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

Chris Kocek is the founder and CEO of Gallant Branding and the author of the new book Any Insights Yet? His work helps brands looking to make a difference in the world make sense of all of the data and insights at their fingertips. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Chris Kocek Chris Kocek is the founder and CEO of Gallant Branding, a creative branding firm in Austin, Texas focused on building brands for a better world. Over the past 10 years, Gallant has helped dozens of companies with brand overhauls, new product launches, and data-driven campaigns, resulting in triple-digit growth and national recognition. In his new book, Any Insights Yet? Connect the Dots. Create New Categories. Transform Your Business, Chris Kocek demystifies the insight-building process in a way that can help any business leader or marketing practitioner get to higher ground. Packed with real-world examples from leading brands and award-winning campaigns, Any Insights Yet? provides a dynamic ste

Mark Miller is co-author of the book Legacy in the Making, founder of The Legacy Lab, and Chief Strategy Officer at Team One, a leading luxury agency. As all of this would suggest, Mark is an expert in both legacy building for brands and luxury branding. We discussed both this week on the On Brand podcast. About Mark Miller Mark Miller is the co-author of Legacy in the Making: Building a Long-Term Brand to Stand Out in a Short-Term World (McGraw-Hill Education). He is the founder of The Legacy Lab, a thought leadership and consulting practice that explores how brands can build modern legacies. He is also the Chief Strategy Officer at Team One, Publicis Groupe’s global luxury and premium brand agency. Mark is a sought-after presenter, keynote speaker, and panelist on global luxury and premium brands, leadership and culture, legacy-making, and his recent book. Links from the Show Mark’s big and small legacy brand examples — Wimbledon and their retractable roof) and Me & the Bees Lemonade. Is Patagonia act

Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in the field of communication and a lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he also hosts the popular, award-winning podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart. A sought-after keynote speaker and consultant, his new book is Think Faster, Talk Smarter. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Matt Abrahams Matt Abrahams is a leading expert in the field of communication. As a Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he teaches popular classes in strategic communication and effective virtual presenting and has received the school’s Alumni Teaching Award. Matt also teaches public speaking and co-teaches Improvisationally Speaking in the Stanford Continuing Studies Program. When he isn’t teaching, Matt is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and communications consultant and coach. He has helped numerous presenters prepare for high-stakes talks, includin

Jamie Turner is a lot of things — leading author, professor, consultant, and TV news contributor. However, at the end of the day, Jamie says he’s a helper first and foremost. His work helps brands like Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz as well as leaders at organizations of all sizes. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Jamie Turner Jamie Turner is an internationally recognized author, professor, consultant, and TV news contributor who has helped The Coca-Cola Company, Holiday Inn, Mercedes-Benz, and other global brands tackle complex business problems. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, HuffPost, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Inc., and other prominent publications. He's also a regular guest on CNN, where he delivers segments on marketing, customer experience, and leadership. Jamie is the co-author of four essential business books, the latest of which is An Audience of One published by McGraw-Hill. Links from the Show The new book! Here's Jamie’s mo

Ana Andjelic is Chief Brand Officer of ESPIRIT Holdings Limited and the author of the book The Business of Aspiration. Specializing in building brand-driven modern businesses, Ana is one of Forbes’s The World’s Most Influential CMOs. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Ana Andjelic Ana Andjelic is a brand executive, author of “The Business of Aspiration” and one of Forbes’s The World’s Most Influential CMOs. Ana specializes in building brand-driven modern businesses. Most recently, she led the rebrand of Banana Republic and is now the Chief Brand Officer at ESPRIT. Ana earned her doctorate in sociology and is a widely read columnist, speaker, and advisor. Links from the Show ESPIRIT's new line targeted at Gen X and Gen Z (what Ana called “two for one”). Here's a collection of classic ESPIRIT ads from the '80s like Ana and I were discussing during the show. Check out Ana's book The Business of Aspiration. What brand has made Ana smile recently? Art collective MSCHF,

Paulo Ribeiro is the founder of Two Things, a transformative agency for active lifestyle brands. With clients like The North Face, Timberland, and more, Paulo's expertise in brand advertising and global brand strategy has shaped industry leaders like Nike and Electronic Arts. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Paulo Ribiero Paulo Ribeiro is the founder of Two Things, a brand transformation agency that focuses on the active lifestyle category. Two Things serves clients such as The North Face, Timberland, Visit Sun Valley, Mad Hippie, Converse, and Arc'teryx. Paulo began his career in brand advertising first in NYC and then in SF at Hal Riney+Partners, the first creatively led agency, during the dot com boom. At Wieden + Kennedy, he was head of global brand strategy for Nike and Electronic Arts through the era of digital transformation. He led the evolution of innovation agency Redscout to better serve Silicon Valley, working with Reid Hoffman on LinkedIn's positioning a

Anthony Butler is a “can-do” digital marketing and brand growth expert. That motto of the military unit he led in Iraq and he brings that mindset to his work helping businesses address the obstacles they face in building and growing their brands. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Anthony Butler Anthony Butler is the founder of the digital marketing agency Can-Do Ideas and the author of Primal Storytelling, Marketing for Humans. He is a highly regarded expert in brand storytelling and digital marketing. Anthony served as both enlisted and as an officer in the US Army. He also graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and the US Army Ranger School. He is a combat veteran and commanded an infantry company in Iraq during the invasion of Baghdad. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelt and currently resides in Montana with his wife and two sons. Episode Highlights From the military to marketing. Anthony shared his compelling life story — from his backg

Thaler Pekar is a pioneer in the field of organizational storytelling. Her work helps leaders, employees, and customers connect around shared stories. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Thaler Pekar Thaler Pekar is a communication pioneer, lauded as one of the world’s leading experts on institutional storytelling. For 18 years, she and her team at Thaler Pekar & Partners have advised visionary leaders worldwide on gaining confidence, insight, and influence. Episode Highlights How institutional storytelling works. “It helps to have an equitable leader,” Thaler began, describing how the stories leaders share can connect all levels in an organization. Small stories can exemplify the brand. Thaler shared a story from her work with retail giant Kiehl's. “They're really committed to the idea of hospitality,” she notes. “Finding stories is about learning more about what customers want.” “People don't listen because they themselves don't feel heard.” I had to pause the interv

Jay Norman is the Global Head of Music Marketing at Spotify. His work at Spotify and his background as co-founder of the content shop Verse + Hook has focused on helping brands create and connect through culturally impactful work. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Jay Norman Jay Norman is a creative leader, marketer, and co-founder with a 15-year + commitment to designing campaigns merging culture and human emotional experiences. Currently serving as the Global Head of Music Marketing at Spotify, Justin has worked with several international brands, organizations, and artists, creating genre-bending, culturally impactful work. Within his agency career, he has led campaigns and content for brands such as Johnson and Johnson (Listerine, Tylenol, Zyrtec), Stellantis (Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati), Unilever (Country Crock, Bertolli, Popsicle, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter) JBL, Harman Kardon, McDonald's, and more. The award-winning content shop he co-founded, Verse + Hook

Stacey Zimmerman serves as Managing Director at Big Spaceship, where she focuses on deepening client relationships, growing the agency at large, and leading the Account Management discipline. Her passion lies in helping client partners work collaboratively with their agency partners, underscoring how collaboration leads to the most impactful work. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Stacey Zimmerman Stacey Zimmerman serves as Managing Director at Big Spaceship, where she focuses on deepening client relationships, growing the agency at large, and leading the Account Management discipline. Her passion lies in helping client partners work collaboratively with their agency partners, underscoring how collaboration leads to the most impactful work. Nurturing diverse teams, Stacey helps provide education and opportunities to aspiring talent by teaching advertising at both East and West Coast universities for the past decade, serving as executive sponsor for one of Big Spaceshi

