JUST Branding

We're diving deep into the realm of BIG Brand Ideas – those game-changing, magnetic forces that breathe life into brands and propel them to greatness.

Join your hosts, the dynamic duo of branding, Matt Davies and Jacob Cass, as they unravel the mysteries behind these mighty ideas. It's a rollercoaster of insights, anecdotes, and aha moments!

Discover what it takes to craft a brand idea so compelling, it becomes a rallying cry that unites, excites, and drives your brand to new heights. But beware – these gems are not just lying around waiting to be found; they're hidden treasures that demand a masterful touch.

Feast your ears on real-world examples from major brands that have harnessed the power of BIG ideas, and get ready to have your mind blown. Matt and Jacob will also share their own experiences, giving you an exclusive peek into the art of unlocking big ideas for clients.

By the end of this electrifying episode, you'll be armed with the knowledge and inspiration to supercharge your brand-building process. Don't miss out – tune in now and let the sparks of BIG Brand Ideas ignite your brand's future! 🔥🚀

When collaboratively building a brand, how does a strategist balance both the facilitation of workshops and the task of creating the strategy 🤔.

What are the key challenges? How can they be overcome? This is the topic of this value-packed episode.

As a workshop ExperienceDesigner and facilitator known for her work with the Butter and Miro Communities and as a brand strategist working with global teams Rachel Davis is a bit of a unicorn.

In this episode, we tuck into the very real challenges of the strategist+facilitator with practical tips, tricks, and ideas shared from the outset. Rachel shares experiences and ideas gleaned from her 10+ years as a practitioner in this space. Not to be missed.

Join us and Hamish Smyth as we unravel the crucial role of brand guidelines in achieving brand consistency, recognition, and trust.

We’ll explore the key elements of successful guidelines and gain insights from renowned brands, plus learn how to avoid common pitfalls and create brand guidelines that people actually use.

Plus, we introduce the ground-breaking "Standards" tool transforming brand guidelines for the better.

This episode is a must-listen for all seeking branding excellence!

Our guest today is the esteemed Professor Jenni Romaniuk, an expert in marketing and consumer behaviour from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science.

In this episode, we explore the significance of distinctiveness in branding and its role in a brand's success. Jenni shares key elements for building distinctive brands and provides examples of distinctive brand assets.

We also delve into the concept of differentiation and its importance in establishing a brand's competitive edge with Jenni offering insights into how distinctiveness and differentiation work together to drive brand growth.

Tune in to this enlightening episode of JUST Branding and gain expert knowledge from Professor Jenni Romaniuk's extensive experience in the world of marketing science and consumer behaviour.

Join us as we sit down with marketing strategist, Ian Barnard, and delve into the world of brand performance and its distinction from performance marketing, exploring the positioning process (4Cs) and the significance of creating future demand.

Ian shares valuable insights on how small brands can grow when competing against larger market leaders and highlights the most common advertising mistakes made by small brands.

Tune in to learn how brand marketing can facilitate profitable scaling and discover the 2-4-5 framework for effective full-funnel advertising.

We also discuss digital marketing mistakes that damage brands and uncover strategies for positioning brands to become the top-of-mind choice.

Don’t miss this insightful conversation that will level up your brand & marketing expertise, no matter your level.

Mastering Brand Building in a Regulated World: Insights from the Brilliant Terri Goldstein!

🎙️ Calling all business owners and marketers operating in regulated environments like finance or medical! This episode is tailor-made for you. Join us as we delve into the extraordinary mind of Terri Goldstein, a visionary strategist and design expert, whose unwavering commitment to brands has spanned decades.

🏢 Step into the captivating realm of brand creation amidst regulations, where Terri unveils her groundbreaking methods and invaluable experiences in the medical field. Discover how she skillfully guides customers to 'way-find' and effortlessly navigate through her Shelf Sight Sequence, tapping into our innate ability to perceive colors, shapes, and symbols.

🌟 Brace yourself for a deep dive into the core challenges encountered in regulated spaces and Terri's ingenious solutions. Uncover the pivotal role distinctive assets play as strategic drivers and gain invaluable insights on how to conquer the unique hurdles faced by brand builders operating in regulated environments.

✨ Don't miss out on this dynamic conversation packed with wisdom and inspiration. Tune in now and revolutionize your brand-building game in the world of regulations!

Frederick Ost and Erik Kockum of SNASK join us to discuss how to build culture, and along the way our conversation diverts into a myriad of topics including creativity, empathy, philosophy, and of course, branding.

We discuss how their agency SNASK approaches brand building, the key to creativity, how to create a culture of trust and creativity, as well as how leading with vulnerability and empathy can give you an edge in the industry.

LinkedIn is one of the most powerful platforms for making business connections and growing your personal brand.

But are you leveraging its power to the full?

Join us in this episode as we are joined by LinkedIn expert, Mike Roberts, to dig deep into how to use LinkedIn to grow your personal brand for success.

Together we review how LinkedIn can help you build a powerful personal brand and what you need to do to ensure your LinkedIn profile is in tip-top condition for success.

We also get Mike's top tips on how to use the platform, how video is the next big thing, and what you can do right now to bring awareness to your brand. Not to be missed!

Dan White is a branding consultant and author of "The Smart Branding Book" and has over 30 years of experience in marketing and branding.

In this episode, we discuss the latest thinking and methods for brand building including the rarely discussed area of uncovering insights and measuring brand, with successful examples.

We highlight how insights and measurement can be used together to create successful branding campaigns, and discuss how to adjust and improve branding strategies over time.

Lastly, we touch on emerging trends in branding and how branding may evolve in the future.

Get ready to revolutionize your branding game with the help of AI!

In this episode of JUST Branding, we are joined by the renowned digital marketing expert and "AI whisperer," Rob Lennon, who has 45 publications under his belt and a wealth of knowledge and resources around AI, ChatGPT, and prompt craft.

Rob shares actionable insights on how you can leverage AI, particularly ChatGPT, to grow your business. Plus, we dive into the benefits of using AI, such as improved efficiency and personalization, and showcase real-life examples of successful AI integration in brand & marketing efforts.

But that's not all! Rob also reveals specific tools and techniques that can be used to teach AI to embody your brand's unique voice, style, and customers. By the end of this episode, you'll have all the strategies and tools you need to take your brand to the next level with AI.

We also discuss the ethical concerns related to using AI in content and marketing, and explore the potential pitfalls and mistakes that companies should avoid.

Finally, we look towards the future and discuss how AI will continue to shape the world of branding and marketing.

Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn from the AI whisperer himself and unlock the full potential of AI for your brand.

This summary was written by AI based on the transcript of the episode. How’s that for practicing what you preach!

Are you thirsty for some killer marketing strategies? Then grab a glass of Liquid Death Mountain Water and tune in to the latest episode of the Just Branding Podcast!

Hosts Matt & Jacob sit down with Steve Nilson, AKA Stix, the 'Vice of President of Cult Indoctrination' at Liquid Death, to dive into the innovative thinking behind one of the most successful up-and-coming consumer brands.

Stix and his team have made waves in the industry by breaking all the rules and creating a refreshing new approach to selling water.

We'll explore the brand's clear purpose and positioning, which not only hydrates but also has shaken up the entire water category.

Stix's philosophy of authentic brand building is the perfect recipe for success, relying on radical creativity and genuine endorsements to quench the thirst of consumers worldwide.

But we'll also take a gulp of Stix's risk assessment approach to ensure that creativity never goes overboard, while still considering the brand's potential for global expansion.

If you're looking to make a splash in your industry and disrupt the market, this episode is a must-listen.

Don't let it slip through your fingers like water through a sieve - tune in now to discover the phenomenal brand power of Liquid Death!

Warning. This episode might blow your mind.

In this episode, Matt and Jacob speak with Kate Pincott - Head of Design at Matteruem. Mattereuem are at the cutting edge of technology which enables brands to create NFT digital passports of real-world assets which are certified by third parties and which may enable the spiral economy.

If none of that makes any sense to you then definitely listen to this episode to cut through the jargon and get an insight into the future of brand building in the digital world.

We tuck into how NFTs can be used in a practical way to build consumer trust. We delve into what NFTs are and why when pairing them with real products customers can obtain huge amounts of value.

Ultimately, if you want your brand to be relevant in the future, you will need to know about the next frontier for brands. You heard it here first.

Do you run strategic brand-building workshops with your clients or team? Or wish to?

Then this episode is for you! We go deep into workshops with expert workshop designer Brittni Bowering (ex AJ&Smart).

In a jam-packed episode, we discuss why workshops are so powerful, when and when not to use workshops, and tips on how to create and run a powerful workshop.

We also go into the pros and cons of physical and virtual workshops and also explore the future of workshopping.

In this episode, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies delve into the subject of community building for both brands & creatives.

We jump straight into understanding your audience, where we cover defining your target audience, understanding their needs and behaviors, and researching to gain insights.

We then move on to defining your community's purpose, highlighting the importance of identifying core values and the overall mission, setting goals and objectives, and aligning with your audience's goals.

Building and growing your community is next on the agenda, where we discuss strategies for attracting members, engaging them, managing conflicts, and measuring success.

We also touch on monetizing your community, finding the right strategy, and ensuring that it benefits both your community and its members.

Finally, we share best practices and tips for success, including common mistakes to avoid, recommendations for successful community building, and tips for management and growth.

In this episode, we dive into the world of brand consulting, what it is, and how it differs from other roles in the branding industry.

We discuss the key qualities that make a successful brand consultant, including confidence, communication and listening skills, a growth mindset, and strong facilitation abilities.

Next, we will each share our own background and experiences in the branding industry, including how we got started and how we have developed our skills and knowledge.

We also share our unique perspectives on the process of working with clients and how we stay current on industry trends and developments.

Join us as we explore the ever-expanding field of brand consulting and gain insights for your own journey!

What a year! In this episode, we share some of our favorite insights from our esteemed guests.

Episodes featured (in order): 

E19: Supercharging Innovation & Creativity with Hussain Almossawi

E9: Agile Swarming with Dennis Hahn

E20: Brands VS Blands with Ariadna Navarro

E11: Debunking Branding Bull with Austin Franke

E13: Million Dollar Consulting with Alan Weiss

E18: Brand Positioning with Ulli Appelbaum

E4: The Future of Brands with Anneli Hansson

E3: Global Brand Strategy with Jan-Benedict Steenkamp

E16: Archetypes & Stories with Carol Pearson

E17: Disruptive Innovation + Purpose-Driven Branding with David Aaker

E10: Corporate Branding from The Inside Out with Meg Kypena

E1: Designing Company Culture with Josh Levine

E7: Web3, NFTs & The Metaverse with Konstantinos Kolias

As brand builders, we used to build brands that would last.

Campaigns would extend for years, and visual identity systems—once created—wouldn’t become obsolete for decades.

Today, the speed of change is so aggressive, brand builders must consider that what they build now could be irrelevant in a few months.

Brands face a choice. First, they can commit to brand positioning and stay true to their visual appearance and social stances regardless of where the wind blows.

Or, they can create a flexible, and ever—A/B testing brand that can evolve as the world does. This second option has contributed to the rise of the blands—brands from the past five years that look, sound, and show up as simultaneously trendy and generic.

In this podcast episode with Ariadna Navarro, the Chief Strategy Officer at VSA partners, a hybrid strategy & design consultancy, we discuss the differences between blands and brands, how we got here and where we need to go next

Discover how to harness your fire, flex your courage and supercharge your ideas to create remarkable products, services & experiences, with the knowledge shared by the creative powerhouse, Hussain Almossawi.

