On Brand with Nick Westergaard

“Brands today are looking for immediate feedback. And if it’s negative, they’re done.” What are brands missing today? According to Mod Op’s Jeff Suhy, it all comes down to one thing — consistency. Or lack thereof. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About Jeff SuhyAs President and Partner at Mod Op, Jeff is responsible for building the strategic function at Mod Op from the ground up. He oversees all brand, digital, media and interactive operations for the agency. His breadth and depth of experience across the advertising, music and technology industries provides a unique creative insight into building cohesive digital narratives for some of the world’s top brands including, Belvedere Vodka, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Nike, and Ubisoft.Jeff began his career in the music industry working his way up at A&R and promoted to Vice President while representing top artists such as Soundgarden. As the music industry experienced radical change with the advent of streaming music, Jeff launched Nine Systems, a technology company dedicated to developing software platforms for entertainment companies. In 2006, Nine Systems was acquired by Akamai Technologies, one of the world’s largest content delivery network providers for media and software delivery.With a unique hybrid of entertainment and technology experience, Jeff joined Zoic in 2009 to help media companies solve the riddle of how to market to consumers in the digital media era. Jeff worked with advertising agencies and gaming clients to build meaningful online media experiences.Episode HighlightsA branding lesson from the band Soundgarden? Yes, please! Find this story in the first five minutes of the show.What’s lacking today? Consistency. In our hustle-and-pivot culture, brands today are afraid of doing the same thing for too long. This isn’t always the best move.Trusting the moment. Jeff’s background in the entertainment business meant we could talk about the gray areas of the creative process. What happens if your gut tells you to do something different than the research? “There are variables beyond what can be measured.” That is a great answer!What brand has made Jeff smile? Instead of a traditional smile, Jeff went with more of a smirk as he told us about the work Uber and Volkswagen are doing to turn the corner from their recent missteps.To learn more, go to modop.com.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Steve Hutt gave us a shout on Twitter for several of our recent episodes. Thanks for listening!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. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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. Remember – On Brand is brought to you by my new book — Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. Order now at Amazon and check out GetScrappyBook.com for special offers and extras. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There’s so much power in the spoken word.” Nancy Duarte would know. She’s the world’s leading expert on visual communication, ranked #1 on the World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals. She’s also this week’s guest on the On Brand podcast. As you can hear at the very beginning, we had a delightful conversation. About Nancy DuarteNancy Duarte is a communication expert who has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Wired, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, and on CNN. Her firm, Duarte, Inc., is the global leader behind some of the most influential visual messages in business and culture. As a persuasion expert, she cracked the code for effectively incorporating story patterns into business communications. She’s written five best-selling books and four have won awards.Duarte, Inc., is the largest design firm in Silicon Valley, as well as one of the top woman-owned businesses in the area. Nancy has won several awards for communications, entrepreneurship, and her success as a female executive. On the list of top 250 Women in Leadership, Duarte ranks #67 and on World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals for 2017, Duarte ranks #1 . She has been a speaker at conferences and a number of Fortune 500 companies, and counts many more among her firm’s clientele. Her TEDx talk has had over a million views. She speaks at business schools and has lectured at Stanford University several times.Episode Highlights“Slides don’t facilitate creative thinking.” Though the outputs of her work are very visual, Nancy is quite to point out that too often we jump too soon into digital tools like slides. We need to focus on story first.Transcribing Steve Jobs. For her latest book, Nancy spent three years transcribing all of Steve Jobs’s speeches. She learned many things, including that he often spent less time describing the current state (“what is”) and more time on the future state (“what could be”).The journey continues … Nancy’s latest work Illuminate poses a simple question: “If businesses are protagonists in stories, do they follow a plot or arc?” The answer? Of course they do — with the support of tools like stories and ceremonies.What’s Nancy’s #1 piece of advice for someone who wants to be a better speaker and presenter? “Understand empathy. We immediately want to make it all about us.”To learn more, go to duarte.com.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently, Mike Gerholdt gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Alan Alda. Thanks for listening!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. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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. Remember – On Brand is brought to you by my new book — Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. Order now at Amazon and check out GetScrappyBook.com for special offers and extras. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“There’s a common theme to everything I do — I create content that helps people.” And Peter Shankman does just a few things as an author, speaker, entrepreneur, and thought leader on topics ranging from public relations, customer service, and working with ADHD. He’s also this week’s guest on the On Brand podcast.About Peter ShankmanPeter Shankman is an entrepreneur, CEO, runner, skydiver, podcaster, Ironman Triathlete, and most importantly, a dad. He’s the founder of ShankMinds: Breakthrough, a private, online entrepreneur community with hundreds of members around the world. He’s perhaps best known for founding Help a Reporter Out, the largest source repository in the world, which fundamentally changed how journalists source their stories. His customer service and social media clients have included Re/Max, NBC/Universal, American Express, NBC, Universal, E Entertainment, Sprint, the US Department of Defense, Royal Bank of Canada, Saudi Aramco, Snapple, Walt Disney World, and many others.Peter is the author of five books, including his most recent best seller, Zombie Loyalists: Using Great Service to Create Rabid Fans, and the upcoming Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain (Tarcher Perigee, 2017) Peter also hosts the top-rated Faster Than Normal Podcast, helping people understand that ADD and ADHD is a gift, not a curse. He’s based in NYC.Episode HighlightsOn building a personal brand with diverse areas of focus: “I’m very lucky to do things that I like to do. Someone told me earlier in my career that you have to earn money to enjoy the time you’re not working. That sounded crazy.”Shankman frequently appears on cable news talking about President Trump’s personal brand. His take? “You can get a lot of people to look at you by jumping up and down. Eventually, it’s misdirection.”When is a new project — like Shankman’s Faster Than Normal podcast and book — a stand-alone brand? “I let my audience do that. I learned from HARO that the audience will tell you what to do. I care about what I am building and how I can help people.”What brand has made Peter smile recently? “The Royal Mansour in Morocco. I have no status, no points.” Which made their customer service win even bigger.To learn more, go to shankman.com, shankminds.com, and the Faster Than Normal podcast.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently, Bruce Kennedy gave us a shout on Twitter as a podcast he likes listening to. Thanks for listening!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. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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. Register now for Social Brand Forum 2017 — September 14, 2017, at the Iowa Memorial Union featuring past On Brand guests Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan, Melissa Agnes, and more. Learn more. Remember – On Brand is brought to you by my new book — Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. Order now at Amazon and check out GetScrappyBook.com for special offers and extras. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed some new data from Buzzsumo showing that Facebook Page reach and engagement have declined dramatically since January 2017. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.Beyond the Sound Bite New Study Finds Facebook Page Reach Has Declined 20% in 2017 (Social Media Today). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Register now for Social Brand Forum 2017 — September 14, 2017, at the Iowa Memorial Union. Don’t miss Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan, Melissa Agnes, Robert Rose, and more! Register now and save $100 using promo code KXIC. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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, see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We want to personify the Watson brand.” But how do you personify a machine? That’s one of the many challenges that Amber Armstrong faces on a daily basis as Director of Digital Amplification, Events, and Demand Generation and Customer Engagement for IBM Watson. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About Amber ArmstrongAmber Armstrong is an IBM Director, Digital Amplification, Events, and Demand Generation and Watson Customer Engagement. Amber joined IBM in 2006. She is responsible for performance marketing for three of the Watson cognitive (artificial intelligence) brands – Watson Marketing, Commerce, and Supply Chain — leading all aspects of demand generation inclusive of marketing automation, proprietary and third-party events, digital and web marketing, and social media and influencer marketing.Amber maintains a robust external presence on social by engaging over 110K followers on Twitter. She led the broad social employee advocacy launch at IBM which now has over 4,000 IBM participants amplifying IBM and influencer content. She takes an intrapreneur mentality to bring innovation to IBM social and digital and is passionate about electrifying marketing technologists.She has served in a variety of capacities including as marketing manager, manager of demand generation for the software and product innovation program, and program director. Prior to joining IBM, she worked in Marketing at LIS, Uniteq, and First Union.Episode HighlightsAs an Iowan, I had to share that my first exposure to IBM Watson was … by seeing Iowan Ken Jennings bested by Watson on Jeopardy!How to personify the Watson brand. “Watson isn’t a he or a she. It’s a machine. But we want to position Watson as a helper. When you look at the commercials it shows Watson helping. Watson isn’t taking over.”How are businesses using Watson? Amber told us about 1-80o-Flowers and their recommendation engine Gwyn, that helps customers select the right gift. Powered by Watson, of course.Previously, Amber led employee engagement at IBM. Her quick tip? “Find the right tech vendor. I have such a great feeling for Dynamic Signal. The right vendors have been through this before and know what to do.”What brand has made Amber smile recently? Located in Austin, Amber is acutely aware of the struggles those in Texas are facing with Hurricane Harvey. The Amazon Smile donation program lived up to its name. It made her smile. She also likes that she can allocate dollars to charities she cares about like Austin Pets Alive.To learn more, go to ibm.com/commerce to discover the three Watson brands that Amber manages.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently, Christa A. Nelson gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Alan Alda. Thanks, Christa!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. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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. Register now for Social Brand Forum 2017 — September 14, 2017, at the Iowa Memorial Union featuring past On Brand guests Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan, Melissa Agnes, and more. Learn more. Remember – On Brand is brought to you by my new book — Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. Order now at Amazon and check out GetScrappyBook.com for special offers and extras. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's Social Sound Bite — recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed why email should be a bigger part of your marketing strategy. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week's show.Beyond the Sound Bite For Many Marketers, Email Is Still King (eMarketer) Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Register now for Social Brand Forum 2017 — September 14, 2017, at the Iowa Memorial Union. Don't miss Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan, Melissa Agnes, Robert Rose, and more! Register now and save $100 using promo code KXIC. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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, see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“My whole life has been a big improvisation — I follow my nose.” Improvisation has played a big role in Alan Alda’s career in more ways than one. From his early theatrical work to founding the Alda Center for Communicating Science to his latest book — If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face? The one, the only Alan Alda is On Brand this week (as Alan jokes, “I only brought one of me!”).About Alan AldaAlan Alda has earned international recognition as an actor, writer, and director. He has won seven Emmy Awards, received three Tony nominations, is an inductee of the Television Hall of Fame, and was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Aviator. Alda played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series M*A*S*H, and his films include Crimes and Misdemeanors, Everyone Says I Love You, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Bridge of Spies, and many more.Alda is an active member of the science community, having hosted the award-winning series Scientific American Frontiers for eleven years and founded the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. Alda is the author of three bestselling books, If I Understood You, Would I Have this Look on My Face?, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I’ve Learned and Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself.Episode HighlightsAvoiding lecture mode. “I’ve interviewed hundreds of scientists.” However, Alda found that often, when explaining their work they go into “lecture mode.” That’s where you need to focus on relating instead of just communicating.On relating vs. communicating. “Relating is everything. Communication is developing the best possible way to say something. But is the audience getting it? Do they understand what they need to understand? It’s not-relating vs. relating.”Order matters. “Start with a story that matters to your audience.” This might not be the order that you would first think of to tell your story in.Why you should care about empathy. After talking with Alan, I’m inclined to stop using the word ‘target’ in reference to an audience. Instead, think of them as a communications partner. “Empathy means including the other person in your presentation. You need to practice over and over.” Not just your presentation but empathy, reading the other person. “It’s not about you. It’s about them. Focus on what the other person needs. That’s what a good salesman does.”To learn more, go to alanalda.com and the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed Facebook's latest innovation in advertising analytics: eliminating accidental clicks. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week's show.Beyond the Sound Bite Facebook says it’s removing accidental clicks from its ad network (TechCrunch). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Register now for Social Brand Forum 2017 — September 14, 2017, at the Iowa Memorial Union. Don't miss Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan, Melissa Agnes, Robert Rose, and more! Register now and save $100 using promo code KXIC. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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, see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed just how much of the online advertising apple is owned by Google and Facebook (SPOILER ALERT: about 50%.) Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week's show.Beyond the Sound Bite Tech giants eating the advertising world (Axios). Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Mondays, we serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand podcast. Register now for Social Brand Forum 2017 — September 14, 2017, at the Iowa Memorial Union. Don't miss Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan, Melissa Agnes, and more! Register now. Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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, see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Branding is finding what’s true in any organization.” Mark Viden has experience in brand advertising with lots of different types of organizations ranging from startups and financial services to his current role as Vice Preside of Brand Marketing at Dignity Health. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Mark VidenMark Viden is charged with building a consumer brand for Dignity Health to help drive patient and physician awareness and acquisition. He oversees brand advertising for the organization, and is responsible for developing branded experiences through sports sponsorships, pop ups, and other channels. He is also the business sponsor for Dignity Health’s consumer digital engagements, including website development, social media strategies and native content development.Prior to joining Dignity Health, Viden has held a number of marketing positions both in Boston and San Francisco. He started his career at the advertising agency, Hill Holiday, and then moved on to work in the financial services industry. He also led brand development for a boutique agency that served both startups and established brands, such as NBCi, Houghton Mifflin, and Hewlett Packard.Viden received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, has served on the San Francisco board of the International Association of Business Communicators, and is an active member of the Communication Leadership Exchange.Episode HighlightsBranding as storytelling. “It’s all about telling stories — finding the stories” of the people whose lives your work touches. And health is a powerful part of people’s lives.“Patients want to tell their stories.” Recently, Dignity Health has actively sought patient’s stories, even using found footage in their videos.“Health is one of the most searched topics in Google.” That also creates a big disruption! Patients know more than ever before — even about marketing. “Consumers also more savvy today about advertising than ever before.”What’s missing in healthcare marketing today? “Authentic experiences. We want to start a movement.”What brand has made Mark smile recently? “Lyft — they’ve done a great job of positioning themselves as an irreverent counterpoint to Uber.” He also mentioned the recent Samsung ad, which paired an ostrich and a VR headset.To learn more, go to dignityhealth.org and check out their YouTube channel.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently, Peter Shankman gave a shout out on Twitter to his appearance on my previous podcast, The Work Talk Show where he shared how he makes work fun. We’ll have to get you on the On Brand podcast next!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. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes 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. Register now for Social Brand Forum 2017 — September 14, 2017, at the Iowa Memorial Union featuring past On Brand guests Jason Falls, Marcus Sheridan, Melissa Agnes, and more. Learn more. Remember – On Brand is brought to you by my new book — Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. Order now at Amazon and check out GetScrappyBook.com for special offers and extras. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices