Don't quote us on this: brand, marketing and the BS in between

"Just post more." "Charge what you're worth." "The funnel is dead." If you've spent more than five minutes on LinkedIn recently, you've probably been hit with at least one of these gems. And while some of them sound convincing on the surface, Nic and Ro think a lot of today's marketing advice is, frankly… utter bull. In Episode 12, they dive headfirst into some of the worst advice doing the rounds...

What happens when your first-ever podcast guest is someone whose business perfectly proves the point you're trying to make? In Episode 11, Ro and Nic are joined by the brilliant Olivia Marocco, founder of Brand New Connect, editor of Brand New Magazine, and creator of one of the best business events they've attended all year: The Odyssey. Together, they dive into the realities of building a brand...

What makes a good event… actually good? Is it the speakers? The venue? The people in the room? The free coffee? (Spoiler: that one matters more than you'd think.) In Episode 10, Ro and Nic compare notes after an absolutely ridiculous few weeks of networking. Between them, they've attended eight events in less than a month, ranging from intimate lunch gatherings and industry conferences to awards c...

Confidence gets thrown around online like it’s a personality trait. Something you either naturally have… or you don’t. In this episode, Ro and Nic unpack why that’s complete nonsense. They get into the real reasons people hold themselves back in business. Perfectionism masquerading as professionalism. The comparison spirals that make you question your entire career after one LinkedIn scroll. The o...

What actually makes good social media… good? And why does so much of what we’re told to do feel like shouting into the void? In Episode 8, Ro takes the mic (with strong opinions, obviously) to tear apart one of the most overused phrases in marketing: “just show up.” Because if that advice worked, we’d all be fully booked by now. Spoiler: good social media isn’t about visibility. It’s about strateg...

What actually makes a brand personality stand out… and why do so many businesses end up sounding like slightly different versions of the same person? In Episode 7, Ro hands the mic to Nic (finally) to unpack one of the most misunderstood parts of branding: personality. Not the boring, bullshit, “pick three adjectives” kind… the real, rooted-in-who-you-are kind. Spoiler: a great brand personality i...

Okay, we've talked about positioning a few times over the past few episodes and we get it. Sometime we chat shit and forget that not everyone lives and breathes brand and marketing the way we do. So here we go - we're going to unpack one of the most misunderstood concepts in branding and marketing: positioning . Because it’s one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot - but very few people ac...

This one’s for anyone who’s ever walked out of a networking event thinking: “Was that… actually worth my time?” In Episode 5, Ro and Nic get into what good networking really looks like - and why so many people are doing it on autopilot with zero results. Spoiler: turning up is not a strategy. Yes, networking can be powerful. Yes, it can build incredible relationships. Yes, it can generate serious...

This one’s for anyone who’s ever said: “I invested in my branding… so why isn’t my business exploding?” In Episode 4, Ro and Nic unpack one of the most common frustrations in small business: expecting a rebrand to magically fix your sales. Spoiler alert: your brand is not your marketing strategy. Yes, great branding can spike attention. Yes, it can elevate perception. Yes, it can make you more mem...

This one is spicy. In Episode 3, Ro and Nic dive headfirst into a growing problem in the industry: the explosion of marketing (and branding) courses being sold by people who… aren’t actually marketers. If you’ve ever invested in a programme that promised transformation but delivered vibes, hype and a whole lot of tweaking your messaging, this conversation will hit home. This episode is about exper...

If you’ve ever wondered what the actual difference is between branding and marketing and why they’re so often confused, this episode is for you. In Episode 2, Ro and Nic pull apart one of the most common (and costly) misunderstandings in business: assuming branding is marketing, or that marketing magically works without strategy. As always, this is a bs-free conversation about what branding really...

Branding has become one of those words people fling around like confetti… until it means nothing. So Rowena does what any sensible person would do: she corners Nic (who has 30 years experience in brand design) and asks her, directly, to define it. Spoiler: branding isn’t “a logo and a vibe”, it’s the foundation underneath everything, the strategy and identity work you do before you touch photograp...