Hussain has just released a book titled “The Innovator’s Handbook: A Short Guide to Unleashing Your Creative Mindset” which is full of insights, ideas, stories & practical exercises that will take your creative thinking to the next level.

We discuss the first principles of innovation, how to generate new ideas with practical methods, as well as the common traps to avoid when trying to achieve impactful innovation.

We tap into the mindset, “failure” and inspiration all in the pursuit of unlocking greater innovation for brands & creatives alike.

If you want to supercharge your creativity & get more innovative, this episode is for you!

How can brands position themselves for success in today’s marketplace?

That is the question.

And we have the answer!

In this episode, we discuss proven brand positioning methodologies that actually work, complete with examples and practical steps you can use to develop your own brand positioning that are truly differentiating, distinctive, and highly relevant.

To guide us, we have Ulli Appelbaum, the author of the new book The Brand Positioning Workbook: A simple how-to guide to more compelling brand positioning, faster.

Ulli is an award-winning marketing and brand strategy consultant with more than 20 years of experience creating brand strategies and building brands, holding senior strategy roles at some of the largest advertising agencies in the world including BBDO, Leo Burnett, and SapientNitro.

If you want to be able to create attractive brands that succeed in today’s marketplace, this is the episode for you!

David Aaker is the author of over 100 articles and 18 books on branding, business strategy, and marketing that have sold well over one million copies.

Hailed the “Father of Modern Branding”, David is a true authority on branding and we’re incredibly humbled to have him here on JUST Branding.

In this episode, we focus on two of his recent books…

The first is “Owning Game-Changing Subcategories” which focuses on disruptive innovation & growth in the digital age.

And the second is his latest book, The Future of Purpose-Driven Branding: Signature Programs that Impact & Inspire Both Business and Society.

Tune in to understand how brands can break through with disruptive innovation and the “must-haves” for growth in the digital age.

Plus, how brands can maintain relevance & connect with future consumers through purpose-driven branding while avoiding green-washing.

What stories are you living? What about your brand?

And how do you manage that meaning?

With Archetypes.

And who better to discuss the power of archetypes than Carol S. Pearson?

Carol is the co-author of “The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes” (Published 2001), alongside Margaret Mark.

This book has been incredibly influential in the brand strategy space as its ideas on archetypes have been taken and used to align teams and intentionally build brands.

Carol’s latest work focuses on exploring how archetypes show up in individuals and her recent book is called "What Stories are You Living? Discover Your Archetypes, Transform Your Life."

In this episode, Matt Davies and Jacob Cass discuss Carol's work – both past and present – to uncover the power of archetypes and how this knowledge should be used and how it should not.

We get super practical with Israeli duo, Margaret Jerr-Jarrett, and Emunah Winer, founders of Jerusalem-based agency, Nihilo.

We tuck into how they use words and ideas to build powerful brands and we explore how the strategic elements of brand building find their way into the creative look and feel and customer experiences a brand produces for customers.

We review what a “Verbal” Identity is and why brands need one. We also explore the principles of the tone of voice and how a verbal identity connects with visual identity.

We also do a deep dive into how this duo works and goes about creating and defining brand identity as well as exploring live projects.

If you want a peak behind the scenes as to how the brand building works in practice - this episode is not to be missed.

Ezequiel Abramzon is a brand strategist who spent 20+ years working as an executive at Disney as a marketer and strategist running digital across LATAM and later overseeing global creative from the UK.

He now lives in Spain where he works as a consultant helping entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial companies transform the way they see their business by unlocking their brand mindset.

And brand mindset is the focus of this episode.

We explore what a brand mindset is and why businesses need it.

We go deep into the 6 traits of a brand mindset and explore how to develop each trait. We also pick Ezequiel's brains on how to keep a mindset on track - both for yourself and your team.

Who better to learn about consulting from than "the consultants consultant" Alan Weiss?

Alan wrote the famous best selling book "Million Dollar Consultant" and is the author of over 60 books on consulting and business.

In this episode Matt and Jacob sit down with Alan to discuss how the principles of Alan's books can be applied to brand strategy.

We explore why consultancy is a good option, different consulting approaches, how to sell it and how to grow a consulting practice. We go deep into value based billing and show how selling time is a terrible idea.

Matt is especially thrilled with this episode as he has been using Alan's techniques to great success.

This episode is NOT to be missed!

Friction isn't something to be avoided. Successful brands not only understand the difference between good and bad friction but also know how to embrace a dose of good friction to create greater value.

Soon Yu, author of ‘Friction: 'Adding Value By Making People Work for It' will show you how to leverage good friction to drive increased engagement, meaning, belonging, rapport, assurance, competence, and exclusivity, for more memorable brand experiences.

Soon Yu is an international speaker, award-winning author, and expert on innovation, branding, design, and entrepreneurship. He has worked with brands such as The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Nautica, and Wrangler and is a former adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design, a guest lecturer at Stanford University, and a Forbes contributor.

Austin Franke is a brand strategist and the founder of WooPunch, a brand & design consultancy rooted in the science of how brands grow.

Austin is going to be sharing his approach to brand, which is a less conventional approach, based on behavioral science and other evidence-based fields.

We’re going to “debunk” or at least throw a few punches around in regards to what Austin calls “Branding Bullshit”.

In particular, brand differentiation, customer engagement, brand purpose from a values viewpoint, loyalty marketing, and how designers can truly help a brand grow beyond the typical clichés.

Now get into your corners, and welcome to the ring, Austin Franke.

Big companies struggle with the principles of brand. In this episode we sit down with Freelance Internal Brand Strategist, the powerful Meg Kypena.

In this episode we dig deep into how corporations can use the power of branding to align their people and communicate better.

This is branding from the inside, out.

This episode is a real treat for anyone looking to level up on how to work on brand strategy collaboratively.

Matt Davies and Jacob Cass sit down with global agency leader Dennis Hahn of Liquid agency.

Together they quiz Dennis on his 'agile swarming' methodology covering what swarming is and what problems it solves for leadership, strategy, and creative teams.

