On Brand with Nick Westergaard

“Building a brand is everyone's job and it’s challenging. It can feel like moving a mammoth.” As the Founder and Managing Consultant at Wavelength Marketing, Darren Coleman helps brands throughout the world like Johnson & Johnson and Pepsi build standout brand experiences. We discussed how to tame this beast and more this week on the On Brand podcast.About Darren ColemanDarren Coleman has over 20 years brand marketing experience spanning Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and Japan. He counts Johnson & Johnson, BUPA, Maybank, Orange, Saudi Telecom Company, Ooredoo and PepsiCo are amongst the brands he has helped. Darren is frequently invited to deliver keynote talks at international conferences, moderate panel discussions and roundtables, sit on expert panel boards and comment on brand-related issues in national and international media.He holds an MA in marketing (University of Nottingham) and PhD in B2B services brand marketing (University of Birmingham, UK. He’s the Founder and Managing Consultant at Wavelength Marketing. Wavelength specialises in helping services brands retain relevance through experiences they build. Darren has published Building brand Experiences: A Practical Guide to Retaining brand Relevance, with Kogan Page for global distribution and his book will be translated into Korean in 2020.Episode HighlightsBrand experience vs. customer experience. Some of my favorite episodes of the On Brand podcast have explored the definitions we use as brand builders. Darren kicked off the show by noting that we use these two terms — brand experience and customer experience — interchangeably when they’re actually two very different things.“Customer experience is what it says. It’s what the customer experiences.” Brand experience is about your context, your brand, and how you bring it to life.“Brand building, for the most part, is a slow play.” Darren pointed out that many today are looking for quick results, even with branding. “An ROI perspective is problematic for brands."Who are some of Darren’s favorite examples? Virgin Atlantic (“Their CMO is passionate about the brand”) and Singapore Airlines.Building brand experience is everyone’s job. And HR doesn’t always know that. “Getting everyone on board is challenging. It can feel like moving a mammoth.”What brand has made Darren smile recently? Virgin Trains! Darren recently had a bad travel experience that they managed to recover. This too is part of developing a compelling brand experience.To learn more, connect with Darren on LinkedIn and check out the Wavelength Marketing website.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“One of the thing’s that’s hardest to do is continue to grow.” As Vice President of Marketing and Growth at Hubspot, Kieran Flanagan has helped the inbound marketing giant do just that. He's responsible for managing all of HubSpot's global demand, acquisition of new users, monetization of freemium funnels, and leading the global marketing team. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About Kieran FlanaganKieran Flanagan is the VP of Marketing & Growth at HubSpot, and has helped add millions in additional traffic, users, and revenue to their bottom line. He's responsible for managing all of HubSpot's global demand, acquisition of new users, monetizing freemium funnels, and leading the global marketing team. Previously, Kieran served as Marketing Manager at Marketo and Salesforce, and launched the first inbound marketing campaign ever for Salesforce, which accomplished 70% of their annual traffic in just three weeks. Kieran is also an author, speaker, startup advisor, and hosts The Growth TL;DR Podcast every week.Kieran’s expertise is in generating additional traffic and improving conversion rates across multiple digital channels. He has a track record of helping brands 7x their organic traffic in under six months, and running experiments that double revenue and add millions of dollars in additional ARR.Kieran’s years of innovation and leadership in marketing has made him one of the industry’s most sought after speakers. He has traveled the world sharing his strategies for growth and content at over 50 marketing conferences (and counting). As the host of The Growth TL;DR podcast, Kieran and his guests share the growth secrets behind some of the fastest growing companies on the planet.Episode HighlightsHubspot’s Hearts-and-Minds Strategy. “Customers have never had this much choice — especially when it comes to software. Mind Content is for search.” It helps customers by “teaching them how to be better marketers. Heart Content is key because, “in a crowded market with competition, it’s important that brands have a point of view."Quality vs. quantity. It’s a conversation marketers love to have. However, as Kieran notes, it’s really not an“either or” situation. It’s “both and.” It can be a quantity game, “if the quantity is right for you — if the return is good."What brand has made Kieran smile recently? Burger King! “I don’t buy their products but I love their marketing,” Kieran said, noting their innovative approach to both talking about their competition and leveraging local search and AI.To learn more, go to hubspot.com.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Experiences bring brand values to life.” As leader of the creative team at BASIC, Steve Denekas spends his time crating experiences for brands like Canadian Club, Levi’s, and Dodge. As a designer, he brings a thoughtful process to everything he does. We discussed how he brings this design mindset to brand experiences this week on the On Brand podcast.About Steven DenekasSteven Denekas leads the creative team at BASIC®, designing experiences for the world’s most admired brands. He fosters creative environments that cultivate ideas both big and small. It all began behind the color copier at Kinkos and proceeded to the mount room of BBDO and the design studio of W+K, along the way winning awards for his work on Canadian Club, Levi’s®, and Dodge. Today, he brings raw energy, originality, and a poetic approach to digital experiences. His shifting career has shaped his current role building teams, methodologies, and practices that scale companies and deliver results for brands. His mission is simple: do work that creates legacies.Episode HighlightsBalancing expertise and flexibility. It’s easy to follow known paths. However, to stand out today, you have to know when to make a leap of faith. “You have to be open to something that hits you in the heart. That kind of fluidity is something I think a lot about."The role of listening. “With leadership you have to listen first — then you can connect the dots.” Steven shared experiences about learning from clients “spewing all of their knowledge.”From punk rock to Star Trek. With similar backgrounds as misfit kids in Iowa, Steve and I discussed how powerful it can be to connect with communities and brands — like punk (Steve) and Star Trek (me). Brands like Nike do this masterfully. They stand for something but you also get to connect with them locally through their partnership with dance and other interest areas.What brand has made Steve smile recently? Glossier. Steve loves that the founder was told that she couldn’t create a startup in New York City and yet — she did. It all comes back to instinct.To learn more, check out the BASIC agency website, follow them on Instagram, and connect with Steven on LinkedIn.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why a “cold shower” you may ask? Because we know that cold showers are good for us, and yet, we avoid them. Marketers have chores they need to do that they avoid. As a third-generation business owner and seasoned marketer, Ryan Cote knows a thing or two about what marketers should be doing. We discussed this on this week's episode of the On Brand podcast. (NOTE: Your friendly neighborhood podcaster was both on the go using his secondary mic and a little under the weather so the audio quality is a little sub-par this week.)About Ryan CoteRyan Cote is the Director of Digital Services and Partner at Ballantine, a third- generation family-owned direct mail and digital marketing company based out of Fairfield, NJ. With Ballantine since 2003, a family-owned business started in 1966 by his great-uncle, Ryan now manages the growing digital marketing division.From lead generation to marketing strategy for small businesses, Ryan and his company rise above the get-featured-quick schemes so often attributed to digital marketing. He loves to geek out on technical marketing talk as well as work with real-world business owners about growing their book of business in today’s online world.Episode HighlightsWhy positioning statements still matter? In an era where many what the “get-featured-quick” schemes, Ryan and the team at Ballantine start with the meat and potatoes of marketing — the positioning statement. “Sometimes clients seem irritated by the questions but often they end up glad that they took the time to answer them.”Why all the talk of cold showers? We got on the subject of cold showers as Ryan noted that he'd been trying various mindfulness practices such as meditation and cold showers. This prompted me to ask ...What is the cold shower — the thing that's good for us that we still avoid — that marketers are missing? We both answered this fun question. Ryan said “consistency” while I said “actually measuring something that matters” and email marketing.What brand has made Ryan smile recently? “I love the Ed Mylett Show!" Ryan shared why this top business podcaster is in heavy rotation for him. As someone who loves podcast recommendations, I'll have to check this out. To learn more, connect with Ryan on LinkedIn and check out the page he made for On Brand listeners on the Ballantine website.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You have to think of your marketing on every channel today. If you're a restaurant, you can't just put a picture of garlic knots on Instagram.” This week on the On Brand podcast, we got to talk about food and marketing — specifically content marketing in the food and hospitality industry — with the one, the only David “Rev” Ciancio.About Rev CiancioRev Ciancio is a Senior Marketing, Branding and Digital Strategist with 20 years of experience in digital marketing and business development, specializing in hospitality marketing, content and local SEO. He has led many clients to new levels of local, national and international success in the hospitality, financial service and entertainment sectors. He is also former agency owner as well as a former New York City bar owner. Rev is an “expert burger taster” and pens hospitality and marketing tips on his Instagram @revciancio as well as his LinkedIn Profile.Episode HighlightsWhat's Rev's deal with burgers? As I answered Rev's call on Skype, I noticed that his handle was 'burgerconquest.' Rev's history as a marketer began by writing food and hospitality content. What about restaurant content marketing? Rev shared the three times of year that online menus get the most views and what you can do to create more content around these critical times of year.“You have to think of your marketing in every channel.” As Rev noted on the podcast, two thirds of your marketing is not controlled by you. Think Google Reviews and Yelp. Rev advises businesses to make sure your info is up to date — everywhere. And don't forget the three factors that drive local search — distance, relevance, and prominence. What brand has made Rev smile recently? “Jay Baer at Convince and Convert. His content ensures my future as a marketer.” However, he had to throw in a burger brand as well — White Castle!To learn more, check out his Instagram @revciancio as well as his LinkedIn profile.