Brands In Action

What happens when the host becomes the guest? Today, David Baldwin sits on the other side of the microphone to talk with Mitch Bennett, the ECD who took over creative duties for David, and Ashley Yetman, Co-CEO and head of strategy at Baldwin&, who recently bought the agency. Join us for a fun discussion about what it was like building three purpose-based brands, the power of creativity, and what retirement might look like for someone who can't stop creating things.00:18 - David Intro03:12 - David's Story/Podcast Purpose09:20 - Balancing starting an agency with purpose12:03 - David's Core Beliefs14:31 - HB2 and Ponysaurus20:31 - Creativity going forward23:17 - Determining how to choose which idea comes next26:54 - Stepping away and being held accountable31:34 - How did you pull off the transitionhttps://www.baldwinand.com/https://www.ponysaurusbrewing.com/https://takeyourseat.co/

Mariah Eckhardt runs one of the coolest natural brands going, and one of the OG purpose brands at that. On today’s episode, we talk with Mariah about how running everything at Burt’s Bees – from PR and promotions to marketing and everything in between – has led her to know and live this brand, inside and out. She also talks about how their purpose drives everything they do, not just the communications.00:18 - Mariah Intro02:10 - Mariah's background07:37 - Burt's Bees Mission09:48 - How does Burt's Bees fit into the natural marketr14:34 - Customer trust driving other products16:29 - Who are Burt and Roxanne22:34 - How does Burt live on now in the brand24:28 - Other Iconography26:10 - Conscious Beauty31:31 - Where can the brand go that it hasn't and vice versa37:28 - How did Burt's Bees influence Clorox39:50 - Influencers and Social Media

Bojangles is an iconic Southern brand with a storied past and some pretty famous fried chicken around these here parts. Today, Bojangles Restaurants CMO Jackie Woodward talks about what it’s like to market a brand that is entrenched in the South and to take it to greater heights than ever before. Give it a listen. 00:18 - Jackie Intro01:21 - How Jackie got to Bojangles04:20 - What is Bojangles09:22 - Bojangles "Southern” branding14:03 - Tailgating16:32 - Telling the Bojangles brand story19:05 - Tone of Voice19:52 - Hard Sweet Tea22:35 - Testing/Research24:03 - Championing Women Executives26:35 - Where to find Bojangles

Can you think of a brand with better unaided awareness than Butterball? Today, Christa Leupen talks about how the company uses their purpose to drive the entire organization. Join us for a lively discussion on what makes the brand tick and how they use their purpose to drive the use of turkey every day – not just on Thanksgiving.00:18 - Christa Intro01:22 - Director of Purpose and Consumer Communication Role02:34 - Path to this role04:49 - Work/Life Balance06:11 - Purpose defined by Butterball12:42 - Iconography13:22 - Challenges of being popular in specific seasons16:37 - Turkey Talk Line17:17 - Tone of Voice18:29 - Branching outside of tukey20:10 - Jimmy Fallon22:11 - Influencers26:17 - Driving the message for customers27:28 - Where are you in driving the purpose throughout the entire organization https://www.butterball.com/

Philip Freeman is a walk-the-talk kinda guy in every aspect of his life. As the founder of Murphy's Naturals, he's building a company that brings natural mosquito repellents to the world that are good for you and good for the environment at the same time. They call their philosophy DOG – Do Others Good. Philip uses the Murphy's brand and mission to drive everything they do, and they're growing like crazy – so maybe give it a listen.00:18 - Philip Intro01:13 - Murphy the Dog02:40 - How did your background lead you here05:16 - Formulation09:50 - B-Corp Status13:49 - The Dog Philosophy16:53 - Articulation of Brand's Purpose18:51 - Driving Culture22:01 - Company Traditions23:48 - Getting customer onboard28:47 - What are you most proud of at Murphys29:41 - The Loading Dock32:18 - How can people find you? Additional Resources: https://www.murphysnaturals.com/

