On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed some new data on social media sharing that Twitter will want to take note of. After discontinuing support for tweet counts on their share button last month, Shareaholic reports that sharing via Twitter is down 11%. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.

Last but not least …

Until next week, see you on the Internet!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Figure out what you’re doing right and do more of it.” This deceptively simple advice should come as a cautionary tale to brands of all shapes and sizes. As a best-selling author and leader of one of the Southwest’s top agencies, Steve McKee spends all of this time help stalled, stuck, and stale brands. I couldn’t wait to chat with him about all of this on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.

About Steve McKee

Steve McKee is the president of McKee Wallwork + Company, Advertising Age’s 2015 Southwest Small Agency of the Year. He is the author of When Growth Stalls: How it Happens, Why You’re Stuck and What To Do About It, an award-winning business book now published in four languages, and Power Branding: Leveraging the Success of the World’s Best Brands.

MWC specializes in revitalizing stalled, stuck and stale brands across the U.S. A marketing strategist for nearly thirty years, Steve has held executive positions at notable international agencies including NW Ayer, Della Femina, and a division of McCann-Erickson Worldwide. He is also the co-founder of a successful Bay Area tech startup, a company that is redefining an entire industry as a result of insightful research into its “rationally irrational” consumers.

Steve was a popular Businessweek.com columnist for more than a decade and has been published or quoted in The New York Times, USA Today, Forbes.com, Investor’s Business Daily, and The Los Angeles Times, among others. A popular speaker at corporate and association events, he has appeared on CNBC, ESPN2, CNNfn, Bloomberg, and network television affiliates across America.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community … Angie Greinergave us a shout on Twitter about our recent episode on design featuring Aaron Draplin. 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.

Last but not least …

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a new feature that’s finally on it’s way to Instagram. A constant struggle for community managers keeping their brand’s Instagram presence up to date is the current inability to easily toggle in and out of accounts. Sounds like this feature is on the way at last. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.

Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we’ll be talking to Steve McKee, author of Power Branding.

Last but not least …

Until next week, see you on the Internet!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If a picture paints a thousand words, then a video packs an even bigger punch. Being able to show versus telling is powerful.” As people consume more and more content online, video is one of the most useful tools for brands. When does video make sense and how can you use it to build a better brand online? As Director of Business Development at Wistia, Kristen Craft spends a lot of her time talking about branding with video. This week, she did so as my guest on the On Brand podcast.

About Kristen Craft

Kristen is a big fan of technology, education, and business. As the Director of Business Development at Wistia, she enjoys helping people use video more effectively. She loves working with Wistia’s partner community, building connections with other companies that care about video marketing. Kristen holds advanced degrees in business and education from MIT and Harvard. In her spare time, she brews and drinks different varieties of beer.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community … The Marketing Huddlegave us a shout on Twitter about our recent episode on what great brands do featuring Denise Lee Yohn. 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.

Last but not least …

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Every order sold is a story waiting to be told. Everyone has a story to tell.” You won’t meet a bigger advocate for story and its ability to move people than Bobby Lehew. As Chief Branding Officer at ROBYN, he employs story every day in redefining this growing business. While story is an exciting topic for marketers, it’s also misunderstood. I couldn’t wait to unpack story — why it matters and how we can use it more — with Bobby on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. 

About Bobby Lehew

Bobby Lehew is the Chief Branding Officer at ROBYN, a branded products fulfillment company that creates and distributes promotional products, corporate apparel, and printed materials through e-commerce company stores. Robyn’s achievements include being recognized three years in a row by Inc. magazine as one of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the US, numerous industry awards, an Addy, and being featured twice in the $20 billion promotional industry as one of the top fifty “Best Places to Work.” Bobby is a national speaker on topics related to B2B marketing and, as an ardent bibliophile, loves a world where business marketing and storytelling make story-selling magic.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community … Erika Krukowski gave us a shout on Twitter about our recent episode focused on brand personality and purpose featuring Nathan Sinsabaugh. 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.

