How to make brand strategy work in uncertain times

It’s here—Episode 1 of The Brand Builder’s Playbook! Over the past few months, I’ve been collaborating with Ryan Barker and the BERA and vYve by Vayner teams to create something new: a limited podcast series built for marketers who want to grow resilient, revenue-driving brands. Our first episode, “Why Is It Important to Build a Brand?”, is out now. I sit down with Chris Burggraeve, former Global CMO of AB InBev, to explore how brand building connects marketing and finance, and why strong brands consistently outperform in both pricing power and growth. Each week, we’re pairing every episode with a piece of our Playbook—a tangible guide filled with insights and data you can use right away. This week’s piece breaks down the real, measurable benefits of brand equity—from increased conversion and pricing power to long-term shareholder value. 🔗 Listen now: bera.ai/podcast 📄 Download this week’s Playbook (attached)

🔥 BRAVE TAKE 🎙️ “Building a brand that endures for decades, or centuries, requires blending timeless fundamentals with timely strategies.” - Megan Frank, SVP Marketing & R&D, Mizkan America 💡 What this means for brand marketers: Don’t throw out your brand’s DNA in the pursuit of relevance. Protect the elements that make your brand recognizable (your yellow lid moment 🟡), but continuously evolve where and how you show up to align with culture and consumer behavior. Modernization isn’t reinvention, it’s intelligent adaptation. ⚡ Inspired by this week’s BRAVE COMMERCE Podcast episode with Megan Frank, SVP of Marketing & R&D at Mizkan. 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/e_i2BwfP

💬 Ever feel like your small brand is shouting into the void? You're not alone. I asked Mayank Turan, Associate Director of Marketing ME at Kohler, what advice he'd give to smaller brands trying to stand out in today’s noisy market. His 3 insights really stuck with me: 1️⃣ Build a bold, aspirational vision —one that inspires your audience and drives your brand forward. 2️⃣ Don’t play by the big brand rules — find unexpected spaces where your brand can shine, even if it's unconventional. 3️⃣ Balance niche with reach — mass marketing isn’t the enemy. Sometimes, the right customer finds you. 🎙️ This is the kind of insight you get on the Self Discovery Podcast, where I chat with leaders like Mayank to explore practical brand strategies, not just theory. 🔗 If you're a founder, marketer, or creative looking for ways to grow your brand with impact, this one's for you. 👋 And if you’ve got a story worth telling, let’s connect — my DMs are open. #BrandStrategy #MarketingLeadership #PersonalBranding #FoundersBranding #BrandingFocusedPodcast #SmallBusinessGrowth #LinkedInCreators #RealTalkMarketing

In my recent conversation on the podcast, we touched on something that happens far too often in real estate. Developers, sales teams, agencies… they jump straight into planning, promotions, and pitches. But they skip the most important step: validating with the customer. Here’s what I’ve observed: •  Architects do competition research. •  Agencies prepare campaigns. •  Teams make assumptions. But 90% of the time, no one does proper market research with the actual customer. And that’s why projects struggle. Because if you don’t know who you’re building for, how can you expect the product, the pricing, or the positioning to be in the right place? This is exactly where the role of a marketing department becomes crucial, not to sell louder, but to listen better. Stay tuned for more clips from this conversation.

Curious clients and friends often ask the Right Hat team where we get our creative ideas — from brand messaging and logos to websites and advertising. And, while we’ll admit that sometimes creativity includes throwing a little spaghetti at the wall, getting it to stick requires educating your spaghetti — with research, experience and market knowledge. That’s why we’re excited to introduce our new podcast, Educated Spaghetti, hosted by Brand Strategist Lise Anne Schwartz. On each episode, leaders from professional services and beyond share their secret sauce for marketing success. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g5DckRMf

You buy Nestlé products every week, but do you actually know how many brands they control? Jenny Rae breaks down why understanding Nestlé’s massive brand empire is essential for anyone in CPG, marketing, or strategy. Hear the full story on the Market Outsiders podcast: https://lnkd.in/edXVSZgp #nestle #cpg #businessstrategy #marketing #brandstrategy #consumerbrands #marketoutsiders #investing #businessnews #corporatestrategy #branding #retail #fmcg #consulting #businessinsights

✨ Cloetta’s CMO Thomas Biesterfeldt recently joined the podcast hosted by Bohmans Nätverk to discuss the evolving role of the Chief Marketing Officer: is it mainly an operative marketing function – or a true engine for growth? Takeaways from Thomas include: 👥 In the management team, the CMO is the voice of the consumer 🔑 The role is about translating consumer needs into actionable initiatives ⏳ Successful brand building is a long-term journey requiring focus and dedication 🛒 A CMO should always stay curious and close to the market: visit stores, talk to consumers, and listen 🎧 Curious to hear the full conversation? Listen to the podcast here (in Swedish): https://lnkd.in/d_TSy-u9

Let’s talk about the “coupon trap.” You know the one—using endless discounts to drive quick sales, only to find you’ve trained customers to only buy on sale (and watch your brand value quietly erode). Ouch, right? In the latest episode of the Back for More Podcast, we dig into why so many businesses lean on promotions—and what it really costs in trust and profitability. Stan James (CRO at Cinch) joined Amy LaVange to share real-world stories of brands stuck in discount mode and how they broke free with data-driven, personalized strategies. We cover how to actually measure the effectiveness of campaigns before margins disappear, why scattered systems sabotage good intentions, and how personalized, timely communication (rooted in a solid data strategy) builds loyalty that lasts. If you’re tired of guessing which promo worked (or wondering if you’re just throwing away margin), this episode is for you. Give it a listen, then drop your take: ever fallen into the coupon trap? What’s the smartest way you’ve seen a brand use data to boost real customer loyalty? Watch it here: https://lnkd.in/ghuBqJ2n #CustomerRetention #LoyaltyStrategy #Podcast

In this episode , our host Chintan Doshi sits down with Woody Bendle, Founder of NextLevel Growth Strategies, to discuss why all marketing is performance marketing. In this conversation …Woody talks about - — why marketers must measure everything,  —why customer data is the biggest untapped advantage, and — how to balance promotions with creating lasting brand value. Here’s what you’ll learn from this podcast - — Why every marketing dollar must be accountable — How to use customer data to identify winning segments —Why promotions ≠ value, and what to do instead And many more…. If you’re a marketer looking to sharpen your ROI mindset, this conversation is for you. Watch the full conversation here - https://lnkd.in/dNS2H25Y #Mavlers #WoodyBendley #MarketingROI #PerformanceMarketing #CustomerData #GrowthMarketing

Most businesses can grow... but they fail because they can't align their internal teams. In my talk with Hunaid Hakam, CEO of Learntastic, he highlighted the critical factors that make or break business success. He pointed out that it's not just about having a good product or smart marketing. According to Ned, businesses need to nail these key areas: • Target market fit - making sure your audience is actually relevant • Platform and messaging alignment - your systems need to work together • Product quality - it has to actually be good • Sales execution - closing the deal matters But here's the kicker... Even if you get all these right, internal communication can still derail everything. If your marketing team is doing one thing, Your platform team is doing another, And sales is completely off doing their own thing... You're setting yourself up to fail. The stars need to align, and that starts with getting everyone on the same beat internally first. Listen to the full podcast episode by clicking the link in the comments.