#163 Pat sits down with Dana Lytle, Founder and CEO, and Emily Steele, President, of Madison-based ad agency Planet Propaganda — a shop with a point of view and zero interest in coloring inside the traditional ad agency lines.

 

This agency has done incredible work for: 

 

✅ Duluth Trading Company

 

✅ Jimmy John’s Sandwiches 

 

✅ Jersey Mike’s Subs

 

✅ Pernod Ricard Smithworks Vodka

 

Highlights from the show: 

• Intro and Background of Planet Propaganda — 0:00:00 to 0:02:00

• Dana on Starting Planet — 0:02:00 to 0:06:00

• Emily’s Journey to Planet — 0:06:00 to 0:08:00

• Defining the Agency: Strategy + Creative — 0:08:00 to 0:13:00

• Getting Clients into Strategy Mode — 0:13:00 to 0:17:00

• Inside-Out Brand Building — 0:17:00 to 0:22:00

• Consensus and 'Simplify Amplify' Process — 0:22:00 to 0:27:00

• Jimmy John’s 'Freaky Fast' Example — 0:27:00 to 0:31:00

• What Brand Really Means — 0:31:00 to 0:35:00

• Operationalizing Brand — 0:35:00 to 0:39:00

• Client Trust and Long-Term Relationships — 0:39:00 to 0:42:00

• Building Culture in a Hybrid World — 0:42:00 to 0:48:00

• Connecting vs Culture Buzzword — 0:48:00 to 0:51:00

• The State of Agencies in 2025 — 0:51:00 to 0:57:00

• AI and the Creative Industry — 0:57:00 to 1:02:00

• The Future of Agencies and Specialization — 1:02:00 to 1:08:00

• Category Focus: Food and Apparel — 1:08:00 to 1:11:00

• New Business: Relationships First — 1:11:00 to 1:15:00

• Closing Thoughts and How to Reach Out — 1:15:00 to 1:17:00

 

Reach out to Dana and Emily here: https://www.planetpropaganda.com/info

 

Check ‘em out on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-lytle-8269283/

 

Or here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-steele-58ba758/

 

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

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Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

This podcast is sponsored by Ascedia. A web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win in the digital space. 

 

#162 Jim Kanter knows a thing or two about selling and marketing beer and spirits. That’s because he started off driving a beer truck as a summer job. Tell me, does a summer job get any better?

 

From there, Kanter went on an 18-year tear at MillerCoors moving all the way up to General Manager. 

 

Then, he went in a different direction. Kanter pivots and joins a small but growing distillery called Central Standard. 

 

Today, Central Standard is one of the fastest-growing spirits brands in the Midwest! 

 

✅ How did Kanter and the team do it? 

✅ What’s it like marketing a spirits brand? 

✅ How do you stand out in a crowded space? 

 

All of these questions and more – answered here. Have a listen

 

Show highlights:

 

• 00:00–00:04 – Intro & Jim’s early start: from beer truck summers to PR with the Milwaukee Brewers.

• 00:04–00:13 – 18 years at MillerCoors: navigating roles, M&A chaos, and unifying sales/marketing ops.

• 00:13–00:18 – Jumping into Central Standard: the startup leap and learning curve.

• 00:18–00:21 – What is Central Standard? Overview of the distillery and key product lineup.

• 00:21–00:26 – What a Chief Commercial Officer actually does in a small spirits brand.

• 00:26–00:30 – Big company vs. small startup: “You think you know... then the bottle caps run out.”

• 00:30–00:36 – Breaking into retail: the hard truth about shelf space, distributors, and awareness.

• 00:36–00:41 – The power of product focus: “You can’t launch 30 SKUs. Pick your winners.”

• 00:41–00:46 – Branding that works: the origin of Central Standard’s rugged Midwestern visual identity.

• 00:46–00:51 – Marketing consistency: “We get bored way before the customer does.”

• 00:51–00:55 – Spirits market overview: who’s growing, who’s hurting, and why brandy’s having a moment.

• 00:55–01:03 – Canned cocktail origin story: a shuttle ride, a few beers, and a big bet with Liney’s.

