The Catching Fire Podcast

There’s no bigger buzzword than “data-driven.” Tap In Digital co-founder Kirk Nielson actually earns the description – and he’s making one big bet based on data:

The importance of investing in brand marketing.

Kirk is in the business of solving one problem for clients: where to spend their next dollar for maximum impact. In this episode of Catching Fire, which is a precursor to an exciting service launch coming soon from Playbook Media, he shares:

How performance branding accelerates growth through better brand marketing

The limitations of media mix modeling and how to work around them

How non-marketing factors affect your marketing efforts

Why it’s so important to unify product and marketing

Connect with Kirk:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-nielson-4039023b/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Are click-based attribution models holding your marketing strategy back? 

In this special solo episode, Bryan introduces a new Playbook Media service called performance branding: a game-changing approach that shifts marketing dollars from traditional low-funnel spending to educating consumers earlier in the buying cycle. The end result? Higher conversion rates and better customer loyalty.

Discover: 

• The evolution of marketing, from traditional brand spend to direct response (DR) advertising

• The limitations of click-based attribution models, and what you should be doing instead

• How performance branding improves storytelling and reach to drive conversions

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 
Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

As a single mom, business owner, and cancer survivor, Chelsea Jones knows what it means to be resilient. At Chelsea & Rachel Co., her UX design and Shopify development agency, she inspires her team to design creative, eye-catching websites. And as an e-commerce expert, she knows how to use those designs to drive tactical results for clients. Most importantly, she does it all with an abundance of energy, positivity, and gratitude.

Discover:

• Why integrating online and offline channels matters more than ever

• The importance of conversion rate optimization and customer lifetime value

• AI’s role as an intelligent enhancer and a creative catalyst

• The importance of energy, positivity, and “rowing the boat” to get through tough times

Connect with Chelsea:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-jones101/

https://chelseaandrachel.com/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

As the founder of Successive Technologies, teacher-turned-entrepreneur Mark Bavisotto acts as a trusted tech concierge for business leaders. As the Chairman of education tech venture EduTrust, he works on another passion project: the intersection of teaching and AI. From tech to teaching to self-improvement in general, Mark has no shortage of insights to share.

Discover:

• Why higher education is broken—and how we might fix it

• How AI caters to diverse learners and empowers teachers

• Why we need a middle ground between high school and college

• Practical tips for adapting a growth mentality in your own life

Connect with Mark:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbavisotto/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/ 

Personal branding is Owen Sammarone’s personal brand. From his early career in college basketball, to a stint in finance, to launching a six-figure business from his laptop, Owen has picked up plenty of priceless insights on how to drive engagement and stay authentic. These days, as the founder and CEO of Unleash the Knowledge, he helps founders, consultants, and executives attract their dream clients on LinkedIn.

In this episode, you’ll learn firsthand why they call him Owen “LinkedIn Growth Guy” Sammarone. Discover:

• How to boost engagement by giving your audience a peek behind the scenes

• What authenticity and vulnerability really mean for your marketing efforts

• Essential books every budding entrepreneur should read

• Why stepping away from projects is key for doing your best work

Connect with Owen:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/owensammarone/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/unleash-the-knowledge/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/ 

https://bryankaras.com/ 

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/ 

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Nick Baily is the founder of From Day One, a media outlet and conference series focused on helping corporations figure out what they stand for—and how to put those principles into action. As an expert on corporate values, Nick has produced over 1,000 pieces of original journalism on the topic. And as a three-time founder himself, he’s got plenty more priceless insights for entrepreneurs at every stage in their journey.

In this episode, discover:

• What the music business taught him about disruption, labor, and capital in the economy

• Why corporate values matter—and the consequences of getting them wrong

• The pros and cons of current corporate DEI practices

• How to pinpoint the problems you’re equipped to solve as an entrepreneur

Connect with Nick:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickbaily/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Dave Sifry describes himself as a “nerd by birth, geek by training, and entrepreneur by choice.” Over an eclectic career working everywhere from Wall Street to Japan, this 9x founder has made it his mission to understand customer needs and serve them as well as he possibly can. As the CEO of Warmstart, he helps users boost their email response rates with thoughtful, personalized messages powered by AI.

In this episode, discover:

• How to get to the root of customer problems and needs.

• How to get your customers paying for your product from the start

• Why AI and your professional network are a match made in heaven

• How to build a “defensible moat” through network effects and customer success

Connect with Dave:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dsifry/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

Omer Menashe is a serial entrepreneur, mentor to early-stage startups, and the founder of Clyr, the leading expense management platform for out-of-office teams. From a childhood business selling popsicles to becoming a three-time founder, Omer has a fascinating story and gained plenty of insight along the way.

In this episode, unpack:

• The unexpected joys of working from home during the pandemic as a father

• How to practice social selling: building relationships over pitching sales

• How AI can streamline your marketing, revamp your content, and solidify your presence online

• The importance of support and mentorship for entrepreneurs everywhere

Connect with Omer:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/omer-menashe/

https://twitter.com/hiOmerMenashe

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

From a stint at Google helping small businesses maximize their marketing, to starting his own freelance agency, to founding his dream company in climate tech, Felix Remennik’s entrepreneurial journey has been nothing short of remarkable. For the past year, Felix has served as Director of Growth at Harvest Thermal, a company committed to bringing energy-efficient heat pump systems to households across the US. The ultimate goal? Reduce carbon emissions by 90%.

In this episode of Catching Fire, discover:

• The importance of setting realistic expectations for clients and freelancers

• How to find investors and acquirers who truly understand your mission

• Why podcasts and influencer partnerships are vital for marketing

• Why there’s never been a better time to enter the climate tech space
  

Connect with Felix:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/felix-remennik-0a485524/

https://www.harvest-thermal.com/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/

With a journey spanning multiple countries, industries, and roles from programmer to COO, Natalie Kaminski is a veteran at turning tech ideas into reality. At JetRockets, she’s led a global team that specializes in helping non-tech businesses launch successful tech platforms for 15 years and counting.

In this episode, Bryan chats with Natalie on:

• Why personal engagement with customers always trumps a quick cash grab

• The importance of avoiding “yes people”

• Why you should always look for opportunity in a crisis

• How to take control of the hiring process and put quality over cost

Connect with Natalie:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliekaminski/

https://jetrockets.com/

Connect with Bryan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankaras/

https://bryankaras.com/

Looking for quality digital marketing talent? Connect with Bryan's team at GrowTal. https://www.growtal.com/

Looking to solve your toughest marketing challenges? Connect with Bryan's team at Playbook Media. https://www.playbookmedia.com/