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

About Fabian Geyrhalter

Fabian Geyrhalter is a renowned brand strategist and the founder and Principal of FINIEN, a Los Angeles-based consultancy specializing in turning ventures into brands. Geyrhalter is also a columnist for Inc and Forbes, and he has been published by the likes of The Washington Post, Mashable, Entrepreneur and The Huffington Post. He is an advisory board member of Santa Monica College and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California and Art Center College of Design. A frequent speaker and mentor to entrepreneurs worldwide, he is a “Global 100” mentor at the Founder Institute, and his book How to Launch a Brand is a #1 Amazon Bestseller. His newest book is Bigger Than This. He lives and works in Long Beach, California and is a graduate of Art Center College of Design.

Episode Highlights

Why is branding so important today? "Things have really changed. It's so intrinsic today. Take Everlane, for example. It's all about transparency." In everything they say and do.

Branding is easier for startups. "Startup brands have it easy — all they have is the brand." Due to their small size, they can also exert greater control over the various brand touchpoints.

Look at Shinola — The innovative watch company acquired an inactive brand name — Shinola — and established a sense of place around Detroit, endowing the new brand with meaning in the hearts and minds of their customers.

How can a brand that's lost its way successfully rebrand? "Hire the next generation. You also have to find the secret sauce again. It all comes down to why the founders (of the business) did what they did."

What brand has made Fabian smile recently? Fabian told us about Poppin — a company that's disrupting the office supplies category by delighting customers through quirky touchpoints such as the order confirmation email.

To learn more, go to the website for Fabian's new book Bigger Than This, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Frequent listener Sean Carpenter gave On Brand a shout on Twitter in a roundup of his favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

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

About Patti Sanchez

Patti Sanchez, Duarte’s Chief Strategy Officer, creates IP and counsels clients to create authentic connections with their audiences through persuasive presentations and story-based communications. She is the co-author, along with Nancy Duarte, of the award-winning book, Illuminate: Ignite Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols. Patti leads an expert team of communication consultants and creative writers who help clients move their audiences in one powerful moment or in a movement over time.

Applying insights from more than 25 years of communication experience, Patti helps leaders and persuaders understand the inner workings of the human mind and heart and then use that knowledge to craft engaging narratives that cut through the clutter and resonate on a deep level. Patti packages her expertise into inspiring and educational keynotes for executives, entrepreneurs, and marketing and communication professionals on how they can lead movements, use storytelling as a strategic tool, and harness the power of presentations as a persuasive communication platform.

She has delivered highly rated presentations at conferences and events including Khosla Ventures CEO Summit, The CEO Alliance, Vital Speeches CEO Communications Summit and Leadership Communication Days, IABC World Conference, HBR, Marketing Profs, Salesforce ExactTarget Connections, Invent Your Future, WATT, CASRO, and Presentation Summit. Patti also delivers custom keynotes, addressing corporations such as Facebook and Google as well as higher-education institutions such as Stanford and Rice University. Her work has been honored by IABC, BMA, Vital Speeches of the Day, and Axiom.

Episode Highlights

Co-author connections. This may be the first episode of the On Brand podcast where both co-authors were interviewed separately! I chatted with Patti’s Illuminate co-author, Nancy Duarte, last summer.

The inciting incident. How did Illuminate come to be? “We noticed a changing nature of the questions coming from our clients. More and more were saying, ‘We want to use the power of stories.’”

The Duarte storytelling methodology. “It follows the heroes journey — the 3 part story where we meet the hero, something happens, and the hero is changed.” We can use this archetype in moving ideas internally and building brands externally.

What brand has made Patti smile recently? Mini! Talk about a brand full of smiles. Every part of the MINI experience has Patti grinning from ear to ear.

