The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)

How to Use Cognitive Behavioral Branding to Create New Categories with Ari Yablok, Head of Brand at Island

Sep 22, 2025

Ari Yablok, Head of Brand at Island and seasoned brand strategist, shares his insights on creating a compelling brand in the cybersecurity realm. He discusses the nuances of category creation versus strategic positioning and the importance of crafting a brand story that resonates. Ari introduces his concept of 'cognitive behavioral branding,' connecting beliefs, feelings, and actions to drive impact. He emphasizes the significance of the final 20% of branding efforts and the challenges specific to establishing a brand in a competitive market.

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ANECDOTE

How Island Was Named And Began

Ari described naming and joining Island after pitching the idea and meeting founders with deep security experience.
He felt the product's promise immediately and knew the brand had to reflect freedom and natural work.

INSIGHT

Category Creation Versus Positioning

Category creation differs from strategic positioning because it creates a new thing people never bought before.
Positioning is finding room inside existing categories by choosing different words or angles.

ANECDOTE

Drift's Category Naming Challenge

Dave recounted Drift's experience creating 'conversational marketing' despite no initial search demand.
They ranked for related terms like live chat while teaching the market new language.

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#284 Brand | Dave sits down with Ari Yablok, Head of Brand at Island, to share his approach to creating a brand in the cybersecurity space. Ari shares his journey from agency life to leading the brand narrative at Island, where he helped build the concept of the "enterprise browser."

Dave and Ari Cover:

The key differences between category creation and strategic positioning, and why it matters for B2B marketers
The steps to building a brand story that resonates with both your internal team and your target audience
How focusing on the last 20% of branding efforts can elevate your company above the competition

Timestamps

(00:00) - - Intro to Ari
(04:32) - - Rapidly Growing Enterprise Browser Company Secures $375M in Series D Funding
(08:41) - - SEO Strategy vs Branding
(14:08) - - How Brand is an Art and a Science
(19:23) - - Challenges in Cybersecurity Branding
(21:07) - - Early Stage Marketing
(29:37) - - Cognitive Behavioral Branding
(34:46) - - How Ari Manages Projects with the Brand Team
(36:56) - - Comfortable vs. Uncomfortable Approaches to Brand Strategy
(41:14) - - What Founders Really Want to Do
(46:20) - - Balancing the Day-to-Day with Visionary Goals

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