It's not easy starting a business during the COVID-19 pandemic. And for Aidan Sowa, the journey starting a PR agency and scaling it to a 7-figure business during that time was no easy feat.

In this episode, Aidan talks about his work in public relations and how it affects personal branding and audience perception. He also walks us through his experiences in running an agency, as well as how entrepreneurs and freelancers handle the challenges in doing so.

Aidan is the founder of the Sowa Marketing Agency and VelvetVoice PR.

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Listen to related episodes:

Ep. 35: Freelancing and Social Media Strategy with Kohi Social

⁠Ep. 52: How to Define Your Personal Brand⁠

Ep. 62: Podcasting101 with The Sunshine Collective

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It's exciting to get into podcasts, but it can also be intimidating. A lot has changed since the podcast boom years ago; not only did we get new shows and listeners, we also have vodcasts now.

How should you get started on a podcast? What is the podcast landscape like right now? What are listeners like and how can we engage them? Let's find out in this episode.

Tish is the founder of the Sunshine Collective PH, a podcast production agency. She also has her own podcast show called Spill the Creativity.

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Listen to related episodes:

Ep. 34: How Purpose Drives Brand Strategy

Ep. 49: Branding a Podcast

Ep. 52: How to Define Your Personal Brand

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More than two-thirds of start-ups are unsuccessful and founders play a huge role in their failure. There are several factors that play into their downfall, most of which are anchored in a founder's inability to manage the business and make smart business decisions.

How they conduct brand and product development can also set them up for failure, unless done right. What are the strategic brand building and product development initiatives that they should do to avoid these pitfalls?

Read the full articles here:

Harvard Business Review: Why Start-ups Fail

Fast Company: 5 red flags to watch out for when working with start-ups

Listen to related episodes:

⁠Ep. 11: Why Marketers Quit⁠

Ep. 50: Forget the USP; Why the DSI is more realistic

Ep. 54: How HR Manages Toxic Company Cultures with Val Tamayo

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Now that we concluded our experiment, should writers, creatives, and brands use AI tools? What are the pros and cons of using it for writing? How would it affect the industry moving forward?

This episode is part 3 of 3 of an experiment we conducted on using AI tools to write a podcast episode. This episode is where we analyze the pros and cons of using AI. The previous episodes made use of Gemini, Google's AI, and Notion's AI to write an episode.

Both AI platforms were given this prompt: write a podcast episode on the importance of branding.

Listen to related episodes:

⁠⁠Episode 34: How Purpose Drives Brand Strategy⁠⁠

⁠⁠Episode 40: The 5 Undisputable Laws of Branding⁠⁠

⁠Episode 55: The Impact of AI on the Creative Industry with Angelo San Buenaventura⁠

⁠⁠⁠Instagram: @genzmkt⁠⁠⁠

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What if we used AI to write a podcast episode? How would it affect writers, creatives, and the industry?

This episode is part 2 of 3 of an experiment we're conducting on using AI tools to write a podcast episode. For this episode, we Notion's AI to write a script. The previous episode was written by Gemini, Google's AI, and the last episode would be a brief analysis of these tools and using them for podcast scriptwriting.

Both AI platforms were given this prompt: write a podcast episode on the importance of branding.

Listen to related episodes:

⁠⁠Episode 34: How Purpose Drives Brand Strategy⁠⁠

⁠⁠Episode 40: The 5 Undisputable Laws of Branding⁠⁠

⁠Episode 55: The Impact of AI on the Creative Industry with Angelo San Buenaventura⁠

⁠⁠⁠Instagram: @genzmkt⁠⁠⁠

⁠Portfolio⁠

With the prevalence of AI as a tool to help creatives and writers, how does this affect the quality of work?

This episode is part 1 of 3 of an experiment we're conducting on using AI tools to write a podcast episode. For this episode, we used Gemini, Google's AI. The 2nd episode is written by Notion's AI and the last episode would be a brief analysis of these tools and using them for podcast scriptwriting.

Both AI platforms were given this prompt: write a podcast episode on the importance of branding.

Listen to related episodes:

⁠Episode 34: How Purpose Drives Brand Strategy⁠

⁠Episode 40: The 5 Undisputable Laws of Branding⁠

Episode 55: The Impact of AI on the Creative Industry with Angelo San Buenaventura

⁠⁠Instagram: @genzmkt⁠⁠

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Your brand story and key message is amplified through advertising. It plays a crucial role in brand awareness and interest, which is why creatives are always involved in storytelling.

What role does advertising play in IMC? How can creatives hone their abilities in storytelling? Should you work in an agency or be a freelancer?

John Ray Bumanglag is a creative that moved from being a creative director in the advertising industry to a comic artist for Filipino stories.

Along with writer Rexy Dorado, John Ray slowly builds the alternate history and sci-fi komiks series Maharlika. He is also a co-founder of Manila Middle Ground, a creative retail and events space in Makati.

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Manila Middle Ground⁠

Listen to related episodes:

Episode 15: How the Save the Ralph Campaign on Animal Testing Went Viral

Episode 46: Should brands be apolitical?

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Short-video content keep audiences engaged with brands. They are sharable and often go viral, depending on the creator's storytelling. But with shorter attention spans and millions of videos on different platforms, how do you stay relevant, memorable, and engaging to viewers?

Jed is the owner of Runit Decks, a shop known as the purveyors of premium playing cards, collectible puzzles, and award-winning tarot cards.

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Listen to related episodes:

Episode 28: Grow Your Brand on TikTok with Anika of Everything Kawaii

Episode 35: Crafting Your Social Media Strategy with Andrea of Kohi Social

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more prevalent in design and creator platforms. With its emergence, how has it affected the way creatives work? What are the pros and cons of AI? How can creatives continue to produce on-brand and differentiated design using AI tools? Is AI-aided design ethical for creators?

Join our discussion on the implications of AI-aided design and how branding and marketing comes into play during the design process.

Gelo is a 5-star generalist who specializes in creative identity systems design and strategy.

Listen to related episodes:

⁠Episode 31: "The Brand Gap" Key Strategic Takeaways That'll Make or Break Your Brand

Episode 34: How Purpose Drives Brand Strategy

Episode 40: The 5 Undisputable Laws of Branding

Episode 52: How to Define Your Personal Brand

⁠Instagram: @genzmkt⁠

⁠Website⁠

Human Resources is the backbone of every company. They are at the frontline when meeting new applicants, nurturing current employees, and supporting those who are leaving the company.

We have previously talked about why employees quit and what to look out for when applying for a job. This time, we have invited Valerie Tamayo, a HR Manager who shares with us HR's role in managing company culture and toxicity and working with management in reaching a company's vision.

Val is one of the partners behind Manila Middle Ground, a creative retail and events space in Comuna.

Listen to related episodes:

Episode 11: Why Marketers Quit

Episode 16: Identifying Red Flags on Job Openings

Instagram: @genzmkt

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