On Brand with Nick Westergaard

As we kick off the New Year, many are looking to build their own personal brand. Lydia Pierre is a branding coach and consultant. A self-branded “Corporate Socialite” who believes that business should be fun, we had a blast talking about personal branding, brand ambassadors, and—(da-da-dum!)—imposter syndrome! Enjoy and have a Happy New Year!About Lydia PierreLydia Pierre is a branding coach and consultant who provides services aimed at empowering entrepreneurs with skills and strategies to reach new levels of leadership. Her niche market is Executives, whom she counsels through the process of maintaining, improving, and upholding their reputation right where they are as they build their brand. She does this by developing, implementing, and executing strategic solutions that help to ensure a smooth transition to entrepreneurship for the executive, allowing their brand to remain favorable to their current audience as well as potential customers.Episode Highlights & TakeawaysWhere do you start with personal branding? “You have to start by taking a look at yourself—taking a look inside.”Lydia’s definition of a branding crisis? “What do you do when you don’t like what you see in the mirror.” In short, this means you’re not being authentic.“Sometimes the unknown is the best thing that can happen for a brand.” While many fear the uncertainty of everything from industry shifts to personal brand pivots, Lydia reminds us that change and the unknown can lead to innovation.What brand has made Lydia smile recently? “It’s not going to be a serious one,” Lydia warned before sharing that she loves the unique bags from Teflar Global. “To hear their story and how they got to this point is amazing.”To learn more about Lydia, go to Pierre Branding Group and check out the Corporate Socialite website.As We Wrap … Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show—If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show. (Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review? Check this out.) Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we have a special holiday episode of the On Brand podcast with the “Naughty and Nice Brands of 2021.” This seasonally appropriate snapshot of brand behavior was developed by Brand Federation. The consultancy’s Chief Growth Officer Matt Williams joined me to discuss which brands have been naughty and nice this year.About Matt WilliamsMatt Williams is chief growth officer for Brand Federation, a brand strategy consultancy in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to joining Brand Federation in 2019, Williams was CEO of the Martin Agency, one of the world’s most recognized advertising agencies, where he managed strategy development for world-class brands like GEICO, OREO, UPS, Discover Financial, Walmart, and more. Williams also is a Clinical Professor in the marketing department at the Mason School of Business at William & Mary. He teaches in the MBA program and is the developer and Faculty Director of the school’s Online Masters in Marketing.What brand has made Matt smile recently? Initially, with the list focus of the episode, I was worried that I’d taken all of Matt’s “smiles.” However, he assured me that he had several left including one for his former colleagues at the Martin Agency and their longtime smile-worthy client, GEICO.To learn more about Matt Williams, check out the Brand Federation website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ginni Saraswati is the owner and founder of Ginni Media and the Podcast Accelerator. Her work helps organizations and individuals tell their stories through podcasting. While we talked about podcasts a lot, we also spent some time talking about why it's important to unplug for the holidays and how to do that. Enjoy—and happy holidays from the On Brand podcast!About Ginni SaraswatiGinni Saraswati is the owner and founder of Ginni Media, a one-stop-shop, podcasting production house providing multiple podcast services in one company. Believing that everyone is capable of big ideas, Ginni has brought podcasting to the masses with The Podcast Accelerator, helping people spread their voice regardless of their back story. Ginni has been featured in a number of publications including Rolling Stone Magazine, Business Insider, and Reader's Digest. She’s also a contributing writer for Entrepreneur, podcast host for The Ginni Show, and an award-winning journalist.Episode Highlights & TakeawaysWhy is now the time for podcasting? Isn't everybody already doing it? Ginni pointed us to the number of blogs, vlogs, and YouTube channels, which far exceeds the number of podcasts. Plus, as Ginni notes, “You're literally in someone's ear when they're alone or need company.”A Podcast Accelerator. In addition to Ginni Media, Ginni also runs the Podcast Accelerator, a resource that's helped launch 128 podcasts into the world. “These are the 'it would only be a dream' if not for the Podcast Accelerator shows.”What's the most important skill for a podcaster? Guess what? It's not technical. You'll have to listen the episode to hear this nugget of wisdom from Ginni.How to unplug for the holidays? Ginni shared how her company takes a much-needed two weeks off over the holidays. How can we get better at doing this? Ginni had a very on-brand answer: there's a podcast for this! She pointed us to the How to Be a Better Human audio series from TED.What brand has made Ginni smile recently? Fictional brands absolutely count! That's what I told Ginni when she shared that the brand that made her smile recently was the company Monsters, Inc in the Pixar movie of the same name. Specifically, she loves their slogan: We scare because we care. Couldn't agree more!To learn more about Ginni Saraswati, check out the Ginni Media website.As We Wrap … Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show—If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show. (Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review? Check this out.) Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Raj Venkatesan is co-author of the new book The AI Marketing Canvas and a professor of marketing at the University of Virginia. This week he joined me on the On Brand podcast for a timely discussion about artificial intelligence and marketing—how should we be thinking about it and what should we be planning for the new year ahead.About Raj VenkatesanRajkumar Venkatesan is the co-author of The AI Marketing Canvas: A Five-Stage Road Map to Implementing Artificial Intelligence in Marketing. He is the Ronald Trzcinski Professor of Business Administration in the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. His writing has appeared in the Journal of Marketing and Harvard Business Review, among others, and he is the co-author of Marketing Analytics (2021). For more information, please visit the book’s website.Episode Highlights & Takeaways“AI is something that’s going to help marketers,” Raj began, noting that many worry about AI being something new and different. “If you’re in marketing, you do what you do best. Provide excellent and superior customer service. And what AI does is allow you to scale this customer service and personalize it.”Where should marketers get started with AI? “Start with first-party customer data—you have to have a strong data foundation. From here, you look for value pockets where AI can help you scale.”A good reminder/warning about your data: “You will never have perfect data. And if you wait for it, it will be too late—your competition will beat you there.”What brand has made Raj smile recently? Raj began by claiming that I made him smile. Host flattery? I’m here for it. Raj followed up with his real brand smile—Ford. Recently, the automaker announced that they’ve stopped taking orders for the new electric Ford F-150. This made Raj smile as it’s a good sign that we’re moving away from fossil fuels.To learn more about Raj Venkatesan, check out his book at The AI Marketing Canvas book website, his Coursera courses, and his University of Virginia webpage.As We Wrap … Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show—If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show. (Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review? Check this out.) Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The metaverse will create gaps between the haves and have-nots that brands can fill.” In addition to breaking down the metaverse and leading the way on influence marketing (not just influencer marketing), Jason Falls recently founded a new network for marketing podcasts aptly titled the Marketing Podcast Network, which On Brand is a proud member of. We discussed all of this and more, this week on the show.About Jason FallsJason Falls is a leading digital strategist, author, speaker, and thinker in the digital and social media marketing industry. He is an innovator in the conversation research segment of social analytics, having published the first-ever Conversation Report in 2012. He is the author of three books: Winfluence - Reframing Influencer Marketing to Ignite Your Brand; No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide to Social Media Marketing, co-authored with Erik Deckers; and The Rebel’s Guide to Email Marketing, co-authored with DJ Waldow. In 2021, he founded and serves as executive producer of the Marketing Podcast Network.Episode Highlights & TakeawaysBuilding multiple podcast brands. In addition to being the founder and executive producer of the Marketing Podcast Network, Jason is also the host of not one but two marketing podcasts himself—Digging Deeper and Winfluence.How do you know when you should start a second podcast? Jason breaks down his decision-making process during this week's episode. (SPOILER ALERT: It all comes down to focus and audience.)Jason explains the Metaverse. I know this sounds like a tall order but, once again, Falls delivers. While Facebook/Meta has been in the news a lot recently, Jason did a great job of detailing what this means and the opportunities on the horizon for brands.What brand has made Jason smile recently? Jason shared a smile-worthy story about his recent trip to his eye doctor, Visonworks in Lousville.To learn more about the Marketing Podcast Network, go to marketingpodcasts.net. To learn more about Jason, check out jasonfalls.com.As We Wrap … Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon/Audible, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show—If you like what you’re hearing, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts and click the 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review to help others find the show. (Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review? Check this out.) Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you start off on the wrong foot and your brand isn't in line with the attitudes or personality of the brand, there's confusion.” Or, to put it bluntly, your brand sucks. That's the title of strategist Ernie Harker's new book. We discuss how to ... not build a brand that sucks this week on the On Brand podcast.About Ernie HarkerErnie Harker is a creative branding mastermind. He recently published Your Brand Sucks, a book that reveals why most companies get branding wrong and reveals the secrets he has used to assist dozens of companies define a clear image and personality for their brands. One of his greatest successes was to help revitalize an old-western retail chain into a $3 billion high-energy adventure brand. He leads workshops, gives presentations, and offers an online masterclass to help organizations define and develop remarkable brands.Buckle up because his dynamic personality and passion for brand development will have you racing to build your brand. His friends call him Ernburn.Episode Highlights & TakeawaysWhy do most brands suck? “Most suck because we develop the logo first,” Ernie explains. This is focusing on the wrong thing.So, where should you start your brand-building work? “The first step is defining what makes you different from your competition—really different and special. It can't be something that everyone says like 'our people.'”A callback to a previous On Brand guest. To avoid saying the same things as your competition, you have to go deep. Ernie reminded us of the approach of past On Brand guest Jay Acunzo in continuing to ask the question why. You have to 'why' your brand to death.What brand has made Ernie smile recently? Marvel! Why? “I dabbled in comics as a kid but they've re-inspired me with these stories through their movies and Disney+ (series).”To learn more, go to ernburn.com.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Good things take time to build.” In his work as Founding Director of the digital marketing agency Revenue Ascend, Jonathan Tuttle helps brands of all shapes and sizes build good things. How do you know if something in marketing is good? Measurement and ROI—and we spent a lot of time talking about best practices and more this week on the On Brand podcast.About Jonathan TuttleJonathan Tuttle is the Founding Director of Revenue Ascend, a leading digital marketing agency based in Chicago. The firm is focused on driving new growth and generating measurable ROI. The agency was designed to dominate the market while working with each brand individually. Beyond this foundation, Revenue Ascend also creates a customized tactical marketing playbook and growth strategy.Jonathan is also a Fund Manager at Midwest Park Capital, a private real estate investment firm.Episode Highlights & TakeawaysWORLD DOMINATION! As Jonathan’s bio notes, Revenue Ascend helps clients dominate the market. We kicked off the show defining domination. “It’s really about being everywhere,” he notes.Measurement and ROI best practices. Before planning your 2022 digital marketing strategy and budget, be sure to listen to Jonathan’s best practices on what to measure and when. “A lot of times we expect to get $1 back out for what we put in yesterday. Good things take time to build.”What brand has made Jonathan smile recently? In a first in the nearly 300-episode history of the On Brand podcast, we stumped our guest. Why? “I’ve been really frustrated. So many businesses have been dropping the ball and not giving back.”To learn more, go to RevenueAscend.com.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“People want to interact with people—not brands.” David Brickley has been helping brands interact with their people through his agency STN Digital and his two podcasts Business of Social and Entrepreneur Wrap. This week he joined me as a guest on my podcast to talk about how to build a social-first brand.About David BrickleyAfter working with his first-ever client, Kobe Bryant, David Brickley used that as motivation to launch STN Digital in 2013, and has since grown an award-winning team of some of the best talent in the industry. STN Digital is an expert at launching brands and building highly-engaged audiences. STN is a social-first marketing agency and provides services ranging from 360 marketing, social media management, paid media, on-site activations and anything in between.STN Digital works with some of the biggest brands in the world including Amazon, the Olympics, NBC, FOX, & HBO to name a few. David is also the host of two podcasts, Business of Social and Entrepreneur Wrap, which was ranked by Forbes as a Top 10 podcast every business owner should listen to.Episode Highlights & TakeawaysUsing a Platform Mindset isn’t just for big brands. We talked a lot about how mega-brands like Disney can use their various brands and sub-brands' social channels to amplify their message. However, David was quick to note that smaller brands can embrace this mindset by working through brand ambassadors. “You’d be amazed what people will do for a free hoodie.”Fun Fact: 95% of podcasts end after episode three. I guess David and I have a lot to be proud of!What brand has made David smile recently? “Liquid Death Mountain Water. They’ve been such a disrupter in the water space.” Even the name Liquid Death brings a smile to your face! “What they’ve really done is build a lifestyle brand.”To learn more, check out the STN Digital website and David’s two podcasts—Business of Social and Entrepreneur Wrap.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We are profoundly visual creatures. We respond to what we see more than anything else.” Dan Roam has spent his career helping people master the art of visual communication and storytelling. His books from Back of the Napkin to his latest, The Pop-Up Pitch, help organizations and individuals put this system into action. I couldn't wait to discuss all of this with him this week on the On Brand podcast.About Dan RoamDan Roam is the author of five international bestselling books on business-visualization and communication clarity. The Back of the Napkin was named by Fast Company, The London Times, and BusinessWeek as the 'Creativity Book of the Year.' Dan's book, Draw to Win, debuted as the #1 new book on amazon.com in the categories of Business Communications and Sales & Marketing.Dan is a creative director, author, painter, and model-builder. His purpose in life is to make complex things clear by drawing them and to help others do the same. Dan has helped leaders at Google, Microsoft, Boeing, Gap, IBM, the US Navy, and NASA solve complex problems with simple pictures. Dan and his whiteboard have appeared on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, and NPR.His latest book—The Pop-Up Pitch—is available for pre-order now.Episode Highlights & TakeawaysCheck out Dan's new book The Pop-Up Pitch: The Two-Hour Creative Sprint to the Most Persuasive Presentation of Your Life. As the book promises, you'll learn to spend two hours creating ten pages that will transform your audience in seven minutes, no matter what story you need to tell.“The best way to teach someone is to tell them a story. Everyone needs to be a storyteller.” – Dan Roam, #OnBrandPodcastI also can't say enough good things about Dan's other books including Back of the Napkin, Show & Tell, and Draw to Win.What brand has made Dan smile recently? Allbirds isn't just a client of Dan's—he's also their number one fan. “I'm wearing the most comfortable shoes in the world!” I couldn't agree more.To learn more, check out Dan's website DanRoam.com. He's also got several useful Pop-Up Pitch templates there as well.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“In the old days, branding was a very broad thing. Today it's picking your spot.” Jonathan Byrnes knows a thing or two about building a profitable brand for the long haul. He's a Senior Lecturer at MIT, founding partner of Profit Isle, and the author of two books and numerous HBR articles. He's also my guest this week on the On Brand podcast. Enjoy!About Jonathan ByrnesJonathan Byrnes is founding partner and chairman of Profit Isle, a highly successful MIT spin-off SaaS software company that helps organizations increase profits by 10–30 percent using its profitability analytics and management process. A widely followed thought leader on profitable growth and innovative customer-supplier relationships, Byrnes is a frequent speaker and writer who has advised over 100 companies and institutions. He earned a doctorate from Harvard and has been a Senior Lecturer at MIT for 30 years. In addition to his popular HBS column, “The Bottom Line,” he is the author of Islands of Profit in a Sea of Red Ink, an Inc. Best Book for Business Owners and Choose Your Customer: How to Compete Against the Digital Giants and Thrive.Episode HighlightsBranding today ... “All you had to do was maximize revenue and minimize cost. In the old days, branding was a very broad thing. Today it's picking your spot.”First things first. Throughout our conversation, Jonathan stressed the importance of choosing your spot. “Look where you're actually making money,” he notes. Unless, of course, your competition is Amazon. “If you're in a space with Amazon you're doomed.”According to Jonathan, one of the best things you can do is ... “Add your CFO into the branding mix.” This can provide a critical and profitable perspective.What brand has made Jonathan smile recently? Irony alert! “This is going to sound funny but Amazon. They perfectly meet my needs.”To learn more about Jonathan, check out his new book Choose Your Customer on his website or (where else?) on Amazon!As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices