Let's talk branding

In this episode, we discover the power of ‘associative attention’, a framework developed by Max Stricker and Samuel Brealey. It zooms in on the importance of not only getting attention but the right type of attention through strong association. Show notes * Associative Attention Paper & ‘Health Check’ Associative Attention is a framework that helps brand owners deliver better executions (think advertising, POS material, packaging). It connects the dots between the WHAT and the HOW of attention. Brand owners need to do well in both areas and those who do can see transformational executions. You can download the full article here. It also includes a quick ‘Health Check’ you can take to start your Associative Attention journey. * Max on LinkedIn * The article with on WARC (paywall) * This episode is sponsored by Creative business company. Find your free no-bs brand-building guides here. Brand strategy course Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Discover what it takes to be a leader in brand for a large B2B tech company. Show notes * Gwen on LinkedIn * This episode is sponsored by Creative business company. Find your free no-bs brand-building guides here. Brand strategy course Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Show notes * The multiplayer brand slidedeck * Zoe on LinkedIn * This episode is sponsored by Creative business company. Find your free no-bs brand-building guides here. Brand strategy course Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Show notes: * Article on Brand difference and pricing power * Dom Boyd on LinkedIn * BrandZ index * This episode is sponsored by Creative business company. Find your free no-bs brand-building guides here. Brand strategy course Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

