Let's talk branding

In this episode, I chat with Faisal Siddiqui, founder of Creative business company and former strategy director at Prophet. Faisal and his colleagues recently released a fascinating white paper in which he lays down some of the fundamentals of how to build a big brand on a small budget. We go deep into the tactics but also talk about the broader picture and market dynamics. It's a very cool ride s...

In this episode, I talk with marketing director Tiara Puglisi and creative director Laural Stark from the 'the Sims', a brand owned by EA electronics. We talk about their fascinating jobs at this legacy brand, and how to keep on building on it. We talk about the world of gaming and how it converges with marketing. It's a very fun chat so I bet you'll enjoy it!  You can find Laurel en Tiara on Twit...

In this solo episode I take a deep, therapeutic dive into the fears we have as strategists. I discuss things like the imposter syndrome, niching, T-shaped profiles, and how to cross the valley of despair.   Here are the 7 fears: I'm not good enough In over my head Imposter syndrome Just be a designer Counter: CLients are happy - Creative recognition I don't really understand There are other strate...

In this episode, I talk with a personal hero, Paul Feldwick. Paul is the author of game-changing books 'The anatomy of Humbug' and 'Why does the pedlar sing?'. His views on advertising and brand-building are truly unique. The power of 'fame' and entertainment is something that is often ignored in a world where we want to do 'serious' stuff. Paul brings us back to the true origins of branding, the...

In this episode, we talk about brand tracking & research with Brandon Shockley, Vice President Market Research at 160over90. We take a deep dive into brand tracking and the metrics that matter. As a little bonus, I also have a mini-interview with Angelay Mullins, CMO at Latana, a brand-tracking tool. Brandon on LinkedIn or Twitter 160over90 This episode is sponsored by Latana , the AI-powered bran...

In this episode, I talk with author and market researcher Jon Cohen. We take a deep dive into the world of 'asking'. What can we learn from talking to consumers? What are the dangers? When is a good time to ask and what makes for a good question? Find out in this interview!  Show notes Jon on Twitter Jon's book ' Asking for trouble ' If you are interested in the brand strategy research course ment...

In this episode, I talk with Margaret Kerr-Jarrett. Margaret is a writer and strategist. We talk about verbal identity, what it is, how to create it and how to make sure it matches with visual identity.  Margaret Kerr-Jarrett is a writer and strategist who partners with companies and brand & design studios to craft verbal identity, brand voice, and messaging for global clients. Her commercial and...

In this episode, I talk about the brand audit. What it is, why it's valuable and how I approach it.    Show notes The Twitter thread that started it Visit letstalkbranding.com to subscribe to the newsletter Assess the brand both internally and externally, which means: Internally Looking at the current brand strategy, if one exists Understanding how the brand management team works, if there is any,...

In this episode, I talk with Ian Barnard, a marketer from Canada that specializes in SMEs and non-profit organizations. We take a deep dive into measuring awareness and salience. What tools and techniques to use, what to be mindful of, and a lot more. It's a great hands-on episode so I think you'll enjoy it!  Ian on Twitter   If you're interested in the brand strategy research course, please subsc...

In this episode, I have a chat with Haris Spahic, founder of Constellate strategy, a strategy consultant focused on startups. We have a conversation about differentiation, loyalty, complexity, and how to apply all of that for startups. It's a slightly new type of format, where I and the guest are challenging each other instead of me just 'interviewing' the guest.    Connect with Haris on Twitter a...

In this episode, I talk with James Hankins, Consulting Strategist, and Founder @ Vizer Consulting. James has had a busy year, coining (together with Les Binet) concepts like Share of search and the Hankins Hexagon. We get into the weeds of Share of search and how to apply it to your brand.  Some interesting links: James on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jcphankins On share of search: https://www.con...

In this episode, we're talking with Samuel Brealey, a marketing consultant based in the UK. We talk about how to help small businesses make more money with marketing. How to build a brand on a budget and a lot more. Samuel has a very pragmatic and 'real' approach to marketing that I really admire.  Check out Samuel on Twitter , we're he is always sharing his knowledge Samuel's website This is a pu...