• 01:03–01:10 – Marketing strategy on a budget: event play, influencer work, scarcity as a tool.

• 01:10–01:14 – Cracking into events like Summerfest: strategy, speed, and solving event organizer problems.

• 01:14–01:18 – Jim on networking: authenticity, saying yes, and getting uncomfortable on purpose.

• 01:18–01:20 – Final thoughts: Central Standard’s growth, airport bar launch, and what’s next.

Connect with Jim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-kanter-726930b7/ 

 

Check out Central Standard here: https://thecentralstandard.com/

 

For God's sake, try one of these: RTD or Pour Ready Cocktails: https://thecentralstandard.com/our-spirits/

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

Thanks, you’re the best!

Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

This podcast is sponsored by Ascedia. A web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win in the digital space.

#161 We love talking to folks in the real estate game. And in this episode, Pat has a sit-down with Charlie Hutchinson, who heads up one of the leading real estate teams in the Milwaukee area. 

Great insights into real estate and marketing. 

 

Here’s what we cover: 

 

0:00:00 – Intro 

 Face-to-face setting, Charlie's background tease, chemistry between host and guest.

0:05:00 – Charlie’s Background & Origin Story From Spanish class and radio to Nashville, and eventually real estate.

0:12:00 – Early Agent Days & Learning by Doing Living in grandma’s basement, soaking up knowledge at Shore West, hustling for scraps.

0:18:00 – Starting a Team: The Charlie Group to Houseworks Collective Ego-driven beginnings, learning he's not a great trainer, and pivoting to scalable support.

0:26:00 – Current Market Conditions & Outlook Thoughts on buying/selling in today’s market, interest rate impacts, and inventory challenges.

0:33:00 – Building Houseworks Collective: Leverage, Support, and Team Structure Why leverage matters, team roles, and the biggest learnings as a leader.

0:40:00 – Hiring Philosophy & Culture Fit Self-awareness, using a second perspective, and the danger of liking people too much.

0:44:00 – Marketing: Buyers, Sellers & Agents Segmenting the audience, introducing the LLC framework: Leads, Leverage, Culture.

0:52:00 – Pricing Strategy & Listing Approach The psychology of pricing, market nuance, and how comps are really used.

0:58:00 – Social Media Strategy & Personal Branding Why video is about you, not the house — building agent brand over listing views.

1:03:00 – Skillset of a Great Agent Reading people, simplifying the agent's role, cutting out busywork.

1:07:00 – Keller Williams Partnership & Merger Strategy Merger with the Jay Schmidt team, thinking big, scaling through leverage, and support from Keller Williams.

1:15:00 – AI Usage in Real Estate & Team Enablement How Charlie uses ChatGPT, the need for a team prompt library, idea-sharing culture.

1:21:00 – Misconceptions About Real Estate Careers “Money flows” myth, helping vs. selling, the long view on building trust and success.

Connect with Charlie on Instagram @charliehutchinson 

Or https://teamhwc.com/

 

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

Thanks, you’re the best!

Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

This podcast is sponsored by Ascedia. A web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win in the digital space. 

 

 

#160 SVP, at Zartico, Josh Derouin joins the pod. And in this episode, we break down how advanced analytics, attribution, and AI are transforming destination marketing—making data the real MVP of campaign success. 

We dig into the tension between short-term wins and long-term brand building, why most marketers still fumble with analytics, and how agencies can get ahead (without losing their creative edge).

Here are the highlights: 

Intro & Josh’s Background Josh shares how he pivoted from Flash development to marketing, with early roles at Sportsman Channel and more.

02:00 – Agency vs. Client-side Marketing Roles Josh discusses key differences, benefits, and what he brought from one side to the other.

5:00 – What Zartico Does & the Tech Behind It Overview of Zartico’s role in place-based marketing and its proprietary tech platform.

8:00 – Place-Based Marketing & Attribution How Zartico uses aggregated data to track behavior, spending, and destination value.

11:00 – Josh’s Role at Zartico His work with agencies, product licensing, and media optimization.

