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

Stacey Zimmerman serves as Managing Director at Big Spaceship, where she focuses on deepening client relationships, growing the agency at large, and leading the Account Management discipline. Her passion lies in helping client partners work collaboratively with their agency partners, underscoring how collaboration leads to the most impactful work. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Stacey Zimmerman Stacey Zimmerman serves as Managing Director at Big Spaceship, where she focuses on deepening client relationships, growing the agency at large, and leading the Account Management discipline. Her passion lies in helping client partners work collaboratively with their agency partners, underscoring how collaboration leads to the most impactful work. Nurturing diverse teams, Stacey helps provide education and opportunities to aspiring talent by teaching advertising at both East and West Coast universities for the past decade, serving as executive sponsor for one of Big Spaceshi

Ariadna Navarro is the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at VSA Partners where she and her team help clients of all shapes and sizes—from blue chips to B2B to startups. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Ariadna Navarro Ariadna Navarro is the Chief Growth Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at VSA Partners, an agency that designs for a better experience. VSA Partners works with a wide range of businesses, from blue chip companies like IBM, AT&T, and Google; to B2B brands like Cargill, Curia, and Ever.AG; to startup disruptors like Black Telehealth and Robinhood. Ariadna helps clients identify and unlock growth potential by connecting business strategy to brand and experience strategy to relentlessly and cohesively deploy a company’s ambition. Episode Highlights Fluff vs. business asset. Ari began our conversation by sharing that VSA takes a different view of brand. “We see brand as a business asset. Some think it's just advertising—brand as fluff.” “Techn

Abbey McGrew is the founder and creative director of Wayfarer Design Studio, where she helps thoughtful e-commerce founders to bring their brands to life through visual identity, packaging, and web design. We discussed all of this and more this week on the show. About Abbey McGrew Abbey McGrew is the founder and creative director of Wayfarer Design Studio. Known for her heart-led approach to design, Abbey helps thoughtful e-commerce founders to bring their brands to life through visual identity, packaging, and web design. She believes that great branding is more than skin deep and always finds a way to weave deeper meaning into every last detail of her work. Episode Highlights What's in a name? “The name Wayfarer carries personal significance for both me and my clients,” Abbey shared. “To me, it symbolizes a passion for exploring the world with my husband, which inspired me to establish the company in 2016. To my clients, it speaks to the experience of embarking on a journey without clear direction, as is o

Chantal Cornelius has spent the last two decades helping hundreds of coaches, consultants, and speakers grow their businesses and achieve their goals by making strong emotional connections with their clients. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Chantal Cornelius Since founding Appletree Marketing in 2000, Chantal Cornelius has spent the last two decades helping hundreds of coaches, consultants, and speakers grow their businesses and achieve their goals by making strong emotional connections with their clients. Chantal knows that the key to standing out from competitors is to build strong, long-lasting relationships. Her mission is to help business owners realize that the path to success doesn’t involve churning out endless social content. In her writing and speaking, Chantal introduces business owners to the different Stand Out Strategies that they can use to make the best emotional connection with their clients. She explains how to utilize them, in order to stand out f

Dan Zavorotny is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nutrisense, a metabolic health company that helps anyone discover and reach their health potential. This standout brand in the health and wearable spaces helps people own their health. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Dan Zavorotny Dan Zavorotny is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Nutrisense, a metabolic health company that helps anyone discover and reach their health potential. Under Dan’s leadership, Nutrisense has become one of the fastest-growing startups in America. He has led the company through rapid growth, building a team of 170 employees in just over three years, and raising 32 million. Prior to co-founding Nutrisense, Dan worked as a Healthcare Management Consultant at KPMG where he advised Fortune 500 clients and three of the top five hospitals in the US. Dan is passionate about travel, having visited over 100 countries before the age of 30. Episode Highlights “One-third of the U