To learn more, go to duarte.com and follow Patti on Twitter and LinkedIn.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Steve Hutt gave us a shout on Twitter for several of our recent episodes. Thanks for listening!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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

About Ashley Zeckman

Ashley Zeckman is the Director of Agency Marketing for TopRank Marketing, a fully integrated digital marketing agency. In addition to finding innovative ways to showcase the exceptional work of her team, she is also responsible for creating digital marketing programs that drive customer acquisition and growth for the agency. Her background includes expertise in content strategy, branding, influencer marketing and social media.

Episode Highlights

What about the “cobbler’s son” thing? “The cobbler’s son is something we talk about constantly internally. It’s fun to test out all of the cool things we do with our clients on the agency and vice versa.”

TopRank specializes in influencer marketing. What’s their definition of this rising trend? “Basically, we’re co-creating content with influencers.” Like many marketing strategies, this was something that TopRank experimented with on their own first by doing influencer ebooks with Content Marketing Institute.

Where does Ashely go for inspiration as a marketer? “I love looking at other industries and seeing what they’re doing. I also love the Social Media Masterminds group on Facebook and everything from Ann Handley.”

What brand has made Ashley smile recently? “BarkBox —they have the perfect combo of humor and tugging at your heartstrings.” For more on BarkBox, listen to the On Brand episode with Stacie Grissom, Head of Content at Bark.

To learn more, connect with Ashely on LinkedIn, check out the TopRank blog and agency website.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Recently, Don Stanley gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Andy Cunningham.Thanks for listening!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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

Enjoy This Episode Now

About Pia Silva

Entrepreneur, speaker, and author Pia Silva is a partner and brand strategist at Worstofall Design where they build “Badass Brands without the BS” for 1-3 person service businesses in 1-3 day intensives. She is also a Forbes contributor and author of Badass Your Brand: The Impatient Entrepreneur’s Guide to Turning Expertise into Profit.

Episode Highlights

What’s in a name? A lot! And Pia’s branding firm has an interesting name — Worstofall Design. They’re so named because they help their clients — mostly small service businesses — create badassery. There’s another secret story behind the name that you’ll have to listen to discover.

Why is branding so hard today? “There’s a very generic idea of how brands exist but that’s different for corporations, small businesses, fashion brands.”

How is branding for a small service firm different? “The brand comes from the owner — it should really be pulled out of that.” This makes the brand more authentic and personal.

What’s one thing Pia would advise impatient brand builders to do? “Identify your best, favorite customer and start saying no to everyone else.” Again, you can’t standout by being everything to everyone.

What brand has made Pia smile recently? The email signature from The Middle Finger Project. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to learn why.

To learn more, you can get a free chapter of Badass Your Brand online and you can follow Pia on Instagram.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Kerry O’Shea Gorgone gave us a shoutout on Twitter as a podcast she doesn’t miss. Thanks for listening, Kerry!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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

About Andy Cunningham

Andy Cunningham is the founder and president of Cunningham Collective, a marketing, brand and communication strategy firm dedicated to bringing innovation to market. She is also the author of Get to Aha!: Discover Your Positioning DNA and Dominate Your Competition (McGraw-Hill), and the host of the popular podcast Marketing Over Ice.

An entrepreneur at the forefront of marketing, branding, positioning and communicating “The Next Big Thing,” Andy has played a key role in the launch of a number of new technology categories and products (including the Apple Macintosh) over the past 35 years.

Today she advises startups, serves on several corporate boards, is a Henry Crown Fellow and a trustee at the Aspen Institute. She is a graduate of Northwestern University and lives in Sausalito on an old wooden boat with her husband Rand Siegfried.

Episode Highlights

It’s easy to forget: “The first six months of the Mac were another dismal failure.” Andy reminded us of an early pivot of the now venerable brand that initially set out to replace the PC at work. “We realized it wasn’t the computer for the rest of us. It was for the best of us.” This led Andy and the team to focus on the creatives who “eventually brought the Mac to work through the back door.”

“You have to find your tribe.” This now-accepted idea was pretty revolutionary at the time. But a lot has changed about how we build brands today.

“Everything today is a dialogue, not a broadcast.” It’s about having a conversation with your customers and community. Speaking of the letter C …

The Six Cs of Positioning. Andy’s new book Get to Aha! builds on the classic work of Al Ries and Jack Trout with a new framework for positioning brands today:

What brand has made Andy smile recently? “Cheddar — it’s like CNBC for millennials.” They’re engaging and they know their tribe.

To learn more, check out the website for her book Get to Aha! and her firm Cunnigham Collective. You can also follow her on Twitter.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Recently Steve Hutt gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Amber Armstrong of IBM Watson. Thanks for listening, Steve!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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

About Robin Fisher Roffer

Brand strategist and storyteller, Robin Fisher Roffer has provided the rocket fuel that has launched and evolved dozens of media brands all over the world such as A&E, Animal Planet, CNN, Comedy Central, Discovery, FX, Hallmark Channel, History, Lifetime, MTV, and TNT.

As Founder and CEO of Big Fish Marketing, Inc., she leads an award-winning creative team adept at unearthing a brand’s essence and filter, its look, feel and tagline, market positioning, value proposition and key messaging to both consumers and the trade.

With a mission to inspire professionals to fearlessly reach their potential, Robin has authored four books, including Make A Name For Yourself (now available on audible) and Your No-Fear Career, 2nd Edition.

Episode Highlights

“Every day is a day to become brand new.” Robin offered this inspirational mantra for brands everywhere. You can further your brand’s story or write a new one every single day. How can you tell your story?

It’s all about the mission statement. And, no, the mission statement isn’t that bloated couple of paragraphs at the front of your annual report or in a framed poster in your lobby. Robin reminds us that your mission — why you do what you do — should be seven words or less. She has a whole chapter on this in her book, Your No-Fear Career.

What’s the purpose of your purpose? “Your mission should be what you walk, lock-step toward every day — your North Star.”

Don’t bury the lede. FX didn’t. Like journalists, Robin reminded us not to bury the lede. Often we have to work to uncover our real purpose. Robin related a story about FX. While most of the network’s programming consists of movies, they have several award-winning original TV shows. “They put their best foot forward” by making their brand about original programming.

What brand has made Robin smile? We all know Apple is great but Robin smiled when, after installing the new iOS software, she received a text from Apple with an emoji heart. “Every touchpoint, a brand has to do something to show their love.

To learn more, go to Robin’s website.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Recently Marc Sauro gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Amber Armstrong of IBM Watson. Thanks for listening, Marc!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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

About Jeff Suhy

As President and Partner at Mod Op, Jeff is responsible for building the strategic function at Mod Op from the ground up. He oversees all brand, digital, media and interactive operations for the agency. His breadth and depth of experience across the advertising, music and technology industries provides a unique creative insight into building cohesive digital narratives for some of the world’s top brands including, Belvedere Vodka, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Nike, and Ubisoft.

Jeff began his career in the music industry working his way up at A&R and promoted to Vice President while representing top artists such as Soundgarden. As the music industry experienced radical change with the advent of streaming music, Jeff launched Nine Systems, a technology company dedicated to developing software platforms for entertainment companies. In 2006, Nine Systems was acquired by Akamai Technologies, one of the world’s largest content delivery network providers for media and software delivery.

With a unique hybrid of entertainment and technology experience, Jeff joined Zoic in 2009 to help media companies solve the riddle of how to market to consumers in the digital media era. Jeff worked with advertising agencies and gaming clients to build meaningful online media experiences.

Episode Highlights

A branding lesson from the band Soundgarden? Yes, please! Find this story in the first five minutes of the show.

What’s lacking today? Consistency. In our hustle-and-pivot culture, brands today are afraid of doing the same thing for too long. This isn’t always the best move.

Trusting the moment. Jeff’s background in the entertainment business meant we could talk about the gray areas of the creative process. What happens if your gut tells you to do something different than the research? “There are variables beyond what can be measured.” That is a great answer!