Ariadna Navarro is the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at VSA Partners where she and her team help clients of all shapes and sizes—from blue chips to B2B to startups. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Ariadna Navarro Ariadna Navarro is the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at VSA Partners, an agency that designs for a better experience. VSA Partners works with a wide range of businesses, from blue chip companies like IBM, AT&T, and Google; to B2B brands like Cargill, Curia, and Ever.AG; to startup disruptors like Black Telehealth and Robinhood. Ariadna helps clients identify and unlock growth potential by connecting business strategy to brand and experience strategy to relentlessly and cohesively deploy a company’s ambition. Episode Highlights Fluff vs. business asset. Ari began our conversation by sharing that VSA takes a different view of brand. “We see brand as a business asset. Some think it's just advertising—brand as fluff.” “Techn

Abbey McGrew is the founder and creative director of Wayfarer Design Studio, where she helps thoughtful e-commerce founders to bring their brands to life through visual identity, packaging, and web design. We discussed all of this and more this week on the show. About Abbey McGrew Abbey McGrew is the founder and creative director of Wayfarer Design Studio. Known for her heart-led approach to design, Abbey helps thoughtful e-commerce founders to bring their brands to life through visual identity, packaging, and web design. She believes that great branding is more than skin deep and always finds a way to weave deeper meaning into every last detail of her work. Episode Highlights What's in a name? “The name Wayfarer carries personal significance for both me and my clients,” Abbey shared. “To me, it symbolizes a passion for exploring the world with my husband, which inspired me to establish the company in 2016. To my clients, it speaks to the experience of embarking on a journey without clear direction, as is o

Chantal Cornelius has spent the last two decades helping hundreds of coaches, consultants, and speakers grow their businesses and achieve their goals by making strong emotional connections with their clients. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Chantal Cornelius Since founding Appletree Marketing in 2000, Chantal Cornelius has spent the last two decades helping hundreds of coaches, consultants, and speakers grow their businesses and achieve their goals by making strong emotional connections with their clients. Chantal knows that the key to standing out from competitors is to build strong, long-lasting relationships. Her mission is to help business owners realize that the path to success doesn’t involve churning out endless social content. In her writing and speaking, Chantal introduces business owners to the different Stand Out Strategies that they can use to make the best emotional connection with their clients. She explains how to utilize them, in order to stand out f

Dan Zavorotny is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nutrisense, a metabolic health company that helps anyone discover and reach their health potential. This standout brand in the health and wearable spaces helps people own their health. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Dan Zavorotny Dan Zavorotny is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nutrisense, a metabolic health company that helps anyone discover and reach their health potential. Under Dan’s leadership, Nutrisense has become one of the fastest-growing startups in America. He has led the company through rapid growth, building a team of 170 employees in just over three years, and raising 32 million. Prior to co-founding Nutrisense, Dan worked as a Healthcare Management Consultant at KPMG where he advised Fortune 500 clients and three of the top five hospitals in the US. Dan is passionate about travel, having visited over 100 countries before the age of 30. Episode Highlights “One-third of the U

Donna Griffit is a world-renowned Corporate Storyteller, pitch alchemist, and author of the bestseller Sticking to My Story. Based on 20 years of helping startups, her book and her work help founders and startups who find themselves stuck in telling their stories. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Donna Griffit Donna Griffit, author of Sticking to My Story: The Alchemy Of Storytelling For Startups, is a world-renowned Corporate Storyteller and Pitch Alchemist. She has helped over 1000 startups, corporates and investors raise over one billion dollars and accelerate their sales with a personal touch and unmatched messaging savvy, in any industry, at any phase. Episode Highlights Wait—what is a “pitch alchemist”? I had to ask. “Taking one element and transforming it” as part of a larger brand story, Donna shared. What inspired Donna to write Sticking to My Story? “It was a book 20 years in the making. It’s what I’ve learned along the way. Stories stick. It’s that simple

