Brand Enabled: The Human Stories Behind Branding

What happens when a 190-year-old industrial company starts calling itself an energy technology company? Join Gabe and Holly as they explore how Schneider Electric is repositioning from a behind-the-walls manufacturer to a global energy tech leader, and what that means for brand, communications, and marketing leaders. Chief Brand and Communications Officer Monique Elliott helps unpack how an engine...

Can a brand built on car radios win in a streaming world? JulieAnne Evanina, Former SVP of Brand, Creative and Media at SiriusXM Radio, joins hosts Gabriel Cohen and Holly Osborne to unpack how the company moved from free trials to true fandom. You’ll hear how segmentation and product strategy shaped a brand evolution, why “personal connection” beats pure algorithms, and what it takes to rally a l...

When customers barely notice your brand, how do you earn trust and drive action without a big budget? David Pendery shares how a comms-first mindset helped a utility make the “invisible” feel tangible, why he measured success through program participation instead of revenue, and how masterbranding simplified a complex B2B portfolio at CSG. You’ll hear practical ways to co-create positioning with a...

Can private labels be brands people actively seek out? Walmart SVP Courtney Carlson explains how data, emotion, and design come together to build preference, not just parity. What you’ll learn A practical framework for measuring what matters across digital funnels, SEO, reviews, and store performance   When to trust common sense and human stories alongside analytics   How a “br...

What happens when you need to rebrand thousands of physical products across global markets? For companies like Logitech and ResMed, changing a logo isn't just about updating a website - it's about retooling manufacturing lines, redesigning packaging for millions of units, and navigating complex regulatory requirements. Join brand leaders Paige Lutter from Logitech and John Barger from ResMed as th...

What happens when companies chase metrics instead of meaning? Former Nike marketing leader Lisel Welden shares powerful insights from her decade-long journey shaping iconic brands like Nike, Lyft, and Stitch Fix. Drawing from her experience leading Nike's first unified Black History Month campaign across all business units, Welden reveals how authentic leadership and cross-functional collaboration...

How does a tech company turn a simple sound into one of the world's most recognizable audio marks - second only to a baby crying? Former Intel Global Brand Director Merlin Kister reveals the strategic thinking behind Intel's most iconic brand elements during his nearly two-decade tenure. From simplifying product naming with the Core i3/i5/i7 system to creating Intel Gamer Days - an experiential ev...

What if you could completely reinvent higher education from the ground up? While most universities still follow a centuries-old model of lectures and tests, Minerva Project has created a radical new approach to learning that's challenging the status quo of higher education. Ayo Seligman, VP of Strategy and Design at Minerva Project, shares how this innovative organization built both a university a...

How do you build brand credibility in an engineering-driven company where logos on napkins seem more important than strategic narrative?  After 15 years at NetApp, Emily Miller has mastered the delicate balance between education and execution in the B2B tech space. From transitioning from agency consultant to in-house brand leader, Emily shares practical approaches to portfolio narrative deve...

In this second part of our conversation with Monica Skipper, former VP of Brand at FedEx, we delve deeper into the intricacies of global brand management. Monica shares more of her invaluable insights, including: The evolution of FedEx's brand architecture and the challenges of integrating acquisitions Strategies for brand enablement and moving away from the "brand police" mentality The critical r...

Take a peek into the world of global brand management with Monica Skipper, who spent 20 years at FedEx in various brand leadership roles⁠⁠. Monica shares her wealth of experience and offers valuable insights on: The evolution of brand management at FedEx, from a logo-centric approach to a comprehensive business strategy⁠ Challenges and successes in maintaining brand consistency across a large, glo...

Building a brand in a B2B environment requires patience, strategy, and sometimes an entirely different playbook. Brand Enabled kicks off its third season with co-hosts Gabriel Cohen and Holly Osborne diving into the realities of corporate brand leadership. Holly brings her wealth of experience from Google's Brand Lab, Landor, and most recently as Global Brand Leader at Ciena, where she transformed...

