Ep. 180 - How to Brand Food Tech with Alexander Zox and Dianna Rogers, Business Developers at BrandFirst Digital Agency

Today you are listening to episode 180 with Alexander Zox, New Business Development Lead and Dianna Rogers, Director of Account Services and New Business Development at BrandFirst Creative Agency.

BrandFirst Creative Agency specializes in branding food companies form confections to food tech. They were the main creative agency behind the Alt Protein Show and I bumped into them at Expo West

This episode was recorded a bit earlier, but the main reason was that I wanted to coincide with BrandFirst’s newest podcast, Innovativeness. You can find that in the show notes with their first episode with Victor Santos Director of the Cellular Meat, at JUST who I met at the Cultured Meat Symposium.

This podcast is a great overview of the landscape and language in the food tech world. We talk a lot about how the current food tech players are communicating right now, and how language is a huge thing to consider when communicating something new.

About Dianna

As Director of Brand Strategy and New Business, Dianna is a strategic thinker with over 12 years of experience in developing cohesive brand experiences. Driven and detail-oriented, Dianna is inquisitive and analytical by nature with an ability to think creatively and find unconventional solutions to tough challenges. She is also a multi-tasker who is responsible for account leadership, project management and new business initiatives.

About Alex

As the Strategic and New Business development lead at Brand First Alex tries to focus on forward thinking and finding unique and successful solutions for our clients. He grew up in NYC among a family of fine artists. He would watch his father, an abstract painter, and mother, a textile designer, constantly create and debate creativity. His love of all things culinary and his passion for science all help to connect him to his passion for communicating with some of the industry’s leading innovators. His ability to challenge the conventional and push the boundaries leads to different perspectives that can yield new and exciting results, both conversationally and in a practical sense.

Show Notes

Expo West Expo West Brand First Article Sprouted ventures What do you say in a sentence or less?: Dianna: I work for a branding agency. We work on naming and branding and packaging for upcoming brands. Alex: I work for a design studio but research what is going on in the food space Alternative Protein Show Brand First specializes in: Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Confections and others. It's a 30-year-old company We started with working with M and M’s Mars and went from there Olivia Fox Cabane We started podcasting in December. (Eventually, we created our own podcast) Abbott’s Butcher Cow with the Cape Beyond Meat Impossible Foods cartoon Elmhurst Milkadamia Good Catch Silk Rebrand Hippeas Smashmallow Instagram Describe the steps it took to get to where you are today: Diana: In Brand First, I started as a proof reader and copy writer. I evolved account manager and then business development Alex and I actually worked together in the entertaiDiscussionnment industry Alex: My Father was a painter, my mother was a textile designer Sara Lawrence College: Studied Liberal Arts Alsace Restaurant: Alsace in between France and Germany How was the booking agency?: Cover bands have big egos Science Needs a platform JUST- Victor Santo – Moderated a panel with him Cellular Agriculture CRISPR GMO Sally Squires Vegan baggage word Adding eggs and calling it plant-based What is the biggest challenge the food industry is trying to face: plastics and packaging General Mills – Regenerative Agriculture Joseph Robertson Paul Shapiro’s book Clean Meat War and Peace Modern Meadows Favorite Book: Thomas Monds Budden Brooks – a quarter of the book is depicting a meal Kitchen Confidential Michael Pollan’s Book How to Change Your Mind Michael Pollan’s Botany of Desire BrandFirstnj.com Range Me LinkedIn: Dianna Rogers and Alexander Zox Food Marketing Institute Emerge

 

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