In this episode, I talk with marketing director Tiara Puglisi and creative director Laural Stark from the 'the Sims', a brand owned by EA electronics. We talk about their fascinating jobs at this legacy brand, and how to keep on building on it. We talk about the world of gaming and how it converges with marketing. It's a very fun chat so I bet you'll enjoy it! You can find Laurel en Tiara on Twitter!https://twitter.com/tiarapuglisihttps://twitter.com/tiarapuglisiThis episode is sponsored by Latana, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course here and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter here to stay updated on new courses and products.

Let's talk branding

Building the sims brand - Laurel Stark / Tiara Puglisi

In this episode, I talk with marketing director Tiara Puglisi and creative director Laural Stark from the 'the Sims', a brand owned by EA electronics. We talk about their fascinating jobs at this legacy brand, and how to keep on building on it. We talk about the world of gaming and how it converges with marketing. It's a very fun chat so I bet you'll enjoy it! You can find Laurel en Tiara on Twitter!https://twitter.com/tiarapuglisihttps://twitter.com/tiarapuglisiThis episode is sponsored by <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/ed34a986-fc44-47f6-9e68-25d91d8bbe43/shows/6512d1a1-cba9-4dd5-a651-f26f6d272bec/episodes/9dac2df8-b34a-4a0c-90bc-30a80d617fab/www.latana.com">Latana</a>, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/ed34a986-fc44-47f6-9e68-25d91d8bbe43/shows/6512d1a1-cba9-4dd5-a651-f26f6d272bec/episodes/78fd28b4-5911-4c4f-8198-3e08dfba859d/brandstrategyresearch.com" target="_blank">here</a> and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/ed34a986-fc44-47f6-9e68-25d91d8bbe43/shows/6512d1a1-cba9-4dd5-a651-f26f6d272bec/episodes/78fd28b4-5911-4c4f-8198-3e08dfba859d/letstalkbranding.com">here</a> to stay updated on new courses and products.

In this solo episode I take a deep, therapeutic dive into the fears we have as strategists. I discuss things like the imposter syndrome, niching, T-shaped profiles, and how to cross the valley of despair.  Here are the 7 fears:I'm not good enoughIn over my headImposter syndromeJust be a designerCounter: CLients are happy - Creative recognitionI don't really understandThere are other strategists out there, the big boys, that really do itEvery day new knowledge, frameworks, rebatesTotaly different opinionsBranding and marketing folkI have an inquisitive nature, so I want to get the full thingCounter: Crossing the Mount stupid - Valley of despair - Slope of enlightened - Dunning kruger effectI'm in the wrong marketI work with small brandsThe big brands aren't really my cup of teaFMCG space - vs B2B space?Counter: Seeing what works across markets is really interesting, ads breadthI'm a jack of all tradesCan you really be a strategist and designerCan you really understand the full scope of marketing branding?Counter: T-shapedIt doesn't really matterIn execution, things happen the way they happenLot's of research just floating around in space, no trajectoryIt's the excessive stuff that gets you thereI'm doing this for meI want to sound smart, ego talkingJust get down to workTaking the time to take a step back has valueI'm learning from the wrong peopleMaybe my heroes are wrong? This episode is sponsored by Latana, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course here and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter here to stay updated on new courses and products.