Last but not least …

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Nothing is ever, ever going to challenge a good, solid, legible, readable, scalable, beautiful, crafted mark. It’s got the right DNA.” As one of the leading designers working today, Aaron Draplin has a thing or two to say about brands. This past week, Draplin was in Iowa City on his fall tour “Tall Tales from a Large Man,” which he presented at the University of Iowa. I was fortunate enough to be able to chat with him after his workshop and before his evening lecture about identity and the new dynamics at play today. 

About Aaron Draplin

Hailing from the mighty Pacific Northwest (but a Midwesterner at heart), Aaron Draplin is one of the most unique and outspoken designers working today. The Draplin Design Co. proudly rolls up its sleeves on print, identity, web development (or not web — if you listen to the first thing out of his mouth during the interview), illustration and Gocco muscle projects. They make stuff for Field Notes, Esquire, Nike, Wired, Timberline, Ford Motor Company, Woolrich and even the Obama Administration, among many others.

The DDC motto is simple: “Work hard. Do good work. For good people.”

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community … This week I have to thank Bradley Dicharry at the University of Iowa’s School of Art and Art History for making this week’s interview possible. Fun fact: Brad’s a longtime collaborator who’s helped us visualize our own brand at Brand Driven Digital.

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.

Last but not least …

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed some some new data on how we use social networks. In their most recent quarterly summary of the latest trends in social networking, GlobalWebIndex notes that we’re spending more time on social media — on average 1.77 hours per day! Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.

Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we’ll be talking to Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co.

Last but not least …

Until next week, see you on the Internet!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Most brands don’t risk enough — there’s too much jargon and too little personality.” As a designer, brand builder, and agency president, Nathan Sinsabaugh has spent his career bringing design thinking and innovation to applications outside of a traditional design context. Along the way, he’s worked to infuse B2B brands with more personality and purpose. I couldn’t wait to discuss all of this with Nathan on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.

About Nathan Sinsabaugh

As President of Studio Science—an Indianapolis based design and innovation consultancy—Nathan leads an amazing team of designers, developers, writers, and strategists that are helping enterprise-focused tech-companies design and build the new generation of digital business products and services.

Central to Studio Science’s work are the beliefs that true insights only come from a genuine understanding of people, and that purposefully crafted brands have the power to unite teams, transform cultures, and produce truly meaningful outcomes.

As We Wrap …

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

Speaking of agencies … Drew McLellan of the Agency Management Institute just launched a great podcast — Build a Better Agency. His first guests include Scott Monty, Jason Falls, and Peter Levitan. In addition to being an upcoming guest, I’ve also listened every episode and learned something each time. Check it out here!

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.

Last but not least …

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed some some new data on Facebook use. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, most of us are lurking more and posting original content less. While this may not seem like a big deal it could lead to a less engaging social experience which could threaten Facebook’s emerging ad network. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.

Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we’ll be talking to Nathan Sinsabaugh.

Last but not least …

Until next week, see you on the Internet!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Your brand can’t just be a promise. It must be a promise delivered.” Denise Lee Yohn knows a thing or two about great brands. Specifically, What Great Brands Do — the title of her best-selling book. The follow-up Extraordinary Experiences examines the principles of her first book at work in the restaurant and retail industry. I couldn’t wait to discuss great brands, extraordinary experiences, and more this week with Denise Lee Yohn.

About Denise Lee Yohn

Blending a fresh perspective, twenty-five years of experience working with world-class brands including Sony and Frito-Lay, and a talent for inspiring audiences, Denise Lee Yohn is a leading authority on building and positioning exceptional brands. Denise is the author of the bestselling book What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest (Jossey-Bass) and the new book Extraordinary Experiences: What Great Retail and Restaurant Brands Do.

As We Wrap …

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

Sean Carpenter gave us a shout on Twitter about our recent episode focused on brand constraints and creativity featuring Joe Pulizzi. 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.

Last but not least …

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices