Backcountry Marketing

Andy Pearson , VP of Creative at Liquid Death, explains why brands should stop thinking like advertisers and start thinking like entertainers. We dive into how Liquid Death built one of the largest organic audiences without relying on paid media, why humor is an underrated marketing tool, and why the best brands behave more like memorable characters than carefully managed style guides. We also pre...

The Relevance Project is underway! 15 brands have applied to be considered. If you want to apply, reach out to us and submit your application by June 26th.    About: This podcast is produced by Port Side , a content strategy studio that helps outdoor brands become relevant, recognized, and build an audience. Want to learn more about how we can help? Enjoy this episode and discover other resources...

In this solo episode, Cole shares why he believes many outdoor brands already possess something unique beneath the surface, but struggle to translate that uniqueness into content that earns attention, builds an audience, and drives business results. Cole also announces a public experiment: We're looking for one outdoor brand willing to partner with Port Side to test these ideas in real time. Toget...

Laura Jastram-Wrend joins Cole live at the HikeExpo to discuss what most outdoor brands are still getting wrong about the power of social.  Laura breaks down why social should no longer be treated like an afterthought, how creator ecosystems outperform one-off influencer activations, and why "edutainment" is the new standard for outdoor content.  About: This podcast is produced by Port Side , a cr...

Cole hit the floor at the HikeExpo to interview founders about the reality of running social at a small brand. Is there an alternative to spending $10,000 a month on paid ads in a small business where cash flow is critical?

Maren Hamilton , former Head of Social at The North Face and current Director of Global Brand and Community at popFly. We break down her core thesis: brand is social and social is brand. Maren shares why brands must stop treating social as a downstream channel, how to bring social thinking upstream into campaign planning and what it takes to build a social-first brand.    About: This podcast is pr...

Resilient businesses are built by building an audience. In this solo episode, Cole Heilborn challenges the assumption that people inherently care about brand campaigns, product launches, or high-production content, and instead argues that attention must be earned through relevance and value over time. Drawing from recent conversations, industry observations, and Port Side's own projects, Cole brea...

In this episode, Greg Randolph , VP of Marketing at DECKED, and Bridget Noonan , Senior Brand Director at DECKED, break down one of the biggest tensions in modern marketing: brand vs performance. We talk about the rise of performance marketing, why it worked so well for so long, and why many brands are now hitting a ceiling. Greg and Bridget share how DECKED is thinking about long-term growth, wha...

What is the value of great creative, and what happens when brands let marketing metrics dictate the work before the idea is even fully formed? In this episode, Cole sits down with Rafael Oliveira , former Creative Director at Tracksmith, to talk about the role of the creative director, the tension between marketing and creative, and why distinction matters more than ever in a world where so many b...

Episode Description Most outdoor brands share a similar origin story: a founder identifies a need in the wild, builds a product in a garage, and grows a company from there. But as brands scale and growth pressures increase, something often gets lost in "the middle." The result is a sea of epic imagery, interchangeable storytelling, and campaigns that feel indistinguishable once the logo is removed...

Episode Description In this episode, host Cole Heilborn sits down with Ryan Watson, CMO and COO at MTNTOUGH Fitness Labs, to unpack a hot take that should make every outdoor marketer pause: brand marketing for the sake of impressions is dead. Ryan breaks down why measurement has changed the game, why "one big campaign, one big message" is an outdated operating system, and how the best brands are b...

In this episode (initially aired on June 18th, 2025) ,  Cole sits down with Chris Burkard —photographer, creative director, adventurer, and storyteller. Chris shares his unique perspective on navigating the constant changes shaping the outdoor industry, creativity, and marketing.  They dive deep into the evolving role of creatives in a constantly changing outdoor industry. From the blurred lines b...

Every company has a brand, but very few have built one intentionally or with differentiation. We use the word "brand" interchangeably with "company," when in reality most companies have never done the work required to intentionally shape what their brand stands for. In this episode, I sit down with Marc Peruzzi, Creative Director at Cache Seven, to unpack one of the most misunderstood ideas in out...