My biggest fears as a brand strategist

In this solo episode I take a deep, therapeutic dive into the fears we have as strategists. I discuss things like the imposter syndrome, niching, T-shaped profiles, and how to cross the valley of despair.  Here are the 7 fears:<ol><li>I'm not good enough<ul><li>In over my head</li><li>Imposter syndrome</li><li>Just be a designer</li><li>Counter: CLients are happy - Creative recognition</li></ul></li><li>I don't really understand<ul><li>There are other strategists out there, the big boys, that really do it</li><li>Every day new knowledge, frameworks, rebates</li><li>Totaly different opinions</li><li>Branding and marketing folk</li><li>I have an inquisitive nature, so I want to get the full thing</li><li>Counter: Crossing the Mount stupid - Valley of despair - Slope of enlightened - Dunning kruger effect</li></ul></li><li>I'm in the wrong market<ul><li>I work with small brands</li><li>The big brands aren't really my cup of tea</li><li>FMCG space - vs B2B space?</li><li>Counter: Seeing what works across markets is really interesting, ads breadth</li></ul></li><li>I'm a jack of all trades<ul><li>Can you really be a strategist and designer</li><li>Can you really understand the full scope of marketing branding?</li><li>Counter: T-shaped</li></ul></li><li>It doesn't really matter<ul><li>In execution, things happen the way they happen</li><li>Lot's of research just floating around in space, no trajectory</li><li>It's the excessive stuff that gets you there</li></ul></li><li>I'm doing this for me<ul><li>I want to sound smart, ego talking</li><li>Just get down to work</li><li>Taking the time to take a step back has value</li></ul></li><li>I'm learning from the wrong people<ul><li>Maybe my heroes are wrong?</li></ul></li></ol> This episode is sponsored by <a href="www.latana.com">Latana</a>, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/ed34a986-fc44-47f6-9e68-25d91d8bbe43/shows/6512d1a1-cba9-4dd5-a651-f26f6d272bec/episodes/78fd28b4-5911-4c4f-8198-3e08dfba859d/brandstrategyresearch.com" target="_blank">here</a> and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/ed34a986-fc44-47f6-9e68-25d91d8bbe43/shows/6512d1a1-cba9-4dd5-a651-f26f6d272bec/episodes/78fd28b4-5911-4c4f-8198-3e08dfba859d/letstalkbranding.com">here</a> to stay updated on new courses and products.

In this episode, I talk with a personal hero, Paul Feldwick. Paul is the author of game-changing books 'The anatomy of Humbug' and 'Why does the pedlar sing?'. His views on advertising and brand-building are truly unique. The power of 'fame' and entertainment is something that is often ignored in a world where we want to do 'serious' stuff. Paul brings us back to the true origins of branding, the circus. Paul's websiteThis episode is sponsored by Latana, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course here and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter here to stay updated on new courses and products.

Paul Feldwick - Why does the pedlar sing?

In this episode, I talk with a personal hero, Paul Feldwick. Paul is the author of game-changing books 'The anatomy of Humbug' and 'Why does the pedlar sing?'. His views on advertising and brand-building are truly unique. The power of 'fame' and entertainment is something that is often ignored in a world where we want to do 'serious' stuff. Paul brings us back to the true origins of branding, the circus. <ul><li>Paul's <a href="http://paulfeldwick.com/">website</a></li></ul>This episode is sponsored by Latana, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/ed34a986-fc44-47f6-9e68-25d91d8bbe43/shows/6512d1a1-cba9-4dd5-a651-f26f6d272bec/episodes/78fd28b4-5911-4c4f-8198-3e08dfba859d/brandstrategyresearch.com" target="_blank">here</a> and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter <a href="https://dashboard.simplecast.com/accounts/ed34a986-fc44-47f6-9e68-25d91d8bbe43/shows/6512d1a1-cba9-4dd5-a651-f26f6d272bec/episodes/78fd28b4-5911-4c4f-8198-3e08dfba859d/letstalkbranding.com">here</a> to stay updated on new courses and products.

In this episode, we talk about brand tracking & research with Brandon Shockley, Vice President Market Research at 160over90. We take a deep dive into brand tracking and the metrics that matter. As a little bonus, I also have a mini-interview with Angelay Mullins, CMO at Latana, a brand-tracking tool.Brandon on LinkedIn or Twitter160over90This episode is sponsored by Latana, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.If you're interested in learning more about brand strategy research, check out my latest course here. Use PODCASTLTB and get a 20% discount.   

Brandon Shockley - Brand tracking & research

In this episode, we talk about brand tracking & research with Brandon Shockley, Vice President Market Research at 160over90. We take a deep dive into brand tracking and the metrics that matter. As a little bonus, I also have an interview with someone from Latana, a brand-tracking tool.<ul><li>Brandon on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-shockley-does-research/">LinkedIn</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/Shockley_MRX">Twitter</a></li><li><a href="https://www.160over90.com/">160over90</a></li><li>This episode is sponsored by <a href="https://latana.com/">Latana</a>, the AI-powered brand tracking tool.</li></ul>If you're interested in learning more about brand strategy research, check out my latest course <a href="brandstrategyresearch.com">here</a>. Use PODCASTLTB and get a 20% discount.

In this episode, I talk with author and market researcher Jon Cohen. We take a deep dive into the world of 'asking'. What can we learn from talking to consumers? What are the dangers? When is a good time to ask and what makes for a good question? Find out in this interview! Show notesJon on TwitterJon's book 'Asking for trouble'If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course here and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter here to stay updated on new courses and products.

