On Brand with Nick Westergaard

On this week's Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jerry and I discussed the latest social media insights from the 2017 Infinite Dial study from Edison Research (I also explained why this is one of my favorite data sources). 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 Here's a link to the 2017 Infinite Dial study from Edison Research. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we'll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. 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

“If you want to be authentic as a brand, you have to be able to make a mistake.” As social media manager for Cision, Bruce Kennedy is on the front lines of the brand's online conversations. Last week, he was in the front row for our live podcast onstage at SXSW, where we talked about how brands need to be more authentic than ever to stand out today. I couldn't wait to continue this conversation with Bruce on this week's episode of the On Brand podcast.About Bruce KennedyBruce Kennedy is a social media manager at Cision, where he manages Cision's global brands. Previously, he worked in public relations in tech and entertainment, helping brands from early stage startups to household names like Red Bull, Disney on Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey, Techweek and more. Connect with him on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.Episode HighlightsWhat does brand mean today? "We're seeing this change — especially with social media. Increasingly the brand is who's behind the brand."Why those photos of your office that you post on social media matter. "More and more today people care about what's going on behind the scenes of brands." Authenticity is all about access.Live video has created a new branded content ecosystem. "For example, that Red Bull jump would be so much more today." You'd have live video before and after and lots of content leading up to the main event.How can smaller brands take advantage of some of the amazing things big brands are doing? We chatted about Disney's Jungle Book marketing. Specifically, a campaign using 360-video to showcase the digital King Louie character, voiced by Christopher Walken. "You may not have King Louie and Christopher Walken but maybe you can do a 360-video in an interesting place. Or with an interesting person."What brand has made Bruce smile recently? Wendy's! Bruce shared how their recent candid yet authentic Twitter exchanges have helped the brand stand out — both in the news and in the analytics.To learn more about Bruce, check out the Cision blog, where he is a regular contributor. In fact, he wrote a great recap of our SXSW episode just this past week.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently Rachael Sperling gave us a shout on Twitter for our live episode from SXSW (where Bruce was in the audience and asked a question). Thanks for listening, Rachel!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

This week, we have a special LIVE episode of the On Brand podcast — on stage from SXSW Interactive. Recorded last Saturday, March 11 in Austin, this episode featured a timely discussion of a big question that many brand builders are struggling with in these divisive times — should your brand take a stand socially and politically? Joining me were guests Duff Stewart of GSD&M and Heather Whaling of Geben Communication.Next week, I’ll be back with a full-length brand builder interview. In the meantime, enjoy this week’s special episode.About Duff Stewart and Heather WhalingDuff Stewart is a 27-year veteran of GSD&M, where he serves as CEO. Through purpose-based branding, GSD&M helps articulate and activate a client’s core purpose and creates simple yet powerful ideas that make a difference. With a passion for bold creative and a well-developed business sense, Duff has led a profitable agency turnaround over the past five years. Since becoming CEO, more than 75% of the agency’s roster is new and the team has expanded capabilities in digital, design, experiential and many other areas.His other brand experience at the agency includes Southwest Airlines, BMW, Walmart and Molson Coors Brewing Company. In addition to his many operational contributions, Duff has long served as a cultural leader. He helped define and articulate the agency’s core values: integrity, curiosity, restlessness, community, freedom & responsibility and winning.Within the Austin community, Duff is president of the board of directors for the Austin Theatre Alliance and has lent his time and talents to causes like the Anti-Defamation League, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, LIVESTRONG Challenge and the Texas Mamma Jamma Ride. He is also active in local, state and national politics.Follow Duff on Twitter.Heather Whaling is founder/president of Geben Communication. In 2016, she was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the Ohio Valley Region. After launching the company from her dining room in 2009, Heather’s fresh approach to best practices has helped Geben evolve into a highly respected, sought-after, award-winning PR firm. With offices in Columbus and Chicago, Geben was named the national media relations agency of the year by Ragan/PR Daily and a top 10 agency for startups by Agency Post.A board member of The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, Heather is a vocal advocate for issues impacting women and girls. Her perspective on paid family leave has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, Refinery29 and a variety of local and national media outlets.Follow Heather on Twitter.And here’s the video we watched during the podcast — GSD&M’s “I Pee with LGBT” ad directed by Richard Linklater.More on I Pee with LGBT.I also wrote a post recently on why your brand should take a stand.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. 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

“A brand is a relationship between a customer and an organization.” Don E. Schultz has spent his storied career navigating, teaching, and writing about that very complex relationship. He’s a Professor of Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University’s Medill School, President of Agora, Inc, and author of over twenty-eight books on marketing. He’s also this week’s guest on the On Brand podcast.About Don E. SchultzDon E. Schultz, BBA (University of Oklahoma), MA and PhD (Michigan State University) is Professor (Emeritus-in-Service) Integrated Marketing Communications, The Medill School, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL and President of Agora, Inc., a global marketing, communication, and branding consulting firm. Schultz consults, lectures, and holds seminars on integrated marketing communication, marketing, branding, advertising, sales promotion, and communication management in Europe, South America, Asia/Pacific, the Middle East, Australia, and North America.He is the author/co-author of over twenty-eight books and over one hundred and fifty trade, academic and professional articles and serves on the editorial review board for a number of trade and scholarly publications. He was the founding editor of the Journal of Direct Marketing, the associate editor of the Journal of Marketing Communications, and the International Journal of Integrated Marketing Communication.Schultz is a member of the American Marketing Association, American Academy of Advertising, Advertising Research Foundation, Business Marketing Association, Direct Marketing Association, Association for Consumer Research, and the International Advertising Association, as well as the director and US Chairman for Brand Finance, London. He also provides consultancy services to a broad variety of marketing organizations, agencies, media and non-profit groups around the world. Schultz has received numerous awards, including the AAA (American Academy of Advertising) Ivan Preston Outstanding Contributions to Research Award in 2014.He lives in Chicago with his wife Heidi who is also his business partner.Episode HighlightsNorthwestern University has been teaching advertising since 1903! To say that Schultz teaches at one of the most historic institutions for advertising instruction is an understatement. “In the 1980s — with so much new technology emerging — we started asking, ‘how do we bring all of this together?'” And that’s how integrated marketing communications was born.“You have to start with customers,” says Schultz. “What do they need? You’re really not trying to sell anything. Persuasion is out of date. It’s a reciprocal process of solving problems for the customer.”Even integrated marketing communications needs reinvention. “We found we needed to adapt or adjust the process. Today it ends with a sale and operates from campaigns. How do we get beyond solving the individual issue? We need to think about lifetime customer value. How do we get to be more responsive?”What skill is timeless for marketers? “The technology is coming so fast. If we started teaching the technology, it’d be out of date by the time students graduate.” What skill is timeless and valuable for marketers? “An innate curiosity about people. It’s very important to immerse yourself in culture.”What brand has made Don smile recently? “Wimbledon. Those people really understand branding and how their brand relates to the world.”To learn more about Don, you can send him an email at dschultz@northwestern.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“A brand is a set of promises. If you break that, you hurt the brand.” With a storied career in advertising including his current gig as co-founder and creative director of the Velocity Partners agency, Doug Kessler has spent his career helping brands create and communicate promises to their communities. This week, Doug stopped by the On Brand podcast for a chat about content, creative, and strategy.About Doug KesslerDoug Kessler is co-founder and creative director of Velocity Partners, the London-based B2B content marketing agency — and Content Marketing Institute Agency of the Year. Doug has written a lot about content marketing including the B2B Content Strategy Checklist, Insane Honesty in Content Marketing and Crap: Why the Biggest Threat to Content Marketing is Content Marketing.Episode HighlightsWe started the show with … crap. Doug has spent a lot of time writing about crap. Or specifically, what we need to avoid creating as content marketers. As he notes, “the biggest threat to content marketing is content marketing. Content makes too much sense to go anywhere.”Content quantity vs. quality. So what about the million-dollar question, ‘how much content should you create?’ Doug’s answer: “Do as much as you can above a certain quality level. Every piece you put out can either help or hurt your brand.” What you really have to do is …Create a content brand. You have to be more than just a brand builder and a content creator. You have to develop a content brand. But it’s harder and harder to hit a home run.How can you produce a content marketing home run? As Doug notes, “the first step is to aim for it.” This sounds obvious but so many of us fall prey to internal and external constraints that keep our content in the middle of the bell curve. That said, you still need to be strategic instead of following creative whims. “At Ogilvy in the ‘80s, we used to say, ‘you can always get attention from a gorilla in a jock strap.’”B2B content isn’t necessarily harder. “It’s different. Not all pieces have to do everything. There are heart pieces and there are head pieces. We need more content that celebrates the Simon Sinek ‘why.’”What brand has made Doug smile recently? “A B2C example is Everlane for their radical transparency in their supply chain and their margins. Thank you! For B2B, I’d say GE.” Doug then reminded us of their Hammer ad (below).To learn more about Doug, check out the Velocity Partners website and follow Doug on Twitter.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently Matt Reno gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Brad Flowers. Specifically, Matt said he “poured some bourbon, opened the sketchbook, and chilled while listening to an insightful branding podcast.” Thanks for listening, Matt!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

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jay and I discussed Facebook’s newest feature for businesses — job listings! That’s right, when Facebook polled businesses they found that finding the right people was the top need. 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 Here’s the full story at Business Insider – Facebook is taking on LinkedIn by letting businesses post job listings. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. 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

