
JUST Branding
The JUST Branding Podcast, hosted by Jacob Cass & Matt Davies, is the only podcast dedicated to helping designers & entrepreneurs grow brands.
Each episode goes deep into the details of the brand building process, with professional insights, actionable tips and resources to help you build better brands.
The focus is on helping designers & entrepreneurs bridge the gap between strategy and design. Branding professionals from around the world join Jacob & Matt in discussing the benefits of brand strategy, top tools, how to sell strategy, brand purpose, brand positioning, neuroscience, brand personality, messaging, storytelling, brand naming, tag lines, logo design, brand identity design and brand experience.
ABOUT JACOB CASS
Jacob Cass is a Sydney-based designer & strategist who runs JUST Creative, an award-winning branding & design firm that doubles as an industry leading blog. Jacob helps brands grow & get results by crafting distinctive logos & brand identities that are backed by a solid brand strategy.
He recently rebranded San Francisco and Puerto Rico, and also branded New York's Digital District. Other clients have included the likes of Disney, Nintendo and Jerry Seinfeld. Jacob has spoken at TEDx, been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur and has been awarded LinkedIn’s “Best of” for branding.
For him, design is a lifelong journey of continuously honing his craft, as well as educating other fellow designers & business owners to build on theirs, which has allowed him to build a large and loyal following, including his website which has been been viewed over 50 million times. Jacob is an avid traveler and has traveled to 87 countries.
ABOUT MATT DAVIES
Matt is a brand strategy specialist working with leaders to align around their brand and get it ready to connect deeply with those inside and outside of their organisations. His work enables you to grow your business faster and easier. Matt solves a variety of brand challenges, from strategy and positioning to naming and identity right through to company culture and product innovation.
Latest episodes

May 23, 2023 • 49min
S04.EP08 - Personal Branding & The Power of LinkedIn with Mike Roberts
LinkedIn is one of the most powerful platforms for making business connections and growing your personal brand.
But are you leveraging its power to the full?
Join us in this episode as we are joined by LinkedIn expert, Mike Roberts, to dig deep into how to use LinkedIn to grow your personal brand for success.
Together we review how LinkedIn can help you build a powerful personal brand and what you need to do to ensure your LinkedIn profile is in tip-top condition for success.
We also get Mike's top tips on how to use the platform, how video is the next big thing, and what you can do right now to bring awareness to your brand. Not to be missed!

May 12, 2023 • 1h 8min
S04.EP07 - Uncovering Insights & Measuring Brand with Dan White
Dan White is a branding consultant and author of "The Smart Branding Book" and has over 30 years of experience in marketing and branding.
In this episode, we discuss the latest thinking and methods for brand building including the rarely discussed area of uncovering insights and measuring brand, with successful examples.
We highlight how insights and measurement can be used together to create successful branding campaigns, and discuss how to adjust and improve branding strategies over time.
Lastly, we touch on emerging trends in branding and how branding may evolve in the future.

32 snips
Apr 27, 2023 • 1h 11min
S04.EP06 - How to Grow Brands with AI with Rob Lennon
Get ready to revolutionize your branding game with the help of AI!
In this episode of JUST Branding, we are joined by the renowned digital marketing expert and "AI whisperer," Rob Lennon, who has 45 publications under his belt and a wealth of knowledge and resources around AI, ChatGPT, and prompt craft.
Rob shares actionable insights on how you can leverage AI, particularly ChatGPT, to grow your business. Plus, we dive into the benefits of using AI, such as improved efficiency and personalization, and showcase real-life examples of successful AI integration in brand & marketing efforts.
But that's not all! Rob also reveals specific tools and techniques that can be used to teach AI to embody your brand's unique voice, style, and customers. By the end of this episode, you'll have all the strategies and tools you need to take your brand to the next level with AI.
We also discuss the ethical concerns related to using AI in content and marketing, and explore the potential pitfalls and mistakes that companies should avoid.
Finally, we look towards the future and discuss how AI will continue to shape the world of branding and marketing.
Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn from the AI whisperer himself and unlock the full potential of AI for your brand.
This summary was written by AI based on the transcript of the episode. How’s that for practicing what you preach!

Apr 12, 2023 • 46min
S04.EP05 - Rebelious Branding with Stix of Liquid Death
Hosts Matt & Jacob sit down with Steve Nilson, the 'Vice of President of Cult Indoctrination' at Liquid Death, to explore the innovative thinking behind one of the most successful up-and-coming consumer brands. They discuss the brand's clear purpose and positioning, as well as their risk assessment approach to creativity and global expansion. The conversation also covers building genuine friendships with influencers, challenging critics to taste tests, user-generated content, unique packaging, and the company's goals for global expansion while maintaining their edgy brand.

Mar 24, 2023 • 49min
S04.EP04 - NFTs: The New Frontier for Brands with Kate Pincott
Warning. This episode might blow your mind.
In this episode, Matt and Jacob speak with Kate Pincott - Head of Design at Matteruem. Mattereuem are at the cutting edge of technology which enables brands to create NFT digital passports of real-world assets which are certified by third parties and which may enable the spiral economy.
If none of that makes any sense to you then definitely listen to this episode to cut through the jargon and get an insight into the future of brand building in the digital world.
We tuck into how NFTs can be used in a practical way to build consumer trust. We delve into what NFTs are and why when pairing them with real products customers can obtain huge amounts of value.
Ultimately, if you want your brand to be relevant in the future, you will need to know about the next frontier for brands. You heard it here first.

Mar 7, 2023 • 49min
S04.EP03 - Workshop Design with Brittni Bowering
Do you run strategic brand-building workshops with your clients or team? Or wish to?
Then this episode is for you! We go deep into workshops with expert workshop designer Brittni Bowering (ex AJ&Smart).
In a jam-packed episode, we discuss why workshops are so powerful, when and when not to use workshops, and tips on how to create and run a powerful workshop.
We also go into the pros and cons of physical and virtual workshops and also explore the future of workshopping.

Feb 27, 2023 • 40min
S04.EP02 - How to Build Community
In this episode, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies delve into the subject of community building for both brands & creatives.
We jump straight into understanding your audience, where we cover defining your target audience, understanding their needs and behaviors, and researching to gain insights.
We then move on to defining your community's purpose, highlighting the importance of identifying core values and the overall mission, setting goals and objectives, and aligning with your audience's goals.
Building and growing your community is next on the agenda, where we discuss strategies for attracting members, engaging them, managing conflicts, and measuring success.
We also touch on monetizing your community, finding the right strategy, and ensuring that it benefits both your community and its members.
Finally, we share best practices and tips for success, including common mistakes to avoid, recommendations for successful community building, and tips for management and growth.

Feb 7, 2023 • 48min
S04.EP01 - How to Become a Brand Consultant
In this episode, we dive into the world of brand consulting, what it is, and how it differs from other roles in the branding industry.
We discuss the key qualities that make a successful brand consultant, including confidence, communication and listening skills, a growth mindset, and strong facilitation abilities.
Next, we will each share our own background and experiences in the branding industry, including how we got started and how we have developed our skills and knowledge.
We also share our unique perspectives on the process of working with clients and how we stay current on industry trends and developments.
Join us as we explore the ever-expanding field of brand consulting and gain insights for your own journey!

Dec 7, 2022 • 1h 20min
S03.EP21 - Best of Season 3 (2022)
What a year! In this episode, we share some of our favorite insights from our esteemed guests.
Episodes featured (in order):
E19: Supercharging Innovation & Creativity with Hussain Almossawi
E9: Agile Swarming with Dennis Hahn
E20: Brands VS Blands with Ariadna Navarro
E11: Debunking Branding Bull with Austin Franke
E13: Million Dollar Consulting with Alan Weiss
E18: Brand Positioning with Ulli Appelbaum
E4: The Future of Brands with Anneli Hansson
E3: Global Brand Strategy with Jan-Benedict Steenkamp
E16: Archetypes & Stories with Carol Pearson
E17: Disruptive Innovation + Purpose-Driven Branding with David Aaker
E10: Corporate Branding from The Inside Out with Meg Kypena
E1: Designing Company Culture with Josh Levine
E7: Web3, NFTs & The Metaverse with Konstantinos Kolias

Oct 31, 2022 • 43min
S03.EP20 - Blands VS Brands with Ariadna Navarro
As brand builders, we used to build brands that would last.
Campaigns would extend for years, and visual identity systems—once created—wouldn’t become obsolete for decades.
Today, the speed of change is so aggressive, brand builders must consider that what they build now could be irrelevant in a few months.
Brands face a choice. First, they can commit to brand positioning and stay true to their visual appearance and social stances regardless of where the wind blows.
Or, they can create a flexible, and ever—A/B testing brand that can evolve as the world does. This second option has contributed to the rise of the blands—brands from the past five years that look, sound, and show up as simultaneously trendy and generic.
In this podcast episode with Ariadna Navarro, the Chief Strategy Officer at VSA partners, a hybrid strategy & design consultancy, we discuss the differences between blands and brands, how we got here and where we need to go next