The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)

#177: Brand | Startup Brand Building with Ari Yablok, Head of Brand at Island

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Sep 19, 2024

Ari Yablok, Head of Brand at Island and expert in cybersecurity branding, discusses his journey transitioning from agency work to defining the brand narrative at Island. He highlights the differences between category creation and strategic positioning, emphasizing the power of storytelling. Ari delves into the challenges of branding in cybersecurity and introduces the concept of 'cognitive behavioral branding'—transforming customer beliefs to inspire action. He also shares insights on balancing creativity with strategic vision in brand development.

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ANECDOTE

Island's Naming

Ari Yablok, Head of Brand at Island, was approached to name the company.
The name "Island" stemmed from the desire to create a secure and free workspace, like an island.

INSIGHT

Category Creation vs. Positioning

Category creation arises from building something truly new, not differentiating from competitors.
If you're creating a category out of a need for distinction, it's strategic positioning, not category creation.

ANECDOTE

Drift's SEO Challenge

Drift struggled with SEO for "conversational marketing" due to low search volume.
They had to use related terms like "live chat" while establishing the new category.

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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
(05:12) - - Rapidly Growing Enterprise Browser Company Secures $375M in Series D Funding
(09:21) - - SEO Strategy vs Branding
(14:48) - - How Brand is an Art and a Science
(20:03) - - Challenges in Cybersecurity Branding
(21:47) - - Early Stage Marketing
(30:17) - - Cognitive Behavioral Branding
(35:26) - - How Ari Manages Projects with the Brand Team
(37:36) - - Comfortable vs. Uncomfortable Approaches to Brand Strategy
(41:54) - - What Founders Really Want to Do
(47:00) - - Balancing the Day-to-Day with Visionary Goals

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