On Brand with Nick Westergaard

“I don’t think enough thought goes into how to translate brand style guides into visual videos.” As the founder and CEO of Tectonic Video with a background in brand strategy, Doug Scott helps nonprofit brands worldwide unlock the power of video storytelling. We discussed video, social media, brand style guides, and more this week on the On Brand podcast.  About Doug Scott Doug Scott is the founder...

“The marketplace has changed so much—there are so many brands on the retail shelf—the packaging is all there is. We turn the traditional brand development world upside down.” As a partner and leader of the research team at brand strategy firm SmashBrand, Michael Keplinger has a bold new approach for inventing and reinventing CPG brands. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of t...

“We have to put aside our personal preference and put in the time to figure out what really works for what the client needs.” This is a challenge for marketers on a variety of topics but is especially critical to the vital task of naming. Luckily, Brad Flowers wrote the book on naming—aptly titled The Naming Book—and he’s joined us this week on the On Brand podcast to discuss just that. About Brad...

“All companies and all brands should be working toward being the best version of themselves that they can be across all lenses of their impact on the world.” Eric Ressler knows a thing or two about brands making at impact. That’s the focus of his work as Founder and Creative Director at Cosmic, an agency helping brands build their awareness by having a strong social impact in the world. We discuss...

“You always have to look inside to really understand. Because all design at the end of the day falls flat if it doesn’t connect with customers—if it doesn’t understand the market that you’re in, if it doesn’t understand the problem that your specific customers are trying to solve.” Daniel Scrivner has led a unique and design-centric career that’s taken him from Apple to Square to the C-suite at Fl...

“When you talk about brand you immediately go to marketing. But brand is how something from a company makes you feel. That transcends marketing.” Ryan Hogan would know. As a serial entrepreneur who’s built several brands, he now helps thousands hunt serial killers with his fast-growing Hunt a Killer gaming company. We discussed Ryan’s unique backstory, business, and brand this week on the On Brand...

“We can shake our fist at it or we can ride the wave. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a scenario where someone’s shaken their fist at what’s developing and won. It doesn’t solve anything.” David Bates has built a career doing creative work for dynamic clients and adapting to significant shifts in the industry along the way. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Da...

“You can start with a catchy tagline but you can’t stop there.” Margie Agin helps B2B technology companies discover what makes them unique and find the words to say it. She is the founder and chief strategist of Centerboard Marketing, a DC-based marketing agency, and author of Brand Breakthrough: How to Go Beyond a Catchy Tagline to Build an Authentic, Influential and Sustainable Brand Personality...

“The key is not to create unique content for all of these different places. The key is to create one really good, deep piece of content that’s going to work for your brand.” Brad Smith is the founder and CEO of Codeless, a content production company for the best SaaS sites on the planet. Their articles have been featured in The New York Times, Business Insider, TheNextWeb, and more. At Codeless, c...

“This is the moment that people will remember for a much longer time—the brands and how they react and how they help to create a mutually beneficial relationship is something that people will remember for the long term.” As a strategist, Margaret Rogers spends a lot of her time focusing on consumer behavior. That’s gotten even more challenging in the face of both COVID-19 and social unrest. But, a...

“Until you have decent consumer intelligence and some competitive market information from the cash register, you don’t have the basis for what I would call a tight strategic plan.” With extensive experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, James Richardson brings his background as a cultural anthropologist to understanding the social science and symbology that goes into brand building. He’...

“The old world of branding is falling away and it’s being replaced by intrinsic branding—this idea that if you get your inner world right, then how you show up in the outer world will be sincere, authentic, and interesting.” Emily Soccorsy and Justin Foster have an “iron-sharpens-iron” relationship that they bring to bear, sharpening brands as co-founders of Root + River. We discussed their work t...

