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

“You have to live the values and promise of the brand. You can’t just tell people how good you are.” As Vice President of US Strategy and Insights for McDonald’s USA, Steve Levigne understands better than most how consumers are changing and what that means for brands. After twenty two years under the golden arches, Levigne took some time to chat about the past, present, and future for this great American brand. About Steve Levigne Steve Levigne is Vice President of US Strategy and Insights for McDonald’s USA. He’s responsible for integrating consumer, business, and industry insights into actionable plans to help drive the U.S. business. His contributions in these areas have helped McDonald’s strengthen their industry leading position, and realize their most successful period in their history. His career spans 30 years of demonstrated leadership creating value through brand building and performance improvement, including roles at McDonald’s USA and Midas International. While at McDonald’s, he has earned many a

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a recent question I got while speaking at the Roller Skating Association’s annual conference. It was something I hear frequently from businesses looking to leverage more user generated content in their social media marketing — what about bad content? 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 Need proof that I keynoted the Roller Skating Association’s annual conference? Here’s photographic evidence (Instagram). Curious to learn more about my speaking services? Check out my speaking site nickwestergaard.com. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we’ll have Steve Levigne of McDonald’s on the show. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RS

You might not know Marc Hershon by name but chances you are familiar with his names. That’s because Hershon is the man behind some of the most memorable brand names of our time including BlackBerry, Swiffer, and Dasani. What’s in a name? More than you might think. Marc Hershon breaks it down on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.  About Marc Hershon Marc Hershon is senior manager of naming and verbal identity in the San Francisco office of Landor, where he’s responsible for using storytelling and creativity to develop brand voice, copy, taglines, names, and nomenclature systems for corporate and consumer brands. Marc comes to Landor from Lexicon Branding, where he worked for more than 20 years and served as creative director from 2010 to 2014. During his time there he helped to create such memorable brand names as BlackBerry, Swiffer, and Dasani. As a solo consultant for several years, Marc worked with clients such as Garmin, Sony, and Christopher Ranch to create nüvi, Crackle, and Monviso, respectiv

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed emojis in email subject lines. Specifically we looked at a new study from email marketing platform MailChimp on how and when emojis are used in email. It even included which emojis are used most often in email marketing. 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 MailChimp’s Most Popular Subject Line Emojis (MailChimp). Why the Apple Watch is taking the emoji to the next level (Daily Dot). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we’ll have Marc Hershon — the man who named the BlackBerry — on the show. 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 t

“Branding is blocking and tackling.” Guy Kawasaki would know. As a brand evangelist for some of the biggest brands in history including Apple, Android, and Wikipedia, Guy knows that “bringing the good news” is a lot of work. I couldn’t wait to talk to the quintessential brand evangelist about what it takes to do his job on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Guy Kawasaki Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva, an online graphic design tool. Formerly, he was an advisor to the Motorola business unit of Google and chief evangelist of Apple. He is also the author of The Art of Social Media, The Art of the Start, APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur, Enchantment, and nine other books. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College. As We Wrap … Recently Mattias Kindell gave the show a shout about our recent episode featuring social psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson. Thanks for listening, Mattias! Did you hear something you

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a couple of new features on Pinterest. As a driver of 40% of social commerce, brands of all shapes and sizes are looking to promote their wares via Pinterest. This week the social network announced enhanced paid advertising features as well as the ability for businesses to schedule pins using tools like Buffer. 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 Here’s Buffer’s announcement — Introducing Buffer for Pinterest (Buffer). Beyond Buffer, other marketing platform partners were announced as well including Percolate, Sprinklr, Spredfast, Curalate, Ahalogy, Expion, Newscred, Shoutlet and Tailwind. View the whole list at AdWeek. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we’ll have Guy Kawasaki on the show. L

“I’m a teacher in everything I do.” As an international speaker, author, consultant, and educator, Mark W. Schaefer does a lot of teaching. On top of that, he’ll join us in Iowa this fall as a keynote at the Social Brand Forum. I couldn’t wait to talk with Mark about his new book The Content Code, marketing curriculum, and everything in between on this week’s episode of the On Brand Podcast. About Mark W. Schaefer Mark W. Schaefer is a globally-recognized author, speaker, educator, and business consultant who blogs at {grow} – one of the top marketing blogs of the world. He teaches graduate marketing classes at Rutgers University and has written four best-selling books including The Tao of Twitter (the best-selling book on Twitter in the world) and Return On Influence, which was named one of the top business titles of the year by the American Library Association. His clients include Dell, Adidas, and the US Air Force. He has been a keynote speaker at prestigious events all over the world including SXSW, Marke