Dennis outlines his principles for swarming and how to conduct a swarm. He also gives insights on what makes a great facilitator, the environment, and the tools he uses for success.

If you want to know how an agency at the cutting edge is doing its strategy work this is the episode for you. Not to be missed.

If you are serious about brand building at scale, this is the episode for you.

Richard Cotter is a brand consultant at the top of his game. He left school at 17 and developed his career to the point where now he is parachuted to work with large organizations that have brands that are underperforming and help scale them.

He is best known for turning around outdoor performance and lifestyle brand Berghaus.

He is the author of the book The Zebra Reality: How to Create Unstoppable Organizational Momentum’ and achieve all your business goals.

In this episode, Matt Davies and Jacob Cass sit down with Richard and tuck into how he has got to where he is and his top tips on scaling underperforming brands.

We talk about differentiation, attributes of global brands, the power of alignment, and the five steps for creating organizational momentum.

A super episode packed with value with someone who has been there, done it, and got the Berghaus T-shirt.

What does Web3 mean for brands & creatives? What about NFTs and The Metaverse? 

We break it all down for you in layman’s terms, with special guest Kostas K!

We go over the fundamentals of Web3 including its definition, why it matters, tokens, the blockchain, cryptocurrency, wallets, and trends in the space. 

Plus a discussion around NFTs, what they are (and are not), and the opportunities brands and creatives can tap into such as AR & VR, DeFi, DAOs, Virtual Commerce, Digital Assets including Digital Real Estate, Virtual Worlds, the Metaverse, Mixed Reality Solutions, the Blockchain & the Decentralised Web, and so much more! 

Ready to go down the Web3 rabbit hole? Jump in. "

Often we think of brand-building from a commercial or business perspective. This week's guest thinks this needs to change and that as brand builders we need to consider our efforts from the perspective of the meaning consumers will attach to a brand.

Tune in to list insights from Emmanuel Probst - author of Brand Hacks, How to Build Brands by fulfilling the consumer quest for meaning.

In this episode, we discuss the three levels of meaning, brand hacks, examples of meaningful brand building, and how to deal with “naysayers”.

Alex Naghavi is the ECD at Josephmark which is a global venture studio based out of Brisbane and Los Angeles.

In this episode, we learn how to design, validate, launch and sell a brand by deep diving into the process, exploring the benefits and nuances of working with a venture studio VS a traditional design shop.

We discuss MVPs, MVBs, failures and successes and how purpose, beauty and simplicity can help create better brands that make an impact.

We even explore the future of brands through the lens of Web 3.0, VR, 3D Printing, DAOs and the Metaverse.

If you’re startup, founder or someone that works with them, this episode is not to be missed.

Anneli Hansson is a brand strategist, coach & speaker based out of Stockholm, Sweden.

Many will know Anneli as the resident strategist over at TheFutur with Chris Do who we interviewed back on Episode 13.

Anneli just launched an incredible 6-figure course over at The Futur called Brand Strategy Fundamentals.

What people may not know, is that Anneli has a background in building sustainable brands (long before it was a trend) and has recently pivoted into helping creatives transform into strategic thinkers.

With this background, it’s no wonder we have invited Anneli here on to JUST Branding!

In this episode we discuss “The Future of Brands” and all that entails. This is not to be missed!

Are you looking to take a brand to an international audience? 

Global expansion needs careful consideration and so if this is you this episode will be packed with value! 

We sit down with marketing expert, academic and author Jan-Benedict Steenkamp (or as we know him "JB"!) to discuss his book "Global Brand Strategy: World-Wise Marketing in the age of Branding"

In this insightful episode, JB walks us through the COMET framework and the components of which are helpful to consider for brands seeking to go international or for brands who are already international and need to focus their strategy.

The strength of any brand – including yours - hinges on two key factors: Differentiation & Relevance. But it doesn’t stop there. What makes a truly legendary brand is the STORY behind it.

In this episode we decipher why some brands have lines reaching around the block, while other perfectly apt competitors sit empty just steps away.

Gair Maxwell shares case studies including WHY the Mona Lisa is famous and how every-day leaders can build irresistible brands.

Gair Maxwell is a brand strategist, historian, speaker, a former radio and TV host and author of the new book, Big Little Legends:

If you want to build a legendary brand, tune into this brilliant episode.

How can you create an amazing company culture that ensures a brand strategy can be actualized?

That's at the core of this discussion with the amazing Josh Levine, author of Great Mondays.

We sit down with Josh to examine how branding should be done from within by intentionally designing a company culture.

Together we discuss the six components of company culture - Purpose, Values, Behaviors, Recognition, Rituals and Cues.

If you are a brand builder looking to operationalize, align and motivate a whole company around brand thinking, this one is for you.

Listen in as we reveal our favourite outtakes from Season 2 of the JUST Branding Podcast in 2021, including branding insights from creative minds such as Sagi Haviv, Joseph Pine II, Denise Lee Yohn, Natalie Nixon, Bill Gardner, Emily Cohen, Armin Vit, Julian Cole and more.

Katie is the Founder and Creative Director of Brooklyn-based SMAKK, a branding and growth studio whose mission is to help values-led clients build world changing brands.

For much of her career she has worked with everyone from industry giants like American Express and Shiseido to a variety of nimble disruptive beauty, fashion, wellness, and lifestyle brands, including The Honey Pot Company, Harry’s Razors, and more.

Katie applies her expertise across content creation, ecommerce, social media, marketing, and digital experiences toward changing consumer behavior, leading to purchasing decisions that are better for people and the planet.

What makes a powerful personal brand and how can you build one that endures? We outline all the steps you need to follow to craft an authentic brand narrative that will help you get noticed, remembered and results.

