On Brand with Nick Westergaard

This week, we have a special LIVE episode of the On Brand podcast — on stage from SXSW 2018. Recorded Saturday, March 10 in Austin, this episode featured a timely discussion of a big question that many brand builders are struggling with in these divisive times — should your brand take a stand socially and politically? Joining me were guests Heather Whaling of Geben Communication and Wendy Cohen of...

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed a new report from Radiocentre and Ebiquity that suggests that marketers are undervaluing the impact of traditional media channels and overvaluing digital media. 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 So...

“Most CEOs delegate culture to HR and brand to marketing. You need to prioritize a fusion of these areas.” For many organizations, this is a big shift. Thankfully, this big shift is the big focus of the latest book from brand leadership expert Denise Lee Yohn. We discussed the potential power of the fusion of brand and culture on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast presented by Twenty20. A...

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed a new report on how Twitter is cracking down on bot use. 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 Twitter is (finally) cracking down on bots (TechCrunch). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is jus...

“The tactics have changed but the strategy of owning and building a brand hasn’t.” Laura Ries can share first hand how branding has stood the test of time. “It’s why some rise and others don’t — it’s the brand.” Together with her father, positioning pioneer Al Ries, Laura authored some of the seminal branding texts of our time including The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding. We discussed positioning,...

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed some new data from Edison Research’s Infinite Dial study showing that Facebook use is down for the first time in a decade! 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 Facebook Declines for the Fi...

“You have to find people who like you but aren’t like you.” This is a mistake many brands make. They look for customers just like them — with their specific interests and characteristics — instead of people who like your brand and what it stands for. Melanie Spring is a speaker, facilitator, and brand strategist at Branded Confidence. We discussed community, culture, and more on this week’s episod...

"A lot of content being produced is not good. That's because it's not telling a great story." As Editor-in-Chief and Director of Content Strategy at Contently, Joe Lazauskas understands the interconnected relationship between content and story. It's the focus of his new book, The Storytelling Edge, and our discussion on this week's episode of the On Brand podcast. About Joe Lazauskas Joe is the co...

"Everyone thinks that branding isn't important today but branding is the new advertising." Despite media and technology shifts, the brand behind your stories and status updates is more important than ever. We unpacked all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast featuring brand strategist and author Fabian Geyrhalter. About Fabian Geyrhalter Fabian Geyrhalter is a renowned b...

Stories can be powerful tools for moving people and building brands. This isn’t as easy as it could sound. Storytelling is both an art and a science. We unpacked all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast with Patti Sanchez, Chief Strategy Officer at Duarte. About Patti Sanchez Patti Sanchez, Duarte’s Chief Strategy Officer, creates IP and counsels clients to create authen...

“I love looking at other industries and seeing what they’re doing.” As Director of Agency Marketing at TopRank Marketing, Ashley Zeckman has a lot on her plate working — both agency marketing and client marketing. In some organizations, these two pursuits don’t always play nicely with each other (see “the cobbler’s son has no shoes”). But Ashley makes it work. We discussed all of this and more on...

“It’s better to whole-ass one thing than half-ass several.” As the author of the book Badass Your Brand, my conversation with Pia Silva was bound to be both fun and irreverent. In all seriousness, powerful language helps you cut through the clutter. You can’t succeed by being everything to everyone. Pia and I discussed badassery in all of its forms this week on the On Brand podcast. Enjoy! Enjoy T...

“The biggest problem we marketers face today is trying to be all things to all people.” Andy Cunningham would know. She’s spent her career positioning brands. As the jacket of her book says: “Trust Andy. Steve Jobs did.” That’s right. Andy played a key role in the launch of the original Macintosh. We discussed all of this on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Andy Cunningham Andy C...

“You’re only a brand if you have meaning beyond your name.” One of the more challenging questions I ask on a regular basis is, “How do you define what a brand is?” Strategist Robin Fisher Roffer didn’t miss a beat. You have to have meaning and communicate it across all touchpoints. You know, the easy stuff! We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Rob...

“Brands today are looking for immediate feedback. And if it’s negative, they’re done.” What are brands missing today? According to Mod Op’s Jeff Suhy, it all comes down to one thing — consistency. Or lack thereof. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Jeff Suhy As President and Partner at Mod Op, Jeff is responsible for building the strategic funct...

“There’s so much power in the spoken word.” Nancy Duarte would know. She’s the world’s leading expert on visual communication, ranked #1 on the World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals. She’s also this week’s guest on the On Brand podcast. As you can hear at the very beginning, we had a delightful conversation.  About Nancy Duarte Nancy Duarte is a communication expert who has been featured in F...

“There’s a common theme to everything I do — I create content that helps people.” And Peter Shankman does just a few things as an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and thought leader on topics ranging from public relations, customer service, and working with ADHD. He’s also this week’s guest on the On Brand podcast. About Peter Shankman Peter Shankman is an entrepreneur, CEO, runner, skydiver, podcas...

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed some new data from Buzzsumo showing that Facebook Page reach and engagement have declined dramatically since January 2017. 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 New Study Finds Facebook Page...

“We want to personify the Watson brand.” But how do you personify a machine? That’s one of the many challenges that Amber Armstrong faces on a daily basis as Director of Digital Amplification, Events, and Demand Generation and Customer Engagement for IBM Watson. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Amber Armstrong Amber Armstrong is an IBM Directo...

On this week's Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed why email should be a bigger part of your marketing strategy. 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 For Many Marketers, Email Is Still King (eMarketer) Remember, the Social Sound Bite is jus...

“My whole life has been a big improvisation — I follow my nose.” Improvisation has played a big role in Alan Alda’s career in more ways than one. From his early theatrical work to founding the Alda Center for Communicating Science to his latest book — If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? The one, the only Alan Alda is On Brand this week (as Alan jokes, “I only brought one of me!...

On this week's Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed Facebook's latest innovation in advertising analytics: eliminating accidental clicks. 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 Facebook says it’s removing accidental clicks from its ad network...

On this week's Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed just how much of the online advertising apple is owned by Google and Facebook (SPOILER ALERT: about 50%.) 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 Tech giants eating the advertising world (Axio...

“Branding is finding what’s true in any organization.” Mark Viden has experience in brand advertising with lots of different types of organizations ranging from startups and financial services to his current role as Vice Preside of Brand Marketing at Dignity Health. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.  About Mark Viden Mark Viden is charged with buildi...

“The future should be sustainable materials.” After years in finance, Hamilton Perkins discovered his new calling while shopping for a bag. A bag that he couldn’t find. This led him to found Hamilton Perkins Collection, a certified b-corp that crafts bags from recycled plastic bottles and lined with repurposed billboards. Talk about an engaging brand story! We explored all of this and more on this...