What brand has made Jeff smile? Instead of a traditional smile, Jeff went with more of a smirk as he told us about the work Uber and Volkswagen are doing to turn the corner from their recent missteps.

To learn more, go to modop.com.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Steve Hutt gave us a shout on Twitter for several of our recent episodes. Thanks for listening!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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

 About Nancy Duarte

Nancy Duarte is a communication expert who has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Wired, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, and on CNN. Her firm, Duarte, Inc., is the global leader behind some of the most influential visual messages in business and culture. As a persuasion expert, she cracked the code for effectively incorporating story patterns into business communications. She’s written five best-selling books and four have won awards.

Duarte, Inc., is the largest design firm in Silicon Valley, as well as one of the top woman-owned businesses in the area. Nancy has won several awards for communications, entrepreneurship, and her success as a female executive. On the list of top 250 Women in Leadership, Duarte ranks #67 and on World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals for 2017, Duarte ranks #1 . She has been a speaker at conferences and a number of Fortune 500 companies, and counts many more among her firm’s clientele. Her TEDx talk has had over a million views. She speaks at business schools and has lectured at Stanford University several times.

Episode Highlights

“Slides don’t facilitate creative thinking.” Though the outputs of her work are very visual, Nancy is quite to point out that too often we jump too soon into digital tools like slides. We need to focus on story first.

Transcribing Steve Jobs. For her latest book, Nancy spent three years transcribing all of Steve Jobs’s speeches. She learned many things, including that he often spent less time describing the current state (“what is”) and more time on the future state (“what could be”).

The journey continues … Nancy’s latest work Illuminate poses a simple question: “If businesses are protagonists in stories, do they follow a plot or arc?” The answer? Of course they do — with the support of tools like stories and ceremonies.

What’s Nancy’s #1 piece of advice for someone who wants to be a better speaker and presenter? “Understand empathy. We immediately want to make it all about us.”

To learn more, go to duarte.com.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Recently, Mike Gerholdt gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Alan Alda. Thanks for listening!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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

About Peter Shankman

Peter Shankman is an entrepreneur, CEO, runner, skydiver, podcaster, Ironman Triathlete, and most importantly, a dad. He’s the founder of ShankMinds: Breakthrough, a private, online entrepreneur community with hundreds of members around the world. He’s perhaps best known for founding Help a Reporter Out, the largest source repository in the world, which fundamentally changed how journalists source their stories. His customer service and social media clients have included Re/Max, NBC/Universal, American Express, NBC, Universal, E Entertainment, Sprint, the US Department of Defense, Royal Bank of Canada, Saudi Aramco, Snapple, Walt Disney World, and many others.

Peter is the author of five books, including his most recent best seller, Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans, and the upcoming Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain (Tarcher Perigee, 2017) Peter also hosts the top-rated Faster Than Normal Podcast, helping people understand that ADD and ADHD is a gift, not a curse. He’s based in NYC.

Episode Highlights

On building a personal brand with diverse areas of focus: “I’m very lucky to do things that I like to do. Someone told me earlier in my career that you have to earn money to enjoy the time you’re not working. That sounded crazy.”

Shankman frequently appears on cable news talking about President Trump’s personal brand. His take? “You can get a lot of people to look at you by jumping up and down. Eventually, it’s misdirection.”

When is a new project — like Shankman’s Faster Than Normal podcast and book — a stand-alone brand? “I let my audience do that. I learned from HARO that the audience will tell you what to do. I care about what I am building and how I can help people.”

What brand has made Peter smile recently? “The Royal Mansour in Morocco. I have no status, no points.” Which made their customer service win even bigger.

To learn more, go to shankman.com, shankminds.com, and the Faster Than Normal podcast.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Recently, Bruce Kennedy gave us a shout on Twitter as a podcast he likes listening to. Thanks for listening!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed some new data from Buzzsumo showing that Facebook Page reach and engagement have declined dramatically since January 2017. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.

Beyond the Sound Bite

Last but not least …

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