Rob Levinson is a seasoned brand strategist who’s worked for global consumer brands such as DeBeers, Rolls-Royce, BMW and more. Now he’s the principal of Leverage Advisors which helps grow middle-market B2B businesses, as well as a Personal Brand Coach which helps people to develop brand stories that get them noticed & remembered. He’s also a lecturer at Boston Uni, and a former Wall Street Journal online columnist.

If you’re wanting to improve & grow your personal brand, this episode is for you!

Learn how to write rock-solid creative briefs and the fundamentals of strategy so you can gain confidence in your strategic abilities, and ultimately have a bigger impact on your company.

Julian Cole is a strategy consultant for global brands such as Apple, Facebook & Disney.

Previously, he’s held the role of Head of Comms Planning at BBDO & has helped create award-winning work for PlayStation, Pepsi, Google and after looking at his wrap sheet - pretty much the Global 100.

Julian is also a strategy coach and in 2017 he founded the Planning Dirty Academy which helps agency strategists improve their craft by getting their hands dirty.

What's it like working on corporate brands from the inside?

In this episode we take a peak behind the curtain to see how big brands are managed by their in-house teams. We sit down with the fantastic Kyle Millar, VP of Marketing at SodaStream Canada.

Kyle outlines how he views brand strategy, the principles he uses to build brand, create memorable customer experiences and to inspire his teams to success. He also digs into what it’s like to work “in-house” - both the highs and the lows.

If you are thinking about working in-house, or if you are just curious as to what it's like joining a large organization in their brand department, this episode is not to be missed.

Previously Kyle has led leading brand roles in Unilever, Molson Coors and Capital One - so it you want to learn from someone whose been there, done it and got the corporate T-shirt, this is the episode for you.

In this episode, we go deep into the world of business strategy with Emily Cohen.

Emily is a self-described “brutally honest” consultant to creative professionals and in fact, she even named her book that!

Her business book, Brutally Honest: No-Bullshit Strategies to Evolve Your Creative Business, is chock full of advice, insights, business best practices, actionable strategies, case studies and much more, but unlike many other books for our industry, Brutally Honest is designed for visual learners (like us!) and includes colorful info-graphics, checklists, as well as short & impactful sound bites to apply!

So if you’re looking for the tools & strategies to whip your business or team in to shape, this episode is for you.

Today we have Scott Buschkuhl who is the Creative Director at Siegel & Gale, a brand strategy, design, and experience firm with its global headquarters located in NYC.

Here, Scott develops teams and works hands-on with his clients who have included folks like New York Times, Victoria’s Secret, Wired, and dozens more. He’s got a ton of awards on his belt, he’s a sought-after lecturer, an esteemed judge for competition juries, and also a professor at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

He’s previously worked at Pentagram and also ran his own agency for 12 years so it’s safe to say we’re in good hands.

Today we’re going to be discussing Simplicity in Branding which is S&G’s philosophy on brand in general. In fact, they state “We’re the simplicity company” as their tagline.

We discuss designing for humans, emotional responses, team collaboration, simplicity as an approach to brand strategy, presentation techniques, and much more!

Relevance. That's the key to ensuring a brand thrives. We sit down with expert and author of "Shift Ahead", Allen Adamson, to understand how to stay relevant in today's fast moving world.

How organizations stay relevant is Allen’s area of specilality. Together we tuck into the principles of relevance, and Allen gives valuable first-hand examples of how to apply these principles in action. We look at how the best organizations recognize when it’s time to change direction, and how they pull it off while bolstering their brands.

As well as “Shift Ahead” Allen is an author of a number of branding books such as; BrandSimple, BrandDigital, and The Edge:50 Tips from Brands That Lead – which are used in universities across the USA.

He is also the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Metaforce, a disruptive marketing and product consultancy which, unlike traditional firms, takes a multi-disciplinary channel-agnostic approach to marketing challenges. So - if you want to learn from an industry giant on the key topic of Relevance, look no further!

As a customer, you’re not buying the item. You’re buying the experience. Today, we have Joseph Pine, co-author of The Experience Economy, on the show to discuss the importance of delighting your customer, along with some powerful examples that will help you “Design the TIME the customer spends with YOU”. If you work with people, then this episode is for you.

Trademark law is tricky. And unsexy. But not anymore.

Come join trademark lawyer, Joey Vitale, who will teach you the ins and outs of trademark law so you can practice safe branding.

Joey is a “lawyer with a soul” who works with small businesses, helping them stay safe when it comes to entity formation, trademark registrations, contract drafting and other fundamental legal needs.

In this episode, we break down the legal jargon in a way that actually makes sense, so you can stay safe and keep pumping out great work, without being worried of the consequences. We discuss:

- How can you protect your ideas & work

- What do you do if your work is stolen

- What to put in your contracts

- The differences between ® ™ © symbols

- The trademarking process

- Plus dozens more legal questions for you to get schooled on.

Practice safe branding people. Take a peek inside this episode.

It’s glorious.

Sagi Haviv is a logo design legend. However, in this episode we go deeper and uncover what it takes to solve big brand & business problems. We discuss CGH’s branding process using case studies from Discovery+, Harvard University Press and Chase Bank, as well as Sagi’s biggest life lessons, how to “pressure test” a trademark & visual identity system, presentation techniques that win, when & how to break the rules, and ultimately how to “problem solve”. Hint… you first must define the business’ problems & success criteria. Tune in for a monster value-packed episode.

Jose Caballer is a designer, strategist & creative entrepreneur. He currently teaches organizations how to create a culture for rapid innovation - focused on alignment, experimentation & feedback. Jose previously worked at RazorFish during the dot com era, and ran a digital agency for 11 years, working with clients such as Jamie Oliver, Disney and Nike. Today he combines his 20 years of design and business experience to train thousands of professionals on webinars and in workshops worldwide.

What some people may not know, is that Jose co-founded The Skool with Chris Do, which is now called TheFutur and this is where we came across Jose. Jose released CORE which is a Design Strategy Framework and consequently is one of the TheFutur’s most popular products. Today we’re going to discuss CORE, brand strategy & innovation and how these tools can be used to help businesses achieve their goals. Plus, we’ll get a sneak peek into Jose’s latest project, The System.

