Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share The Power of Productive Tension in Branding
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
The Power of Productive Tension in Branding
What makes a brand unforgettable instead of overlooked? Tom Miner knows. As Head of Global Social Media at Crocs, he helped drive one of today’s biggest brand turnarounds. Now author of Social First Brands, Tom shares how embracing productive tension, making personality your secret weapon, and riding trends that matter can turn comments into real community.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro
(00:35) Welcome to Tom Miner
(01:22) Crocs as a brand turnaround case study
(04:41) Embracing polarity and productive tension
(09:08) What it means to be a social first brand
(13:21) Fearlessness and comfort levels in social strategy
(15:32) Unhinged marketing and authentic brand personality
(18:18) Comments versus true community
(22:43) Liquid Death as a social first example
(25:10) The brand that made Tom smile
(27:10) Where to learn more
About Tom Miner
Tom Miner is a social media strategist and the author of Social First Brands. As the former Head of Global Social Media at Crocs, Tom helped lead one of the most remarkable brand turnarounds in recent years, taking the shoe from internet punchline to cultural icon. Based in Denver, Tom now consults with organizations worldwide—from household consumer names to international B2B enterprises—helping brands move beyond chasing trends to creating genuine, lasting connections with their audiences.
What Brand Has Made Tom Smile Recently?
Recently, Tom found himself impressed by PopSockets. Long known for their stick-on phone grips, the brand has reinvented itself with MagSafe-compatible products and a renewed sense of fun on social media. A standout moment was a TikTok reaction video where the founder surprised a customer who lost her phone in the ocean. The mix of humor, generosity, and leadership buy-in reminded Tom why surprise-and-delight marketing still matters.
Resources & Links
Listen & Support the Show
Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon/Audible, TuneIn, and iHeart.
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others find the show.
Share this episode — email a friend or colleague this episode.
Sign up for my free Story Strategies newsletter for branding and storytelling tips.
On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network.
Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
View all episodes
By Nick Westergaard
4.8
9393 ratings
What makes a brand unforgettable instead of overlooked? Tom Miner knows. As Head of Global Social Media at Crocs, he helped drive one of today’s biggest brand turnarounds. Now author of Social First Brands, Tom shares how embracing productive tension, making personality your secret weapon, and riding trends that matter can turn comments into real community.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro
(00:35) Welcome to Tom Miner
(01:22) Crocs as a brand turnaround case study
(04:41) Embracing polarity and productive tension
(09:08) What it means to be a social first brand
(13:21) Fearlessness and comfort levels in social strategy
(15:32) Unhinged marketing and authentic brand personality
(18:18) Comments versus true community
(22:43) Liquid Death as a social first example
(25:10) The brand that made Tom smile
(27:10) Where to learn more
About Tom Miner
Tom Miner is a social media strategist and the author of Social First Brands. As the former Head of Global Social Media at Crocs, Tom helped lead one of the most remarkable brand turnarounds in recent years, taking the shoe from internet punchline to cultural icon. Based in Denver, Tom now consults with organizations worldwide—from household consumer names to international B2B enterprises—helping brands move beyond chasing trends to creating genuine, lasting connections with their audiences.
What Brand Has Made Tom Smile Recently?
Recently, Tom found himself impressed by PopSockets. Long known for their stick-on phone grips, the brand has reinvented itself with MagSafe-compatible products and a renewed sense of fun on social media. A standout moment was a TikTok reaction video where the founder surprised a customer who lost her phone in the ocean. The mix of humor, generosity, and leadership buy-in reminded Tom why surprise-and-delight marketing still matters.
Resources & Links
Listen & Support the Show
Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon/Audible, TuneIn, and iHeart.
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others find the show.
Share this episode — email a friend or colleague this episode.
Sign up for my free Story Strategies newsletter for branding and storytelling tips.
On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network.
Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More shows like On Brand with Nick Westergaard
View all
The Knowledge Project
2,679 Listeners
Daily Creative with Todd Henry
514 Listeners
Social Media Marketing Podcast
1,439 Listeners
The StoryBrand Podcast
1,929 Listeners
The Digital Marketing Podcast
113 Listeners
Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips
1,260 Listeners
10% Happier with Dan Harris
12,726 Listeners
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
8,985 Listeners
The Futur with Chris Do
855 Listeners
Hello Monday with Jessi Hempel
1,017 Listeners
Nudge
181 Listeners
The CMO Podcast
348 Listeners
The Marketing Millennials
156 Listeners
Marketing Against The Grain
358 Listeners
The CEO’s Guide to Marketing
25 Listeners