Does the outdoor industry overindex on brand?  Alex Maier , President of OnWater, joins the show to challenge one of the outdoor industry's biggest assumptions: that brand marketing alone drives growth. Drawing from his experience in SaaS and outdoor, Alex breaks down why product marketing is the missing link for many brands, how listening to customers actually fuels innovation, and what outdoor c...

2025, almost broke Port Side as a company. But we've grown, grown some more and have rebuilt the business from the ground up. In this episode, Cole shares a raw behind the scenes look at year and the role that the podcast has played in allowing us to come back stronger.  Thank you for supporting us! About: This podcast is produced by Port Side , a creative production studio creating content strate...

Daniel Groh , Chief Brand Officer at SATISFY, breaks down how the brand builds an emotion-first running world that turns casual observers into true fans. He explains why Satisfy treats people as guests, not customers, and how speaking to "people who run" opens the door to more honest, human storytelling. Daniel shares how they use emotional athlete content, localized community runs, and shock-and-...

Shelby Rossi , global brand manager for goggles and helmets at Oakley, digs into what happens when brand and marketing plug into the product development process from day one. Using WTR ICON, Oakley's new surf helmet, as a case study, Shelby explains how a cross-functional "task force" of R&D, UX, product, sports marketing, and brand broke down silos, validated a real consumer problem, and reshaped...

In this episode, Cole sits down with Chris Whitten , Senior Production Manager at Red Bull, to unpack what separates irreplaceable creatives from the rest. Chris shares lessons from his journey through agency and brand-side production, spanning roles at Saatchi & Saatchi and now Red Bull, and offers candid advice for photographers, filmmakers, and producers who want to build long-term client relat...

In this solo episode, Cole Heilborn breaks down the differences between a strategist and a filmmaker. When content underperforms, brands often point to the creative execution, but more often than not, the real problem lies upstream in the strategy. Cole explains the downsides of a passion-led industry, why filmmakers have had to accept responsibility for defining KPIs and audience understanding, h...

Some brands treat branded content and campaigns as separate things, one emotional or value-driven, and the other transactional. But what happens when they work together?   In this episode, Trent Marsh , Marketing Director at Riton Optics, joins me to unpack what he calls the marketer's trap, when teams invest in strategies they wouldn't engage with themselves.    Trent shares how to break that cyc...

Maren Hamilton , former Head of Social at The North Face and current Director of Global Brand and Community at popFly. We break down her core thesis: brand is social and social is brand. Maren shares why brands must stop treating social as a downstream channel, how to bring social thinking upstream into campaign planning and what it takes to build a social-first brand.  Enjoy this episode and disc...

Cole shares a quick reminder about respecting your audience. Ask yourself: Does this provide value? If not, don't hit publish. About: This podcast is produced by  Port Side , a creative production studio creating video strategy + production for active brands, rooted in emotion.  Enjoy this episode and discover other resources below: Insight Deck | Want 20 of our favorite insights shared on the sho...

Altra's Head of Marketing,  Reyna Alishio , and Backbone Media's Senior Director of Strategy, Andy Ralston , take us behind the brand's seasonal campaign, Experience a New High. We unpack the core insight tying mental wellbeing, social connection, and running to a younger audience; how a one-two punch of broad digital reach plus in-person activation moved awareness and consideration; and why the m...

Ready to jump start your creativity? Cole Heilborn breaks down Port Side's playbook for developing ideas that work in the wild. From setting guardrails and asking "why" three times, to building a culture of candor and using constraints, music, boredom, and flow to unlock divergent thinking, this solo episode is for marketers and creatives who want to ship better work, not just talk about it.   Abo...

  In this solo episode, Cole Heilborn unpacks the reality of digital fatigue and what it means for marketers. With endless competition for attention, from Netflix to Reddit to YouTube, your audience is already exhausted. They don't want to be disrupted. They want content that feels valuable, entertaining, and emotionally resonant. Cole challenges brands to stop creating just to "show up" and start...