox umbrella?
03:55 - What adjustments were made from Clorox to food?
06:12 - Story behind Hidden Valley Ranch
08:10 - How ranch has become so popular
11:24 - How much has HVR contributed to market change?
13:23 - How has Covid affected business?
17:04 - Brand awareness
17:55 - Where are the dollars focused?
19:59 - How has the branding evolved?
21:32 - Iconography
22:57 - If HVR was a Pinterest board
23:45 - Where is HVR in the spectrum of purpose brands?
26:21 - How do you stay relevant in culture?
29:23 - Traditional marketing
30:26 - What have you learned from Burt’s Bees?
34:19 - What’s next for HVR?
35:11- Is there anything that scares you?
36:33 - Where can you find HVR?
https://www.hiddenvalley.com
https://www.instagram.com/hidden.valley/
https://www.youtube.com/user/hiddenvalleyveggies
https://twitter.com/HVRanch
https://www.pinterest.com/hvranch/
https://www.facebook.com/hiddenvalley
In our first episode featuring a sports marketer, we have an incredible one. Stephen Malik is the driving force behind the North Carolina Football Club, the largest youth to pro soccer club in the country. With multiple teams, properties, and world class players, the organization manages multiples brands. It doesn’t hurt that The Courage has already won two back-to-back championships in its first two years. And with all they’ve accomplished, they’ve only just begun.
00:18 - Steve Intro
01:55 - How did you get into soccer? (Note: I just went with soccer the whole time.. the first questions were actually stated as futbol, and then soccer was later used so I kept the notes consistent)
03:52 - Strength of North Carolina in soccer
05:25 - Organization chart from youth to pro
13:08 - Championships
14:55 - How did Covid affect the team
18:08 - How do you think about all the different soccer brands under the umbrella
25:11 - Team name change to The Courage
27:12 - How “North Carolina” plays into the design
30:18 - Building onto the brand
31:17 - Brand purpose
36:50 - What’s next for NCFC
39:14 - How did healthcare and soccer grow together
44:22 - How can you find NCFC/Steve
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-malik-45840/
https://www.nccourage.com
http://facebook.com/thenccourage
http://twitter.com/thenccourage
http://instagram.com/thenccourage
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6A1Ay5UQhpBM5iyB6Y-oBg
https://www.northcarolinafc.com
http://www.facebook.com/NorthCarolinaFC/
http://www.twitter.com/NorthCarolinaFC
http://www.instagram.com/NorthCarolinaFC
In a category marked by over-promises, Melisse Shaban CEO of Virtue Labs, has created something that truly delivers. Virtue’s hair care line is just different because of, well, a miracle ingredient. You heard us, a miracle ingredient. In our latest episode, Melisse talks about creating the company, the products, and the brand from scratch and building it for the long haul.
00:18 - Melisse Intro
00:56 - Origins of Virtue
05:11 - Why is human keratin better
07:53 - How is original technology being used
08:15 - How do you cut through the noise in the beauty industry
12:02 - How does Virtue stand out in D2C world
14:59 - Salon business during Covid
17:56 - Salons and word of mouth
22:31 - Is Virtue a purpose brand
25:55 - Brand articulation
33:10 - If Virtue was a Pinterest board
38:17 - Would you open source the technology
42:50 - The next five years
44:46 - Where can you find Virtue
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melisse-shaban-377969b/
https://www.virtuelabs.com
https://www.twitter.com/virtuelabs
https://www.facebook.com/virtuelabs
https://www.instagram.com/virtuelabs/
https://www.pinterest.com/virtuelabs/
On today’s episode, meet Sara Ward, Senior Vice President, Brand Marketing at Spoonflower. Sarah is leading the team at Spoonflower to make amazing design accessible for everyone’s home, supporting artists, designers, and customers along the way. Today she talks about how to use your brand to create phenomenal growth by always remembering your mission.
00:18 - Sarah Intro
01:36 - Kickball Champions!
03:03 - Sarah’s journey
04:32 - What is Spoonflower?
06:52 - Growth and Covid
12:31 - Standing out in a Direct to Consumer world
14:44 - Spoonflower artists and marketing
15:32 - Articulation of the brand
16:12 - Purpose brand
18:13 - Spoonflower values
22:35 - If Spoonflower was a Pinterest board
23:27 - Tone of voice
25:00 - Shutterfly Acquisition
28:09 - The next five years
29:32 - Possibility of brick and mortar
30:45 - Where can you find Spoonflower
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-ward-79206679/
https://www.spoonflower.com
https://www.facebook.com/Spoonflower/
https://twitter.com/spoonflower
https://www.instagram.com/spoonflower/
https://www.pinterest.com/spoonflower/
https://www.flickr.com/groups/spoonflower/
https://www.youtube.com/user/spoonflowerfabric
Josh Bach is a one man army and set out to add a little fun into the fashion world at a time where neckwear in particular was mostly striped, slanted, and available in maybe 5 colors. On this episode we to Josh about how he started a business in his New York City apartment and turned it into a fashion phenomenon in Men’s Neckwear. Just in time for the holidays, here’s a podcast about ties.
00:18 - Josh Intro
01:55 - Josh’s journey
05:17 - Bravery in starting a business
06:12 - What is Josh Bach Neckwear - conversation turns to background
08:11 - The idea behind Josh Bach Neckwear
10:26 - Issues moving into fashion
12:43 - How did you run the business by yourself
14:31 - Josh Bach as a brand
15:39 - When was “spirited neckwear” adopted
17:51 - Ties as billboards for the brand
19:14 - Casual Friday
20:58 - Where won’t Josh Bach Neckwear go
21:53 - Is Josh Bach a purpose brand
25:01 - How have you been ripped off - Intellectual Property
29:17 - Brand iconography from NYC
30:58 - What drives the business
32:08 - Will there be a resurgence in neckwear?
33:21 - Where can you find Josh Bach?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-a-bach-812621118/
https://joshbach.com
https://twitter.com/joshbachltd
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Clothing--Brand-/Josh-Bach-Limited-116976464995792/
https://www.pinterest.com/JoshBachLtd/
https://instagram.com/joshbachltd
Scott Philbrook made a career pivot from top commercial and music video editor to a now top podcaster. Today we talk about the podcast he co-hosts, Astonishing Legends, and how they’ve marketed their podcast from a bedroom production to the global phenomenon it has become. Hint, they took what they know about branding and let it guide them to phenomenal growth.
00:18 - Scott Intro
01:48 - What is AL about?
04:11 - Mindset - healthy skepticism
06:00 - Scott’s change in view
08:54 - Cognitive closure
10:13 - AL as a brand
16:27 - How do you handle poor production value from guests?
18:31 - Articulation of the brand
20:04 - Topics AL won’t touch
21:37 - Tone of voice
22:25 - Openly skeptical but skeptically open
23:57 - How have you built an audience?
27:18 - Feedback through social media
28:11 - ARC - Astonishing Research Corp
30:04 - Advice for brands with fan engagement
31:17 - If you started AL today, what would you do differently
33:24 - Advice for people starting a podcast - Spotify usage
40:34 - Sub-brands of AL
43:16 - Cross Promos
45:05 - Where can people find AL
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-philbrook-257100aa/
https://www.astonishinglegends.com
Who says a B2B brand can’t be powerful and have a big personality? Critical Start CMO Carrie Kelly brings her experience from both sides of the Client/Agency ball to show that it most definitely can. She’s using the brand to drive awareness while leveraging the company’s culture to become one of the fastest growing companies in Texas.
00:18 - Carrie Intro
01:03 - Path to CRITICALSTART
04:20 - Starting position right before COVID
05:01 - How did COVID affect business
06:03 - Explain role as CMO
06:55 - Who is target audience
07:28 - Emerging competition
08:41 - How do you look at competition
10:59 - Mission Statement
11:30 - “Badass” in Mission Statement
12:55 - Company values
14:34 - How do you get your message to customers
16:26 - How was manifesto received
17:14 - Articulation of tone of voice
17:53 - If your brand was a Pinterest board
18:41 - Category of business operating with fear
19:50 - Is Critical Start a purpose brand
21:47 - Is marketing 24/365
23:29 - How was marketing accepted into an engineering world
26:08 - In house creative
26:35 - Does brand drive B2B or B2B drive brand?
27:57 - What cocktail is CRITICALSTART?
29:12 - How can you find CRITICALSTART?