“When new technology comes out, we use it in the old ways that we know. With the internet, it was free publication. So we made websites. We didn’t see this as a way of connecting better.” Better connections—meeting someone at their moment of need—is what context is all about. That’s the focus of Mathew Sweezey’s new book, The Context Marketing Revolution. We discussed this along with his work at S...

“The most important part of any brand is the team.” Matt Barnett would know. A serial entrepreneur, Matt’s latest venture is Bonjoro, a B2B asynchronous video platform helping organizations connect with their customers. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Matt Barnett A British designer & Artist, Matt Barnett moved to Australia where Bonjoro was...

“Any subscription brand needs to know—what problem am I solving for my customers? What’s our forever promise?” With a career building subscriptions for brands like Netflix and Electronic Arts, Robbie Kellman Baxter knows what it takes to build lasting customer relationships. That’s been the focus of her books including her latest, The Forever Transaction. We discussed all of this and more on this...

“Duration is the perfect proxy for attention.” Marc Guldimann has spent his career at the intersection of two scientific fields—human decision making and technology. He’s the founder of several startups including his latest, Adelaide, which sells ads based on duration or time spent. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Marc Guldimann Marc Guldiman...

“It’s about getting people to create less content but also more meaningful content.” Amen. This week’s guests aren’t just content marketing professionals. As leaders at Upland Software and co-authors of Mastering One Voice, Toby Murdock and Zoë Randolph are on a mission to help content marketers create better content with a more cohesive, meaningful brand voice. We discussed all of this and more o...

“There’s a shift that’s taking place that’s requiring a response. Now people are saying—action.” Ashley Shuler is a business strategist who helps busy solopreneurs operate their businesses efficiently and effectively. Recently, she replied to one of my ICYMI email newsletters on how brands need to do better on race. We discussed this along with productivity and missed brand touchpoints, this week...

“When it comes to HBO it’s really about quality, distinction, and uniqueness. And looking for stories that haven’t been told before.” As Senior Vice President at Warner Media, Jason Mulderig is responsible for everything related to the HBO brand—from advertising to promotion—including the new HBO Max streaming service. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcas...

“Rebranding itself signals change.” Change is something that Jim Heininger focuses on extensively in his work as the leader of not one but two agencies. Dixon|James focuses on communication and change management while Rebranding Experts focuses on the comprehensive art and strategic science of rebranding. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Jim H...

“As African Americans, we’ve given up our narrative. It takes away our humanity. We have human stories just like everyone else—it’s just that our brand isn’t being written by us.” Faith McKinney is an author, media strategist, and longtime listener of the On Brand podcast. This week she joined me as a guest for a discussion on building your personal brand, taking control of the African American na...

“Enough is enough. It’s the responsibility of companies to stand up.” Following the murder of George Floyd, the nation has seen a critical shift in the growth and power of the Black Lives Matter movement through protest and action. But what should leaders and companies do? This week on the On Brand podcast, Media Frenzy Global Partner and COO Katie Kern returns to discuss how brands can start havi...

“The person is a product themselves—regardless of what they’re selling.” As one of the youngest executives in the history of Sony Music Entertainment, Laura Bull worked to transform people into powerful platforms. Now she consults and teaches these lessons, which are also featured in her new book From Individual to Empire. We discussed all of this and more, this week on the On Brand podcast. About...

“Marketing is becoming more mathematical. You have to start reading the signals of what your customers are telling you.” Ominsend Co-Founder and CEO Rytis Lauris is on a mission to help small- and medium-sized eCommerce businesses understand just that. We discussed this mission and the state of omnichannel marketing this week on the On Brand podcast. About Rytis Lauris Rytis Lauris is the co-found...

Two years ago I was fortunate enough to interview one of my business heroes—management legend and author Tom Peters. This was a once-in-a-lifetime podcast event. Or so I thought. A couple of weeks ago, Tom reached out again wanting to talk about the unique challenges of leadership and work in these troubling times. I couldn't wait to catch up with Tom and to share our conversation with you. Enjoy!...