In this episode, we dive into the world of brand consulting, what it is, and how it differs from other roles in the branding industry. We discuss the key qualities that make a successful brand consultant, including confidence, communication and listening skills, a growth mindset, and strong facilitation abilities. Next, we will each share our own background and experiences in the branding industry, including how we got started and how we have developed our skills and knowledge. We also...

What a year! In this episode, we share some of our favorite insights from our esteemed guests. Episodes featured (in order):  E19: Supercharging Innovation & Creativity with Hussain Almossawi E9: Agile Swarming with Dennis Hahn E20: Brands VS Blands with Ariadna Navarro E11: Debunking Branding Bull with Austin Franke E13: Million Dollar Consulting with Alan Weiss E18: Brand Positioning with Ulli Appelbaum E4: The Future of Brands with Anneli Hansson E3: Global Brand...

As brand builders, we used to build brands that would last. Campaigns would extend for years, and visual identity systems—once created—wouldn’t become obsolete for decades. Today, the speed of change is so aggressive, brand builders must consider that what they build now could be irrelevant in a few months. Brands face a choice. First, they can commit to brand positioning and stay true to their visual appearance and social stances regardless of where the wind blows. Or, they can...

Discover how to harness your fire, flex your courage and supercharge your ideas to create remarkable products, services & experiences, with the knowledge shared by the creative powerhouse, Hussain Almossawi. Hussain has just released a book titled “The Innovator’s Handbook: A Short Guide to Unleashing Your Creative Mindset” which is full of insights, ideas, stories & practical exercises that will take your creative thinking to the next level. We discuss the first principles of...

How can brands position themselves for success in today’s marketplace? That is the question. And we have the answer! In this episode, we discuss proven brand positioning methodologies that actually work, complete with examples and practical steps you can use to develop your own brand positioning that are truly differentiating, distinctive, and highly relevant. To guide us, we have Ulli Appelbaum, the author of the new book The Brand Positioning Workbook: A simple how-to guide to more...

David Aaker is the author of over 100 articles and 18 books on branding, business strategy, and marketing that have sold well over one million copies. Hailed the “Father of Modern Branding”, David is a true authority on branding and we’re incredibly humbled to have him here on JUST Branding. In this episode, we focus on two of his recent books… The first is “Owning Game-Changing Subcategories” which focuses on disruptive innovation & growth in the digital age. And the second is...

What stories are you living? What about your brand? And how do you manage that meaning? With Archetypes. And who better to discuss the power of archetypes than Carol S. Pearson? Carol is the co-author of “The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes” (Published 2001), alongside Margaret Mark. This book has been incredibly influential in the brand strategy space as its ideas on archetypes have been taken and used to align teams and...

We get super practical with Israeli duo, Margaret Jerr-Jarrett, and Emunah Winer, founders of Jerusalem-based agency, Nihilo. We tuck into how they use words and ideas to build powerful brands and we explore how the strategic elements of brand building find their way into the creative look and feel and customer experiences a brand produces for customers. We review what a “Verbal” Identity is and why brands need one. We also explore the principles of the tone of voice and how a verbal...

Ezequiel Abramzon is a brand strategist who spent 20+ years working as an executive at Disney as a marketer and strategist running digital across LATAM and later overseeing global creative from the UK. He now lives in Spain where he works as a consultant helping entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial companies transform the way they see their business by unlocking their brand mindset. And brand mindset is the focus of this episode. We explore what a brand mindset is and why businesses need...

Who better to learn about consulting from than "the consultants consultant" Alan Weiss? Alan wrote the famous best selling book "Million Dollar Consultant" and is the author of over 60 books on consulting and business. In this episode Matt and Jacob sit down with Alan to discuss how the principles of Alan's books can be applied to brand strategy. We explore why consultancy is a good option, different consulting approaches, how to sell it and how to grow a consulting practice. We go...

Friction isn't something to be avoided. Successful brands not only understand the difference between good and bad friction but also know how to embrace a dose of good friction to create greater value. Soon Yu, author of ‘Friction: 'Adding Value By Making People Work for It' will show you how to leverage good friction to drive increased engagement, meaning, belonging, rapport, assurance, competence, and exclusivity, for more memorable brand experiences. Soon Yu is an international speaker,...

Austin Franke is a brand strategist and the founder of WooPunch, a brand & design consultancy rooted in the science of how brands grow. Austin is going to be sharing his approach to brand, which is a less conventional approach, based on behavioral science and other evidence-based fields. We’re going to “debunk” or at least throw a few punches around in regards to what Austin calls “Branding B******t”. In particular, brand differentiation, customer engagement, brand purpose from a...

Big companies struggle with the principles of brand. In this episode we sit down with Freelance Internal Brand Strategist, the powerful Meg Kypena. In this episode we dig deep into how corporations can use the power of branding to align their people and communicate better. This is branding from the inside, out.

This episode is a real treat for anyone looking to level up on how to work on brand strategy collaboratively. Matt Davies and Jacob Cass sit down with global agency leader Dennis Hahn of Liquid agency. Together they quiz Dennis on his 'agile swarming' methodology covering what swarming is and what problems it solves for leadership, strategy, and creative teams. Dennis outlines his principles for swarming and how to conduct a swarm. He also gives insights on what makes a great...

If you are serious about brand building at scale, this is the episode for you. Richard Cotter is a brand consultant at the top of his game. He left school at 17 and developed his career to the point where now he is parachuted to work with large organizations that have brands that are underperforming and help scale them. He is best known for turning around outdoor performance and lifestyle brand Berghaus. He is the author of the book The Zebra Reality: How to Create Unstoppable...

What does Web3 mean for brands & creatives? What about NFTs and The Metaverse?  We break it all down for you in layman’s terms, with special guest Kostas K! We go over the fundamentals of Web3 including its definition, why it matters, tokens, the blockchain, cryptocurrency, wallets, and trends in the space.  Plus a discussion around NFTs, what they are (and are not), and the opportunities brands and creatives can tap into such as AR & VR, DeFi, DAOs, Virtual Commerce, Digital...

Often we think of brand-building from a commercial or business perspective. This week's guest thinks this needs to change and that as brand builders we need to consider our efforts from the perspective of the meaning consumers will attach to a brand. Tune in to list insights from Emmanuel Probst - author of Brand Hacks, How to Build Brands by fulfilling the consumer quest for meaning. In this episode, we discuss the three levels of meaning, brand hacks, examples of meaningful brand...

Alex Naghavi is the ECD at Josephmark which is a global venture studio based out of Brisbane and Los Angeles. In this episode, we learn how to design, validate, launch and sell a brand by deep diving into the process, exploring the benefits and nuances of working with a venture studio VS a traditional design shop. We discuss MVPs, MVBs, failures and successes and how purpose, beauty and simplicity can help create better brands that make an impact. We even explore the future of brands...

Anneli Hansson is a brand strategist, coach & speaker based out of Stockholm, Sweden. Many will know Anneli as the resident strategist over at TheFutur with Chris Do who we interviewed back on Episode 13. Anneli just launched an incredible 6-figure course over at The Futur called Brand Strategy Fundamentals. What people may not know, is that Anneli has a background in building sustainable brands (long before it was a trend) and has recently pivoted into helping creatives transform...

Are you looking to take a brand to an international audience?  Global expansion needs careful consideration and so if this is you this episode will be packed with value!  We sit down with marketing expert, academic and author Jan-Benedict Steenkamp (or as we know him "JB"!) to discuss his book "Global Brand Strategy: World-Wise Marketing in the age of Branding" In this insightful episode, JB walks us through the COMET framework and the components of which are helpful to consider for...

The strength of any brand – including yours - hinges on two key factors: Differentiation & Relevance. But it doesn’t stop there. What makes a truly legendary brand is the STORY behind it. In this episode we decipher why some brands have lines reaching around the block, while other perfectly apt competitors sit empty just steps away. Gair Maxwell shares case studies including WHY the Mona Lisa is famous and how every-day leaders can build irresistible brands. Gair Maxwell is a brand...

How can you create an amazing company culture that ensures a brand strategy can be actualized? That's at the core of this discussion with the amazing Josh Levine, author of Great Mondays. We sit down with Josh to examine how branding should be done from within by intentionally designing a company culture. Together we discuss the six components of company culture - Purpose, Values, Behaviors, Recognition, Rituals and Cues. If you are a brand builder looking to operationalize, align and...

Listen in as we reveal our favourite outtakes from Season 2 of the JUST Branding Podcast in 2021, including branding insights from creative minds such as Sagi Haviv, Joseph Pine II, Denise Lee Yohn, Natalie Nixon, Bill Gardner, Emily Cohen, Armin Vit, Julian Cole and more.

Katie is the Founder and Creative Director of Brooklyn-based SMAKK, a branding and growth studio whose mission is to help values-led clients build world changing brands. For much of her career she has worked with everyone from industry giants like American Express and Shiseido to a variety of nimble disruptive beauty, fashion, wellness, and lifestyle brands, including The Honey Pot Company, Harry’s Razors, and more. Katie applies her expertise across content creation, ecommerce, social...

What makes a powerful personal brand and how can you build one that endures? We outline all the steps you need to follow to craft an authentic brand narrative that will help you get noticed, remembered and results. Rob Levinson is a seasoned brand strategist who’s worked for global consumer brands such as DeBeers, Rolls-Royce, BMW and more. Now he’s the principal of Leverage Advisors which helps grow middle-market B2B businesses, as well as a Personal Brand Coach which helps people to...