This Modern Brand

In this episode, we explore the rapid rise of AI in the creative industry. Host Jason Parks joined by Melany Esfeld, BarkleyOKRP EVP head of production and Tim McCracken, SVP creative, discuss AI’s potential as a workhorse for time consuming tasks, so creatives can focus on what they do best: developing impactful, original ideas. We share real-life examples of campaigns amplified by AI for powerful storytelling while preserving a human touch. Tune in for insights on balancing tech with creativity, navigating client expectations, and what the future holds for AI in the agency world.

Consumers expect personalization, but too many companies are falling short, wasting money and missing the mark on expectations. In this episode, hosts Jason Parks and Steph Parker interview one of the most influential CMOs in the world about his upcoming book, “Personalized:  Customer Strategy in the Age of AI.”  Now a Harvard Business Fellow, David Edelman shares detailed stories across industries of companies that deliver personalization to scale, and how AI-driven data can solve the five personalization promises we can make to consumers: empower me, know me, reach me, show me and delight me.

As an organization with no physical branches or sales teams, USAA has had to master the art of marketing. New CEO Francesco Lagutaine talks to hosts Jason Parks and Katy Hornaday about how USAA achieves an extraordinary level of customer focus. Learn how small “i” innovation, Mission Moments, and doing Zero Day like a recruit help USAA understand their military members, and why they buy.

Jason Parks is back with BarkleyOKRP Chief Media Officer, Reshma Karnik, and Sean Corcoran, President of Media and Analytics. They explore how the media landscape continues to change, and why it’s making media management increasingly complex. Are brand stories getting lost in the rush to performance media? Is it possible to build a roadmap for brands that gives them resonance as well as revenue? Get expert answers and explore the state of media on This Modern Brand.  

Uncover the strategies behind successful influencer partnerships. In this month’s episode of This Modern Brand, Jason Parks hosts a panel of influencer marketers: Pam Davis, founder of likekind influencer marketing agency, Jane Chandler, VP of Public Relations at BarkleyOKRP, and Joe Spencer, BarkleyOKRP account supervisor whose focus is the influencer space. Hear how influencer marketing is starting to split down the middle, and what you should consider when an influencer’s voice becomes part of your brand.

Your brand’s purpose might lead consumers to you the first time, but you’ll need more than that to bring them back.  A clean brand before clean brands were a thing, Every Man Jack went from a line of great-smelling men’s shower products to a B-Corp advocate for people, communities, and the planet. Hosts Jason Parks and Mariah Haberman talk about the purpose of purpose with Ellie Off, VP of Marketing at Every Man Jack.

Nostalgic mall brand Claire’s rose from the brink of bankruptcy to a listing on Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Companies” in 2023. Thriving in a retail landscape that ended legacy brands like Toys R Us, Claire’s leveraged Paris Fashion Week, AI, feedback loops and the metaverse to win the loyalty of over 22 million Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers. Follow the glittery trail of tween marketing with BarkleyOKRP’s Jason Parks and Steph Parker as they interview Kristin Patrick, Claire’s EVP, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Ecommerce.

Look under Winnebago’s hood with hosts Jason Parks and Jen Mazi in this episode of This Modern Brand. Join them as Kunal Mehta, VP of Strategy, Marketing and Business Development at Winnebago, discusses the brand’s award-winning Go Where You Feel campaign, and shares how data, intuition — and Whole Brand Thinking — has helped the brand build relationships with a new generation of consumers. 

Sink your teeth into another juicy episode of This Modern Brand. Continuing our focus on B-Corps, we feature tomato titan: NatureSweet. They revolutionized the produce game with eye-catchingly packaged snacking tomatoes, and blazed trails for their workforce with transformative wages and mental health programs. Now, they’re taking on their biggest challenge yet: the Tomato Tax. Join hosts Jason Parks and Jen Mazi as they unpack how Nature Sweet went from greenhouse to powerhouse to become the largest B-Corp ag company in America.

Hosts Jason Parks and Lindsey DeWitte kick off B-Corp month in conversation with Annie Agle, VP of impact and sustainability at Cotopaxi, one of our favorite B-Corp brands. Annie discusses the rigor of maintaining B-Corp status, and how Cotopaxi’s empowerment of employees has far-reaching effects. Does their “Gear for Good” tagline hold up against their ambitious environmental and human-centric goals? Tune in and find out.