13:00 – Beyond Travel: Broader Applications Application in hotels, theme parks, and understanding visitor behavior beyond POS data.

15:00 – State of the Travel Industry (April 2025) Josh’s take on post-COVID recovery, economic caution, and the need for efficiency.

18:00 – Why Marketers Struggle with Analytics Misalignment across tools and departments, and the need for a “data discipline plan.”

22:00 – Short-Termism vs. Brand Building The Southwest Airlines brand pullback example and what brands get wrong.

26:00 – Mental vs. Physical Availability in Marketing Explains the balance between long-term branding and short-term performance marketing.

30:00 – Can Small Companies Leverage Marketing Mix Modeling? Thoughts on B2B applicability and lessons from the consumer space.

33:00 – AI in Marketing: Current Use & Strategy How Josh uses AI for analysis, content, and why agencies need a policy.

37:00 – Impact of AI on Agencies & Jobs The coming shift in roles, AI’s limits in strategy, and what skills will matter most.

40:00 – Staying Current in Marketing & Travel Trends Josh’s sources for ongoing learning and why data-backed methods matter.

42:00 – Josh’s Day-to-Day at Zartico Client consults, product feedback, campaign awareness—his role in a nutshell.

Connect with Josh;: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshderouin/

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

Thanks, you’re the best!

Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

This podcast is sponsored by Ascedia. A web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win in the digital space. 

 

#159 Welcome back everyone. Glad you’re here. On this episode, Pat is joined by Jacob Burr, Creative Director. And Maddie Foord, Experience Designer. These two provide the creative firepower at Ascedia. 

 

On this show, Burr and Foord discuss their roles, and their ]data-informed and user-experience-focused approach to their work. Plus so much more…

 

Here are highlights: 

 

0:00 – 2:00 – Intro + Beverage banter

2:00 – 6:00 – Roles + Creative Approach

6:00 – 9:00 – What is UX + Why it Matters

9:00 – 13:00 – The State of Design in 2025

13:00 – 18:00 – Web Project Kickoff Strategy

18:00 – 23:00 – Data-Driven Design

23:00 – 26:00 – Facelift vs. Full Redesign and how we tackle both

26:00 – 32:00 – Favorite Projects

32:00 – 36:00 – Cross-Team Collaboration – the need for connections not silos

36:00 – 40:00 – Accessibility (ADA) in Design – and why it’s so important

40:00 – 44:00 – SEO in Design

44:00 – 46:00 – Blogs: Still Worth It?

46:00 – 52:00 – Design Toolkit Must-Haves

52:00 – 56:00 – AI in Design

56:00 – 59:00 – No Photos? No Problem. How we work with clients without a lot of assets

59:00 – End – Staying Inspired

 

Connect with Jacob here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-burr/

 

Connect with Maddie here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madeline-foord-37b36815a/

 

Connect with Ascedia here: https://www.ascedia.com/contact

 

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

Thanks, you’re the best!

Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

This podcast is sponsored by Ascedia. A web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win in the digital space.

 

#158 Michael DeNunzio is back talking more about AI. More specifically, how to get on top of this wave 🌊 and not get left behind. 

2025 has been a pivotal year for AI. The amount of growth and attention in this area is bananas!

 

Individuals and organizations are either going to invest or get left behind. Where are you? 

Here are highlights from the conversation: 

Timestamp

Topic

00:00 – 02:00

Intro 

03:00 – 06:00

Michael’s pivot from Web3 to AI

10:00 – 13:00

The firehose effect: AI advancements in last 90 days 

13:30 – 16:00

Overwhelmed by AI? Start bottom-up with small wins (copywriting, summarizing reports)

17:00 – 21:00

Pain points as AI use cases

22:00 – 25:30

The two camps of AI users in business—and why laggards will fall behind

28:00 – 33:00

Examples 

36:00 – 40:00

Why being AI-first is a competitive edge

42:00 – 46:00

Prompt engineering demystified: Let the LLMs write the prompt for you

48:00 – 51:00

AI literacy as the #1 hurdle—“Don’t wait, educate”

53:00 – 55:30

The rise of AI agents and job automation—why orgs need a strategy now

57:00 – 59:00

How AI gives employees “superpowers”—more thinking, less grinding

1:00:00 – 1:03:00

Craft at speed: better, faster, cheaper is no longer optional

Connect with Michael here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldenunzio/

Check out PVAI Consulting here: https://www.pvaiconsulting.com/

Michael was also guest #130 check him out here: 

 

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

Thanks, you’re the best!

Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

This podcast is sponsored by Ascedia. A web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win in the digital space.

 

 

 

 

#157 Bottom’s up, everyone. Pat and Dave are back and loaded with insights. 

 

Here are the highlights: 

3:01 – Remote work discussion 

16:31 – State of the Economy

24:16 – Scenario Planning 

32:41 – Networking when sh*t hits the fan

48:41 – Tactics for connecting 

Plus, WTF – Starbucks collab with Peanuts??

 

Connect with Dave on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-coughlin-0870598/

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

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Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

#156 Pat’s daughter Emma McGovern stops by to chop it up on important brands to Gen Z.  

Plus, a deep dive on the NBA and film studio A24. 

 

Here are the highlights: 

 

02:25 – What Makes a Brand Magnetic to Gen Z

06:10 – The Rise of Influencer Culture

10:30 – Where Are the Fashion Brands?

14:10 – Food, Fast Casual, and Gen Z Brand Spending

19:40 – Brand Deep Dive #1: The NBA

23:55 – Attention Economy and Sports Consumption

29:00 – Is the 3-Point Shot Ruining Basketball?

37:30 – Brand Deep Dive #2: A24 Films

40:00 – Is Moviegoing Back for Gen Z?

42:20 – The Genius of A24 Marketing

46:00 – The IP Temptation

48:30 – Threats to A24’s Cool Factor

 

Connect with Emma on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-mcgovern-a4b6a514a/

 

Get some Lindt chocolate, it’s delicious: https://www.lindtusa.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqQBqbPCQ5YId2uxb7LY08lKUWq99Ryo0Bd0i-kzkol5tYM9SHW

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

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Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

#155 Hey-O. On today’s pod, Pat does a sit-down with Regional Sales Manager, Dan Ardelan to discuss a key but often overlooked part of marketing – CMS platforms. 

 

Let’s face it, your website is the front door to your business. And your CMS is the foundation to a high-performing site. 

 

If that’s not working right, your site isn’t working, and if you don’t have a website that's working for you…you’re leaving money on the table. 

 

In this episode, Pat and Dan talk about Kentico…a leading CMS in the market and why it might be the right choice for you. 

 

Here’s what you’ll learn: 

 

✅Why marketing teams love Kentico

✅The benefits of Kentico over WordPress

✅How Xperience by Kentico is breaking all the rules

✅The key questions to ask if you are considering any CMS for your site

Dan is out in Colorado, so you know he was enjoying an ice-cold Coors Light.

 

Connect with Dan on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-ardelan/ or [email protected].

 

Learn more about Kentico here: https://www.kentico.com/

 

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

Want to learn more about Ascedia and our work in Kentico? Head over to our site (it’s built in Kentico).

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

Thanks, you’re the best!

Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.

#154 Josh is back!!

 

Friend of the pod, Josh Albrecht is back. It’s been just about two years since we last talked to Mr. Albrecht. And since then a sh*t ton has happened! Especially when it comes to the great city of Milwaukee. 

 

In this episode, we chop it up on: 

 

✅ The impact of hosting "Top Chef" and The Real Housewives in Milwaukee

✅ The massive complexities and successes of hosting the Republican National Convention

✅ Albrecht's expanded role as CMO, and…

✅ The strategies Visit Milwaukee employs to engage partners

 

Sit back and enjoy…and make sure you have your favorite pint on hand!

 

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-albrecht-2019/

Connect with Pat at: [email protected]

 

This podcast is sponsored by Asecdia a digital agency a web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win the digital space. 

 

Before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker! 

Thanks, you’re the best!

Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.