Donna Griffit is a world-renowned Corporate Storyteller, pitch alchemist, and author of the bestseller Sticking to My Story. Based on 20 years of helping startups, her book and her work help founders and startups who find themselves stuck in telling their stories. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Donna Griffit Donna Griffit, author of Sticking to My Story: The Alchemy Of Storytelling For Startups, is a world-renowned Corporate Storyteller and Pitch Alchemist. She has helped over 1000 startups, corporates and investors raise over one billion dollars and accelerate their sales with a personal touch and unmatched messaging savvy, in any industry, at any phase. Episode Highlights Wait—what is a “pitch alchemist”? I had to ask. “Taking one element and transforming it” as part of a larger brand story, Donna shared. What inspired Donna to write Sticking to My Story? “It was a book 20 years in the making. It’s what I’ve learned along the way. Stories stick. It’s that simple

Marcus Collins is head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy New York and author of the new book For the Culture. In addition to his work as an award-winning marketer and cultural translator, he also teaches marketing at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Marcus Collins Dr. Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator. He currently serves as the head of strategy at Wieden+Kennedy New York and as a clinical assistant professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. Prior to his advertising tenure, Marcus worked on iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple and ran digital strategy for Beyoncé. Marcus holds a doctorate in marketing from Temple University, where he studied social contagion and meaning-making. He received an MBA with an emphasis on strategic brand marketing from the University of Michigan, where he also earned his undergraduate degree in Material Science

Annette Simmons is the author of several books including The Story Factor and Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins. Having read a lot of books about story, I can say that Annette is a leader in this area. That's why I was excited to chat with her about her work this week on the On Brand podcast. About Annette Simmons Annette Simmons is a vibrant keynote speaker, consultant, and author of four books: The Story Factor named one of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins, A Safe Place for Dangerous Truth (AMACOM, 1998), and Territorial Games: Understanding and Ending Turf Wars at Work. Annette started with a business degree from Louisiana State University in 1983, spent ten years in Australia in international business, attained an M.Ed. from NC State in 1994, and started Group Process Consulting in 1996. Annette is surprisingly honest, ferrets out hidden opportunities, joyfully takes risks, and tells a good story. Episode Highlights A shared story. I began by sharing with Annett

Joe Pulizzi is the godfather of content marketing, having first mentioned the term in 2001. A serial entrepreneur, he's the founder of Content Marketing Institute and Content Marketing World as well as The Tilt and the Creator Economy Expo. We discussed as much of Joe's work as we could fit into a half-hour episode this week on the On Brand Podcast.  About Joe Pulizzi Joe Pulizzi is the founder of multiple startups including content creator education site, The Tilt, the content entrepreneur event Creator Economy Expo (CEX), and is the bestselling author of seven books including Content Inc. and Epic Content Marketing, which was named a “Must-Read Business Book” by Fortune Magazine. Joe is best known for his work in content marketing, first using the term in 2001, then launching Content Marketing Institute and the Content Marketing World event. In 2014, he received the "Lifetime Achievement Award" by the Content Council. He successfully exited CMI in 2016 and consequently wrote an award-winning mystery novel,

Tristen Norman is Head of Creative Insights at Getty Images. Using both sides of her brain, she and her team help brands of all shapes and sizes bring their work to life in an increasingly visual world. We discussed what this looks like this week on the On Brand podcast. About Tristen Norman Tristen Norman is the Head of Creative Insights, Americas at Getty Images. She operates as one-part visual anthropologist and two-parts data scientist – working across disciplines to understand what motivates visual selection, identify trends within visual language, and using this data to help shape the development of Getty’s creative content globally. Leveraging consumer research, and social and cultural listening and pairing it with proprietary data, Tristen hones in on the valuable insights that feed the development of Getty Images own creative collections. A passionate advocate for elevating marginalized voices within creative spaces, Tristen also plays a critical role in supporting and advancing initiatives and part

Rob Levinson is a corporate brand strategist and personal brand coach. A Madison Avenue veteran, dot-com survivor, and former Marketing Strategies columnist for the Wall Street Journal online, Rob shared how all of his experiences have shaped how he builds brands this week on the On Brand podcast. About Rob Levinson Rob is a corporate brand strategist and personal brand coach who helps leading brands, and those who run them, get noticed, remembered, and results. As the founder of Leverage Advisors, Rob creates comprehensive Brand Blueprints for clients seeking the strategic direction and tools required to inform and guide the development, or reimagining of their brand. As the founder of Brand You Better, Rob helps individuals from recent graduates to C-Suite executives gain the confidence to tell their best, and most impactful, personal brand narrative. Episode Highlights Rob always starts personal branding work with a definition. "I love the Jeff Bezos definition—your brand is what other people say when yo

Steve Rawling is the creator of the innovative cards decks—Workshop Tactics and Storyteller Tactics. These popular tools help organizations like Apple and Facebook generate creative ideas and, most importantly, put them into action. As a user of the decks, I couldn’t wait to chat with Steve this week on the On Brand podcast.  About Steve Rawling Steve Rawling is a former BBC TV journalist, turned international author and consultant on business storytelling. He's told over 20,000 stories in his career, so he can probably help you tell yours. Steve's latest venture—a deck of cards called Storyteller Tactics—smashed its target when it went live on Kickstarter, raising $100k in a few weeks. It has now sold over 60,000 copies to people in companies like Apple, Facebook, and IBM. Episode Highlights Cards vs. books. Steve and I are both lovers of books—especially books on workshops and storytelling. However, it can be hard to put the ideas inside these great books into action. “It’s hard to think on paper.” This p

Michelle Gladieux is President of Gladieux Consulting and author of the new book Communicate with Courage: Taking Risks to Overcome the Four Hidden Challenges. Communication is an essential building block in leadership at all levels. And yet it's frequently misunderstood. Michelle demystified this and provides help in overcoming some of the biggest challenges this week on the On Brand podcast. About Michelle Gladieux Michelle Gladieux is President of Gladieux Consulting, a Midwest-based team known for the design and presentation of seminars in communication and leadership topics around the U.S. She’s the author of Communicate with Courage: Taking Risks to Overcome the Four Hidden Challenges. She facilitates strategic planning and executive coaching for clients in diverse industries, governments, non-profits, and in academia and has 18 years of collegiate teaching experience at three universities in her home state of Indiana. Episode Highlights Communicating from the heart(land). I asked Michelle if being fr

Alex Moulton is Chief Creative Officer at Trollbäck+Company, a firm known for designing strategic, sustainable brands including the UN's sustainability goals. When he's not leading creative efforts at Trollbäck, you can find Alex working as a DJ and composter. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Alex Moulton Alex Moulton is Chief Creative Officer at Trollbäck+Company and oversees its exceptional creative and strategic thinkers, designers, and makers to build strategic identities, sustainable brands, and moving experiences. Alex has worked across a diverse range of businesses and institutions including Apple, Google, NBC Universal, NFL, Samsung, Viacom, and West Elm. Outside his work at Trollbäck+Company, Alex is A DJ, composer, and avid speaker about topics at the intersection of music and design. Moulton has also been featured in Billboard, V Man, Electronic Musician, and XLR8R, and has performed at The Guggenheim.   Episode Highlights How does a brand strategist end u

Owen Garitty is the Founder and Lead Creative at FPW Media, a creative shop focused on long-form brand storytelling. Since Owen began work as a photographer at the age of 15, he’s approached everything from photos to movies to content with an eye for visual storytelling. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Owen Garitty Owen Garitty is the Founder & Lead Creative at FPW Media, a creative studio that specializes in designing and implementing effective marketing strategies and meaningful media content for clients. With a repertoire ranging from creative direction to international business consulting, speaking on marketing and branding, Garitty's skills and dedication have earned him and his company numerous accolades, including being recognized in Adweek's list of 100 fastest-growing agencies in both 2020 and 2022. His ability to adapt to the constantly changing demands of the industry has helped him drive success for his clients.   Episode Highlights Wait, Owen’s agency w