Jon Cohen - Asking for trouble

In this episode, I talk with author and market researcher Jon Cohen. We take a deep dive into the world of 'asking'. What can we learn from talking to consumers? What are the dangers? When is a good time to ask and what makes for a good question? Find out in this interview! Show notes<ul><li>Jon on Twitter</li><li>Jon's book '<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Asking-Trouble-Understanding-people-think/dp/1838119914/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=asking+for+trouble+jon+cohen&qid=1632053698&s=books&sr=1-1">Asking for trouble</a>'</li></ul>If you are interested in the brand strategy research course mentioned in the show, go check out the course <a href="brandstrategyresearch.com" target="_blank">here</a> and get a free chapter.  Subscribe to the newsletter <a href="letstalkbranding.com">here</a> to stay updated on new courses and products.

In this episode, I talk with Margaret Kerr-Jarrett. Margaret is a writer and strategist. We talk about verbal identity, what it is, how to create it and how to make sure it matches with visual identity. Margaret Kerr-Jarrett is a writer and strategist who partners with companies and brand & design studios to craft verbal identity, brand voice, and messaging for global clients.Her commercial and personal work has been featured in Its Nice That!, Communication Arts, Bezalel School of Arts & Design, HEAPS Magazine, Apricity Press, and elsewhere.Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretkerrjarrett/) or on her website www.margaretkj.comIf you're interested in the new course on brand strategy, visit letstalkbranding.com and sign up to the newsletter.

Margaret Kerr-Jarrett - Verbal identity

In this episode, I talk with Margaret Kerr-Jarrett. Margaret is a writer and strategist. We talk about verbal identity, what it is, how to create it and how to make sure it matches with visual identity. Margaret Kerr-Jarrett is a writer and strategist who partners with companies and brand & design studios to craft verbal identity, brand voice, and messaging for global clients.Her commercial and personal work has been featured in Its Nice That!, Communication Arts, Bezalel School of Arts & Design, HEAPS Magazine, Apricity Press, and elsewhere.Connect with Margaret on LinkedIn (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretkerrjarrett/" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaretkerrjarrett/</a>) or on her website <a href="http://www.margaretkj.com/" target="_blank">www.margaretkj.com</a>If you're interested in the new course on brand strategy, visit <a href="letstalkbranding.com">letstalkbranding.com</a> and sign up to the newsletter.

In this episode, I talk about the brand audit. What it is, why it's valuable and how I approach it.  Show notesThe Twitter thread that started itVisit letstalkbranding.com to subscribe to the newsletterAssess the brand both internally and externally, which means:InternallyLooking at the current brand strategy, if one existsUnderstanding how the brand management team works, if there is any, where does the brand live in the organization? Who is responsible? What are the KPIs related to the brand?Looking at the current insights around consumer and category: what do they know about their customers? About the perception and reputation? About the competitorsLooking at the marketing funnel: how does the organization structure its marketing efforts? What channels are used? What channels aren't? Why? How does that affect brand awareness?Legal protectionExternallyActually looking at competitive space and seeing how the brand is positioned, but also visually distinctiveHere's the Notion template I was talking about Share of searchLooking at the consumer and trying to understand their specific views of the category, of the company, etc...Looking at the visual identity both internally and externally, how consistent is the style applied? What are the main distinctive assets? How do they hold up against competitors? What are the current brand guidelines and how do they hold up against the actual living brand?Looking at the verbal identity, the messaging: what is the tone-of-voice? Is it consistent? What are the key messages? Do they match the underlying business strategy and brand strategy?After a thorough analysis of all these aspects, I usually also include a bunch of recommendations, very often these can very specific but also top-levelfor example in a lot of organizations, marketing is mostly focussed on in-market buyers, on conversion. This is an evolution we have seen in a lot of organizations. Digital is more easily measurable so very often a lot more popular. In this case, recommendations around 'brand-building and the KPI's involved such as salience, fame, etc... can be very valuable to the organizationThe work of Les Binet & Field is very interesting in this area, but also a lot of the work from the EB institute is crucial to show a different perspective on marketingit's also very often about giving the brand team some solid, externally validated fuel they can use to get more resources internally to build the brandso work with the team - don't be opposed, make sure you truly understand their frustrations. I usually do a bunch of interviews with different people involved on the brand levelobviously, very often, there can be a follow-up project if the conclusion is that the brand is not distinctive enough, the messaging is not aligned, etc... BUT. In the brand audit phase, it's not about lining up a sale, I try to detach myself from any pure execution ideas and give recommendations that can be solved in different waysSo no: 'your brand sucks - let me fix it' conclusionsthe service and value is in the assessment - if you take this seriousAnother interesting follow-up can be setting up a baseline measurement for things like awareness, distinctive assets uniqueness (the grid) - so the brand team can keep working and measure those KPIs along the way.Five questions from JWTWhere are we today?Why are we here?Where might we be?How do we get there?Are we getting there?

