On Brand: A Podcast About Branding For Brand Builders, By Brand Builders

Early in my career, I spent my commute listening to audiobooks in my 1996 Ford Taurus. The tinny car speakers shook as Tom Peters spoke about excellence and management by walking around. Through landmark books such as In Search of Excellence, The Pursuit of Wow! and his latest, The Excellence Dividend, Tom challenges conventional wisdom with an unparalleled bias toward action. I’m thrilled to share my conversation with Tom Peters on this week’s On Brand podcast presented by Twenty20. About Tom Peters Tom Peters is a leading business management guru and founder of the Tom Peters Company. He continues to be in constant demand for lectures and seminars. In 2017, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Thinkers50 and the Jack Covert Award for Contribution to the Business Book Industry from 800-CEO-READ. Peters is the bestselling author of seventeen books, including In Search of Excellence (with Robert H. Waterman, Jr.), which is often cited as among the best business books ever written. Arriving at an equal

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed the latest data from the State of Branding 2018. The report breaks down the biggest challenges marketers face. Topping that list once again is customer experience. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show. Beyond the Sound Bite CX is Still Marketers’ Top Opportunity, but Social Outperformed Expectations Last Year (Marketing Charts). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Thanks again to our sponsor Twenty20. Your source for on brand photography for your brand. You can get five photos with Twenty20’s one-week free trial at Twenty20.com/OnBrand. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and c

“Consumers are human beings first.” Duh. Who needs to be reminded of this? I mean, we’ve got our big data, customer analytics, loyalty metrics, key performance indicators, demographics, psychographic profiles, and … Oh yeah. That’s why we need to be reminded that our customers are living, breathing humans. Luckily, loyalty expert Barry Kirk joined us this week to discuss neuroscience, gamification, and the changing world of customer loyalty. Enjoy this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by Twenty20. About Barry Kirk Barry Kirk brings a decade of experience in customer retention and digital marketing to his role as VP of Loyalty Strategy for Maritz Motivation Solutions. In this role, he serves as the leader of the Maritz US loyalty practice. A sought-after speaker, blogger, and workshop leader, he has led the introduction of new disciplines like neuroscience and gamification to the loyalty space, and champions the belief that “consumers are human beings first.” Prior to Maritz, Barry led the cons

“How we treat employees relates to how they become brand ambassadors.” Your employees — your people — are one of your biggest brand assets. However, they can only do this if they’re engaged. As the Chief Human Resources Officer at an award-winning financial institution, Shawn Premer knows how organizations can harness their people power. We discussed employee engagement and culture on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by Twenty20. About Shawn Premer Consumers Credit Union has 300 employees, over $900 million in assets and is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Shawn Premer is responsible for providing leadership in establishing and implementing strategic human resource strategies. Shawn’s primary focus is on employee and member engagement. Consumers is proud of its 98% member satisfaction rate, it’s over 11 years of recognition as one of West Michigan’s 101 Best & Brightest Companies and 4 years of being recognized Nationally as a 101 Best & Brightest Company! In addition, Consumers has

“People want brands to step in and solve things that government can’t.” With the latest news of #BoycottNRA and the #MeToo movement, it could seem that this is an idea plucked from recent headlines. But the role of business in social issues has been a part of the conversation for centuries. Anne Bahr Thompson is a leading expert on this and author of the new book Do Good.We discussed corporate social responsibility, brand citizenship, and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by Twenty20. About Anne Bahr Thompson With more than 25 years of experience as a global brand strategist, Anne Bahr Thompson is an accomplished researcher, writer and speaker, the pioneer of the strategic framework of Brand Citizenship®, and a Trust Across America 2018 Top Thought Leader in Trust. A former executive director of strategy and planning and head of consulting at Interbrand, the world’s leading brand consultancy, Anne founded Onesixtyfourth, a boutique consultancy, to integrate cultural shifts & a soci

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed some new podcast listenership data courtesy of the Infinite Dial 2018 study from Edison Research and Triton Digital. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show. Beyond the Sound Bite Infinite Dial 2018 (Edison Research). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Thanks again to our sponsor Twenty20. Your source for on brand photography for your brand. You can get five photos with Twenty20’s one-week free trial at Twenty20.com/OnBrand. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submi

This week, we have a special LIVE episode of the On Brand podcast — on stage from SXSW 2018. Recorded Saturday, March 10 in Austin, this episode featured a timely discussion of a big question that many brand builders are struggling with in these divisive times — should your brand take a stand socially and politically? Joining me were guests Heather Whaling of Geben Communication and Wendy Cohen of Picture Motion. Next week, I’ll be back with a full-length brand builder interview. In the meantime, enjoy this week’s special episode. About Heather Whaling and Wendy Cohen Heather Whaling is the President of Geben Communication. After launching the company from her dining room in 2009, Heather’s fresh, data-driven approach to best practices has helped Geben evolve into a highly respected, sought-after, award-winning PR firm with operations in Columbus, Chicago, and Seattle. Heather prides herself on using Geben as a platform for doing good. She is a vocal advocate for issues impacting women and girls, especially p

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed a new report from Radiocentre and Ebiquity that suggests that marketers are undervaluing the impact of traditional media channels and overvaluing digital media. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show. Beyond the Sound Bite Marketers undervalue the impact of traditional media channels (Marketing Week). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Thanks again to our sponsor Twenty20. Your source for on brand photography for your brand. You can get five photos with Twenty20’s one-week free trial at Twenty20.com/OnBrand. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rat

“Most CEOs delegate culture to HR and brand to marketing. You need to prioritize a fusion of these areas.” For many organizations, this is a big shift. Thankfully, this big shift is the big focus of the latest book from brand leadership expert Denise Lee Yohn. We discussed the potential power of the fusion of brand and culture on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by Twenty20. About Denise Lee Yohn Denise Lee Yohn is the go-to expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand speaker and consultant, and an influential writer. In addition to FUSION, she is the author of the bestselling book What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest (Jossey-Bass) and the e-book Extraordinary Experiences: What Great Retail and Restaurant Brands Do. News media including FOX Business TV, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR call on Denise when they want an expert point-of-view on hot business issues. She is a regular contributor to Harvard

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed a new report on how Twitter is cracking down on bot use. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show. Beyond the Sound Bite Twitter is (finally) cracking down on bots (TechCrunch). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Thanks again to our sponsor Twenty20. Your source for on brand photography for your brand. You can get five photos with Twenty20’s one-week free trial at Twenty20.com/OnBrand. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the po

“The tactics have changed but the strategy of owning and building a brand hasn’t.” Laura Ries can share first hand how branding has stood the test of time. “It’s why some rise and others don’t — it’s the brand.” Together with her father, positioning pioneer Al Ries, Laura authored some of the seminal branding texts of our time including The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding. We discussed positioning, visuals, slogans, and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by Twenty20. About Laura Ries Laura Ries is an internationally recognized branding expert, best-selling author and television personality. After graduating from Northwestern University in the top 2% of her class, she worked at TBWA Advertising before partnering with her father and positioning pioneer Al Ries. Al and Laura founded Ries & Ries consulting in New York in 1994. In 1997, Ries & Ries relocated to Atlanta, GA. Together the dynamic duo consults with companies around the globe including Disney, Ford, Frito-Lay, Papa John’s Pizz

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed some new data from Edison Research’s Infinite Dial study showing that Facebook use is down for the first time in a decade! Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.  Beyond the Sound Bite Facebook Declines for the First Time in Infinite Dial History (Edison Research). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Thanks again to our sponsor Twenty20. Your source for on brand photography for your brand. You can get five photos with Twenty20’s one-week free trial at Twenty20.com/OnBrand. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few ex

“You have to find people who like you but aren’t like you.” This is a mistake many brands make. They look for customers just like them — with their specific interests and characteristics — instead of people who like your brand and what it stands for. Melanie Spring is a speaker, facilitator, and brand strategist at Branded Confidence. We discussed community, culture, and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by Twenty20. About Melanie Spring When you ask a brand strategist how she defines her brand and she says “Approachable Badass”, you know you’ve found someone who can help you define your own brand. Melanie Spring was put here to get you outside of your box and firmly in your purpose – professionally and personally. Melanie runs Branded Confidence as an international speaker and facilitator – bringing her charisma and confidence to humans worldwide. She’s so dedicated to her purpose that she once drove 7,000 miles in 3 weeks to find out why great brands work. Episode Highlights Wait

"A lot of content being produced is not good. That's because it's not telling a great story." As Editor-in-Chief and Director of Content Strategy at Contently, Joe Lazauskas understands the interconnected relationship between content and story. It's the focus of his new book, The Storytelling Edge, and our discussion on this week's episode of the On Brand podcast. About Joe Lazauskas Joe is the co-author of the Amazon #1 New Release The Storytelling Edge: How to Transform Your Business, Stop Screaming Into the Void, and Make People Love You with Contently co-founder Shane Snow. He’s also the head of Content Strategy for Contently and Executive Editor of The Content Strategist, winner of the 2016 Digiday Award for Best Brand Publication. A technology and marketing journalist, Joe is a regular contributor to Fast Company and has written for Mashable, Digiday, and Forbes, amongst other publications. Episode Highlights Why does story matter for brands? "When we hear a good story our brains react. It releases an e