How brands can create an unfair creative advantage. Show notes * Discover the full paper here. * Dan Salkey on LinkedIn. * This episode is sponsored by Creative business company. Find your free no-bs brand-building guides here. Brand strategy course Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Show notes * Professor Pauwels on LinkedIn * This episode is sponsored by Creative business company. Find your free no-bs brand-building guides here Brand strategy course Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Show notes * Bart on LinkedIn * Bart’s new venture: I know a guy Key Takeaways * Understanding client problems and formulating them better than the clients themselves is crucial in agency-client relationships. * The balance between digital and branding is essential in marketing strategies, with a shift towards investing in branding for long-term effectiveness. * New platforms like TikTok and AR are on the rise and should be explored for marketing opportunities. * Investing in the fundamentals of marketing while experimenting with new platforms is a key approach to future-proofing marketing strategies. Learn more about brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Show notes * Discover the full trends report here * Rachael Higgins on LinkedIn * Will Posket on LinkedIn Summary * 🚀 Back to the Pod: Host Stef kicks off the year chatting with Will Posket & Rachael Higgins about 2024's hot branding and marketing trends. Time to dive in and learn! * 🤖 AI & Truth-Seeking: Will and Rachael talk about AI's rise and its impact on branding. Brands need to be authentic and truthful in an "era of cheap fakes." Think Dove's 'Cost of Beauty' campaign – realness is key! * 🤪 Embrace the Absurd: Get creative and stand out! Brands should dare to be different, like Liquid Death's wacky marketing. It's all about being bold and breaking the mold. * 😂 Playfulness is Power: In a serious world, brands that bring joy stand out. Like Specsavers with their funny ads – it's about making people smile and escape the gloom. * 💡 Future Gazing: Will and Rachael predict more personal brand growth, physical experiences blending with digital, and businesses exploring unique, authentic marketing paths. Learn more about brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Show notes * Discover the full trends report here * Rachael Higgins on LinkedIn * Will Posket on LinkedIn Summary * 🚀 Back to the Pod: Host Stef kicks off the year chatting with Will Posket & Rachael Higgins about 2024's hot branding and marketing trends. Time to dive in and learn! * 🤖 AI & Truth-Seeking: Will and Rachael talk about AI's rise and its impact on branding. Brands need to be authentic and truthful in an "era of cheap fakes." Think Dove's 'Cost of Beauty' campaign – realness is key! * 🤪 Embrace the Absurd: Get creative and stand out! Brands should dare to be different, like Liquid Death's wacky marketing. It's all about being bold and breaking the mold. * 😂 Playfulness is Power: In a serious world, brands that bring joy stand out. Like Specsavers with their funny ads – it's about making people smile and escape the gloom. * 💡 Future Gazing: Will and Rachael predict more personal brand growth, physical experiences blending with digital, and businesses exploring unique, authentic marketing paths. Learn more about brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Show notes * Discover the full trends report here * Rachael Higgins on LinkedIn * Will Posket on LinkedIn Summary * 🚀 Back to the Pod: Host Stef kicks off the year chatting with Will Posket & Rachael Higgins about 2024's hot branding and marketing trends. Time to dive in and learn! * 🤖 AI & Truth-Seeking: Will and Rachael talk about AI's rise and its impact on branding. Brands need to be authentic and truthful in an "era of cheap fakes." Think Dove's 'Cost of Beauty' campaign – realness is key! * 🤪 Embrace the Absurd: Get creative and stand out! Brands should dare to be different, like Liquid Death's wacky marketing. It's all about being bold and breaking the mold. * 😂 Playfulness is Power: In a serious world, brands that bring joy stand out. Like Specsavers with their funny ads – it's about making people smile and escape the gloom. * 💡 Future Gazing: Will and Rachael predict more personal brand growth, physical experiences blending with digital, and businesses exploring unique, authentic marketing paths. Learn more about brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Summary * 🤖 AI in Mascot Creation: Making it easier and more accessible, especially for smaller brands. * 💡 Before AI: Creating a mascot was a big deal – think illustrators, 3D artists, studios. Now, AI tools like Midjourney and Dali are game-changers. * 🎨 AI's Impact: Brands can now craft imaginative characters consistently and bring them to life in various contexts. * 🚀 Haris’s Story: How he crafted the purple, chef-hat-wearing monster, Calvin Cooks, and made his content more memorable. * 🛠️ DIY Mascot Magic: Using Bing AI Image Generator for consistency across marketing touchpoints. * 🌟 The Power of a Mascot: Standing out in B2B marketing, attracting attention, and enhancing brand recall. * 🔮 The Future: The growing role of AI in branding and marketing, plus tips for those interested in creating their own mascots. 🚨 Important note on legal protection: In the podcast, I stated that it’s not possible to trademark assets generated by AI, I was notified that this is not the case, you CAN 100% trademark an AI-generated mascot as long as it’s not descriptive of the goods and services. My confusion was mainly around ‘copyright’, where this is indeed the case (the need for human input). I will follow up in more detail in an upcoming podcast episode. Subscribe to the YouTube channel here to get notified when the tutorial is live. Important links * Discover Haris Spahic (and Calvin Cooks) on LinkedIn Learn more about brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Summary * 📈 David Taylor discusses distinctive brand assets: their importance in branding and the gap between understanding their value and effectively managing them. * 🌎 Taylor's experience: Over 22 years with The Brand Gym, helping brands from banking to biscuits grow, and running the Brand Gym Academy for training. * 📊 Research insights: Despite unanimous agreement on the importance of brand assets, only 15% are truly distinctive, revealing an 'implementation gap.' * 🛠️ Challenges in brand asset management: Subjectivity in decisions, an obsession with novelty, and difficulties in amplifying assets across channels. * 🚀 Strategies for success: Importance of cross-agency collaboration, brand archaeology, and leveraging underutilized assets like sonic branding and mascots for brand growth. Important links * The paper we discussed * David on LinkedIn Learn more about brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Summary Here's a summary of the key points from the podcast: * The Evolution and Challenges in Branding: The podcast features Jacob Cass, the founder of Just Creative, discussing current trends and challenges in the branding industry, including the impact of AI, the rise of accessible design tools like Canva, and the changing landscape of pricing strategies. * The State of Brand Report: Cass released a comprehensive report titled "The State of Brand," based on interviews with 267 branding professionals worldwide. The report highlights key areas like pricing strategies, client acquisition, AI's future in branding, and professional development in branding. * AI's Increasing Influence: There's a significant focus on the role of AI in branding, with both excitement and apprehension about its potential to make branding work easier while also posing a threat to traditional methods. Cass shares his own experiences with AI tools like ChatGPT and Adobe Firefly, emphasizing the importance of adapting to these technologies. * Personal Branding and Online Presence: Cass stresses the importance of having an online presence for brand designers, viewing it as an enabler of creative freedom. He discusses how his online platform serves various purposes, including as a resource hub, a community for creatives, and a marketing tool for his services. * Future of Branding: Looking towards the future, there's a discussion about the branding industry's direction, focusing on authenticity, personalization, and purpose-driven branding. The conversation also touches on the necessity for branders to evolve with changing technologies and market demands. Important links * The report * Jacob on LinkedIn Learn brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Here's a summary of the podcast transcript: * Chris Walker's Background and Journey: Chris Walker, CEO of Refine Labs, shared his journey from an engineering role at BEA Inc. to product management, and eventually starting his own company. He emphasized his diverse experience in B2B companies across roles like product management, engineering, and marketing, which laid the foundation for his business success. * Refine Labs' Impact on B2B Marketing: Under Chris's leadership, Refine Labs has significantly influenced how B2B companies approach demand generation and revenue operations. He discussed the company's innovative strategies in media, distribution, content, and analytics, which have been pivotal in his journey. * Demand Creation vs. Demand Capture: Chris highlighted the difference between demand creation and demand capture, arguing that many B2B companies overly focus on demand capture through direct sales methods. He stressed the importance of understanding customers and engaging them through valuable content and interactions, rather than aggressive sales tactics. * Brand Building and Content Strategy: He discussed the distinction between brand awareness and demand creation, emphasizing the importance of creating content that resonates with the target audience. Chris also stressed the need for a shift from traditional brand building to more strategic demand creation activities. * Evaluating Marketing ROI and Strategies: Chris critiqued the traditional ROI measurement methods in marketing, suggesting a more holistic approach that assesses the impact of marketing on overall business growth. He also emphasized the importance of customer insights and content quality over mere distribution tactics. This summary captures the key points discussed in the podcast, including Chris Walker's career progression, the innovative approach of Refine Labs in B2B marketing, and the strategic insights on demand creation, brand building, and evaluating marketing ROI. Important links * Follow Chris on LinkedIn * Chris his company: Refinelabs Learn brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

