EP 364: Marrying creativity with technology for brand awareness innovation with Alvaro Melendez

What do you think of when you hear about Disney? Fireworks, castles, and happy families all probably came to mind for a moment. But you probably didn’t think of dishware — and we’re not talking about those cups from the 90s with Lion King characters on them that were in every family’s kitchen cabinets.

Today’s guest, Alvaro Melendez, knows brands deeply in a way that most of us could never even imagine. If you think you know the core of what makes a brand who they are, think again. Alvaro has been developing and using machine learning to measure brand awareness or “Brand Love” for years to help companies, both big and small, understand what makes people connect with them.

In this episode, we discuss how Alvaro uses technology to help brands reach a bigger audience. He speaks about how to advertise effectively, how DEI is imperative for brands, and how creativity and technology go hand-in-hand in brand innovation.

And, if you’re still wondering why Disney is defined by dishware, you’ll just have to tune in to the podcast to get your answer.

A big thank you to our podcast’s presenting sponsor, White Label IQ. They’re an amazing resource for agencies who want to outsource their design, dev, or PPC work at wholesale prices. Check out their special offer (10 free hours!) for podcast listeners here.

What You Will Learn in This Episode:

• How Alvaro and his team are using machine learning to make brands trackable
• Why organic social is the best way to advertise and promote your brand
• How machine learning has taught major brands things they never knew about themselves
• What the PPAI branding framework is, and how to use it to identify major brand metrics
• How smaller agencies can learn from the experimentation of big brands
• The importance of making DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) a huge part of your brand identity
• Why creativity and storytelling must still be people-centered and collaborative in an automated world