“When you don’t answer your customers — you’re sending them a message.” Today we have to meet our audience on an increasingly diverse array of traditional and digital media touch points. None has garnered more headlines over the past year than Snapchat. Jed Record joined us in Iowa last fall for the Social Brand Forum. Since then, both Snapchat and the emerging story media format have evolved even more. We discussed all of this on this week’s On Brand podcast. About Jed RecordA consultant, speaker, and educator, Jed Record guides corporate teams through the quickly changing landscape of emerging marketing technologies. He teaches marketing at Meredith College’s School of Business. Jed’s clients include both start-ups and global brands such as Lenovo, eBay, Thomson Reuters and Quintiles Transnational. He has worked with Toyota, Capital One, SanDisk and others on influence marketing campaigns as well.Episode HighlightsInstagram stories vs. Snapchat stories. One big thing that’s changed since last summer/fall has been the emergence of Instagram’s own story feature. Recently, Instagram’s daily story stats have overtaken Snapchat total user counts. Does this automatically spell trouble for Snapchat? Not necessarily. “It’s a major millennial media platform. It is a highly different audience. If this is your core audience, this is still where you should be.”Why millennials still favor Snapchat. “Snap was the platform where their parents weren’t. It’s a very personal network.” Instagram stories may help preserve this feature. Just as parents and older demographics were starting to check out Snapchat, they had a new reason to stay on Instagram.The ‘story’ is a new media format. Whether it’s Snapchat stories, Instagram stories, or Facebook’s new story feature, one thing is clear. The story is an emerging new media format, composed of real-time photos and videos further personalized with sketches, scribbles, and emojis. How will you tell your brand’s story?“This is another form of communication but it’s not just another communications course.” Jed was very clear that though these are new formats and channels, we need to make sure that marketing curriculum doesn’t get lost teaching the tools. We need better instruction on distilling complex brand messaging into concise, ephemeral stories.What brand has made Jed smile recently? “Applebee’s. Out of the blue, they make me smile by tweeting at me.” Jed also pointed to exceptional service from American Airlines and Toyota.To learn more, check out Jed’s website and follow Jed on Twitter.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently Jasko Besic gave us a shout on Twitter for our episode featuring Brad Flowers. Thanks for listening, Jasko!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

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jay and I discussed a recent report on how Instagram’s algorithm works. While many thought the algorithm would kill the social network, Instagram is actually stronger than ever. 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 Here’s the full story at Social Media Today – Inside the Instagram Algorithm. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. 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 complicated when you try to define it." If there was an ongoing theme of the On Brand podcast, this week's guest hit the nail on the head. Of course, your brand is more than your logo but how do you organize the words and language around your story and communicate that internally. Brad Flowers co-founded and leads a language and story-focused branding firm, Bullhorn. We talked about all of that and more on this week’s On Brand podcast. About Brad FlowersBrad Flowers co-founded Bullhorn in 2008. A graduate of the University of North Texas, Brad’s degree in Literature serves him well in his strategy and language work during the branding process. It does not serve him well in his operational work, which is primarily informed by his rugged real-world experience and self-taught MBA. He is also an avid cycler – for commuting and for competition. He co-founded and currently serves on the board of a non-profit community bike shop called Broke Spoke. Spreading the good word.Episode HighlightsWhat does Bullhorn do? "We're a branding company but really people hire us to help them talk about their brand." Unlike other more visually focused firms, Bullhorn starts with words and stories. In the end, they provide a brand manual. But it's not the standard style guide you might expect.A coffee table book for your brand. While Bullhorn provided the digital assets most expect with a style guide or brand manual, they also include a printed document that's more aspirational. "It's like a coffee table book for your brand. Employees can read it. It can be used for onboarding.""Your culture is a culmination of your brand voice." As Brad reminded us, there's no one-size-fits-all approach for brand voice. How can you maintain a consistent brand voice internally without encouraging your team to talk like robots? "It really depends on the organization. The culture." Flowers went on to share a story about a more formal, hyperbolic client that needed help with their brand voice. Instead of more jargon — that would almost certainly lead them to sound more robotic — they provided a visual inspiration in the form of a photo of Paul Newman playing ping-pong. (I know, I said I'd put it in the show notes but I can't find a creative commons pic.)What brand has made Brad smile recently? After reading Kondo's best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying, Brad set out to find the objects that gave him joy. His Patagonia fleece fit the bill. And also provided a textbook example of a brand that's made him smile many times through the years.To learn more, go to the Bullhorn Creative website.As We Wrap …Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …Recently Alex Mastrianni gave us a shout on Twitter for our recent episode featuring Marcus Sheridan. Thanks for listening, Alex!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

On this week's Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City — Jay and I discussed some recently released numbers from both Facebook and Snapchat. As the upstart Snapchat prepares for their IPO, use, growth, and revenue are faltering. Over at Facebook, it's the exact opposite. 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 Here's the full story at TechCrunch – Snapchat Stumbles Toward IPO. And now for something completely different over at eMarketer – For Facebook, an Exclamation Point to Cap a Chaotic Year. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we'll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. 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