"Everyone thinks that branding isn't important today but branding is the new advertising." Despite media and technology shifts, the brand behind your stories and status updates is more important than ever. We unpacked all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast featuring brand strategist and author Fabian Geyrhalter. About Fabian Geyrhalter Fabian Geyrhalter is a renowned brand strategist and the founder and Principal of FINIEN, a Los Angeles-based consultancy specializing in turning ventures into brands. Geyrhalter is also a columnist for Inc and Forbes, and he has been published by the likes of The Washington Post, Mashable, Entrepreneur and The Huffington Post. He is an advisory board member of Santa Monica College and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California and Art Center College of Design. A frequent speaker and mentor to entrepreneurs worldwide, he is a “Global 100” mentor at the Founder Institute, and his book How to Launch a Brand is a #1 Ama

Stories can be powerful tools for moving people and building brands. This isn’t as easy as it could sound. Storytelling is both an art and a science. We unpacked all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast with Patti Sanchez, Chief Strategy Officer at Duarte. About Patti Sanchez Patti Sanchez, Duarte’s Chief Strategy Officer, creates IP and counsels clients to create authentic connections with their audiences through persuasive presentations and story-based communications. She is the co-author, along with Nancy Duarte, of the award-winning book, Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols. Patti leads an expert team of communication consultants and creative writers who help clients move their audiences in one powerful moment or in a movement over time. Applying insights from more than 25 years of communication experience, Patti helps leaders and persuaders understand the inner workings of the human mind and heart and then use that knowledge to craft eng

“I love looking at other industries and seeing what they’re doing.” As Director of Agency Marketing at TopRank Marketing, Ashley Zeckman has a lot on her plate working — both agency marketing and client marketing. In some organizations, these two pursuits don’t always play nicely with each other (see “the cobbler’s son has no shoes”). But Ashley makes it work. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s On Brand podcast. About Ashley Zeckman Ashley Zeckman is the Director of Agency Marketing for TopRank Marketing, a fully integrated digital marketing agency. In addition to finding innovative ways to showcase the exceptional work of her team, she is also responsible for creating digital marketing programs that drive customer acquisition and growth for the agency. Her background includes expertise in content strategy, branding, influencer marketing and social media. Episode Highlights What about the “cobbler’s son” thing? “The cobbler’s son is something we talk about constantly internally. It’s fun to test

“It’s better to whole-ass one thing than half-ass several.” As the author of the book Badass Your Brand, my conversation with Pia Silva was bound to be both fun and irreverent. In all seriousness, powerful language helps you cut through the clutter. You can’t succeed by being everything to everyone. Pia and I discussed badassery in all of its forms this week on the On Brand podcast. Enjoy! Enjoy This Episode Now Download Episode Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe via Stitcher About Pia Silva Entrepreneur, speaker, and author Pia Silva is a partner and brand strategist at Worstofall Design where they build “Badass Brands without the BS” for 1-3 person service businesses in 1-3 day intensives. She is also a Forbes contributor and author of Badass Your Brand: The Impatient Entrepreneur’s Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit. Episode Highlights What’s in a name? A lot! And Pia’s branding firm has an interesting name — Worstofall Design. They’re so named because they help their clients — mostly small service bu

“The biggest problem we marketers face today is trying to be all things to all people.” Andy Cunningham would know. She’s spent her career positioning brands. As the jacket of her book says: “Trust Andy. Steve Jobs did.” That’s right. Andy played a key role in the launch of the original Macintosh. We discussed all of this on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Andy Cunningham Andy Cunningham is the founder and president of Cunningham Collective, a marketing, brand and communication strategy firm dedicated to bringing innovation to market. She is also the author of Get to Aha!: Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition (McGraw-Hill), and the host of the popular podcast Marketing Over Ice. An entrepreneur at the forefront of marketing, branding, positioning and communicating “The Next Big Thing,” Andy has played a key role in the launch of a number of new technology categories and products (including the Apple Macintosh) over the past 35 years. Today she advises startups, serves

“You’re only a brand if you have meaning beyond your name.” One of the more challenging questions I ask on a regular basis is, “How do you define what a brand is?” Strategist Robin Fisher Roffer didn’t miss a beat. You have to have meaning and communicate it across all touchpoints. You know, the easy stuff! We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Robin Fisher Roffer Brand strategist and storyteller, Robin Fisher Roffer has provided the rocket fuel that has launched and evolved dozens of media brands all over the world such as A&E, Animal Planet, CNN, Comedy Central, Discovery, FX, Hallmark Channel, History, Lifetime, MTV, and TNT. As Founder and CEO of Big Fish Marketing, Inc., she leads an award-winning creative team adept at unearthing a brand’s essence and filter, its look, feel and tagline, market positioning, value proposition and key messaging to both consumers and the trade. With a mission to inspire professionals to fearlessly reach their potential, Robi