Precious Williams is a 13-time national elevator pitch champion, a four-time best-selling author, and has been featured on “Shark Tank,” CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Black Enterprise Magazine, and more for her killer pitches. We discussed all of this and more—plus her new book Rainmaking 101 from Day One—this week on the On Brand podcast. About Precious Williams Every time you open your mouth, your prospects will be throwing money at you.  Learn the simple steps to wowing your customers with a perfect pitch with Precious L. Williams, the #KillerPitch Master. Precious L. Williams is a 13-time national elevator pitch champion. She has also been featured on “Shark Tank,” CNN, Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, Essence Magazine, and the movie “LEAP.” Her current clients include Microsoft, LinkedIn, Google, NBCUniversal, Federal Reserve Bank, Intuit Quickbooks, Yelp, Harvard University, and more. Precious is a dynamic international professional speaker, effective corporate trainer,

Dave Delaney is a communication expert and founder of FutureForth. He brings his Nice Method to his work as a keynote speaker, author, and consultant—helping leaders and aspiring leaders improve their communication and relationship building. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Dave Delaney Dave Delaney is a communication expert and founder of Futureforth.com. He teaches leaders the Nice Method, which emphasizes compassion, empathy, and inclusivity in communication. He's worked with brands like Google and LinkedIn and is a keynote speaker and author of several books, including “New Business Networking” and “The Nice Method.” Dave is passionate about helping others improve their communication skills and building stronger relationships.   Episode Highlights Why do we so often forget the “nice” in our communication with others? Dave summed it up in one word—empathy. “We don’t pause long enough in our back and forths. Slowing down is a big part of my work.” Nice networking.

Nick Scott is the Creative Director of Studio Hansa. The firm leverages his background as a filmmaker by specializing in creating truly moving content for brands like the BBC, Chivas, Google, and, recently, Ukraine’s public broadcasting company. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Nick Scott Founding the studio with over 20 years of experience at the highest levels of filmmaking, Nick Scott has directed numerous international TV series, multiple BAFTA, and Oscar-qualifying shorts as well as documentaries for world-leading brands. His storytelling lists award-winning and entertainment projects across household name brands such as BBC, Film4, Virgin, CBS, Tilda, Chivas, Novotel, and Google. Nick has just completed his first feature film: Me & The Sea Episode Highlights “Simple brands are the best brands,” Nick said. “Simple brands have simple stories just like the best novels and the best movies have simple loglines.” But the foundation is key. And what’s at the foundati

Amrita Muthur is the VP of Marketing at Superside, a new platform revolutionizing the design of marketing creative in our fast-paced world. She went from being the first marketing hire to overseeing a 400% year-over-year growth strategy. We discussed all of this and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Michele Arnese When Amrita Mathur joined Superside as their first marketing hire in 2019 there was no product, no platform, and no recurring revenue. No stranger to being called in when companies are at a strategic inflection point with their growth strategy, she did what she’s spent a career in B2B marketing learning how to do: implemented a marketing-led growth strategy that translated into $8 million in subscription revenue in the first year and 400% year-over-year growth since then. Now as VP of Marketing, her team is revolutionizing design at scale for ambitious brands like Amazon, Meta, Shopify, and Coinbase. Episode Highlights No product? No platform? No recurring revenue? That sounds like a s

Michele Arnese is the founder of the leading Sonic Branding Agency amp. His team has developed audio brands for clients such as Mercedes-Benz, Mastercard, BMW, UniCredit, and more. We discussed how to build audio brands, sonic identity, and more this week on the On Brand podcast. About Michele Arnese Designed in Italy and assembled in Germany, Michele is a self-driven strategic and creative thinker with a strong entrepreneurial approach: he founded the worldwide leading Sonic Branding Agency amp in 2009. In the field of audio branding, he’s considered one of the world’s foremost experts, with clients including Mercedes-Benz, Mastercard, Deloitte, Porsche, BBVA, Geberit, BMW, UniCredit, MINI, Triumph, The Linde Group, and a range of international awards for his work with amp (among others, four Red Dot Awards in a row and an ADC in silver). He's a member of the prestigious Audio Branding Society and also a Guest Professor at the renowned design university NABA/Nuova Accademia delle Belle Arti in Milan, where