In this episode, I talk with Austin Franke, brand strategist and founder of consultancy firm Woopunch. Austin has quite an unconventional approach to branding, using knowledge from behavioral science and other evidence-based fields. We talk about some ugly truths in branding and how we can move beyond the typical branding cliché's.  Check out Austin's business and make sure you subscribe to the ne...

In this episode, we talk with Cedric Engels, author of the amazing book 'the power of sound' and co-founder of the sonic agency 'Sonhouse'. We talk about the importance of sound for brands but also how sounds affect the human brain (and soul). Cedric brought with him a bag of epic sounds so it's a fun little ride through sonic land.  We talk about: Cedric's book, the power of sound The agency Cedr...

In this episode, I interview Michiel & Jan-Pieter from Antwerp based brand & design studio WeWantMore. We talk about their award-winning branding case for Neuhaus. It won a bronze 'Effie' award, which is an award focussed on the 'effectiveness' of creative campaigns, not just 'creative idea'.   We talk about: The studio: WeWantMore The rebrand case for Neuhaus , a Belgian chocolate brand How they...

Interesting links:  Focus Lab: https://focuslabllc.com/ Bill on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillSKenney If you're interested in more branding & strategy stuff, visit letstalkbranding.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit labmarcel.substack.com

In this episode, I talk with my strategy hero, JP Castlin. We talk about the upcoming Castlin manifesto and how its perspectives on strategy will be quite controversial. For decades, 'deliberate' strategy has been the norm in the different strategy disciplines of marketing and branding, but JP offers an alternative view, 'emergent strategy'.  Interesting links: If you want exclusive access to the...

A brand is a distinctive experiential promise that represents a business. Distinctive: it has its own character, it's recognizable and different from competitors Observable: it is experienced through visual, auditive, and tonal assets that are owned Promise: it's not just those assets, it also holds a certain guarantee in it, a story, a problem solved, a job done, This is where we make the bridge...

In this episode, I talk with launch and brand strategist Julia Braga. Julia is an educator on Instagram and helps businesses grow their personal brand and sell products through social media content. We talk about social media strategy, launching brands, and the funnel.  Interesting links: Julia's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/thejuliabraga/   This is a public episode. If you would like to discu...

In this solo episode, I talk about competitive analysis, what it is, why and how I approach it, and what are some of the specific phases to go through. I also highlight how I use it as a base for branding and marketing efforts and the difference with business strategy. Notion template: https://www.notion.so/weareollie/LTB-competitive-analysis-template-cfae88e869ef4c418bd9faa328eaf402 Phase 1 colle...

Michael Keplinger is a partner at SmashBrand, an agile brand strategy agency for consumer packaged goods that specializes in a complete approach to market research, product design, and testing. We talk about how to 'test your brand design' with real-world customers and how to apply that to brand building. We talk about: Smashbrand , the agency Testing packaging design with real-world customers How...

We talk about: The definition of attention Attention as a filter Robert heath: low attention processing Paid advertising vs organic content Digital vs traditional advertising The value of the marketing funnel Find Faris: Faris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/faris Faris his book, Paid attention Genius Steals, his company: http://geniussteals.co/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discu...

We talk about: Here's the Strategy kick-off toolkit course with a 50% discount (use LETSTALKBRANDING coupon code). The planning dirty academy: https://www.planningdirty.com/ Get/to/by exercise   This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit labmarcel.substack.com

In this episode, I walk you through some of the tips, tricks and challenges I have when it comes to working remotely. Doing digital workshops, managing client expectations, research international brands and a lot more. We talk about: Downsides: Workshop: picking up on non-verbal communication is a lot harder A lot harder mentally to do → Split it up Trust by being there physically is not there Cli...

In this episode, I talk with Paul Bailey, strategy director at Halo, a creative agency from the UK. We talk about associated branded moments, and how we can build brands based on that. Interesting stuff: Halo , the creative agency Paul on twitter Paul's talk on associated branded moments Distinctiveness vs differentiation Category entry points If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a...