What we talk about * The importance of brand health and what it means * How to do brand tracking using survey tools * The different metrics like awareness, category entry points, … * How to analyse brand tracking results * Common pitfalls Important links * Jenni’s latest book: Better brand health, a must-read! * Jenni on LinkedIn Learn brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

We talk about * The different lifestages of a brand and what it should focus on (product, brand, demand gen, …) * Harvesting current demand vs generating future demand. * Full transcript available on Substack Important links * James his agency, Previously unavailable (Great work) * Future demand, the book we discuss * Watch the video interview here Learn brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode, we talk about: * Ragged edge, one of my favorite branding agencies * The strategy and research work that goes into developing a unique brand * The ‘X’ rebrand * The rise of brand mascots * Distinctiveness vs Differentiation * Branding and the impact of AI on the space Learn brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

In this episode I talk with Lee Rolston, chief growth officer at JKR about their recent study on brand assets with Ipsos. “The first job of branding is to make sure your brand is recognized as uniquely and unmistakably you. Only then can brand awareness, image, consideration, preference, penetration, frequency and all conversion to purchase measures, flow. With only 15% of all brand assets tested in our report measuring as truly distinctive, it is not an exaggeration to say that the marketing industry is facing a crisis of identity. With more content and tech-enabled means of brands being distributed and targeted, there are more opportunities than ever to connect with audiences in exciting, dynamic and purchase-able ways. However, as the landscape continues to expand, we must ensure that brand assets are consistently and accurately being attributed to the correct brand to truly Be Distinctive Everywhere,” said Lee Rolston, Chief Growth Officer, JKR. Important links * You can find the full study here * Jones Knowles Ritchie * The Youtube version of this podcast here The brand audit template As a brand strategist, I’ve often noticed that a brand audit is one of the most overlooked and valuable services for a brand. Check out my fresh brand audit template on Holabrief and explore many more creative/strategic exercises. Learn brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Important links * Julian Cole’s course with LTB discount here * Julian on Twitter * This episode is sponsored by Creative business company. Find your free no-bs brand-building guides here. The AI summary I asked Notion AI to summarize our podcast transcript in 10 key lessons: * Use AI at the beginning and end of the strategy process, not in the middle. * AI can be used to gather research and prompt ideas at the beginning of a project. * Use AI for word craft at the end of a project to improve language and make it more succinct or creative. * AI can help identify consumer problems and generate insights, but always cross-validate the results. * AI is not a replacement for human nuance in strategy. * Use AI to jailbreak prompts and get to unconventional insights. * Use analogies and metaphors to make strategy more memorable and visual. * Don't use AI for research validation. * AI can't replace human truth-sayers or cultural context. * AI language models like GPT are probabilistic and require human input and context to generate useful insights. The brand audit template As a brand strategist, I’ve often noticed that a brand audit is one of the most overlooked and valuable services for a brand. Check out my fresh brand audit template on Holabrief and explore many more creative/strategic exercises. Learn brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com

Important links: * ‘Frank’ on Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn * G’day Frank website The AI summary: Captivating Moments of Connection: Lessons from a Branding Pro * A brand is not just how it looks, but a captivating moment of connection between the consumer and the business. * Branding is an extension of that connection, finding clarity and how to captivate attention. * Authenticity is essential for a brand to connect with consumers. * Brand strategy is not the same as a mission or vision, but rather finding clarity and connection with the target market. * Brand strategy involves researching the market, segmentation, targeting, positioning, and objectives. * Marketing and branding strategies are the same thing, just called different names by different professionals. * It's essential to listen to branding experts who have put in extensive research and time into understanding branding and marketing. * Branding is a continuous journey of trial and error. * The importance of distilling complex branding concepts into simple terms for clients. * The evolution of branding involves being open-minded, understanding market orientation, and being willing to learn. The brand audit template As a brand strategist, I’ve often noticed that a brand audit is one of the most overlooked and valuable services for a brand. Check out my fresh brand audit template on Holabrief and explore many more creative/strategic exercises. Learn brand strategy Activate your strategic brain and level up your creative business. Find courses on brand strategy, brand workshops, and brand strategy presentations. You can use LTBPODCAST to get a 20% discount. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letstalkbranding.substack.com