When should a brand, rebrand? What makes a good rebrand? How can you use strategy to ensure your brand’s rebrand is a success?

Armin Vit answers these questions and more in this episode focused on Rebranding Strategy. Armin also reveals his design process, critiquing methodology, how he built a successful branding conference and shares some classic rebranding failures.

Want to learn more about rebranding? Then this episode is for you.

Mash Bonigala is a brand strategist & owner of Spellbrand, a brand strategy & design agency. Mash reveals his rollercoaster entrepreneurial journey of growing his first agency, going bankrupt, how he overcame these adversities and then how he built up his now, million-dollar agency, Spellbrand.

Mash shares all the techniques he has used to sell design & strategy over the years, with some compelling & unconventional methods that will be sure to blow your mind. You’ll be spellbound in this magical episode.

Bill Gardner joins Jacob Cass and Matt Davies to discuss the differences between logos and brands, Jennifer Aawker’s brand personality framework, the discovery process with clients, objectivity VS subjectivity, establishing design briefs, how to sell the value of branding, logo design trends and magic. Yes, magic!

Bill Gardner is the owner and president of Gardner Design, where he and his team have produced effective and award winning results for such industry leaders as NFL, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Kroger, Hallmark, SeaWorld, and others. He understands the nuances of brand practicalities better than anyone in the business and leads his team to always first consider the business that the design is supporting.

As the founder of LogoLounge.com – the international, searchable compendium of logos – Bill authored the affiliated bestselling LogoLounge book series, volumes 1-12, and is the author of the annual LogoLounge Logo Trend Report. 2013 marked the release of the highly anticipated Logo Creed, a foundation textbook for students, educators and professionals alike. Bill is also the author and presenter of LinkedIn Learning’s series of online courses concentrating on branding and identity design.

In 2014, Bill became an AIGA Fellow Award recipient for his contributions to the local, national and international creative community. Bill also judges design competitions and speaks nationally and internationally on identity trends and logo development. In his spare time, he serves on several community boards and has completed a six-year term as the Territorial Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Nathan Hendricks believes there is no excuse for a lousy brand. As chief creative officer at LPK, he challenges the organization’s creative teams to uphold the vision that every brand should make a powerful and positive difference for the people it serves. A candid cultural commentator, he’s never afraid to tell it like it is. In this episode, we explore primal human desires and how we can use that to create stronger brands.

Nathan holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from The Ohio State University, where he majored in visual communications and cultivated an affection for industrial beer.

ABOUT LPK

LPK is a brand, innovation and customer experience consultancy, helping organizations build enduring brands that thrive in the emergent culture. Merging trends, insights, strategy and creativity, we create the now, near and next for B2Bs and B2Cs, startups and Fortune 50s.

Learn what NOT to do when it comes to developing your brand. Listen in as we discuss with brand strategist, Jacquelin Lieberman, the most common mistakes brands make as they grow & market their brand. This is a juicy episode, where we discuss the brand purpose, core values, uncovering brand truths, brand management, creating value and so much more. If you want to learn how to create an enduring brand that matters, this episode is for you!

Jacquelin Lieberman is the founder of the brand strategy consultancy, BrandCrudo. She’s honed her no-B.S.-approach to marketing strategy over the years guided by one belief – when you make brands more human, you connect them to more people. Throughout her career, she has developed a narrative-based approach to traditional strategic planning to uncover the brand truth that resonates with audiences. She has worked with many brands, most notably for many of Unilever's iconic brands, Beech-Nut, General Mills, and most recently with Happy Family Brands and fintech disrupter, the Alternative Investment Exchange. Jacqueline applies both art and science to understanding human insight and interpreting findings in order to unearth the real reason people should care about your brand. For Jacqueline, it’s all about finding a brand's raw truth and making it matter.

David Benjamin is the author of CRACKING COMPLEXITY: The Breakthrough Formula for Solving Just About Anything Fast (Nicholas Brealey; 2019). He is the co-founder of Syntegrity and the Chief Architect behind its implementation of the Complexity Formula as laid out in Cracking Complexity.

David regularly guides leaders and their teams through their application of the formula, helping them get to decisions and action in days, no matter the industry, type of challenge, or nature of the organization. In this capacity, David has become a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies and government leaders on how to organize for complexity and find traction in the face of the intractable.

He frequently speaks on a wide range of topics related to complexity, effective and efficient problem-solving, and human dynamics in systems. David spends most of the rest of his time and energy on writing, family, long-distance running and cracking cryptic crosswords. David and his wife, Angie, live near Toronto and have three incredibly talented daughters whom he loves equally.

Natalie Nixon is the author of The Creativity Leap and in this episode, she shares her techniques to helping brands through the power of creativity.

We tuck into some big ideas like how creativity leads to innovation, why a business needs more creative ideas, anthropology, design thinking and how being curious and how asking more of the "why", "what if" and "how" questions create more value for organisations.

Take the leap with us and Natalie Nixon in this value-packed episode.

Lisa Hasting is an independent Creative Director, a brand strategist and an unorthodox solver of problems. She's experienced working all over the world including the far east. In this episode, we dig into coming up with ideas and being brave.

Lisa shares her techniques and ideas in this space and shows how asking the right questions and digging into problems in a deeper way can lead to the solutions that add real value. Along the way she gives live examples from some of her work and inspires us with fresh ways of thinking. If you want ideas this is the episode for you.

Denise Lee Yohn is the go-to expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand keynote speaker and consultant, and an influential writer.

She is the author of the bestselling book What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest and the new book FUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World's Greatest Companies. In this episode, you will learn exactly that - how to integrate brand & culture into your company for massive success!

