Brand Shorthand

Coke vs. Pepsi and McDonald’s vs. Burger King. These big brand rivalries are nothing new to the marketing world. This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark and Lorraine dive into some recent brand battles in 2026, the strategy behind going against a rival, and tips and tricks for businesses to play to win against their competition.

Join Mark and Lorraine for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning.

Campaign catch up and the beauty of a simplified position! Some of the popular campaigns that Mark and Lorraine discussed last season are continuing their efforts into 2026. Back for round two is Sydney Sweeney with American Eagle and Walter Goggins with Walmart’s “Who Knew” campaign!  Another brand seeing huge success is Starbucks, thanks to CEO, Brian Niccol, who has successfully enforced his “Back to Starbucks” plan. Tune in to this week’s episode of Brand Shorthand to hear the latest on these brands!

Join Mark and Lorraine for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning.

Tony Bell, Executive Director of Client Services and Media at Innis Maggiore, joins Mark for this week's episode of the Brand Shorthand Podcast to discuss the topic of go-to-market strategies. Tune in to learn how to develop an effective go-to-market strategy, the “bothism” approach, common go-to-market strategy mistakes, and how to dramatize your position. 

Join Mark and Tony for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning

We’ve reached a milestone! 100 episodes — all about positioning. Spend 30ish with Mark and Lorraine as they remind us of the value of positioning, the meaning behind the name Brand Shorthand, some golf talk at The Masters and why they have such a “master” brand, and some recent good and bad moves of brands through the filter of timeless positioning principles.

This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark and Lorraine continue their discussion on true crime podcasts, a popular and growing category in the world of podcasting. Tune in for part two to learn about what makes these shows addictive, why the community is the magic bullet, the societal impact of these shows, and how marketing and true crime podcasts share basic positioning principles. 

Join Mark and Lorraine for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning! 

Learn more about these true crime podcasts by checking out the links below: 

Surviving the Survivor - Joel Waldman and Holocaust survivor mom, Karmela Waldman

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SurvivingTheSurvivor

Website: https://survivingthesurvivor.com/

Grizzly True Crime - Gisela K

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/grizzlytruecrime

Website: https://grizzlytruecrime.com/

Pretty Lies & Alibis - GiGi McKelvey

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrettyLiesAndAlibis/videos

Website: https://www.prettyliesandalibis.org/

Courtroom Confidential - Joshua Ritter

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQVmA_wratr69AQdmWtRLAw

Website: https://www.thecourtroomconfidential.com/

Court TV - Vinnie Politan

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/courttv

Website: ​​https://www.courttv.com/talent/vinnie-politan/

PLUNDER True Crime - Paula Mooney 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFgpEmMU0vTDnoKUixcU4DA

Lawyer Lee - Lee Wallace

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXXZgehRtbz2Fopk9iioZfQ

Lawyer You Know - Peter Tragos

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LawyerYouKnow

Gavin Fish

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GavinFish

Website: https://gavinfish.com/

The Interview Room - Chris McDonough

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theinterviewroom

Profiling Evil - Mike King

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/profilingevil

Website: https://profilingevil.com/

A little green screen, a camera, and a microphone can put you on the podcast bus. True crime is a popular and growing category in the world of podcasting. How are these channels breaking through, to the point that they are scooping up viewers, and in a very real way, disrupting if not obsoleting traditional network viewing? Tune in to this week's episode of the Brand Shorthand podcast to learn all about true crime podcasting and how marketing is involved in this specific realm. 

Join Mark and Lorraine for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning!

Learn more about these true crime podcasts by checking out the links below: 

Surviving the Survivor - Joel Waldman and Holocaust survivor mom, Karmela Waldman

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SurvivingTheSurvivor

Website: https://survivingthesurvivor.com/

Grizzly True Crime - Gisela K

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/grizzlytruecrime

Website: https://grizzlytruecrime.com/

Pretty Lies & Alibis - GiGi McKelvey

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrettyLiesAndAlibis/videos

Website: https://www.prettyliesandalibis.org/

Courtroom Confidential - Joshua Ritter

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQVmA_wratr69AQdmWtRLAw

Website: https://www.thecourtroomconfidential.com/

Court TV - Vinnie Politan

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/courttv

Website: ​​https://www.courttv.com/talent/vinnie-politan/

PLUNDER True Crime - Paula Mooney 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFgpEmMU0vTDnoKUixcU4DA

Lawyer Lee - Lee Wallace

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXXZgehRtbz2Fopk9iioZfQ

Lawyer You Know - Peter Tragos

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LawyerYouKnow

Gavin Fish

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/GavinFish

Website: https://gavinfish.com/

The Interview Room - Chris McDonough

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/theinterviewroom

Profiling Evil - Mike King

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/profilingevil

Website: https://profilingevil.com/

Ring Doorbell, AI slop, and Frida Baby backlash. This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark is joined by special guest, Merce Brown, to talk about the recent chatter in the world of Public Relations. Be sure to tune in to hear how our public relations expert would deal with crisis communication and what her perspective is on these current news updates. 

Join Mark and Merce for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning!

This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, the positioning panelists join Mark to discuss the real winners and losers of last night’s Super Bowl. From Instacart and Lay’s potato chips to Budweiser and State Farm, the panelists review some of the Big Game commercials, highlighting which brands scored a touchdown and which ones may have fumbled. 

Join Mark and the positioning panelists for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning!

A new year and another new season of the Brand Shorthand podcast! For the Season 4 kickoff episode, Mark and Lorraine welcome listeners back with a discussion on recent happenings in the world of marketing. Join the positioning duo as they discuss Coca-Cola’s holiday AI ad, Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, Wicked and Stranger Things brand collaborations, Dave’s Hot Chicken being named the brand of the year, and more!

Join Mark and Lorraine for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning!

That’s a wrap on season 3 of the Brand Shorthand Podcast! Join Mark and Lorraine as they go back through some of the biggest brand moves and marketing trends seen throughout 2025. The positioning duo will touch on AI, storytelling with long-form video, the loss of high-profile CEOs, the ongoing battle of the healthy sodas, and of course, the importance of positioning. 

Join Mark and Lorraine for 30-ish as they discuss all things marketing, advertising, and of course … positioning!