Spona Speaks

In this episode of Spona Speaks, Ana will take over the hosting duties from Gary. They reflect on the unique paths that have brought them to Spona, from Ana's Canadian upbringing and Croatian roots to Gary's travels in the US and his agency experience. Together, they talk about the latest trends in digital agencies, share insights on working with international clients and give advice on how to embrace curiosity and authenticity in storytelling. Listen to the fresh perspectives Ana and Gary bring to the podcast.

Unspoken Truths in Branding: Bethany shares her experiences and insights into branding by uncovering the unspoken truths that resonate with consumers. She illustrates this with examples like WhyGolf?, a brand focused on golf training products that tapped into the frustration many golfers feel, turning it into a unique selling proposition.

Understanding Target Audiences: Bethany emphasizes the importance of thorough market research in understanding target audiences. She recounts a story where assumptions about a product’s target market were overturned by feedback from grandparents, leading to a highly successful campaign.

Simplicity in Branding: Garry and Bethany discuss the power of simplicity in branding, highlighting the need to distill complex messages into clear, concise, and relatable concepts. They explore examples of brands that have mastered this, like Nike, Apple, and Klarna.

Building Superfans: Bethany stresses the importance of turning customers into superfans by fostering strong emotional connections with brands. She explains that while brand awareness is crucial, building deep customer loyalty leads to long-term success.

Challenges in Branding: The conversation also delves into the challenges of balancing brand awareness with immediate revenue generation, particularly in today’s fast-paced market. Bethany discusses the need to educate clients about the long-term benefits of investing in brand-building activities.

Personal Insights: Bethany shares her personal interests in being a food show host or music video producer, highlighting her passion for combining entertainment with functionality, a trait she believes aligns with her career in advertising.

This two-part episode features Bethany Wilcox, cofounder of Unusual, an LA-based advertising, creative, and branding agency. 

In this episode, Bethany speaks with Spona's Garry Mendez about the importance of simplifying branding and communication to maximize impact, the need for market research, and unspoken truths to uncover pain points and win over consumers.

This is the second half of a two-part conversation with Van Rais, founder of the consultancy Hello-Better. In part one Van told the story of how he came to behavioral science and how it's tied to his work as a designer. In this episode, we dive into some of the case studies that show just how linking behavioral science with design has helped his clients.

In part one of a two-part conversation, Van tells us about what shaped his vision for Hello-Better, a new type of consultancy that builds brands but isn’t a traditional branding agency at all. In part two we’ll tackle how Van and the Hello-Better team apply their approach to client work to get results.

Our episodes usually feature interviews with agency leaders or clients. This episode gives you a look behind the scenes at Spona as we talk with members of the Spona staff. We’ll talk about what they do at Spona and discuss how their career paths led them here.

Whether you'd like to work with Spona (or for Spona), or you're just curious about the people behind the company, this episode is for you.

Joshua Chin may be young, but he's a master of a tool that, by internet standards, is ancient: email marketing. 

Email marketing continues to figure prominently in a lot of marketer's plans for one simple reason: it works. In this episode we explore some of the keys to success in email marketing and look at the email marketing KPIs that you should be measuring if you want to win with email.

When the founders of Rivian Electric Automobiles wanted to launch a new automobile brand, they turned to Rejouice, a venture agency based in Paris and San Diego. We've got all the questions. We wanted to know what was the experience like building a new brand in the automotive industry, what it's like working with, essentially a software company that makes trucks, and what exactly is a venture agency, anyway?  Rejouice founder Guillaume Hamon supplied us with the answers in this look at the life of an upstart California agency that focuses on working with upstart clients. 

Usually, our episodes feature interviews with agency leaders or clients, but in this episode, you'll hear from Spona staff. We’ll talk about what they do at Spona and discuss how their career paths led them here.

Whether you'd like to work with Spona (or for Spona), or you're just curious about the people behind the company, this episode is for you.