Tom Sanders on Building Brands That Work
Description
#170 Tom Sanders, founder of Lost Dog, is a branding + strategy expert who's spent his career helping companies stop lying to themselves.
In this show, we cover Tom's unexpected start in IT and his journey to launching his own shop. Tom walks us through how brands get built — not with a checklist and some Helvetica, but with honesty, alignment, and a hell of a lot of listening.
Here's the full breakdown:
| Intro & Tom's background | |
| From IT to Marketing: Tom's origin story | |
| What is strategy vs branding vs tactics? Mission, vision, and the "why" | |
| Why most companies botch brand strategy (and why "making money" isn't the mission) | |
| Red flags: When mission/vision becomes a checklist | |
| Tom's branding approach: Organic, not fabricated. | |
| Internal brand alignment: Why employees need to believe it too | |
| The branding process deep dive | |
| Metrics that matter: Why engagement isn't enough | |
| Tom's 5-Step Process: Why → Current Situation → Goals → Communicate → Monitor | |
| Timelines, and why smaller clients get his best work | |
| Inferior products? Why experience and expectations still win | |
| Why Tom started Lost Dog & the future of agencies | |
| AI & strategy: From "C student" to A-minus assistant | |
| 1:10:01 –end | Final thoughts |
Get in touch with Tom here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomsanders/
Or here: https://lostdogmke.com/
Connect with Pat here: pmcgovern@ascedia.com
Oh before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That's the energy that powers this supertanker!
Thanks, you're the best!
Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup.
This podcast is sponsored by Ascedia. A web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win in the digital space.
United States