Kevin Duncan is a business consultant and best selling author - known for his snappy no-nonsense wisdom packed books on business strategy. In this episode we dig into Kevin's approach and his overview of 7 strategies businesses need to create to be successful from his book "The Smart Strategy Book". The seven strategies we touch on are: Commercial, Brand, Customer, Sales, People, Innovation and Communication.

We especially dig into brand strategy, discover how this fits into the other six strategies and Kevin shares some of the techniques and concepts he uses to create effective strategies with his clients. Recommended listening for all brand builders.

Listen in as we reveal our favourite outtakes from Season 1 of the JUST Branding Podcast in 2020, including branding insights from creative minds such as Marty Neumeier, Chris Do, Michael Johnson, Melinda Livsey, Michael Janda, Tom Ross, Rob Meyerson, Stephen Houraghan, Stef Hamnerlink, Tobias Dahlberg, Valerie Jacobs, Motto and more. Don't miss this one!

Dolphins, Donuts and Condoms. What do these three things have in common? Nothing. However, we do touch on these topics through the lens of brand strategy.

Our guest today is Peter Wilken, who is a brand strategy consultant, author and professional speaker. He’s the founder of Dolphin Brand Strategy, as well as the former Head of BBDO Asia Pacific. He has run agencies for Leo Burnett and Ogilvy too, working for numerous Fortune 100 companies during this time.

His book ‘Dim Sum Strategy’ is packed with bite-sized tools you need to build stronger brands, which is what we explore in this episode… building stronger brands.

What's it like to build brands in the food and beverage industries? In this episode we sit down with consultant Folkert van der Heide from the Netherlands who shares his story brand-building for many years in this space.

Coming from a humble background where he grew up learning from his families farming and other small businesses, Folkert went on to work for various businesses before finding himself working in FMCG (fast moving consumer goods). He did this initially for corporations in-house before then eventually going freelance. This work then led eventually to him establishing his own drinks brand, Moj.

We dig into the story of Moj, why he created it, and his experiences creating a brand from scratch and bringing it to market. Folkert shares his approach and methodology - including how to create a product with a "big idea" behind it. If you are involved in creating brands you'll find this very inspirational!

Michael Johnson is the founder and creative director of Johnson Banks, an incredible design consultancy based in London, responsible for the rebranding of companies such as Virgin Atlantic, Think London, Christian Aid and many more.

His company is known for how they define, then design, brands that make a difference and that’s what we discuss in this episode, as well as Michael's incredible book “Branding in 5.5 Steps” which is focused on the branding process, from the lens of both strategy and design.

Plus, we’ll explore his latest book release, “Now Try Something Weirder”, which shows how to have great ideas & survive in the creative business. We’re incredibly stoked & privileged to have Michael on the show, as his award-winning work really does change lives.

Look into Valerie Jacobs’s crystal ball and see what lies ahead for the future of branding. You’ll go back to the future, by following Valerie’s journey to becoming a master trend forecaster and how she uses these techniques to innovate & grow brands for Fortune 500 brands.

You will learn how to gather consumer & market insights, and more importantly how to use these insights for “future-fluency”, a skill that will provide you with “future-forward design intelligence” that you can use to stay relevant in today’s accelerated world. Buckle up, it’s time to fly, chicken.

Dava Guthmiller, who spearheaded Uber’s branding, is founder and CCO at Noise 13, a branding & design agency in San Francisco. In this episode, you will discover what it takes to be a “real brand” - one that is bold, honest and centred around emotional connections.

You will learn how Dava used this philosophy to rapidly scale her agency, including a deep dive into her process of working with Uber and various other lifestyle brands. Dava shares her past failures, with key insights on why execution is just as important as strategy, plus strategies on how to measure branding. Tune in with Dava Guthmiller, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies and discover how to grow real brands with strategy & design.

Join Philip VanDusen as we discuss personal growth, mentorship and how to use the power of strategy, design and marketing to build bullet-proof brands & businesses.

PHILIP VANDUSEN

Philip VanDusen is the founder of Verhaal Brand Design, a YouTube Star and has over 20 years experience in branding & design including roles like ECD at Landor, Head of Design for Global Snacks at PepsiCo, P&G Old Navy.

Grow your personal brand with confidence. Tune in with Michael Janda & Tom Ross as we explore what it takes to maximise your personal brand’s success! These “Biz Buddies” run multi 7-figure businesses and in this episode, you’ll hear the lessons they’ve picked up along the way.

MICHAEL JANDA

Michael Janda is an agency veteran, business coach, and best-selling author of Burn Your Portfolio. He helps creative freelancers and agencies run their businesses with confidence and make more money.

TOM ROSS

Tom Ross is the CEO of DesignCuts and a marketing coach. He co-hosts the Biz Buds podcast with Michael Janda and is probably the most Honest Entrepreneur on the internet. This episode is not to be missed!

What does working at Nike for 10 years teach you about brand? Find out in this episode with Matt Watson, founder of Watson Creative & Brand Labs, as he reveals all, including his affinity for the Nike logo. Watson will make you think about your brand and market differently after you hear how his firm handles the branding process. We discuss brand audits, consumer research including both creative & analytical sides, the power of brand DNA, plus some key insights on how to take a position and own it. Don’t miss this episode with Matt Watson, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies! Show notes: https://justcreative.com/podcast

Get to know the super sleek brand educator that is Tobias Dahlberg all the way from Helsinki, Finland. In this episode, we discuss the value of brand strategy for businesses and how it can be applied to multiple business units and not just marketing, plus exactly how to approach this and embed it in businesses. Tobias discusses brand theories such as “becoming the only choice”, “radical differentiation” and how he gets people on board when making “brand choices”. He also explains his background and the super work he is doing at The Future Academy. This episode is not to be missed! Show notes at justcreative.com/podcast

ABOUT OUR GUEST:

Tobias Dahlberg is an Entrepreneur & Strategist. He is the Founder of Wonder, a strategic brand and design consultancy in Helsinki, Finland. He is also the Founder of The Future Academy - a learning platform for entrepreneurs and companies who want to build game-changing brands and businesses. He has consulted, advised and created hundreds of strategies and innovative concepts for brands such as: Nike, The Coca-Cola Company, Fiskars, Fazer, Iittala, Hartwall, Nissan, Paulig, Telia, Marimekko, Halti, Neste Oil, Altia, Mandatum Life, and many more, from start-ups to multi-national corporations.

In this episode, we sit down with the wonderful Kaye Putnam, a psychology-driven brand strategist from South Carolina. We geek out about all things brand thinking. We get into the meaning of ‘psychology-driven branding’, about knowing your brand and living your brand. Kaye shares her ‘4C Brand Strategy Framework’ which helps to bake psychological principles into brands.

We also discover Kayes inspirational story, her obsession with human decision making and how this helps her in her work + how she keeps a work life balance as a Mum and entrepreneur.

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Kaye Putnam is a psychology-driven brand strategist for entrepreneurs. Through work with hundreds of clients from international corporations to solo-entrepreneurs, she developed her signature Clarity Code™ method. She believes that online business should be more human and that all entrepreneurs have genius they can use to impact the world. She works with students in her brand incubation program and with clients 1-on-1. When she’s not transforming brands, she’s exploring the world with her husband and two little ones.

In this bonus episode, we have Douglas Davis join us, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies, to discuss the current state of design education and what it takes to remain relevant as we evolve as creatives in these disruptive and turbulent times. We explore his book, Creative Strategy & The Business of Design as well as the future of design. There has never been a more timely episode.

Douglas Davis is a strategist, author and professor at the New York City College of Technology, a part of the The City University of New York. He holds the chair for the BFA in Communication Design and has a through background in marketing, creative strategy and art direction.

Show notes available at https://justcreative.com/podcast

Chris Do is an Emmy award-winning designer, director, CEO and Chief Strategist of Blind and the founder of The Futur—an online education platform with the mission of teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love. In this episode, Chris reveals his biggest mistakes, failures & regrets, plus how you too can overcome these adversities. We then dive into how to get paid more as a creative, how to move into brand strategy & sell it, Chris’s strategic branding process, the powers & pitfalls of the labels we put on ourselves and the quest for success. This is not to be missed!  

Rudy Fernandez, joins Jacob Cass & Matt Davies to walk through the strategic branding process of his creative marketing agency, Creative Outhouse, giving case studies & insights on how to better work with clients through problem solving, plus how you can use strategic thinking to help brands properly connect with their customers, through research and testing. Rudy also reveals his proudest projects in the realm of Behavioral Change, proving that “information is not motivation” when it comes to making users change their behaviour, and how you can can actually make others change their behaviour.

Sunny Bonnell and Ashleigh Hansberger of Motto, a strategic branding agency in NYC, reveal what it takes to work with “rare breeds” - the leaders, rebels & entrepreneurs who do things differently. You’ll find out how to build more purposeful brands by better connecting with your clients, plus exactly how you can use your “vices” as superpowers, backed up by personal stories of failure and courage.

Join Marty Neumeier, Andy Starr, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies as we uncover the ideas, techniques, and principles that you need to become a brand master, starting at Marty’s famous definition of brand, the process of uncovering this definition, as well as Marty’s classic books Brand Gap, Zag & Brand Flip. We explore the future of branding in the C Suite, and what that means for designers, plus how we can use Metaskills and agile strategy to create better brands. This is an episode not to be missed!

🔊 Ever heard of sonic branding? Audio branding is the strategic use of music and sound to help reinforce brand recognition and enhance the consumer experience. We go deep in this session, exploring the ins and outs of successful audio branding, using popular examples, as well as the process Drop Music Branding used to audio brand this very podcast. Tune in with Jacob Cass, Matt Davies & Gabriel Ignacio Agüero to discover why “good audio branding is invisible” and how you can stand out with audio branding. 

Melinda Livsey, a brand strategist & online educator, shares her journey of going from a designer to brand strategist, sharing her definitions of brand & brand strategy, how she “sells” strategy, her onboarding process, how to conduct a brand strategy workshop step-by-step, including the deliverables, plus, what life is like without design. Tune in with Jacob Cass, Matt Davies & Melinda Livsey, if you want to go from being an “order taker” to brand expert.

Stephen Houraghan joins Jacob Cass & Matt Davies to discuss customer personas and brand archetypes and how these tools can be used to help better understand your audience and define your brand’s personality.

Positioning and naming expert, Rob Meyerson, joins Jacob Cass & Matt Davies in exploring positioning statements & the best naming practices from the lens of the company, client and consumer, sharing actionable tips and real world examples that will help you build a better brand.

Stef Hamerlinck, a strategy consultant, joins Jacob Cass & Matt Davies to discuss brand purpose, brand authenticity and some unique perspectives on the benefits and misuses of growing a brand from the inside out, touching on purpose, missions, visions and core values.

Jacob Cass & Matt Davies discuss how to sell strategy, giving different perspectives on how to approach sales & the brand building process. We dive into pricing methodologies, relationship building, metaphors and value ladders.

Jacob Cass & Matt Davies discuss the best tools for brand strategy, including top courses, books & methodologies. We also dive into positioning brand archetypes, brand experience & brand personality and how these tools can help build better brands.

Jacob Cass & Matt Davies discuss the benefits of brand strategy for both designers and businesses using examples from their careers, including San Francisco and smaller local businesses.

Jacob Cass & Matt Davies discuss brand strategy, defining what it is and how to bridge the gap between design & brand strategy, as well as revealing their back stories and what to expect in the first season of the JUST Branding Podcast.

JUST Tune in with Jacob Cass & Matt Davies as we discuss branding with incredible thought leaders such as Marty Neumeier, Chris Do, Michael Johnson and more. We discuss brand positioning, brand personality, experience design, design thinking, business strategy, innovation, creativity and much more.