On Brand with Nick Westergaard

“A story lets you address problems in a very human way.” While traditional business books, textbooks, and case studies help us learn key concepts, they often miss what’s going on behind the scenes. The story arc or narrative. This week, author, designer, and brand advisor Marty Neumeier returned to the On Brand podcast (listen to his first episode here) to discuss his latest book Scramble — a busi...

“Content is expanding — it’s shifting. It used to be 2D and flat.” Now we have VR, AR, MR, and XR. What’s a marketer to do? Luckily, we can get this entire world demystified for us by extended reality expert and futurist Cathy Hackl on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Cathy Hackl Cathy Hackl is the lead Futurist at You Are Here Immersive Labs, one of the Southeast's most prominen...

“Brands that endure have long-term ambitions. They make a durable difference.” When it comes to celebrating your brand’s legacy, age is relative. In some industries it’s a benefit while others are looking for the latest, greatest thing. But your legacy is bigger than what you’ve left behind. Business journalist Lucas Conley shared the five pillars that make up a brand’s legacy on this week’s episo...

“Brands today are more dynamic than ever before. We need to keep the idea of brand from being esoteric." And we need better tools for managing and measuring brand impact across platforms. That’s exactly what Luke Beatty does as CEO at Brandfolder. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Luke Beatty Prior to joining Brandfolder as CEO, Luke Beatty ser...

“Brands aren’t logos or static concepts. They’re value systems.” Mario Natarelli has branded everything. From Fortune 500 companies to entire countries. Regardless of how different the individual clients may be, the frameworks remain the same. Author and brand strategist Natarelli was kind enough to share them with us on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Mario Natarelli Mario Nata...

“Everything is an ad.” At times it seems as though our industry is in the midst of an existential crisis. Who are we? What do we really do? Are branding, marketing, and advertising still the best descriptors? Kevin Kelly, President and Founder of BigBuzz Marketing Group, helped us get to the bottom of these big questions on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly...

“The only exciting thing celebrity has is the privilege of platform.” To build something from this privilege, you need to understand your personal brand. Show business and personal branding are two topics Phil Pallen is uniquely qualified to talk about. And that’s exactly what we did on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Enjoy! About Phil Pallen Phil Pallen is a brand and social media st...

“We sell the communities as much as the homes that sit in them.” Buying real estate — buying a home — is the biggest purchase many of us make. Who we buy from is a big decision. This is magnified even further in the high-end real-estate market in New York. Matthew Leone, Chief Marketing Officer of Halstead, discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Matthe...

“Many have seen a TED talk about design thinking but they don’t know what’s next — what it looks like.” This week on the On Brand podcast we unpacked design thinking, magical experiences, Nordic design, and how to criticize creative work with Jon Kolko, author of Creative Clarity and Partner at Modernist Studio. About Jon Kolko Jon Kolko is the author of Creative Clarity, Partner at Modernist Stud...

“We all need help. We all need to move people. But we’re reluctant to ask.” While it may not seem related to branding and marketing, the social sciences of motivation and influence underly everything we do. That’s why I couldn’t wait to have Heidi Grant back on the podcast. She’s the Global Director of Research and Development at the Neuroleadership Institute and the author of several books includ...

“Everyone is so stressed out. All of the marketers I talk to. There are so many channels and so many reports to prove our existential existence!” What’s an overwhelmed marketer to do? Allen Gannett is founder and CEO of TrackMaven, a company with a left-brained marketing focus. However, he just wrote a book on cultivating creativity. Marketers can overcome today’s challenges by mastering both hemi...

"Digital is content, content is stories." Listeners of the podcast know that I am a big fan of storytelling as a brand building tool. And I'm not alone. David Aaker has had a storied career in branding and marketing, as both an academic at UC Berkeley and Vice-Chairman of Prophet. He's also the author of 17 books including his latest, Creating Signature Stories. We discussed all of this and more o...

"Why is our industry slow to adapt? Because the way we've done things had always worked ..." Until it didn't. While technology has changed the marketing and PR industry significantly, we're also at a cultural inflection point. People are demanding that the brands that they support take stands on social issues. Katie Kern of Media Frenzy Global discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode...

“Every animal has a story to tell.” And we didn’t even get to them all! But we tried. This week I chatted with Dean Noble, Director of Marketing of the Santa Barbara Zoo. With a diverse background including the movie business, improv comedy, and theme parks, we discussed live events, storytelling, podcasts, Cary Grant, and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Dean Noble Dean...

“The CMO for a medium-sized brand is responsible for more words than the editor of a newspaper.” Words matter. And, to this very point, there are a lot of them in the crowded, digital world we find ourselves in. How can you develop a consistent yet flexible brand lexicon? Just ask strategist Al Hussain of Verbal Identity. And that’s exactly what I did on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast...

"Does your brand exist legally? The depends on what your brand is.” We only tackle the big questions on this podcast! Our guest this week isn’t a branding author, marketing strategist, or someone working in the trenches, building brands. But she helps people do just that. Jenny Odegard is a lawyer focusing on people and companies in advertising, marketing, and other creative industries. We discuss...

“Experience is the residue brands leave with people after the product’s gone.” Justin Wartell of Monocle knows a thing or two about brand experience. In working with brands as diverse as FedEx, Quiznos, Mass General, and the Denver Broncos, this brand builder knows that it all comes down to answering the big questions like “Why do we do that?” We discussed brand education, experience, and more on...

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed how Starbucks is using a recent in-store crisis as an opportunity to step up their employee-training efforts. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show. Beyond the Sound Bite Starbucks to close all U.S. stores for an...

“The confused mind doesn’t buy.” As a psychology major — I know enough to be dangerous — I couldn’t wait to talk with Kaye Putnam. A psychology-driven brand strategist, she works with entrepreneurs from startup to high-growth. Creating a standout brand is harder than ever today. Brand builders need to understand how to appeal to customers’ hearts and minds. We discussed brand archetypes and critic...

Early in my career, I spent my commute listening to audiobooks in my 1996 Ford Taurus. The tinny car speakers shook as Tom Peters spoke about excellence and management by walking around. Through landmark books such as In Search of Excellence, The Pursuit of Wow! and his latest, The Excellence Dividend, Tom challenges conventional wisdom with an unparalleled bias toward action. I’m thrilled to shar...

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed the latest data from the State of Branding 2018. The report breaks down the biggest challenges marketers face. Topping that list once again is customer experience. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show. Beyond the...

“Consumers are human beings first.” Duh. Who needs to be reminded of this? I mean, we’ve got our big data, customer analytics, loyalty metrics, key performance indicators, demographics, psychographic profiles, and … Oh yeah. That’s why we need to be reminded that our customers are living, breathing humans. Luckily, loyalty expert Barry Kirk joined us this week to discuss neuroscience, gamification...

“How we treat employees relates to how they become brand ambassadors.” Your employees — your people — are one of your biggest brand assets. However, they can only do this if they’re engaged. As the Chief Human Resources Officer at an award-winning financial institution, Shawn Premer knows how organizations can harness their people power. We discussed employee engagement and culture on this week’s...

“People want brands to step in and solve things that government can’t.” With the latest news of #BoycottNRA and the #MeToo movement, it could seem that this is an idea plucked from recent headlines. But the role of business in social issues has been a part of the conversation for centuries. Anne Bahr Thompson is a leading expert on this and author of the new book Do Good. We discussed corporate so...

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed some new podcast listenership data courtesy of the Infinite Dial 2018 study from Edison Research and Triton Digital. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show. Beyond the Sound Bite Infinite Dial 2018 (Edison Research...