Brandy

LEGO built one of the most powerful brands in history by standing for one simple idea: limitless creative play. So what happens when that same brand introduces a Smart Brick and leans into connected, tech-driven play at CES 2026? ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us In this episode of Brandy , Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders explore whether LEGO has drifted from its cor...

Gift cards seem simple... but they reveal something profound about brand trust, psychology, and power. ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us In this episode of Brandy , Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders unpack how Starbucks generates over $215 million annually from unredeemed gift card balances , why consumers forget to use gift cards in the first place, and what this tell...

Most founders think they have a marketing problem. They don’t. They have a positioning problem and it’s quietly slowing every part of their business. Brand News: Guess what brand paid $450 Million for Peanuts... ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us In this episode of Brandy, Reilly Newman breaks down why positioning is the lifeblood of your business, not a marketing tact...

Holiday marketing usually means louder ads, bigger discounts, and more noise. Dunkin’ took a different approach. ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us In this episode of Brandy , Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders break down the ingenious holiday campaign from Dunkin' that transformed Munchkins from a product into a festive character. They used nostalgia, personificatio...

Santa Claus didn’t always wear red, and what founders can learn from good ol' St. Nick. ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us So how did Coca-Cola help turn a beloved cultural figure into a billion-dollar brand association without most people noticing? In this special holiday episode of Brandy, Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders of Motif Brands dissect one of the most maste...

Founders can learn from this $5 store and why it is now a top-performing retailer. Brand News: Eggnog is back at Starbucks! ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Five Below is one of the most surprising winners of 2025. While many retailers are shrinking, Five Below is scaling and its stock is crushing the market(up 67% YTD). In this episode, brand experts Reilly Newman a...

Founders often obsess over what they sell, but consumers are driven by why it matters. ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Every toddler discovers the same magic word. A word that Einstein, The Beatles, and Steve Jobs also relied on: “Why?” In this Brandy episode, Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders explore why the question why is more than a phase kids go through. It’s a...

You won't believe what 42% of Lays Chips consumers think about the product... ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders offer a meaningful thought to chew on this Thanksgiving: inaction isn’t free. We’re biologically wired to play it safe, to preserve the status quo, and to assume that doing nothing carries no cost. But in business, in brandin...

Netflix is turning hit shows into real-world experiences, but is it right? ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Netflix just opened Netflix House, a multi-level immersive experience where fans can step into real-world versions of their favorite shows like Squid Games, Stranger Things, and more. It’s bold. It’s ambitious. It’s a big bet on the experience economy. But… Rei...

Costco and Nike Collaboration? ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us This Brandy episode focuses on how memorable brand experiences depend on customer service. Brands like Target and Starbucks have recognized this in the wake of their recent troubles and put policies in place to ensure a better customer experience. Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders share their thoughts on...

The return of a more caffeinated Mr. Pibb and is AI a bubble? ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us This Brandy episode is a cocktail shaken with nostalgia, stirred with AI, and served with a twist of psychology. A cocktail of culture, code, and consumer psychology where Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders mix nostalgia, AI, and the new economy to explore how human behavior(...

LISTEN IF YOU DARE! 💀 ⁠⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us In this special Halloween edition of Brandy , hosts Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders dive into the dark side of branding where billion-dollar ideas turn into terrifying PR nightmares. From tone-deaf campaigns to design backfires and social-media slip-ups, they count down the Top 10 Brand & Marketing Horror S...

When Amazon Web Services (AWS) went down, half the internet went with it. ⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us ⁠⁠ When AWS went down, half the internet went silent. But for founders paying attention, it wasn’t just a tech glitch—it was a business lesson. In this episode of Brandy , Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders explore the brand implications of overreliance on platform...

Most brands chase content. Great brands create moments. ⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us ⁠⁠ In a digital world obsessed with “content,” few brands realize that what people truly remember are moments. In this episode of Brandy , hosts Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders explore why the future of marketing lies in designing experiences that spark connection, conversation,...

The first Brandy Q&A episode! ⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us ⁠⁠ Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders tackle a question from listener Megan W. (USA) who asked about renaming during a rebrand. Reilly and Scott unpack the decision from both a strategic and psychological angle, exploring how a name anchors perception, signals change, and impacts brand equity. They share...

What can your business learn from Spirit Halloween? ⁠⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us ⁠⁠ Every fall, empty storefronts rise from the dead, wrapped in orange, black, and Spirit Halloween branding. But behind the spooky props is one of the smartest business models in retail: a seasonal pop-up empire that thrives on agility, timing, and contextual relevance. In this episo...

Private labels aren’t just for grocery stores—they’re a masterclass in perception, value, and strategy ⁠ >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us ⁠ From Costco’s Kirkland to Target’s private brands, and Aldi’s recent repackaging redesign, these brands are proving that how you frame your offering can dramatically influence customer behavior. In this episode of Brandy, Reilly Newm...

What's the meaning of Black Friday? >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Black Friday isn’t just about the shopping frenzy... it’s about retailers moving from the red to the black by sacrificing margins for volume. But is discounting really the best strategy for most brands? In this episode of Brandy , Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders explore the origins of Black Friday...

Are you focused on the short-term details of your business or the long-term vision of your brand? >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us In this episode of Brandy , Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders explore the critical difference between business clarity and brand clarity. Business clarity is near-sighted: immediate, functional, and operational. Brand clarity is far-sighted: v...

Are consumers trading clicks for queues? This may be the start of a massive trend. >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Consumers are making a shift... opting for in-person experiences over digital convenience. From sit-down restaurants to malls and live events, the trend is clear: physical, “inline” experiences are back in demand. But what does this mean for your brand? In...

Cracker Barrel recently attempted a rebrand — and the public reaction was brutal. What went wrong? >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us In this episode of Brandy , Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders dive into the psychology behind the backlash and analyze the strategic missteps that led to a branding misfire. From the perception traps to the messaging mistakes, we break down w...

What if the most famous energy drink in the world isn’t really about the drink at all? Brand News: MSNBC Rebrand Flop >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders discuss how Red Bull turned an outsourced product into an $11.2 billion empire powered by perception, media, and culture. What You'll Gain From This Episode: • Why Red Bull doesn’t even man...

Viral marketing trends may be shiny, but they lack the substance your brand needs to grow. >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders break down why chasing only vanity metrics (vitality, likes, followers, or trending formats) creates the illusion of progress without building anything real . At a marketing summit in Orlando, an attendee asked Reill...

Jeff Bezos built Amazon by being obsessed with the customer, not the competition. >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us In this episode of Brandy , Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders dive deep into one of Jeff Bezos' most powerful principles : "Customer focused, not competitor focused." We explore how Amazon’s relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction has helped...

What's the return on investing in brand?! What if brand is the ROI?! >> Get the Award-Winning Book (Brandy): BrandyBook.us Reilly Newman and Scott Saunders explore the idea that brand does not have a return on investment because — it is the return. Just like the relationships we nurture with loved ones, brand is about building connections , not just expecting a tangible byproduct. Reilly hig...