29:31 - “Son of a Breach” Podcast
31:12 - Where did the name CRITICALSTART come from?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrienkelly/
https://www.criticalstart.com
https://www.criticalstart.com/sonofabreach/
https://www.instagram.com/criticalstart/
https://www.facebook.com/CriticalStartMDR
https://www.linkedin.com/company/critical-start
https://twitter.com/CriticalStart
Ed Roberts is a lot of things, he’s an accomplished designer, creative director, and now the Brand and Creative Director at Georgia Power. On today’s episode, Ed talks about how the brand lives its stand to generate possibility for its customers and its own employees. Ed shows how design thinking can drive marketing rather than the other way around.
00:18 - Ed Intro
01:19 - Are you working at home due to Covid?
02:00 - Working for a utility company during Covid
04:08 - Where did love of design come from?
08:14 - How did you go client side?
11:09 - How has it been to integrate marketing into your role?
14:28 - Advertising without objective is art - comment makes Ed recall story
16:12 - Mentality of students coming out of school and reframing ideas
17:55 - How do you look at brand when customers aren’t experiencing challenges
20:29 - GA as a community
22:27 - Living the brand
23:42 - Hyperlocalization
26:13 - Is GA Power a purpose brand?
28:20 - Brand statement
30:46 - How do you generate possibility in your role
34:02 - Articulation for brand tone of voice
37:08 - If your brand was a Pinterest board
38:00 - How does the brand and you as a leader view the company within social change
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-roberts-3096b35/
https://www.georgiapower.com
https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaPower?WT.svl=fb2&hp=rfy_facebook
https://twitter.com/georgiapower?WT.svl=tw3&hp=rfy_twitter
https://www.instagram.com/ga_power/
https://www.youtube.com/user/GeorgiaPowerChannel?WT.svl=yt2&hp=rfy_youtube
What started as a hobby in the founders apartments has turned into a nationwide enterprise with distribution in stores and bars all over the country. After graduating from Wharton Business School, Jomaree Pinkard could have done anything he wanted, listen to him tell the story of how he and his close friends chased their passion and turned it into the powerhouse it has become.
00:17 - Jomaree Intro
01:51 - Jomaree’s Journey
04:36 - How did Hella Cocktail happen?
05:38 - Funny story about making bitters in the early days
07:26 - Decision to make bitters for nonalcoholic drinks
09:16 - What was your first bitter/infusion?
10:24 - How has Covid affected business?
13:19 - Bitters and soda - did Covid affect the innovation?
15:56 - Shelf space fight
18:56 - Your brand as a black owned business
22:37 - History and points of view of founders
26:09 - Rebranding journey
30:18 - Articulation of the brand
31:53 - How are you advertising?
33:49 - Versatility of bitters
36:43 - The “Included” Organization
41:30 - Do you use the brand to further social movement
44:46 - How can people find you?
https://hellacocktail.co
https://instagram.com/hellacocktailco?utm_medium=copy_link
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hella-bitter/
https://twitter.com/hellacocktailco?lang=en
Kurt Squiers isn’t just a very successful ad guy who owns his own shop, he’s also acknowledged as one of the biggest AC/DC fans in the world. And he’s found a way to marry his two passions into one of the coolest podcasts around, AC/DC Beyond the Thunder. Today we talk to him about AC/DC’s impact on culture, the music world, and how marketers can learn from them as one of the smartest Rock brands in the world.
00:18 - Kurt Intro
01:28 - The path that led to AC/DC
06:14 - The path to Beyond the Thunder
10:05 - Lessons learned from AC/DC
11:30 - Bands as brands
12:37 - Difference in branding between AC/DC and KISS
15:13 - Articulation of AC/DC the brand
17:33 - AC/DC never sold out
18:52 - Tone of Voice
20:43 - AC/DC being rebellious but loved
23:02 - How does AC/DC adapt as a brand
25:51 - What’s the closest AC/DC has come to a ballad
26:15 - AC/DC selling music to brands
28:52 - Licensing music from AC/DC and dealing with the band
31:56 - What other bands are brands?
32:22 - Bon or Brian?
37:40 - Summation of what we’ve learned from AC/DC
Additional Resources
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtsquiers/
https://beyondthethunder.com
https://twitter.com/ACDC_Podcast
https://www.facebook.com/ACDCBeyondtheThunder
https://www.instagram.com/squiersllc/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMCcQV5fUzeV4C5odzyn4wA
For our first live in-studio interview, Joe Kwon brings the heat. Okay, actually he brings the kindness, enthusiasm, and passion you may know him for with his work in the Avett Brothers. We talk about his new brand CARV Fitness, a company dedicated to getting people to live their fittest lives, but Joe being Joe, we talked about how he looks at everything as an opportunity to create community and give back.
