The Design of Experience

This one's about: Fu Manchus, podcast overpopulation, and the detailed Instagram breakdowns of a Whole Foods aficionado. What is it that you want to be? And—more importantly—what do you want to say? In the final episode of season one, Steve, Emily, and Matt discuss the secret sauce of podcasting.

We’ll dive into these ideas and questions as we reflect on the season:

Why do you really want to want to do this?

How to pick a topic: think both narrow and broad.

What do you have to offer?

Do you really know what your audience wants?

Do you need a script? 

Does every episode follow the same format?

Do you have some genuine conflict?

Do your research and invest the time.

High quality editing is a must.

Invite some VIP guests (but don’t make every episode an interview).

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This one’s about: Anthropomorphism and hot dogs. The psychology of sounds. Grating voices. The joy of the jingle. Why have jingles fallen out of favor? Will they regain their former glory or continue to be a form of self-parody? Today, Steve, Matt, and Josh discuss the rise and fall of jingles in advertising and riff on the importance of mnemonic branding.

Resources referenced in this episode:

Jingles

Liberty Mutual

LUNA

My Bologna has a First Name

I'd Love to be an Oscar Mayer Weiner

Armor Hotdogs

Wonder Bread

Burger King: Have it Your Way

McDonald’s: You Deserve a Break Today

KFC: Get a Bucket of Chicken

Cotton: (Aaron Neville)

Mnemonic Branding

THx

Netflix

Intel

Windows 95

Mac Startup Sound

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This one’s about: Witty copywriting, faulty car electronics, the role of music in advertising, the smell of crayons, and cars that float. How can a brand redeem itself after a worldwide scandal? Can we forgive a brand when it overdramatizes a crisis it created? Today, Steve, Emily, and Matt discuss Volkswagen’s evolution from the people’s car to a major lifestyle brand.

Resources referenced in this episode:

Doyle Dane Bernbach print ads for Volkswagen

Floating Beetle VW commercial

Fahrvergnugen VW commercial

Pink Moon commercial

Hello Light VW commercial

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This one’s about: Cathead whimsy, avant-garde food establishments, and a nerdy J.K. Simmons. Why is humor so disarming and connective? How do you find the right kind of humor for a brand? Today, Steve, Emily, and Creative Director of Animation, Ryan Thurber, discuss the brilliance and timelessness of humor in the brand experience.

Resources referenced in this episode:

Fifteen4: Animation reel

Artist: Yayoi Kusama

Artist: Ed Ruscha

Artist: Andy Warhol

Bruce Cockburn: Humans, Fascist Architecture

Ryan O’Leary: How 3 Consumer Brands Use Humor to Create Memorable Brand Experiences

Fifteen4: The Adaptive Network video

Bankwest: Halo Payment ring commercial

Brian Regan: Pop-Tarts

Brian Regan: Reading

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This one’s about: Motorcycle gang morality, software taste testing, and Apple evangelism. Is culture more impactful than company strategy? How can you find what truly holds meaning for consumers? Today, Steve, Emily, and Matt discuss the consumer journey to tribal devotion.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

Tribal Marketing, Tribal Branding by Brendan Richardson

Slack’s $25 Billion Dollar Secret Sauce by Andrew Wilkenson

How I Built This with Guy Raz: Slack & Flickr,  Stewart Butterfield

Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright

Stages of Tribal Leadership cheat sheet

Nielsen Norman Group: Don Norman

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This one’s about: Redemption burritos, the Woke Washing Epidemic, and the striking similarities between guts and guac. How has authenticity become commercialized? What can seeing into a restaurant’s kitchen teach us about running a business? Today, Steve, Emily, and Matt get transparent about transparency.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Adweek: 3 Big Cannes Lions Takeaways Marketers Can Learn From 

AdAge: Why top-to-bottom rebrands are all the rage

Upserve Restaurant Insider: The Naked Restaurant: Restaurants Bare All in Move to Transparency 

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

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This one’s about: The attitude adjusting powers of Woodford Reserve, the party scene in airport terminals, and moments of clarity in a P.F. Chang’s. What’s the ROI of a smile? How can anticipation and spontaneity take your brand from respected to preferred? Today, Steve and Emily discuss how the smallest moments can have the biggest impact. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Culture Blueprint by Robert Richman

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh

How I Built This with Guy Raz | Zappos: Tony Hsieh

The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business by Patrick Lencioni 

Ideas to get you started on some little things:

Personalization

Anticipation

Familiarity

Empathy

Complimentary goods/services

Establishing trust

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This one’s about: Indestructible hot beverage containers, shooting Womp rats in a T-42, and the surprising positives behind cardboard pizza crust. What stories need to be told? How does a brand cast their buyer as the hero? Today, Steve and Emily talk about the elements of storytelling that resonate with human beings. 

Resources referenced in this episode:

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder

Reply All - a podcast by Gimlet Media

Diamondback Brewing Company - Locust Point, Baltimore, Maryland

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This one’s about: Parenting-induced time travel, The Cult of Anti-Instagrammers, and the definition of digital as told by Walt Whitman. Should you tell stories you don’t believe in? Are there analog experiences impossible to translate into the digital world? Today, Steve and Emily—and Matt, again—discuss how to discern genuine acts of authenticity in an age where being authentic is a trend.

Resources referenced in this episode: 

http://manifestlydigital.com/

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