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a couple of new features on Twitter. First, users can now opt-in to receive Twitter direct messages from users who don’t follow them. This could have a big impact on brands using Twitter direct messages for customer service. We also looked at a new feature that will help the network crack down on cyber-bullying.  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’s New Direct Messaging Feature Is an Opportunity for Brands (The Wall Street Journal) Can Twitter clamp down on online bullying? (Marketing Interactive) And this week were were also joined in studio by my daughter who got to see the station’s “pit” (Instagram) Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we’ll have author, strategist, and Social B

“A name introduces you to the experience.” In short, words and the stories we create with them matter. Jonathan Littman would know. He’s named just a few things over the years. As the author and co-author of nine books he’s a leading thinker on how innovation happens and how brands can use storytelling to create narratives that snowball. As you can imagine, I couldn’t wait to chat with Jonathan on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Jonathan Littman Jonathan Littman is the co-author of The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation, two bestsellers about the legendary design strategy firm IDEO that have combined international sales of over 700,000 copies. Jonathan has been nominated for a Pulitzer, won two Computer Press Awards, and a New York Press Club Journalism Award and the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism. He is the author and co-author of nine books, including two popular books about famous computer hackers, The Fugitive Game and The Watchman. A former Contributing Edi

“How do we create the perception of trust?” That is the million dollar questions for individuals and brands alike. And it’s a central question addressed in Heidi Grant Halvorson’s new book No One Understands You and What to Do About It. I couldn’t wait to talk to this successful social psychologist speaker and author about trust, perception, first impressions, and everything in between on this week’s episode of the podcast. About Heidi Grant Halvorson Heidi Grant Halvorson is a social psychologist who researches, writes, and speaks about the science of motivation. She is the author of the new book No One Understands You and What To Do About It, as well the national best-seller Nine Things Successful People Do Differently. She is also Associate Director of Columbia Business School’s Motivation Science Center, and a frequent contributor to Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Business Insider. Heidi is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the S

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a new retweet feature from Twitter plus speculation on the social network’s acquisition. As Twitter’s stock price crept up Tuesday, so did rumors of a potential takeover from not one but two different suitors including Google! 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 officially lets you retweet with comments now (Mashable) Twitter’s stock price rises after Google buyout rumours – not for the first time (The Guardian) Google buying Twitter would be like Microsoft buying Yahoo (Business Insider) Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we have psychologist, speaker, and author Heidi Grant Halvorson. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Sti

“If you lie, you die.” While severe, truer words have never been uttered about brand building in the digital age. Siegel+Gale Chief Strategy Officer David Srere joined us for a conversation about simplicity, organizational purpose, brand experience, and, of course, how one goes about quantifying all of this. Enjoy this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About David B. Srere David first learned the art of simplicity from a college history professor, who refused to read beyond the first three pages of any assignment his students turned in. “If you couldn’t say it in three pages, it just wasn’t worth saying,” he recalls. David did more than just learn the lesson; he became a lifelong proponent of the power of a clear, credible, compelling story. As Chief Strategy Officer, David applies that philosophy to his oversight of Siegel+Gale’s strategic practice areas and activities. A noted authority in the corporate branding field, he has pioneered the notion of organizational purpose as an integral part of the br

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed Twitter’s recent release of the Periscope live-streaming video app. What does this mean for Meerkat, the tech set’s darling of late? This week we take a look at Periscope vs Meerkat. 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 Here’s a great breakdown of Periscope vs Meerkat (BusinessInsider). Was Meerkat ever even a hit? Why Meerkat is dying – and it’s taking U.S. tech journalism with it (BGR). Perhaps it’s too early to tell which app will be the winner. As Gary Vaynerchuk has said, what if Snapchat suddenly adds video? Check out Gary’s LinkedIn post on Periscope vs Meerkat. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we have Chief Strategy Officer of Siegel+Gale David Srere. Last but not least … Subscribe

Each month as part of the On Brand podcast, we take a look back on the month that was. We reflect on the brand builders we chatted with here on the podcast and also discuss the biggest stories and pop-culture funnery that made up our brand zeitgeist. To help with this, I’m joined by our special contributor Meghann Foster. Let’s take a look at March 2015! The Brand Zeitgeist Report: March 2015 Twitter Turns Nine — Okay. On the show we reported that Twitter turned 10 but that’s just because — in honor of their ninth birthday — they released their top 10 tweets. (Who doesn’t get 9 and 10 confused every now and then?!) Kidding aside, we looked at the top tweets and shared our thoughts on Twitter today. Speaking of social media use today … Infinite Dial 2015, Meerkat, and More — Tom Webster was in the March zeitgeist! The month began with Tom’s episode of the On Brand podcast and was followed by Edison Research’s most recent release of the Infinite Dial study, which examines the adoption of digital media. We share

“Bacon is a great metaphor for the perpetually interesting brand.” Taking a cue from comedian Jim Gaffigan (Bippity-boppity-BACON!), strategist and speaker Justin Foster has found that, while it may seem silly, bacon is an amazing metaphor for how we build and grow unique and engaging brands. We couldn’t wait to chat about bacon brands on this week’s On Brand podcast. About Justin Foster “Inside every brand is a truth waiting to be amplified.” This is the message that Justin Foster shares as he works with clients and in his presentations and workshops. Based in Austin, TX, Justin is a brand strategist, published author, professional speaker, and workshop facilitator. He has worked for nearly 25 years in sales and marketing for small businesses and large corporations, co-founding two marketing/branding firms, and one successful start-up. As a brand strategist, Justin works with senior leaders and business owners to help them discover the “bacon” of their brand and create a meaningful, relevant presence in the

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed my recent trip to SXSW Interactive 2015. This event is always one of my favorites and truly the best place for keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s next. What did I learn? 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 As we discussed last week, the new Meerkat app was big at SXSW. How big …? Everyone was talking about potential businesses uses for Meerkat. Plus everyone was Meerkat-ing (Meerkasting?) — even Julia Louis-Dreyfus! There were also several panels and discussion around social media privacy. BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Iowa’s own Pear Deck on their big win of $150,000 in funding at SXSW 2015! Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we have Justin Foster, author of Oatmeal vs. Bacon. Last but not

“I like to be dangerous with my content.” It’s quotes like this where Jason Miller’s rock-n-roll background and passion shine through in his work. By day, Jason is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at LinkedIn. By night, he’s an accomplished rock-n-roll photographer. We talked about both aspects of his work and everything in between on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Jason Miller Jason Miller is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at Linkedin where he leads the global content marketing and social efforts for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. Prior to this, he managed social media strategy at Marketo, where he was responsible for leading the company’s content and social media efforts by increasing engagement, optimizing for lead generation, and ultimately driving revenue. Before Marketo, Jason worked at Sony Music entertainment developing and executing marketing campaigns around the biggest names in music. To this day, Miller remains a rock ’n roll photographer by night. You can view his wor

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a new social app on the block. It’s called Meerkat and it allows users to live stream video directly to their Twitter account. Once you’re done streaming, the online archive of your video is gone (you can save the file to your phone if you choose). Why does Meerkat matter? 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 Want to dig in and play with Meerkat? Download the app here. Here’s a great breakdown of what brands and publishers need to know about Meerkat (Digiday). As I mentioned on the show, one of the biggest cases for why Meerkat might matter lies in the recent Infinite Dial study from Edison Research. This shows that after Facebook, mobile experience apps like Instagram and Snapchat dominate social media use. Is Meerkat next? Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’

“Digital has democratized marketing … Consumers are playing an active role in defining our brands.” Barbara Apple Sullivan would know. As the founder and managing partner at Sullivan, she’s helped complex regulated brands like American Express and Merrill Lynch build and socialize strong brand architectures. I couldn’t wait to discuss all of this with Barbara this week on the On Brand podcast. About Barbara Apple Sullivan Barbara Apple Sullivan founded Sullivan in 1990 after spending more than a dozen years on the client side in the financial services industry. Recognizing a gap in how she was being serviced, Barbara understood that there was a need for agencies dedicated to helping complex businesses reach customers and prospects through the sales funnel rather than simply focusing on high level brand and awareness building. With this in mind, she launched Sullivan & Company and has grown the agency into a highly strategic group of nearly 60 employees serving clients across the financial and professional ser

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a recent development from Google. On last week’s show, we shared new data illustrating that Facebook is far from dead with teens. However, Google is breaking their social network Google+ into three products — streams, photos, and Hangouts. 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 Here’s a round-up of coverage on the Google+ news. First, this article from The Verge provides a great overview on how Google+ officially splits into Photos and Streams. While Engadget reports that Google is testing new Contacts that blend Gmail and Google+. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. 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