The brand audit

In this episode, I talk about the brand audit. What it is, why it's valuable and how I approach it.  Show notes<a href="https://twitter.com/stefhamerlinck/status/1403348175885324294">The Twitter thread that started it</a>Visit <a href="letstalkbranding.com">letstalkbranding.com</a> to subscribe to the newsletterAssess the brand both internally and externally, which means:Internally<ul><li>Looking at the current brand strategy, if one exists</li><li>Understanding how the brand management team works, if there is any, where does the brand live in the organization? Who is responsible? What are the KPIs related to the brand?</li><li>Looking at the current insights around consumer and category: what do they know about their customers? About the perception and reputation? About the competitors</li><li>Looking at the marketing funnel: how does the organization structure its marketing efforts? What channels are used? What channels aren't? Why? How does that affect brand awareness?</li><li>Legal protection</li></ul>Externally<ul><li>Actually looking at competitive space and seeing how the brand is positioned, but also visually distinctive<ul><li>Here's the <a href="https://shsstudio.notion.site/LTB-competitive-analysis-template-cfae88e869ef4c418bd9faa328eaf402">Notion template</a> I was talking about </li></ul></li><li>Share of search</li><li>Looking at the consumer and trying to understand their specific views of the category, of the company, etc...</li><li>Looking at the visual identity both internally and externally, how consistent is the style applied? What are the main distinctive assets? How do they hold up against competitors? What are the current brand guidelines and how do they hold up against the actual living brand?</li><li>Looking at the verbal identity, the messaging: what is the tone-of-voice? Is it consistent? What are the key messages? Do they match the underlying business strategy and brand strategy?</li><li>After a thorough analysis of all these aspects, I usually also include a bunch of recommendations, very often these can very specific but also top-level<ul><li>for example in a lot of organizations, marketing is mostly focussed on in-market buyers, on conversion. This is an evolution we have seen in a lot of organizations. Digital is more easily measurable so very often a lot more popular. In this case, recommendations around 'brand-building and the KPI's involved such as salience, fame, etc... can be very valuable to the organization</li><li>The work of Les Binet & Field is very interesting in this area, but also a lot of the work from the EB institute is crucial to show a different perspective on marketing</li><li>it's also very often about giving the brand team some solid, externally validated fuel they can use to get more resources internally to build the brand</li><li>so work with the team - don't be opposed, make sure you truly understand their frustrations. I usually do a bunch of interviews with different people involved on the brand level</li><li>obviously, very often, there can be a follow-up project if the conclusion is that the brand is not distinctive enough, the messaging is not aligned, etc... BUT. In the brand audit phase, it's not about lining up a sale, I try to detach myself from any pure execution ideas and give recommendations that can be solved in different ways</li><li>So no: 'your brand sucks - let me fix it' conclusions</li><li>the service and value is in the assessment - if you take this serious</li><li>Another interesting follow-up can be setting up a baseline measurement for things like awareness, distinctive assets uniqueness (the grid) - so the brand team can keep working and measure those KPIs along the way.</li></ul></li><li>Five questions from JWT<ul><li>Where are we today?</li><li>Why are we here?</li><li>Where might we be?</li><li>How do we get there?</li><li>Are we getting there?</li></ul></li></ul>

In this episode, I talk with Ian Barnard, a marketer from Canada that specializes in SMEs and non-profit organizations. We take a deep dive into measuring awareness and salience. What tools and techniques to use, what to be mindful of, and a lot more. It's a great hands-on episode so I think you'll enjoy it! Ian on Twitter If you're interested in the brand strategy research course, please subscribe here.    

Ian Barnard - Measuring awareness

Stef Hamerlinck is your host in this show on brand strategy where I interview industry leaders in branding, design, and strategy. Get inspired and become a better brand strategist. Learn how to solve bigger problems. To get more insights on how to become a creative strategist, visit letstalkbranding.be