On Brand with Nick Westergaard

“How do we create the perception of trust?” That is the million dollar questions for individuals and brands alike. And it’s a central question addressed in Heidi Grant Halvorson’s new book No One Understands You and What to Do About It. I couldn’t wait to talk to this successful social psychologist speaker and author about trust, perception, first impressions, and everything in between on this week’s episode of the podcast.About Heidi Grant HalvorsonHeidi Grant Halvorson is a social psychologist who researches, writes, and speaks about the science of motivation. She is the author of the new book No One Understands You and What To Do About It, as well the national best-seller Nine Things Successful People Do Differently. She is also Associate Director of Columbia Business School’s Motivation Science Center, and a frequent contributor to Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and Business Insider.Heidi is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and was recently elected to the highly selective Society for Experimental Social Psychology. She received her PhD in social psychology from Columbia University.As We Wrap …Recently Andrea D. Smith tweeted after listening to last week’s interview with Siegel+Gale’s David Srere saying that she “loved it.” Thanks Andrea! We love hearing that.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.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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. And don’t forget that this podcast is brought to you by our Brand Driven Digital events series, learn more about Digital Strategy Boot Camp and the industry leading Social Brand Forum now. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a new retweet feature from Twitter plus speculation on the social network’s acquisition. As Twitter’s stock price crept up Tuesday, so did rumors of a potential takeover from not one but two different suitors including Google! Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show. Beyond the Sound Bite Twitter officially lets you retweet with comments now (Mashable) Twitter’s stock price rises after Google buyout rumours – not for the first time (The Guardian) Google buying Twitter would be like Microsoft buying Yahoo (Business Insider) Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we have psychologist, speaker, and author Heidi Grant Halvorson.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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, see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you lie, you die.” While severe, truer words have never been uttered about brand building in the digital age. Siegel+Gale Chief Strategy Officer David Srere joined us for a conversation about simplicity, organizational purpose, brand experience, and, of course, how one goes about quantifying all of this. Enjoy this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About David B. SrereDavid first learned the art of simplicity from a college history professor, who refused to read beyond the first three pages of any assignment his students turned in. “If you couldn’t say it in three pages, it just wasn’t worth saying,” he recalls. David did more than just learn the lesson; he became a lifelong proponent of the power of a clear, credible, compelling story.As Chief Strategy Officer, David applies that philosophy to his oversight of Siegel+Gale’s strategic practice areas and activities. A noted authority in the corporate branding field, he has pioneered the notion of organizational purpose as an integral part of the brand development process. David believes that “giving employees an emotionally based reason to come to work every day, to make them feel part of something meaningful and larger than themselves, is the difference between good companies and great companies.”Under his leadership, Siegel+Gale recently expanded into China—the latest achievement in a career that includes terms as Co-Managing Director of the New York office and Group Director, Strategy. David continues to work on what he describes as “Big Think” engagements for clients including American Express, SAP, Motorola, and HP. He writes and speaks regularly about organizational purpose, strategic differentiation and corporate values, and is regularly quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and other major business publications.As We Wrap …Recently, Colin Haas reviewed the On Brand podcast over at Jay Baer’s Marketing Podcasts — an amazing search engine for podcast discovery (the only one of its kind, in fact). We are honored that Colin liked what he heard so much that he gave us a 9.9 rating! Thanks for listening and rating the show!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.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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. And don’t forget that this podcast is brought to you by our Brand Driven Digital events series, learn more about Digital Strategy Boot Camp and the industry leading Social Brand Forum now. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed Twitter’s recent release of the Periscope live-streaming video app. What does this mean for Meerkat, the tech set’s darling of late? This week we take a look at Periscope vs Meerkat. Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.Beyond the Sound Bite Here’s a great breakdown of Periscope vs Meerkat (BusinessInsider). Was Meerkat ever even a hit? Why Meerkat is dying – and it’s taking U.S. tech journalism with it (BGR). Perhaps it’s too early to tell which app will be the winner. As Gary Vaynerchuk has said, what if Snapchat suddenly adds video? Check out Gary’s LinkedIn post on Periscope vs Meerkat. Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we have Chief Strategy Officer of Siegel+Gale David Srere.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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, see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each month as part of the On Brand podcast, we take a look back on the month that was. We reflect on the brand builders we chatted with here on the podcast and also discuss the biggest stories and pop-culture funnery that made up our brand zeitgeist. To help with this, I’m joined by our special contributor Meghann Foster. Let’s take a look at March 2015!The Brand Zeitgeist Report: March 2015Twitter Turns Nine — Okay. On the show we reported that Twitter turned 10 but that’s just because — in honor of their ninth birthday — they released their top 10 tweets. (Who doesn’t get 9 and 10 confused every now and then?!) Kidding aside, we looked at the top tweets and shared our thoughts on Twitter today. Speaking of social media use today …Infinite Dial 2015, Meerkat, and More — Tom Webster was in the March zeitgeist! The month began with Tom’s episode of the On Brand podcast and was followed by Edison Research’s most recent release of the Infinite Dial study, which examines the adoption of digital media. We shared our favorite findings as well as our thoughts on how the new Meerkat app might follow some of these trends as well.#RaceTogether Happened — Sorry Starbucks. We took a look at this recent misfire from one of the more venerable brands of our time. Starbucks has gotten involved in issues before such as the jobs crisis and the environment. Why did they stumble this time? Meghann shared some successful Chipotle cup-based conversation starters from the likes of Toni Morrison and Amy Tan.What brand has made us smile lately? Meghann couldn’t wait to share how The Limited — a beloved brand from her youth — has found its way back to relevance with an assist from Scandal and Shonda Rhimes. I shared a story about a recent purchase from the Evernote Market — a brand I feel obligated to give more money to because of the value they provide on a daily basis.To learn more about Meghann, follow her on Twitter and check out her work on the Iowa City Moms Blog and as organizer of our Brand Driven Digital event series.As We Wrap Up …Julian McBride gave a nice shout-out to our recent episode featuring Barbara Apple Sullivan. Thanks for listening Julian!Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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. And don’t forget that this podcast is brought to you by our Brand Driven Digital events series, learn more about Digital Strategy Boot Camp and the industry leading Social Brand Forum now. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Bacon is a great metaphor for the perpetually interesting brand.” Taking a cue from comedian Jim Gaffigan (Bippity-boppity-BACON!), strategist and speaker Justin Foster has found that, while it may seem silly, bacon is an amazing metaphor for how we build and grow unique and engaging brands. We couldn’t wait to chat about bacon brands on this week’s On Brand podcast.About Justin Foster“Inside every brand is a truth waiting to be amplified.” This is the message that Justin Foster shares as he works with clients and in his presentations and workshops. Based in Austin, TX, Justin is a brand strategist, published author, professional speaker, and workshop facilitator. He has worked for nearly 25 years in sales and marketing for small businesses and large corporations, co-founding two marketing/branding firms, and one successful start-up. As a brand strategist, Justin works with senior leaders and business owners to help them discover the “bacon” of their brand and create a meaningful, relevant presence in the marketplace. He believes that the truth of a brand is found in its culture and that culture should be as a brand’s #1 differentiator.Justin is frequently asked to speak and write on social business, modern marketing and branding and business trends. As a speaker/facilitator, he has delivered over 400 keynotes and workshops across every major industry. In addition, he has published two books on branding: Oatmeal v Bacon: How to Differentiate in a Generic World and Human Bacon: A Man’s Guide to Creating an Awesome Personal Brand. Justin also contributes frequently to a number of blog sites and has his own popular blog at fosterthinking.com.As We Wrap Up …Danielle Rogers gave a nice shout-out to the On Brand podcast back in February at AMA Iowa’s Experience Event. Big thanks to Danielle for listening and to AMA Iowa for being a great organization! [EDITOR’S NOTE: This podcaster may have doubled up on this shoutout but we’re sure Danielle won’t mind.]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.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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. And don’t forget that this podcast is brought to you by our Brand Driven Digital events series, learn more about Digital Strategy Boot Camp and the industry leading Social Brand Forum now. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed my recent trip to SXSW Interactive 2015. This event is always one of my favorites and truly the best place for keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s next. What did I learn? Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.Beyond the Sound Bite As we discussed last week, the new Meerkat app was big at SXSW. How big …? Everyone was talking about potential businesses uses for Meerkat. Plus everyone was Meerkat-ing (Meerkasting?) — even Julia Louis-Dreyfus! There were also several panels and discussion around social media privacy. BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Iowa’s own Pear Deck on their big win of $150,000 in funding at SXSW 2015! Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we have Justin Foster, author of Oatmeal vs. Bacon.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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, see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I like to be dangerous with my content.” It’s quotes like this where Jason Miller’s rock-n-roll background and passion shine through in his work. By day, Jason is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at LinkedIn. By night, he’s an accomplished rock-n-roll photographer. We talked about both aspects of his work and everything in between on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.About Jason MillerJason Miller is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at Linkedin where he leads the global content marketing and social efforts for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions. Prior to this, he managed social media strategy at Marketo, where he was responsible for leading the company’s content and social media efforts by increasing engagement, optimizing for lead generation, and ultimately driving revenue.Before Marketo, Jason worked at Sony Music entertainment developing and executing marketing campaigns around the biggest names in music. To this day, Miller remains a rock ’n roll photographer by night. You can view his work at rocknrollcocktail.com.Jason is also the author of the Amazon #1 best-selling book, Welcome to the Funnel: Proven Tactics to Turn Your Social and Content Marketing up to 11. (As you can tell, he couldn’t resist the rock metaphor — even in his book title!)As We Wrap Up …Recently, Rob Zaleski — a great marketer over at MarketingProfs — gave us several shouts after listening to our Mitch Joel and Bryan Kramer episodes while running. Thanks for listening and enjoy your next run, Rob!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.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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. And don’t forget that this podcast is brought to you by our Brand Driven Digital events series, learn more about Digital Strategy Boot Camp and the industry leading Social Brand Forum now. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s Social Sound Bite – recorded live at the KXIC studios in Iowa City – Jay and I discussed a new social app on the block. It’s called Meerkat and it allows users to live stream video directly to their Twitter account. Once you’re done streaming, the online archive of your video is gone (you can save the file to your phone if you choose). Why does Meerkat matter? Listen for the full sound bite and enjoy these useful links to the news, trends, and tips included in this week’s show.Beyond the Sound Bite Want to dig in and play with Meerkat? Download the app here. Here’s a great breakdown of what brands and publishers need to know about Meerkat (Digiday). As I mentioned on the show, one of the biggest cases for why Meerkat might matter lies in the recent Infinite Dial study from Edison Research. This shows that after Facebook, mobile experience apps like Instagram and Snapchat dominate social media use. Is Meerkat next? Remember, the Social Sound Bite is just the appetizer! On Monday morning we’ll serve up a fresh new episode of the On Brand Podcast. This week we have Jason Miller from LinkedIn.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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, see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Digital has democratized marketing … Consumers are playing an active role in defining our brands.” Barbara Apple Sullivan would know. As the founder and managing partner at Sullivan, she’s helped complex regulated brands like American Express and Merrill Lynch build and socialize strong brand architectures. I couldn’t wait to discuss all of this with Barbara this week on the On Brand podcast.About Barbara Apple SullivanBarbara Apple Sullivan founded Sullivan in 1990 after spending more than a dozen years on the client side in the financial services industry. Recognizing a gap in how she was being serviced, Barbara understood that there was a need for agencies dedicated to helping complex businesses reach customers and prospects through the sales funnel rather than simply focusing on high level brand and awareness building. With this in mind, she launched Sullivan & Company and has grown the agency into a highly strategic group of nearly 60 employees serving clients across the financial and professional services, technology, higher education, industrial, and lifestyle industries.Current clients include American Express, Merrill Lynch, Cornell Tech, Duke University, and Crown Castle, among others. Prior to founding Sullivan, Barbara held senior level marketing positions at Chemical Bank and American Express. Barbara received her MBA from Harvard Business School and is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with a B.S. in Marketing and Management of Entrepreneurship.As We Wrap Up …Recently, the On Brand podcast came up during a recent #BrandChat on Twitter. Big thanks to Danielle Rogers and Laura Kinnard for the shout out! This great community gets together every Wednesday at 10 AM Central on Twitter. Check it out.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.Last but not least … Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, 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. And don’t forget that this podcast is brought to you by our Brand Driven Digital events series, learn more about Digital Strategy Boot Camp and the industry leading Social Brand Forum now. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices