On Brand: A Podcast About Branding For Brand Builders, By Brand Builders

Jamie Gier is CMO of Ceros, helping top brands like NBC Universal, United Airlines, and United Healthcare create immersive content experiences. In our always-on world, customers are looking for greater connection with their brands. This isn’t easy as there’s more noise than ever. We discussed how brands can stand out with immersive content, this week on the On Brand podcast. About Jamie Gier As CMO of Ceros, Jamie works with many top brands including NBC Universal, Monster.com, JP Morgan, Wall Street Journal, United Airlines, and United Healthcare to create immersive content experiences. With more than 25 years of experience, Jamie has worked with leading tech companies from healthcare to education to grow and scale by creating impactful brands, designing revenue-gathering go-to-market strategies, and leading high-performance teams. Prior to Ceros, Jamie held roles at DreamBox Learning, SCI Solutions (now R1), Microsoft, and GE Healthcare. She also served as a board member for Page Ahead, a nonprofit focused

Zee Cohen-Sanchez is the founder and executive director of Sole Strategies, a woman and minority-owned organization built by a team of political experts who specialize in strengthening grassroots campaigns at the community level. We discussed what personal brands and organizational brands can learn from political brands, this week on the On Brand podcast. About Zee Cohen-Sanchez Zee Cohen-Sanchez dropped out of grad school to begin helping with The Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign and from there ran part of AOC’s field program. Now, founder and Executive Director of Sole Strategies, she’s leading the charge to flip seats for progressive candidates and change the country. She’s been featured in Authority Magazine, Divine Magazine, Future Sharks, and more.   Episode Highlights “Nothing is scarier than talking to other people—especially about politics,” Zee notes. However, learning is a critical first step in understanding your people and how we can help. This sounds simple but … “We’re not good listeners,” Zee say

Rob Simone is Partner and President of Summer Friday, a boutique agency sitting at the intersection of ideas and execution. This week on the On Brand podcast, Rob joined me for a discussion on the agency business today, founding a business during a global pandemic (!), and how to build a high-performance marketing team in one of the more challenging times to be doing that. About Rob Simone Rob Simone, based on Long Island, is Partner and President at Summer Friday, a strategy, creative, and content boutique that thrives at the intersection of big ideas and nimble execution. Simone co-founded Summer Friday in April 2020, right at the peak of the pandemic. His clients include major brands such as E*TRADE, National Grid, Cigna, and JP Morgan. Since its founding, the agency hasn’t lost a single client, has retained its talent base, and has expanded business on every level.   Episode Highlights Only Robs on the Podcast. Rob opened by highlighting that my own podcast of late has been heavy on Robs with Rob Meyerso

Prarthana Sibal is Head of Client Services at Pikkal & Co, a B2B podcast agency. This week she joined me on the On Brand podcast for a discussion of global podcasting markets and how to plan an effective B2B podcast. About Prarthana Sibal As Head of Client Services at award-winning B2B Podcast Agency Pikkal & Co. Prarthana Sibal has managed over 1,000 Podcast Episodes from idea to launch. Branding, Public Relations, Corporate Communications, Brand Reputation, and Podcasting for Brands. Born in India, Educated in SMU Singapore. She is based in Singapore. And she’s our guest this week on the On Brand podcast.  Episode Highlights Is it still the ‘golden age’ of podcasting? Prarthana added an important global perspective to this opening question. “You have to remember that Asia is 5–6 years behind the west. We still have a long way to go (in this growth).” How do you start a B2B podcast? “First, you have to align your podcast objective with your business objective.” From here, Prarthana shared the three most freq

Reinvention is at the core of Apolo Anton Ohno. He acquired and honed this skill over a decade of Olympic speed skating competition, during which he became the most decorated US Winter Olympian of all time. Apolo harnesses these experiences to educate and inspire organizations on how to foster a sustained leadership mindset needed to overcome obstacles. We discussed this along with his new book, Hard Pivot, this week on the On Brand podcast. About Apolo Ohno Apolo Anton Ohno claimed his first major speed skating title at the US Championships at the age of 14—after just six months of training. Over the next decade and a half, he went from kid prodigy to the most decorated US Winter Olympian in history—a title he still holds—earning eight Olympic medals in short-track speed skating across the 2002, 2006, and 2010 Winter Games. Following the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, Apolo took his understanding of sports psychology and his personal experience with success and setbacks to develop a resilient and mission-driv

This week on the On Brand podcast, we have something a little different to share with you. Christy Hiler, president and owner of the Cornett agency, just launched a new podcast called Own It. This show features interviews with the growing number of women and non-binary ad agency owners who are buying out of the boys club of advertising, one agency at a time. Enjoy this shortened excerpt from the first episode of Own It. Introducing the Own It Podcast Would you believe that less than one percent of all advertising agencies are owned by women? Well, Christy Hiler noticed it and is doing something about it. Christy is the president and owner of Cornett, a full-service advertising agency in Lexington, Kentucky. She has started a movement of sorts called Own It, to identify, recognize, and support women who are, or aspire to be agency owners. That effort is being cataloged at UntilYouOwnIt.com where female and non-binary agency owners can join and participate in mentorship and other activities to help more women,

This week's interview marks 400 episodes of the On Brand podcast! First up, a special announcement from me. Then I'm joined by Eric Yaverbaum who literally wrote the book on public relations with Public Relations for Dummies. In addition to writing six other books, his journey has taken him from being an agency leader to the White House to cable news punditry to finding the silver linings in a pandemic. We discussed all of this on our 400th episode of On Brand. About Eric Yaverbaum Eric Yaverbaum, CEO of Ericho Communications, is a communications, media, and public relations expert with over 40 years in the industry, having co-founded Jericho Communications and served as President from 1985 until its successful sale in 2006. Eric has worked with a wide range of top-of-their-industry clients, including Sony, IKEA, Progressive Insurance, Domino’s, Beachbody, H&M, and fitness guru Jack LaLanne. Eric is also a bestselling author who literally wrote the book on public relations – the industry-standard bestseller

As Chairman and Co-Founder of EVINS Communication, Mathew Evins has built his career in service of iconic brands in food and spirits (including Maker’s Mark!) and travel and hospitality. Today these passion brands mean more than ever to consumers. We discussed how to best reach customers today this week on the On Brand podcast.  About Mathew Evins Mathew Evins is the Chairman and Co-Founder of EVINS Communications. For 20 years he has led the PR agency to serve consumer-driven iconic brands in the Food, Spirits & Wine; Lifestyle; and Travel & Hospitality industries. He is one of the most respected authorities, authors, and thought leaders in luxury and luxury hospitality. He currently serves on the boards of the Global Virus Network, the International Hotel Investment Forum, and the International Luxury Hotel Association. He holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.   Episode Highlights Passion brands vs. rational brands. Luxury branding can be an interesting and misunderstood label. “There are a lot

Jac Phillips has worked across a variety of industries including technology, banking, payments, and retail. Her most recent gig was leading partnerships at Visa. Throughout all of these roles, Jac’s focus has been constant—ensuring that established brands remain culturally relevant. We discuss how to do this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Jac Phillips Jac Phillips has worked across a variety of industries including technology, banking, payments, and retail. Her most recent gig was leading partnerships at Visa. Throughout all of these roles, Jac’s focus has been constant—ensuring that established brands remain culturally relevant. We discuss how to do this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.   Episode Highlights “Relevance is everything.” As Jac’s bio notes, her work has been defined by ensuring that the brands she's worked with remain relevant in our fast-moving world. What’s the secret to doing this? Curiosity. “Today is another lesson in anthropology.” T

Rob Meyerson is a brand naming expert and author of the new book Brand Naming. And, as I said many times during the episode, “we don’t talk about brand naming enough!” Luckily Rob does and did so for us this week. If you’ve had anything to do with naming, you need to listen to this episode (and check out Rob’s book).  About Rob Meyerson Rob Meyerson is a namer, brand consultant, and principal and founder of Heirloom, an independent brand strategy and identity firm. Prior to founding Heirloom, Rob’s previous roles included head of brand architecture and naming at HP, director of verbal identity at Interbrand in San Francisco, and director of strategy at FutureBrand in Southeast Asia. His past clients range from the Fortune 500 to Silicon Valley startups, from San Francisco to Shanghai, including brands such as Adobe, AT&T, GE, John Deere, Disney, Guitar Hero, Intel, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, Walmart, and Yahoo. An experienced namer, Rob has created names for companies (Corelight), nonprofits (Swing Left), p

As founder of both Camo and Reincubate, Aidan Fitzpatrick has a history of building values-based brands. Keeping it simple, integrity-focused, and delight-based unites his work in creating a greater connection between brand builders and their tools. We discussed all of this and more, this week on the On Brand podcast. About Aidan Fitzpatrick Aidan Fitzpatrick is the creator of the globally-popular app Camo, which turns smartphones into world-class webcams. He is also the founder and CEO of Reincubate. Aidan built the world’s first tool for iOS data recovery, enabling users to securely manage their data while growing a values-led enterprise committed to integrity, thoughtfulness, and innovation. With a focus on authentic communication, Reincubate is dedicated to consumer privacy. Camo and Reincubate do not track or sell user data. A software engineer, angel investor, entrepreneur, and author who started his first company at 14, Fitzpatrick led Reincubate to win the UK’s highest business honor twice. Episode Hi

Ken Ungar is the president of CHARGE, a national sponsorship consulting firm based in Indianapolis. Since 2006, CHARGE has served clients including Honda, Acura, NASCAR, the Los Angeles Dodgers, NBA Players Association, American Motorcyclist Association, and over fifty professional athletes in the NFL, NASCAR, and INDYCAR. He’s also the author of Sponsorship Strategy and our guest this week on the On Brand podcast. About Ken Ungar Ken Ungar is a sponsorship marketing consultant, as well as an attorney with certifications including Player Contract Advisor from the NFL Players Association and Professional Certified Marketer from the American Marketing Association. He has published two books on marketing, including his most recent, Sponsorship Strategy: Practical Approaches to Powerful Sponsorships. Ungar has worked with marquis brands on sports sponsorships and endorsements, including Bridgestone-Firestone, Coca-Cola, Disney, General Motors, Honda, Microsoft, Nissan, Pepsi, Tag-Heuer, Toyota, Sirius-XM Satellit

A startup marketing veteran, Radhika Dutt is the author of the new book Radical Product Thinking. Her experience has taught her that we don’t need more products—we need radical products that create change. Our conversation this week covered everything from the overuse of pivots to avoiding digital pollution. Radhika Dutt Radhika Dutt is the author of Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter. An entrepreneur and product leader, she has participated in four acquisitions, two of which were companies that she founded. She has built products in industries including broadcasting, media, advertising technology, government, consumer, robotics, and wine. Dutt advises organizations from high-tech startups to government agencies on building radical products that create a fundamental change instead of optimizing the status quo. She also teaches entrepreneurship and innovation at Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business. Dutt cofounded Radical Product Thinking as a movement of lea

As President of Brand Keys, Robert Passikoff has pioneered work in loyalty and emotional brand engagement, creating the Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, the Loyalty Leaders List, and the Sports Fan and Fashion Brand Indices. He’s also the author of Predicting Market Success, The Certainty Principle, and the upcoming Loyalty Ain’t What It Used to Be. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. Robert Passikoff Robert Passikoff, Brand Key’s founder/president, is a thought leader who has pioneered work in loyalty and emotional brand engagement, creating the Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, the Loyalty Leaders List, and the Sports Fan and Fashion Brand Indices. His first book, Predicting Market Success, provided a 21st-century paradigm for loyalty. His second book, The Certainty Principle, dealt with engagement in a more complex and digital marketplace. His next book, Loyalty Ain’t What It Used To Be will be released in Spring 2022. Robert’s impassioned, straight-shooting, and profita

As Co-Founder & CEO of creative agency Mekanism, Jason Harris knows a thing or two about building brands. His goal is to bring the idea of persuasion into the twenty-first century by exploring an approach that gets its strength not from negativity and divisiveness but from the most laudable and positive aspects of our characters. We discussed all of this and more, this week on the On Brand podcast. About Jason Harris Jason Harris is the Co-Founder & CEO of Mekanism, an award-winning creative advertising agency whose clients include Ben & Jerry’s, Peloton, OkCupid, Molson Coors, and Alaska Airlines. He’s also the author of the bestselling book The Soulful Art of Persuasion.   Episode Highlights A member of Congress, a used car salesman, and an advertising professional walk into a bar … No, it’s not a joke. But it should be. Rather, this is what led Jason to a more soulful approach to advertising. According to Gallup, those three professions are deemed most dishonest by a majority of Americans. As a less scrup

As Global Head of Brand at Qualtrics, Jesse Purewal is a leader in brand experience. How can brands build standout experiences? It all comes down to purpose and empathy. This work is also at the heart of Jesse’s Qualtrics-sponsored podcast Breakthrough Builders. We deconstructed empathy, experience, and how brands can be relentlessly relevant, this week on the On Brand podcast. About Jesse Purewal Jesse Purewal is a builder, storyteller, and strategist who works with leaders to define their organization’s brand purpose, activate brands through modern marketing and drive brand-driven growth and impact through rigorous insight, unfiltered creativity, and experiential innovation. Over 12 years at global marketing firm Prophet, Jesse helped grow the organization from 70 to 450 employees and tripled the company’s revenue. It was also at Prophet that Jesse and his teams launched transformative brands like T-Mobile’s Uncarrier, Intel’s Amazing, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and Amazon’s Amazon Business. Today, Jess

Gabrielle Dolan’s work spans from personal leadership communication to organizational communication. The bridge that unites these two domains is story. Her new book, Magnetic Stories, helps companies craft stories that connect and engage. From the stories we tell at work to the stories that build iconic brands, we discussed it all this week on the On Brand podcast About Gabrielle Dolan Gabrielle Dolan is considered a global expert in business storytelling and real communication. She is a highly sought-after keynote speaker and best-selling author of seven books including her latest Magnetic Stories. Her client list is extensive including the likes of Visa, Amazon, EY, Uber, Accenture, Telstra, Australia Post, and the Obama Foundation. The professional highlight of her career so far is meeting Barack Obama while delivering storytelling training for the Obama Foundation. Gabrielle is the founder of Jargon Free Fridays and her dedication to the industry was recognized when she was awarded Communicator of the Yea

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 Pierre Lydia 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 & Takeaways Where do you start with personal

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 Williams Matt 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 foc

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 Saraswati Ginni 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 & Takeaways Why is now the time for