00:18 - Joe Intro
01:27 - How do you define yourself as a home cook
03:04 - Do you have a set of values that follows what you do
06:38 - Where did CARV come from
09:50 - Who would CARV be in 5 years
11:39 - CARV being part of a community
14:58 - Avett Brothers community with CARV
16:47 - How aware are you of your band being a brand
25:54 - CARV giving back to community
29:09 - Community organizing
32:50 - What did you want to be as a kid
38:04 - Joe redefining roles
41:25 - Being an influencer
43:21 - What should David have asked
Dion Hughes isn’t just a brilliant advertising and marketing mind, he’s put his money where his mouth is by creating a successful, sustainable, personal hair care brand called HiBAR. This new company aims to take on the issue of ocean plastics while delivering an optimistic start to your day. There’s no plastic in their products or in Dion’s personality.
00:18 - Dion Intro
01:42 - Why did you start Hibar
03:12 - Forging a different path with advertising
08:14 - How did freelance lead to Hibar
12:21 - Who is the competition
15:19 - Stance on sharing plastic free technology
19:11 - Is Hibar a new category
20:16 - Articulation of the brand look
25:48 - Intention driving interaction with the right people
30:24 - What are your challenges
32:03 - You are the brand
33:41 - How do you go up against beliefs about liquid products
36:10 - Purpose of lathering
37:43 - 10 years from now what kind of client is Hibar
41:53 - Where can you find Hibar
42:42 - How can clients find you at Persuasion
43:26 - Helping brands articulate
45:58 - How do you think about your brand’s purpose
Our latest guest, Colleen Craig, has an infectious energy that will get you very excited about the world of Wild Blueberries. It isn’t every day that you get to hear from someone managing the work for a fourth generation, family owned business that is absolutely killing it in their category.
00:17 - Colleen Intro
00:55 - History with Oscar Meyer
03:57 - What did you learn from all the food experiences
05:20 - Food Universities encompassing the brand and how that would apply to Wyman’s
07:05 - History of Wyman’s
08:47 - Wyman’s wild blueberries in lots of products
10:24 - How is working for a family owned company different
12:43 - The mission of Wyman’s
16:16 - How is Wyman’s integrated into foodie scene
19:03 - How does marketing change for a behind the scenes company
21:58 - How do you win the sale over Dole
25:24 - Are fresh blueberries biggest competitor
26:45 - Wyman’s truck and jingle
30:44 - Wyman’s promoting other types of fruit in business
31:42 - How the harvest gets affected by temperature
36:45 - One sentence brief
38:07 - Brand articulation
40:25 - What cocktail is Wyman's
What’s Mike Indursky up to? Oh, just trying to reshape the entire beauty industry with his new brand, Hear Me Raw. Mike is using his company to create a new movement he calls, Responsible Beauty. Listen to how he thinks he can pull it off.
00:17 - Mike Intro
01:11 - Experience to create something new
03:50 - Hear Me Raw story
07:41 - Is responsible beauty a new category
09:59 - The brand as a movement
12:08 - How is the product formulated
16:50 - How the sustainable packaging works
19:23 - Claims in the beauty industry
22:57 - Tone of voice
26:14 - How do you navigate legalities in the beauty industry
28:20 - Title of your marketing seminar
30:10 - Would you share your technology?
30:35 - How is Hear Me Raw funded?
32:12 - How has Covid affected product launch
34:37 - Where can you find Hear Me Raw
35:01 - Beauty industry ten years from now
38:37 - Marketing while also being world conscious
https://hearmeraw.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hear-me-raw/
https://www.facebook.com/HearMeRawBeauty/
https://www.instagram.com/hearmerawbeauty/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/hearmerawbeauty?lang=en
Meet one of the most instinctively brilliant marketers I’ve ever met. Victor Lytvinenko has no formal training as a marketer, but he and his wife Sarah have built one of the leading lights in the fashion and apparel worlds, Raleigh Denim Workshop, by practicing something they call Marketing Anarchy.
00:55 - Victor Intro
01:29 - Victor & Sarah’s Background
04:46 - Transition from Nobu to denim
06:46 - People’s knowledge of textiles in NC
07:51 - Narrative of Raleigh Denim bringing textiles back to NC
09:42 - Responsibility for manufacturing in Raleigh
12:51 - How being named to The Fashion Designers of America changed things
15:36 - What you learned from New York store
20:56 - Articulation of the brand
26:50 - How would you change a big brand if Raleigh Denim got bought out
30:30 - Art through Raleigh Denim
35:28 - How do Raleigh Denim jeans fit so well
41:15 - Show Us Your Jeans campaign
43:00 - Snake Eat Tail
45:32 - Non-Profit Wolf
47:51 - Safety is risk and risk is safety
49:59 - Next ten years for Raleigh Denim
We thought George Tannenbaum would be the perfect guest to talk about the power and the opportunities of Personal Branding. Of course, George being George the conversation ended up being about so much more. Enjoy our latest episode, featuring one the voices of conscience in the advertising Industry. #personalbranding #ageism
00:18 - George Intro
01:40 - George’s Background
10:26 - Democratization of Creativity and lack of Monetization
12:31 - George as a brand himself
20:36 - Difference between writing then and now
25:01 - Personal GeorgeCo ads
26:55 - George’s strengths turning complicated into understandable and delightful
30:31 - Worldview and trust in advertising changing with VO
32:40 - George’s stance on ageism
37:16 - Role of the ad school in the rise of digital
43:03 - George’s creative compilation for students
46:12 - Getting stuck creatively
48:15 - Fear of talent
50:44 - George’s stance on networks and repercussions
56:23 - What would you say to CMO’s
website: georgetannenbaum.com
linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetannenbaum/
twitter: https://twitter.com/georget20
blog: adaged.blogspot.com (A Business Insider "Most Influential" blog.)
Are you fascinated by the power of Purpose marketing with a capital P? Here’s your chance to hear directly from the OG in the space. Today we welcome David Best, the president and CEO of Newman's Own. #Purposebranding #purposemarketing
00:18 - Dave Intro
01:22 - How has Covid affected business
02:43 - Newman’s Own model
04:05 - Brand origin
06:36 - How much money Newman’s Own has raised
07:41 - How did Paul Newman feel about advertising overall
09:14 - How did Paul and the organization feel about starting to advertise
10:23 - How do you look at the brand after Paul’s passing
12:04 - What do you learn/unlearn with traditional training for a brand like this
14:49 - How did you navigate values and purpose in all aspects of the business
16:38 - Does wide distribution affect strategy
18:52 - Category that Newman’s Own hasn’t succeeded in
20:07 - Attention towards money spent on marketing
21:49 - Strengths and weaknesses of brand awareness
23:54 - Sub brands
27:02 - Tone of voice
31:41 - What cocktail is Newman’s Own
33:09 - Could Newman’s Own go into spirits
https://newmansown.com
http://www.facebook.com/newmansown
https://www.instagram.com/newmansown/
This episode of Brands in Action features Kate Godbout, CMO at Scholl's Wellness. Kate talks about the challenges and opportunities of taking a brand with over a century of history into a whole new category. Everyone's aware of Dr. Scholl's so how do you get them to reconsider what they think they know? Kate knows.
00:18 - Kate Intro
01:09 - Joining Dr Scholl's right before pandemic
02:43 - Office reintegrating after Covid
03:41 - Changes within Dr Scholl's
04:34 - How company changes the competition
05:41 - Why did Dr Scholl's start?
07:24 - What does Dr Scholl's meet for people
09:31 - Awareness within brand
12:03 - Positive and negatives of “Gellin” campaign
14:54 - Initial wins after joining Dr Scholl's
17:09 - Channel conflicts with online sales during Covid
18:19 - Do you have a USP and has it changed?
19:34 - Does Dr Scholl's move beyond feet
20:37 - How does brand affect who you hire
23:31 - One sentence brief
23:45 - If your brand was a Pinterest board
24:39 - What cocktail is Dr Scholl's
Additional Links:
https://www.drscholls.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DrScholls/
https://www.instagram.com/drscholls_usa
https://www.youtube.com/user/DrScholls
https://www.pinterest.com/drscholls_usa/
https://twitter.com/drscholls
Bob Stohrer knows a little something about overturning category conventions given his incredible experience at brands like Virgin Mobile and the NFL. Well, now he's training his sharp marketing mind on the home security category with Kangaroo and it won't be the same once he's finished with it. Check out the latest episode of Brands in Action.
00:18 - Bob Stohrer Intro
01:03 - How quarantine has been
01:43 - Workplace culture changes due to Covid
02:42 - Why was Kangaroo founded?
07:13 - Business opportunities with increase in home delivery
10:38 - What does security mean right now?
13:10 - Kangaroo customer base
14:38 - Building trust and combating fear to use this type of product
17:15 - Creative strategy vs. other companies
21:01 - The safety of risk
22:52 - Small wins to build creative credibility
24:52 - How brand drives organization
29:17 - Holding creatives accountable
33:44 - Education at Syracuse and NYU
37:27 - Risky creative strategy
On Today's episode of Brands in Action we talk to Willa's Oat Milk CEO and Co-Founder Christina Dorr Drake. It's not enough that she launched a brand that challenges all the category conventions during a global pandemic, she also did it while facing and beating cancer. If there's a more heroic tale we don't know it. Lots of perspective and good advice in this one.
00:18 - Christina Intro
00:59 - How did ad agency career lead to entrepreneurship
02:23 - Starting a business requires being somewhat naive
03:01 - Willa’s origin story
04:56 - Food waste and climate change
05:55 - How Willa’s is different from other plant based milks
07:19 - Difference between almond milk processing vs. Willa’s
08:02 - Grandma Willa
09:39 - Taking the handmade recipe to production
12:36 - Purpose of the brand
13:52 - Articulation of the brand
14:58 - Willa’s marketing and pivot with Covid
18:20 - To grocery or not to grocery
19:55 - Iconography of the brand
21:28 - With an ad background, how design was looked at differently
23:18 - Feedback from design
23:58 - How personal health affected conviction of the brand’s purpose
29:41 - Cancer changing how Willa’s is thought of in a broader sense
30:48 - Importance of real vanilla
31:48 - How flavor is accomplished without added sugar
32:46 - Importance of whole grain compared to filler in other products
33:25 - Where you can buy Willa’s
34:06 - What kind of cocktail is Willa’s
35:57 - Outro
https://willaskitchen.com
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=willa+kitchen+oat+milk&dc&crid=22OAQAFQ8SY5A&sprefix=Willas+k%2Caps%2C145&ref=a9_sc_1
https://www.facebook.com/willaskitchen
https://www.twitter.com/willaskitchen
https://www.pinterest.com/willaskitchen/
https://www.instagram.com/willas_kitchen/
In our latest episode of Brands in Action, we feature one of the smartest, most brand-literate people you'll hear in the marketing-o-sphere these days, Craig Dubitsky. Join us as he talks about founding Hello Products, a company that is taking the personal care category by storm.
00:18 - Craig Introduction
01:17 - Craig's background isn't the usual way up
08:31 - What problem is Hello trying to solve
16:32 - Craig speaks about the Colgate Acquisition, is this good or bad?
23:12 - Colgate and covid
27:01 - Something they learned along the way
30:30 - How Homework is the best way to find new employees.
32:59 - What is a brand
38:38 - The brand in one word
40:15 - If Hello was a cocktail what would it be?
https://www.hello-products.com
https://www.instagram.com/helloproducts/
https://twitter.com/helloproducts
https://www.facebook.com/HelloProducts
https://www.pinterest.com/helloproducts/_created/
Join us for an amazing conversation with Leland Maschmeyer, former Global Brand Officer for Chobani. If you're interested in what creative organizations might look like going forward, Leland has something to say about it. Perfect for anyone building a creative culture or trying to install one in their client side organization.
00:55 - Leland Intro
02:30 - Going from client to agency and how to build an organization
07:34 - Evaluating an environment before losing perspective
09:37 - Practical example of implementing the duality
11:47 - Fear as an identifying factor
13:01 - Using the practice to practically look at systems
15:41 - Brands need belief systems
18:43 - How do these conversations differ in a client situation vs agency
23:26 - Awards - Positivity
26:26 - What’s the future of the ad agency?
34:44 - Deciding on what type of agency you’re be, middle agencies disappearing
35:36 - Future of industry 10-20 years
41:48 - Importance of creativity
Today we welcome Kyle Billings, National Marketing Manager at Lyre's Spirit Co, one of the brands leading the way with non-alcoholic spirits category. Kyle talks about managing a brand experiencing explosive growth globally that had to pivot completely due to the COVID quarantine.
00:01 - Show Introduction
00:18 - Kyle Billings Introduction
01:03 - Hello Kyle
01:11 - What Kyle is currently up to
03:01 - Creating a cocktail substitute compared to competition
06:41 - How Covid has affected business
08:46 - Origin story of Lyre’s
10:54 - Sober Curious Movement
12:11 - Sober Strategy
14:02 - Articulation of targets
15:53 - Tone of voice
17:49 - Iconography
20:00 - Pinterest board
20:29 - Creative Brief
21:40 - How to drive trial
23:27 - Resist Discounting
24:04 - Creative content to feature
25:05 - What kind of cocktail is your brand
26:05 - Goodbye Kyle
26:27 - Show Outro
https://lyres.com
https://www.facebook.com/LyresSpiritCo/
https://www.instagram.com/lyresspiritco/
https://twitter.com/LyresSpiritCo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuq0OXpYpAgxAbrO9nNw9-Q
https://www.linkedin.com/company/lyres/
https://www.pinterest.ca/lyresspiritco/
Meet Ken Gilbert, an avowed "beverage guy" who has now started his own spirits brand, Sephina Spirits. Ken was the CMO of Snapple, Voss Water, and for many other storied brands. Ken talks about creating a Black brand with wide appeal based on the life and spirit of Josephine Baker.
00:17 - Ken Introduction
02:17 - How did the interest turn into a brand
04:03 - How has the original idea changed
06:41 - Where did “Sephina” come from
09:36 - How Josephine Baker’s brand intersects with Sephina
12:23 - USP’s
14:47 - How the brand went to market
17:14 - The challenge of a new brand against established companies
19:35 - Getting into the trade with this blended spirit
20:34 - Unboxing experience
21:26 - Josephine Baker facts
23:07 - How are you getting the Josephine Baker message out
24:12 - Visually articulate the brand
25:55 - Sephina as a black brand
28:52 - Product launch during covid
30:53 - How do you define the covid launch
31:44 - Changes in marketing due to covid
32:49 - What advice would you give to your former self
33:56 - Intention of brand development vs. selling
36:14 - Where can you find Sephina
https://sephinaspirits.com
https://www.facebook.com/sephinaspirit/
https://www.instagram.com/sephinaspirits/
https://twitter.com/SephinaSpirits
This week we welcome Brian Berklich, CMO of Soccer.com and other Sports Endeavors properties. Brian talks about driving sales, building the brand, and bringing the passion for Soccer to life at a time where it's difficult to get out onto a field and actually play the game.
0:25 - David introduces Brian Berklich and his impressive CV.
1:22 - Brian expresses an opinion on whom to root for in the great North Carolina basketball wars.
2:00 - How Covid has impacted soccer.com's business and how the organization has pivoted to creating joy for their customers due to the global pandemic.
3:53 - Brian talks about the company's belief system and why they exist.
6:50 - How they use co-op branding to drive their business and build the brand at the same time.
8:50 - The strengths and weaknesses of having a name that IS the category.
10:04 - Measuring the KPI’s that matter.
10:59 - Managing and targeting a number of consumer personas.
12:50 - Brian talks about the challenge of living up to the brand’s purpose and promise.
14:31 - Brian talks about bringing his branding experience to e-commerce, being passionate about the brand you’re working for, and defining brand purpose as a business driver.
18:06 - The origins of soccer.com and how the origin story permeates the culture.
22:10 - Brian talks about the brand’s “Team Captain” personality and it's iconography.
24:50 - Brian elaborates on how the soccer.com brand drives the culture.
26:22 - Brian talks about his favorite piece of soccer.com creative work from this last year
28:20 - Answering the age old question, If soccer.com was a cocktail, what would it be?
In our latest episode, we chat with Anna Griffin, CMO of Smartsheet. Her episode is a great example of marketing and living your values, and looking for every opportunity to improve the world around you (we should mention she started a school in a village in Africa that is making a huge difference). And man, she just totally gets branding.
"Brands In Action" asks brands the questions every brand should ask. And we're proud to kick things off with James Geikie, CMO of Leesa Sleep and partner at One Better Ventures, an investment and advisory firm that works with brands having a positive effect on the world.