We’re talking education this week with Quinn O’Brien, CMO at Carnegie Learning, which is the leading brand for education tools and methods. Quinn brings his experience working on mega brands like IBM, Volkswagen, and Lenovo to the space where Carnegie is dedicated to helping teachers create more “Aha!" moments” for students. Quinn has a lot of marketing wisdom, give him a listen. 00:18 - Quinn Intro02:14 - Journey to current position05:26 - Lenovo and IBM10:47 - How did those experiences leave a stamp on you15:27 - Unpacking Carnegie's offerings23:09 - Carnegie Mission25:46 - Biggest challenges27:27 - What role do the parents play29:14 - How do you advertise most effectively30:30 - Brand Articulation33:22 - The future of learning35:54 - Tone of Voice41:18 - Being an objective voice in education https://www.carnegielearning.com/

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Christopher Symmes, Director of Marketing at Unilever where he manages their dressings line, including Hellmann’s, Sir Kensington’s, and Maille. Christopher is a living, breathing adherent to Brand Purpose and showing how it can drive your business – not just your advertising – to foster growth and create change. In fact, sometimes Brand Purpose isn’t part of the advertising at all. 00:18 - Christopher Intro01:18 - What brought you to Unilever06:50 - How do you define brand purpose and how does that fit at Unilever13:17 - Super Bowl Commercials / Brie and Ham18:56 - Does the purpose of food waste live outside of Hellman's within Unilever19:54 - Does every Unilever brand have a social good component22:26 - Customer feedback25:21 - Other adjacent brands and their purposes29:25 - How does your personal purpose manifest itself professionally34:18 - Googling Hellmans Food Waste  

Brilliant decisions, a great culture, and really smart people are the reason Best Buy has thrived during the great migration to e-commerce. That and smart people like Bruce Bildsten. Bruce has built a world class in-house agency and now produces work as good as any you can find in the biz. In today’s episode, he talks about what makes a great in-house agency, creative person, and brand. 00:18 - Bruce Intro02:02 - Moving out of the "Silver Age" and going in-house05:47 - What are the challenges of moving in-house10:40 - Is it possible to have the same type of career if you're in-house16:23 - Best Buy's comeback20:33 - Articulation of Purpose25:42 - Brand Iconography27:18 - Tone of Voice Articulation29:03 - What have you learned being on the inside at Best Buy that you would take back to the agency world32:29 - BMW Films37:23 - Should you get the warranty?37:46 - What Best Buy work should people check out?https://bestbuy.box.com/s/kiii5k51j21r29apuwt9yc5uviqlbmtw

How good are you when it comes to listening? Matty Wishnow believes it's one of the keys to growing a company and, in particular, to accelerating a startup's success and efficiency. Today I talk to Matty about his book, "Listening for Growth," it’s a great read about lessons he’s learned and the plan forward he developed for launching his three successful startups. A must-read for anyone thinking of starting their own company. 00:18 - Matty Intro01:45 - Starting your first company03:58 - How do you define growth08:38 - The pressure to grow disrupting the company10:09 - Epiphany leading to changes in entrepreneurship13:31 - GPS (Goals, Problems, Solutions)16:00 - Pentagon tool20:53 - How do you institutionalize this mindset within a company23:04 - Definition of “Listening"25:58 - Experiments and Hypotheses30:00 - When did you implement GPS with your companies33:48 - The business you didn't start36:47 - Past Prime Podcast39:49 - How can people find youhttps://www.mattywishnow.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattywish/

On this week’s episode, we take another look at excellence in B2B marketing with our guest Emma Powers, Executive Director of Enterprise Marketing at Comcast Business. Emma has had a ringside seat for some massive changes in technology over the years, including the BlackBerry and IBM's Watson. And, during our conversation, she talks about how to bring a human touch to B2B marketing. Give it a listen. 00:18 - Emma Intro01:29 - Emma's background04:10 - Beginnings of AI06:51 - AI as a creative revolution08:11 - AI at Comcast Business10:17 - What drew you to Comcast11:22 - How do you approach B2B marketing14:59 - What have you learned as technology changes so fast17:47 - How is Comcast showing up in the world20:37 - What do the customers rely on Comcast for22:32 - The human touch23:25 - Advice to other B2B marketers25:57 - Where can you find more about Comcast Business Additional Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmapowers/

On today’s episode, we welcome Amy Merrill. When it comes to brands leading the way in using what they do to create social change, Amy and her brand, Plan C, are the real deal. Amy talks about the opportunities and challenges Plan C has found in providing information and access to women who’ve been deprived of their personal choice. Branding, social mission, and creativity collide in a fascinating conversation. 00:24 - Amy Intro01:35 - Amy's Story14:41 - Making world changes in a capitalistic society17:49 - How did Plan C come about?24:47 - US background compared to other countries30:02 - Complexities of working with each state36:50 - Bigger goal for the company44:44 - How do you get the message out via the brand47:43 - Does "C" have another meaning51:01 - Formerly Alien54:27 - How can you find Amy and Plan CAdditional Resources: Amy Merrillhttps://www.eyesopendesign.com/abouthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/amyjmerrill/instagram.com/amyjmerrill Plan Chttps://www.plancpills.org/instagram.com/plancpills Formerly Alienhttps://www.formerlyalien.com/Formerly Alien on Spotifyinstagram.com/formerlyalien The NYT podcast Amy referenced on the story of how abortion became a politically conservative issue:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/07/podcasts/the-daily/roe-v-wade-supreme-court-jane-roe.html

It's not often you get to talk to someone who is transforming the music industry but that’s exactly what Garland Brown, CEO and founder of Swaye for Music, is doing. Garland describes how his super cool company lets fans support the artists they love while putting musicians in charge of the music they create. Talk about a powerful mission – check it out!00:18 - Garland Intro01:15 - America's "Techiest” Lawyer03:52 - What is Swaye?07:36 - How does it work for independent artists?10:54 - Where does Swaye "live”?12:47 - What does this do for streaming partners?14:49 - What is the music industry excited about this?22:25 - How does it work for an artist who signs up24:42 - Brand mission32:15 - How can you find Swaye? Additional Resources: https://swaye.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/garlandb/

Every now and then, we’re going to replay your favorite episodes. This one features Andy Pearson, VP of Creative at Liquid Death. Andy talks about how to grow a business using creativity as a fame builder and how to turn a startup into a category dominator. 00:32 - Andy Intro01:39 - Andy's story04:20 - Journey of Liquid Death11:22 - Plastic in the environment12:16 - Purpose Brand14:52 - Traditional Brand Work prior to the product18:00 - Articulation25:14 - What is too far?26:02 - Using agencies29:31 - Using the first idea31:22 - Creating Briefs33:30 - Business ethos37:17 - Hiring creative in house39:29 - What advice do you give start ups?43:51 - What's next for Liquid Death Additional Resources: https://liquiddeath.com/

Today’s episode is a doozy. We’re featuring Mike Watson: technologist, marketer, entrepreneur. The man was on the team that invented Bluetooth, of all things. Now he’s turning his acumen to the spirits category as president of Lonerider Spirits, which is new on the scene of spirits but sure to make noise with Mike in charge. 00:18 - Mike Intro01:22 - How does a Tech and Bluetooth background lead to Spirits03:54 - Origin of Lonerider Spirits05:01 - Decision to move from beer to spirits07:51 - How do you make your brand stand out on the shelf12:31 - What are the challenges for being known for the Lonerider Brewery12:58 - Beer only drinkers vs Spirits only drinkers16:09 - How did you gain the expertise to make whiskey17:28 - Lonerider sub-brands21:22 - Driving penetration24:22 - Tone of Voice25:36 - How do you use measurements27:48 - Marketing specific cocktails and using influencers29:42 - How did Covid affect Lonerider31:25 - Sober curious movement39:16 - What's next for Lonerider https://loneriderspirits.com/

Today we welcome Tara Sahu, VP, Head of Integrated Marketing at Varo Bank. Tara talks about Varo's mission to democratize financial power and create a world where that power is no longer a privilege – providing access for over 100 million underbanked people. When was the last time you were inspired by a bank? Today. Today is the answer. Give it a listen. 00:18 - Tara Intro02:05 - Journey to where you are now10:11 - Varo Bank Charter13:14 - Trust with online banking14:48 - Varo Mission Statement18:56 - History of income equality in banking space22:49 - Definition of Underbanked and Unbanked24:19 - Varo ideal customer27:21 - How does Varo make money28:42 - Getting people to switch to Varo30:04 - Purchase Funnel34:38 - Diversity moving from Coke to Fintech37:09 - How does the brand drive the culture38:31 - What keeps you up at night

Would you look at that, our 50th episode. While that ain’t nothing but a thing, we do have a doozy for you this time, an episode about the impact of AI. Few creative people in the ad industry know AI the way George Tannenbaum does. Considering his long stint working with Watson at IBM, who better to engage in a thoughtful discussion about the effects and ramifications of AI? As usual, George says things you should listen to – so listen here. 00:18 - George Intro02:57 - George's thoughts on AI04:29 - George's AI Experience07:44 - Gutenberg Press09:10 - Has the Smartphone changed us13:05 - What does AI do well15:29 - AI and Economic Pull26:49 - Curating the bottom but creating the top30:32 - 10 year AI ad projection 35:11 - Behaviors affecting brands38:33 - AI and churn45:56 - Showing companies and value and downfall of AI https://georgeco.de/

In this episode of Brands In Action, we welcome Will Burns, CEO and Founder of Ideasicle X, to talk about creativity and, more specifically, how to generate a ton of ideas that will solve a problem for you. Ideasicle X’s philosophy is “Nothing is Unthinkable,” and Will tells you all about the platform and how it can transform your work. 00:18 - Will Intro01:58 - Ghosts2:57 - How your experience led to the creation of Ideasicle9:59 - How does Ideasicle work12:32 - How does Ideasicle work with people15:22 - Crowdsourcing16:45 - How do you put a team together17:55 - Brainstorming doesn't work21:04 - Bad ideas leading to good ones24:25 - Is Ideasicle a product or brand?28:19 - Where else can Ideasicle go32:57 - Where does AI fit into this platform35:52 - Creativity as a force versus a resource39:30 - What's next for Ideasicle42:08 - Who plays Will Burns in the movie https://www.ideasiclex.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamoburns/

Yeesh, when you talk about clients who understand how to build a brand through great work, you’ll undoubtedly bring up Melissa Waters, CMO of Upwork. Melissa talks about how Upwork is leading the way in the “new work awakening” and telling those stories with some of the best advertising of the year, their “This is how we work now” campaign…okay, the Zombie CEO campaign. If you haven’t seen it, you’ll want to. 00:18 - Melissa Intro02:04 - Journey to Upwork05:42 - Upwork Mission08:47 - Does Upwork drive the industry or fill the need12:41 - Covid affecting strategy15:38 - Empathy with your customer20:22 - Company culture in a remote workforce23:21 - Global layoffs bringing opportunity to Upwork26:02 - Smart advertising37:39 - What needed to change at Upwork when you arrived39:51 - Tone of voice44:27 - Where can you find Upwork https://www.upwork.com/howweworkhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/melissawaters/

Welcome to the Best of Brands in Action. Today we’re replaying our most popular episode of 2022 with our guest Joey Manfre from Fender Guitars. Joey talks about keeping the flame alive to take one of America’s most iconic brands into the future. Happy holidays everyone. 00:33 - Joey Intro01:45 - How did you get to Fender?05:51 - Being mission driven08:23 - Fender culture11:43 - Intimidation to start working for Fender13:23 - Response to "Guitar is Dead”18:35 - Influencers22:43 - Mission of Fender24:39 - How does Fender support artists33:07 - Genre stories in marketing communication37:48 - Fender Brand ID41:05 - New Fender guitar42:40 - Imitations44:11 - Tone of Voice46:21 - What knowledge would you take with you to former self47:31 - How can you find Fenderhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-manfre-10218612/https://www.fender.com/en-US/starthttps://www.facebook.com/Fender/https://twitter.com/Fenderhttps://www.instagram.com/fender/https://www.youtube.com/user/fendermusical

Not everyone gets to climb a mountain twice. Almost 20 years ago, Chris Knott built a brand called Peter Millar working out of his closet, turning it into a global force in the process. And now he’s doing it again with his new partners at johnnie-O. Chris talks about how his merchandising knowledge and his sense of design come together to help him make very special things. 00:18 - Chris Intro01:33 - How Chris got here07:03 – johnnie-O Style10:12 - Distribution Strategy13:46 - Label vs Brand16:03 - Brand Articulation20:16 - Near Luxury Casual22:52 - Is the SoCal lifestyle aspirational everywhere?25:38 - Value32:33 - Who plays Chris Knott in the movie?33:55 - Where can you find johnnie-O? https://www.johnnie-o.com/