Marcus Collins is head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy New York and author of the new book For the Culture. In addition to his work as an award-winning marketer and cultural translator, he also teaches marketing at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Marcus Collins Dr. Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator. He currently serves as the head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy New York and as a clinical assistant professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. Prior to his advertising tenure, Marcus worked on iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple and ran digital strategy for Beyoncé. Marcus holds a doctorate in marketing from Temple University, where he studied social contagion and meaning-making. He received an MBA with an emphasis on strategic brand marketing from the University of Michigan, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in Material Science

Annette Simmons is the author of several books including The Story Factor and Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins. Having read a lot of books about story, I can say that Annette is a leader in this area. That's why I was excited to chat with her about her work this week on the On Brand podcast. About Annette Simmons Annette Simmons is a vibrant keynote speaker, consultant, and author of four books: The Story Factor named one of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins, A Safe Place for Dangerous Truth (AMACOM, 1998), and Territorial Games: Understanding and Ending Turf Wars at Work. Annette started with a business degree from Louisiana State University in 1983, spent ten years in Australia in international business, attained an M.Ed. from NC State in 1994, and started Group Process Consulting in 1996. Annette is surprisingly honest, ferrets out hidden opportunities, joyfully takes risks, and tells a good story. Episode Highlights A shared story. I began by sharing with Annett

Joe Pulizzi is the godfather of content marketing, having first mentioned the term in 2001. A serial entrepreneur, he's the founder of Content Marketing Institute and Content Marketing World as well as The Tilt and the Creator Economy Expo. We discussed as much of Joe's work as we could fit into a half-hour episode this week on the On Brand Podcast.  About Joe Pulizzi Joe Pulizzi is the founder of multiple startups including content creator education site, The Tilt, the content entrepreneur event Creator Economy Expo (CEX), and is the bestselling author of seven books including Content Inc. and Epic Content Marketing, which was named a “Must-Read Business Book” by Fortune Magazine. Joe is best known for his work in content marketing, first using the term in 2001, then launching Content Marketing Institute and the Content Marketing World event. In 2014, he received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Content Council. He successfully exited CMI in 2016 and consequently wrote an award-winning mystery novel,

Tristen Norman is Head of Creative Insights at Getty Images. Using both sides of her brain, she and her team help brands of all shapes and sizes bring their work to life in an increasingly visual world. We discussed what this looks like this week on the On Brand podcast. About Tristen Norman Tristen Norman is the Head of Creative Insights, Americas at Getty Images. She operates as one-part visual anthropologist and two-parts data scientist – working across disciplines to understand what motivates visual selection, identify trends within visual language, and using this data to help shape the development of Getty’s creative content globally. Leveraging consumer research, and social and cultural listening and pairing it with proprietary data, Tristen hones in on the valuable insights that feed the development of Getty Images own creative collections. A passionate advocate for elevating marginalized voices within creative spaces, Tristen also plays a critical role in supporting and advancing initiatives and part

Rob Levinson is a corporate brand strategist and personal brand coach. A Madison Avenue veteran, dot-com survivor, and former Marketing Strategies columnist for the Wall Street Journal online, Rob shared how all of his experiences have shaped how he builds brands this week on the On Brand podcast. About Rob Levinson Rob is a corporate brand strategist and personal brand coach who helps leading brands, and those who run them, get noticed, remembered, and results. As the founder of Leverage Advisors, Rob creates comprehensive Brand Blueprints for clients seeking the strategic direction and tools required to inform and guide the development, or reimagining of their brand. As the founder of Brand You Better, Rob helps individuals from recent graduates to C-Suite executives gain the confidence to tell their best, and most impactful, personal brand narrative. Episode Highlights Rob always starts personal branding work with a definition. "I love the Jeff Bezos definition—your brand is what other people say when yo