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Presentations are valuable content.” And yet, they often go underutilized. More challenging still, these prominent content delivery systems aren't branded consistently. Enter James Ontra. Author of the book Presentation Management and Co-Founder and CEO of Shufflrr, James joined me this week on the On Brand podcast for a discussion of all things related to branded presentations.About James OntraJames Ontra is the Co-Founder and CEO of Shufflrr, where he leads the Company’s vision, strategy and technical development. James has more than thirty years of entrepreneurial experience, helping large businesses optimize all stages of the workflow associated with presentations, from creation to distribution, through presenting and repurposing. James’s experience consulting with clients, directing sales and developing presentation management technology inspired him, along with his sister and Shufflrr’s Co-Founder AlexAnndra, to write Presentation Management: The New Strategy for Enterprise Content. This book helps large organizations take a holistic approach to presentations so they improve productivity and convert more leads.James first discovered his entrepreneurial passion while working his way through undergrad at the University of Houston and the US Small Business Administration in Houston named him “Young Entrepreneur of the Year.”Episode HighlightsDon't lock up good content. James talked about presentations as valuable content that often ends up “locked up” inside organizations.The battle between sales and marketing continues. Sales presentations are often front-line communication tools for brands. This can create a power struggle between sales and marketing. As I said during the show, “Presentations are the battlefield sales and marketing meet on. And it shouldn't be. It should be a picnic ground.”The first step in slide management.“First, you have to visualize the content.” From there, James talked about sequences of slides as scenes that presenters can insert in to their slide decks.What brand has made James smile recently? “Apple. Always. But another one is Stripe.” James shared why this payment tool built into technology consistently brings a smile to his face.To learn more, go to shufflrr.com. (As James said, “Two Fs, two Rs. Vowel challenged.”)As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“As marketers we retreat to the mean — to trendy best practices.” What’s required is out-of-the-box thinking. As the founder of Unthinkable Media and author of the new book Break the Wheel, Jay Acunzo knows a thing or two about pushing beyond the everyday and inspiring others to create and share exceptional stories. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About Jay AcunzoJay Acunzo is the author of the book Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work. He’s a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer, as well as the founder of Unthinkable Media, which creates documentary shows with brand clients.As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView.Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list.In a world where “storyteller” has become a buzzword, Jay has earned a living by understanding how to tell actual stories — emotional tales of people and teams doing their best work that help inspire others to push past conventional thinking in theirs.Episode HighlightsThe trouble with story. As Jay’s bio notes, he makes his living helping organizations tell better stories. Storytelling is everywhere today but that’s not always a good thing. “It’s good because it’s ubiquitous. It’s everywhere.” It’s a challenge as everyone has their own formulas and definitions.The most overlooked aspect of story. “Conflict. Conflict is critical as it creates stakes and tension. This raises the narrative and helps move the story toward resolution.”How you can Break the Wheel. Since Jay was last on the On Brand podcast, he’s released his new book Break the Wheel, which is all about moving beyond big ideas and exploring how the work gets done in a meaningful way.Think like an investigator not an expert. “You have to find what works best for you. That means we have to stop acting like experts and act like investigators instead.” For example, it’s not enough to say that the best practices work. You have to know why they work. What can you do with that?Dueling quotes. Jay’s investigative thinking reminded me of a favorite quote of mine from James Thurber, “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” Jay went on to share a favorite of his, “It is better to be vaguely right than exactly wrong.”What brand has made Jay smile recently? Jay smiles at refreshing brands. “That means they’re different but welcome.” He went on to share a story from Wistia’s creative video production campaign — 1-10-100, chronicling their work as they created the same video for $1,000, $10,000, and $100,000. Talk about redefining the story!To learn more, go to jayacunzo.com/books. You can also check out Jay’s recent podcast episode with Patreon founder Jack Conte, which we discussed during the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The reality is that many want to be innovative and disruptive and they’re just not.” Starting as a marketer at Motorola to founding Media Frenzy Global, Sarah Torville has spent her career helping disruptive brands tell their stories. We discussed all of this and more on this week's On Brand podcast.About Sarah TourvilleSarah Tourville is the CEO and founder of Media Frenzy Global, a global PR and Marketing agency that builds brands for innovative and disruptive companies. Over the last 10 years Sarah has helped Fortune 500 brands build and generate distinctive brand messaging and meaningful media coverage for companies that are disrupting in their industry.Prior to Media Frenzy Global Sarah led corporate communications for Motorola across Europe, Middle East & Africa and while Marketing Director at Worldspan, she launched the world's first online travel booking site - Expedia.Episode HighlightsWhat does it mean to have a Media Frenzy? Sarah shared a story about her work on the launch of Vlingo featuring an early influencer and media program. The combination of this ‘frenzy’ got the attention of the Wall Street Journal and the rest is history!What is you haven’t thought about VR/AR at all? Sarah has some advice here, too. “First of all, where are your people spending their time?” How can you augment this experience with VR/AR?Message first. Always. A self proclaimed “lover of the written word,” Sarah also reminded listeners that no new form of media matters without the right message.What brand has made Sarah smile recently? Sarah gave us two. First, she shared her personal story of what Toomy bags mean to her and why. She also reflected on Pepsi thanking Coke for their “southern hospitality” as Pepsi sponsored this year’s Super Bowl in Coke’s hometown of Atlanta. Why don’t more brands thank each other?To learn more, go to mediafrenzyglobal.com and email Sarah directly. As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It’s imperative. You must design your culture. It plays such a big role.” Educator, author, and designer Josh Miles has made his mission helping organizations understand the need for culture design in our rapidly changing digital world. His new book Great Mondays charges organizations with developing a company culture that employees will love. We talked about how to think and act differently when it comes to culture this week on the On Brand podcast.About Josh LevineJosh Levine is an educator, designer, and author, but above all, he is on a mission to help organizations design a culture advantage. Even though his day job is Principal of Great Mondays, a 10-year-old culture design company, Josh is best known as Executive Director and Co-Founder of the international non-profit Culture LabX. His new book Great Mondays: How to Design a Company Culture Employees Love is available on Amazon. You can find him around the web @akajoshlevineEpisode HighlightsThe problem with culture problems. Josh began the episode by sharing that most culture engagements don't present as culture problems. “No one asks for help with their culture. They talk about their values. They need help refreshing their values.”How do you address culture? Josh has a six-step system: (1) purpose, (2) values, (3) behaviors, (4) rituals, (5) recognition, (6) and cues.What brand has a great culture? Specifically, I asked Josh for a brand with a great culture who we might not normally think of. He told the story of a friend who was interviewing someone at Airbnb. The company was holding on-site job interviews at the same time and he observed them working to prepare the space with signs welcoming the potential new hires. This is a cue that says a lot about how they value team members. “There’s a real culture-brand alignment."What brand has made Josh smile recently? “I have two companies. First, Slack, who just launched a new logo. They also align with my personality.” Josh also shared another example – his friend that just started a new bike shop Full Metal Cycles.To learn more, go to greatmondays.com.What brand has made Steve smile recently? Steve shared how his adopted hometown of Nashville makes him smile every time he sees the skyline as he descends in a plane returning from a trip. That's a good community brand!To learn more about Steve, check out the book at claritywins.org, connect with The King of Clarity on Facebook, and visit his company website clarityfuel.com.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“We're more and more distracted today. There's more and more noise. What hasn't increased is attention.” In our noisy, distracted world, it's harder than ever to get our audience's attention — to say nothing of making sure that they remember and refer us. What we need is clarity of message. This week on the On Brand podcast, I was joined by Steve Woodruff who talked about his new book Clarity Wins.About Steve WoodruffSteve Woodruff is known as the King of Clarity. In a world full of noise and distraction, Steve helps businesses craft a message so clear that they can be heard, remembered, and referred. In over 30 years of business experience, he has consulted with companies ranging from solo startups to Top Five Pharma. You can learn more about him and his work at www.clarityfuel.com.Episode HighlightsIn a world that's noisy and distracted ... As you can tell from the first few minutes of the podcast, one thing Steve and I both like saying in our best announcer voice is,“In a world ...” However, in a world this noisy, Steve sees one mistake all too often.“People try to say too much. This actually creates confusion. You have to distill it down.”Physician, heal thyself. Steve correctly pointed to our Brand Driven Digital website, noting that our messaging needs more clarity like my author/keynote speaking site has. As it turns out, we're working on that and will have something to share in the months ahead.Why metaphor matters. On my author/speaking site, Steve noted the impact of the line,“The Indiana Jones of Branding and Marketing.” It's especially useful as it's a metaphor.“Metaphors offer short cuts to the memory hooks of the brain.”The Clarity Wins system. Metaphors are just part of Steve's framework. He shared how clarity comes from four key ingredients — statements (clear and concise sentences), stories (that reinforce these statements), snippets (keywords and metadata), and symbols (the aforementioned metaphors).What brand has made Steve smile recently? Steve shared how his adopted hometown of Nashville makes him smile every time he sees the skyline as he descends in a plane returning from a trip. That's a good community brand!To learn more about Steve, check out the book at claritywins.org, connect with The King of Clarity on Facebook, and visit his company website clarityfuel.com.As We Wrap …Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices