In this episode, I walk you through some of the tips, tricks and challenges I have when it comes to working remotely. Doing digital workshops, managing client expectations, research international brands and a lot more.

We talk about:

• Workshop: picking up on non-verbal communication is a lot harder
• A lot harder mentally to do → Split it up
• Trust by being there physically is not there
• Client perception: less 'valuable' in a way
• Understanding local culture can be hard

• Notion - Project management & strategic follow up
• Holabrief - Collaborative strategy exercises 
• Mural - Miro - workshops
• Zoom - Hangout → Iriun webcam - proper setting - lights - Elgato cam link
• Other tools: Slack - Whatsapp (watch out) 
• Video ask - Typeform - Surveymonkey

• Do it with everyone in the world, open up your market
• More Interactive, collaborative approach

• Have more one-to-one conversations
• Keep workshops fun and light
• Use digital technology → make it alive - place images - gifs - use canvasses
• Research: Make sure you understand product & experience, cultural differences
• Use google trends & other tools to analyze local differences
• Check-in from time to time, stay connected, feel like a team
• Presentation: these things are important always, but even more so when doing them remotely:
  • Pre presentation preparation, make sure you have built up to the presentation, with workshops, with sessions, check-ins, with interviews, ... The presentation is a celebration of the work done before
  • Always set the goal of the presentation at the beginning, make sure expectations are aligned. It's even harder online to catch little nuances so be crystal clear about what you are going to present
  • Pauze - even more - do around -, ask everyone what they think, breathe, let room for discussion but keep the presentation going

In this episode, I talk with Paul Bailey, strategy director at Halo, a creative agency from the UK. We talk about associated branded moments, and how we can build brands based on that.

Interesting stuff:

• Halo, the creative agency
• Paul on twitter
• Paul's talk on associated branded moments
• Distinctiveness vs differentiation
• Category entry points

If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter here. This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform  for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount.

In this episode, I talk about the overlap and interaction between branding and communications (aka 'Commz'). I take a look at how these two fields relate and interact with each other, and how they help build more effective brands.

Topics:

• Communication = sender --- signal ----- receiver --- feedback
• The 2 layers of branding: instant signaling and long-term recognition
•  The medium is the message
• Hyper targetting vs mass media marketing
• Brand is the collective perception of your product or service
• Instagram products that aren't brands
• Paid Attention by Faris Yakob
• Distinctive assets

If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter here. This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform  for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount.

In this episode, I talk with Ethan Decker. Founder at Applied brand science and expert in consumer psychology, branding, and marketing. We debunk some serious branding bs and talk about creative leaps from the laws of marketing. Ethan also drops some really handy tricks and tips on how to do marketing science on a budget.

We talk about:

• Debunking branding myths such as brand loyalty
• Sidestepping typical language in branding to overcome discussions 
• How sneaker buying is the same as airplane buying
• Taking creative leaps from the laws of marketing

Books, people, links and other juicy stuff:

• Ethan's blog: Appliedbrandscience.com
• How brands grow by Byron Sharp
• Building distinctive brand assets by Jenni Romaniuk
• Ethan's twitter
• Les Binet & Peter Field 
• Effworks
• Made to stick and Switch

If you want to learn more about brand strategy, branding, and marketing, go visit letstalkbranding.com and check out the newsletter, courses, or coaching options.

In this episode, I address the future of brand strategy. What trends are emerging and where are we headed in this complex field? What is the role of a brand strategist and how will it evolve? Find out in this jam-packed solo episode! 

Show notes:

Here are the 10 discussion points

1. Designers becoming strategists
2. Strategy commoditization
3. Emergent vs Top-down approach
4. Marketing science influence
5. Digital vs media-neutral strategy
6. Comms strategy merging with branding
7. Blurred lines between brand, marketing and business strategy
8. Eroding title of a brand strategist.
9. An evolution towards more breadth, and not just depth.
10. The big T strategist (by Julian Cole from Planning dirty)

If you want to learn more about brand strategy, branding, and marketing, go visit letstalkbranding.com and check out the newsletter, courses, or coaching options.

In this compilation episode, I walk you through some of the most valuable lessons I've learned from the last podcast season.  I connect the different lessons from brand builders such as Byron Sharp, Jenni Romaniuk, JP Castlin, and many more.

Here's a list with all the episodes featured:

• Byron Sharp
• Jenni Romaniuk
• Phil Barden
• Mark Pollard
• Claire Stricket
• Darren Coleman
• Wiemer Snijders
• Ryan Walman
• Rory Sutherland

If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter here. This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform  for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount.

In this solo episode, I walk you through some of the most 'epic fails' in branding. Mistakes I made or I see other people in the industry make. How not to execute a branding project and how to avoid those mistakes.

Here are the mistakes:

1. Not getting the category cues
2. Generic branding
3. Ignoring the fame of brand assets
4. Trendy branding
5. The one sock approach
6. The one sock approach

Here are some links:

• Building distinctive brand assets by Jenni Romaniuk
• Heinz rebrand
• Kellogs rebrand

If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter here. This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform  for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount.

In this episode, we talk with writer and strategist Richie Meldrum, based in Melbourne. Richie takes us through his brand strategy process and specifically the brand workshop. Richie's thinking on brand strategy makes it very actionable and tangible.

• Richie's website: http://www.richiemeldrum.com/home/
• The strategy workshop.
• Where it fits in the process.
• Richie's blog post on workshops: http://www.richiemeldrum.com/home/project/strategyworkshopssetupandprep
• Different exercises.

If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter here. This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform  for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount.

In this episode, I give a 'crash course' on brand naming. How important is the brand name for a brand? How do we decide whether we need a new name? And how do actually craft a new brand name? Let's find out! 

We talk about

• The must-haves for a brand name:
  • Easy to pronounce (multiple languages?)
  • Easy to remember (2 syllables, or simple)
  • Distinctive from competitors
  • Creates the right 'feeling'
  • Can be owned (legally)
• Nice to haves
  • Personal history links
  • Key themes to explore, for example, 'mountaineering', ...
  • .com can be a specific need by a business owner (explore it further)
• No-go's
  • Cultural sensitivities
  • Category cliche's (Flickr, Tumblr,...)
• Reasons to change a brand name:
  • Hard to remember
  • Hard to pronounce or write (try googling it)
  • Not ownable
  • To generic
  • To literal (category)
  • Big shift in the company and want to signal
• Brand naming tools:
  • Trademark research: https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/#/tmview
  • Global trademark database: https://www3.wipo.int/branddb/en/
  • In different languages: https://www.indifferentlanguages.com/
  • Use thesaurus for synonyms and other word relations: https://www.thesaurus.com/
• Interesting people on brand naming: Eli Altman's book 'Don't call it that' is a great starting point. 

If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter here . This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform  for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount.

In this episode, I talk with Jo McKinney, CEO of Burns group, a leading brand transformation, and advertising company. We talk about the value of strategy for startups and how 'startup-mentality' can help big brands grow.

Show notes:

• https://www.burnsgroupnyc.com/
• The value of strategy for startups
• What startups value brand strategy
• Brandinformers by Burns Group: https://www.burnsgroupnyc.com/covidbrandinformersinsights
• Research and understanding the category
• What can big brands learn from startups? 
• The beginners mind.

If you liked this episode, I would really appreciate a rating on Itunes. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast to get the weekly episodes at your doorstep. If you want the deeper, juicier insights you can also subscribe to the newsletter here . This episode is sponsored by Holabrief, The go-to platform  for creative briefs. If you want to subscribe, you can use the code LTB and get a 20% discount.