In this episode, Norman Guadagno, the CMO of Mimecast , discusses the intersection of marketing, leadership, and team dynamics with Gabe Cohen. Norman emphasizes the critical role of marketing in capturing attention and fostering resonance with customers, emphasizing the pivotal moment of engagement that opens doors to new opportunities. He also dives into the significance of pattern recognition i...

At some point, businesses have to make a pivot, be that through mergers and acquisitions or rebranding. Crucial to this is the ability of a branding professional to get the people aligned and march in the same direction. Engelina Jaspers found this to be true. With a 30-year experience as a corporate executive leading company-wide transformation, Engelina has seen what it takes to make pivots succ...

Merge 'lazy' with strategic marketing brilliance – simplicity is the key to unlocking financial success. For today’s episode, Scott Bynoe reveals the art of aligning your efforts and leveraging insights for a marketing revolution. As the Vice President of Marketing at Crawford & Company , Scott shares how marketing works in the financial sector. He introduces the concept of "lazy marketing" an...

Creating a successful brand requires vision, boldness, and a belief system that transforms challenges into opportunities. In this episode, Tom Butta talks about the importance of creating a strong brand vision, ambitious goal, and firm belief system. He shares the challenges he faced in managing the internal dynamics of crafting a compelling brand direction. He also talks about overcoming internal...

In order to hire the best people for your team, you must not only rely on their resume or credentials. To get a broader and deeper understanding of the person you are hiring, focusing on storytelling is the best way to go. In this episode, Gabriel Cohen sits down with Indeed’s Aidan McLaughlin to discuss how to break barriers to work through invigorating, inspiring, and motivational stories. He ex...

When you’re a challenger brand that’s trying to get unfair market share, you need to things to succeed – a healthy amount of risk-taking and the agility to take advantage of the big guy’s missteps. Patrick Reynolds has a knack for developing these qualities in challenger brands in his career as a marketer. Patrick is the CMO of the customer data platform BlueConic. Prior to this role, he spent two...

Looking at services companies today, one would notice that almost every leading name has gone through a major brand transformation. Although ridden with tension, panic, and a long list of challenges, it is one of the biggest steps to get through in order to get to the next level. Gabriel Cohen sits down with Capgemini 's Francois-Xavier Reodo , who shares how they navigated through their own brand...

When Jackson Health System in South Florida was facing bankruptcy, the government-owned brand orchestrated a remarkable turnaround through a series of changes. Our host, Gabriel Cohen, along with Matthew Pinzur, Jackson Health System’s Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, discuss this inspiring story of how bringing in a new CEO, modernizing their marketing tactics, and restructuring...

Brand loyalty today is not about what you sell; it's about the authentic connection you create. Today, Slate Olson , Chief Marketing Officer at LOGE Camps , discusses the future of brand marketing. Slate explains how the definition of brand loyalty is changing and how innovative strategies can disrupt the status quo. He breaks down the essential elements of a successful brand, emphasizing the role...

Sometimes, having the best product doesn’t guarantee success. It can be beaten by a superior brand. This episode’s guest has a fascinating story about this. Gabriel Cohen interviews  Justin Steinman , whose career that took him from GE Healthcare Digital to Novell taught him great lessons he was able to apply to the rebranding at  Definitive Healthcare  as its Chief Marketing Office...

Companies that have been existing for a long time will inevitably undergo rebranding to keep up with the ever-changing customer and market demands. Alejandro Yu, Vice President of Marketing at Raiz Federal Credit Union , shares his most important rebrand lessons focused on moving forward while keeping heritage intact. Joining our special guest host Brian Elkins, he explains every single thing they...

Despite being an important part of our world today, the financial services industry often has subpar marketing strategies. Perhaps that is why these companies feel very similar and even lack that human connection. If you are part of this side of the world, how can you create that differentiation? For Alec Hanson , the Chief Marketing Officer at loanDepot , the opportunity for differentiation comes...

In the ever-shifting landscape of marketing, adaptability and innovation are key. Join us in this episode as Gabriela Henault , the Chief Marketing Officer at AlphaSights , discusses how brands can leap into a new era. With a passion for collaboration and an eye for detail, Gabriela shares how brands can navigate the complexities of client-side demands while staying true to their core identity. Di...