The Changemakers

Too often, creative and marketing teams are seen as executors instead of innovators. This conversation between Phil Lewis (Consultant & Speaker) and Dave Corlett (Business Director at Shaped By), which was recorded as part of our virtual summit Bring Your Own Bold, offers practical tips to shift that dynamic by removing internal barriers that block progress, cloud clarity, and weaken conviction. Learn how to position your team as a trusted, strategic force that drives impact, influences decision-making, and earns a seat at the table.🎧 Listen nowTimestamps:00:00 – Introduction: Moving teams from order-takers to strategic partners.03:10 – Why internal dynamics shape external perception.04:40 – The Five Steps to Team Vitality framework.06:00 – Breaking down comprehension, confidence, and engagement.08:30 – Common team pitfalls and the bias for action.11:00 – Measuring progress and maintaining team health.14:00 – Endurance and the emotional labor of leadership.16:40 – Collaboration as the heart of strategic partnership.18:40 – Healthy conflict: Why disagreement fuels innovation.23:00 – The Regeneration Equation: Context, communication, conflict.24:50 – The power of uncomfortable conversations.27:00 – Understanding context to amplify collaboration.31:30 – Scaling collaboration across departments.34:20 – Case study: 800% improvement through honest dialogue.38:00 – How long real transformation takes.Send us a message if you enjoyed this episodeIf you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspirationAnd finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!✌️

How do you embrace the AI revolution without losing the human touch?Shaped By CEO and Founder Nick Farrar and Business Director Dave Corlett dive into our deliberate and "people-first" journey with artificial intelligence. They share insights from their own AI Manifesto and discuss how AI is being used to improve everything from client research to internal processes.In this episode, you'll discover:How to boost efficiency and accuracy with tools like Gemini and Fireflies.The critical role of a human-led approach in navigating this new landscape.Why the future of creativity is about augmenting human imagination, not replacing it.Lessons from the past, from the dot-com boom to the present-day AI shift.Timestamps:00:00 – Dave introduces the episode and welcomes Nick Farrah, CEO & Founder of Shaped By, to discuss AI progress at the agency.02:00 – Nick reflects on where Shaped By is on its AI journey and compares it to the digital revolution.05:00 – Nick outlines Shaped By’s AI Manifesto and the creation of the AI Leadership Team.09:00 – Dave explains how the agency is improving efficiency with AI tools like Fireflies and Gemini.12:00 – Nick discusses AI’s role in refining team structures and the importance of human oversight.16:00 – Nick critiques low-effort AI content and shares how Shaped By uses AI to enhance creativity and quality.21:00 – Dave and Nick close by exploring collaboration with clients, the “mindful journey” of AI adoption, and the enduring power of human creativity.Send us a message if you enjoyed this episodeIf you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspirationAnd finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!✌️

In this engaging conversation, David Moulton, Senior Director at Palo Alto Networks, reveals the power of emotive storytelling in B2B marketing. He discusses the common pitfalls of rational messaging, urging marketers to connect with the human side of buyers. David shares insights on transforming fear in cybersecurity narratives into messages of empowerment. He emphasizes the balance between creativity and credibility and highlights storytelling as a competitive advantage in business, ultimately unlocking permission to sell more effectively.

In this bite-sized episode of the Changemakers Podcast, Dave Corlett and Alex Waite lift the lid on what’s coming up at Bring Your Own Bold 2025 — the virtual event for bold brand and marketing leaders in B2B tech.They reveal this year’s new 3-day format, fresh content drops, and their personal picks from the upcoming sessions — from building emotional brand connections to measuring brand impact and scaling design systems.Whether you’ve joined before or this is your first BYOB, this episode will get you fired up for what’s to come.Timestamps:00:00 – Intro & what is Bring Your Own Bold?02:35 – What’s new for 202505:45 – Alex’s top session: Brand data vs. intuition08:40 – Dave’s top session: Brand + Product alignment13:10 – Scott Smith (Intercom) on scalable identity14:10 – Human emotion in B2B: Alex Walters (Papaya Global)18:40 – Richard Shotton on buyer behaviour & decision-making20:50 – The Art of Unplugging – creative wellbeing26:30 – How to register + final thoughtsSend us a message if you enjoyed this episodeIf you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspirationAnd finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!✌️

In the Changemakers, we try to cover the broad subject of creativity in B2B from as many angles as possible, and we’ve covered quite a few so far. But one thing we haven't dived into too much until today is the brand measurement and tracking side of things. Emelia is the Founder of Pebble Strategy and has a wealth of experience in all things B2B brand planning, market research and particularly brand tracking. We chat to her about some of the do's and don'ts in this area. We discuss things businesses in their early stages or niche businesses should be aware of, especially those who struggle to measure the impact of their brand in their market. So we talk about different tactics and approaches to brand tracking that can help businesses perform better.Towards the end, our strategy director, Alex Waite, shares his perspective on how to take all that amazing brand tracking data and turn it into something tangible and actionable to drive your business forward.Don’t miss out, this is a really good episode, full of insightful nuggets! Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction: Meet Emelia Rallapalli, brand measurement expert.05:10 - Why B2B leaders should think of brand as behaviour.11:15 - The importance of brand tracking for marketers.15:40 - Key brand metrics to track: Awareness, consideration, preference, and usage.19:00 - The value of qualitative customer research for emerging companies.25:00 - Making the case for brand building to leadership: Share of voice vs. share of market.29:00 - Educating CEOs and CFOs about marketing science.37:25 - The power of creativity in B2B.42:00 - Dave and Alex intro 43:00 - How to use brand tracking to see if your strategy is working.50:45 - Category entry points and brand tracking.56:45 - Closing remarks and a preview of BYOB, Shaped By's virtual summit.Send us a message if you enjoyed this episodeIf you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspirationAnd finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!✌️

Here's another of our Byte-Size episodes! These are little chats between the team at Shaped By, sometimes about creativity in B2B, sometimes about something completely different.In this one, Alex Waite (Strategy Director) sits down with Justin Ballantine (Associate Creative Director, Messaging) to talk brand voice in an AI-saturated world.They cover where AI helps and where it falls short. Why human nuance still matters. And how brands can keep their voice distinct when everyone’s automating everything.They don’t pretend to have all the answers, but it’s an honest take on the tension between speed, scale and soul.Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 00:47 – What AI’s good at (and what it’s not) 01:28 – Welcome JB 02:52 – What is brand voice, anyway? 05:49 – How AI is shifting the game 09:01 – The risks of removing the human 12:13 – Where this might be heading 15:05 – Why authenticity isn’t optional 16:09 – Audience > output 16:20 – Emotion, intent, and context 16:56 – A quiet comeback for long-form? 18:09 – Storytelling and the limits of machines 20:31 – Why your brand still needs you 21:48 – Keeping creativity alive 25:49 – Dodging the content fatigue trap 26:53 – Wrapping up: trust, tone, and the human edgeSend us a message if you enjoyed this episodeIf you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspirationAnd finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!✌️

Our guest on this episode of The Changemakers is Chris Silvestri, also known as The Conversion Alchemist.With a background as a software engineer in industrial automation, Chris made a sharp turn into digital marketing, bringing a unique perspective to his work as a SaaS message-market fit specialist and conversion copywriter for B2B SaaS brands like Moz since 2016.Chris explains to Dave why Series A to C companies often struggle to differentiate their messaging and get lost in the crowd, detailing how his work helps them stand out by making their value impossible to ignore. He clarifies the crucial distinctions between positioning, messaging, and copy, highlighting the common pitfalls of skipping vital research and strategy steps.Dave and Chris discuss the typical mistakes B2B tech companies make in their messaging, such as lacking a unique point of view, failing to address different personas within the decision-making unit, and leading with "what you are" instead of "what people need,".Finally, Chris discusses the transformative impact of AI tools on his approach, from research to copy generation and even synthetic user testing.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to the Change Makers Podcast00:58 Introducing Chris Silvestri and Conversion Alchemy01:32 Diving into Messaging Strategies07:33 Challenges and Mistakes in B2B Messaging10:28 Effective Messaging and Copywriting18:21 Companies Excelling in Messaging22:24 Building a Brand Through Messaging23:20 Research Framework for Messaging Strategy24:01 Gathering and Analyzing Data25:18 Understanding User Experience and Qualitative Data31:21 Evaluating and Testing Messaging Effectiveness33:03 The Role of AI in Messaging Strategy40:37 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsSend us a message if you enjoyed this episodeIf you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspirationAnd finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!✌️

In this episode of The Changemakers, Dave is joined by David Wall, Creative Director at Tines and President of the Institute of Designers in Ireland.David shares his unique career trajectory, moving from agency and independent studio practice to leading in-house brand design for a fast-growing tech company. He delves into the parallels between running a boutique studio and his current role at Tines, emphasising the ownership and learning opportunities inherent in both.David also discusses what drew him to Tines – a workflow automation and AI orchestration platform – and how their brand messaging stands apart in the cybersecurity space by focusing on the positive outcomes of automation. We explore Tines' culture of empowering designers with significant autonomy, where collaboration means seeking meaningful input rather than permission, and how this fosters rapid progress and innovation. David also sheds light on the seamless integration between brand and product design at Tines, highlighting shared goals for design quality and the benefits of close proximity to product development. He underscores how design's value is deeply ingrained in Tines' leadership, evident from their earliest hires.For agency creatives considering an in-house role, David offers practical advice on assessing organisational structure and ensuring design has a strong voice. Finally, he shares insights into his impactful work with the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI), where he champions design advocacy and policy.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to the Podcast00:53 Guest Introduction: David Wall from Tines01:12 Meeting at RSA Conference01:42 David's Transition from Agency to In-House02:06 Brand and Product Design Collaboration06:06 David's Role and Responsibilities at Tines12:25 The Importance of Autonomy in Design19:11 Leadership and Design Culture at Tines32:18 Advice for Designers Moving In-House41:36 Involvement with the Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI)44:16 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsSend us a message if you enjoyed this episodeIf you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspirationAnd finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!✌️

In this episode of The Changemakers, Dave chats with Rachel Gogel, a seasoned creative executive consultant. Having built brands at titans like The New York Times, Meta, and Airbnb, Rachel knows a thing or two about transforming brand from a 'nice-to-have' into a vital business engine, and dives into her diverse career journey, from her graphic design roots to her current role as a fractional design leader and educator.For creative leaders, Rachel offers invaluable advice on getting brand taken seriously. She champions speaking the language of business, focusing on metrics like user retention and conversion rates rather than just aesthetics. And she passionately champions in-product brand experiences, explaining how a strong brand isn't just about aesthetics, but about creating seamless, intuitive interactions within the product itself.Drawing on her experiences, Rachel shares how to speak the language of executives, connecting brand initiatives to tangible outcomes like user retention, conversion rates, and lifetime value. She also shares the story behind her recent SXSW London panel, "Crafting Magic: The Art of Product", featuring fellow design leaders from Dropbox, Slack and Anthropic.The conversation also explores the unique brand approach at Airbnb, where design and brand are valued from the very top. Rachel explains how to scale brand across diverse organisations, stressing that strong relationships and clear roles trump rigid org charts. She tackles the tricky balance of maintaining consistency while allowing teams to move fast.Finally, we get into practical tips for leaders navigating competing priorities, including internal education, piloting ideas, and the power of user research in validating branded moments. Ultimately, Rachel advocates a powerful mindset shift: moving beyond brand as decoration to brand as experience, recognising that product and brand are inseparable in the user's mind.Timestamps:00:00 Introduction and Welcome Rachel Gogel01:52 Rachel's Diverse Career Journey and Fractional Leadership06:50 SXSW London Panel: In-Product Brand Experiences10:30 Advocating for Brand with Executive Teams13:14 Brand as a Business Critical Function: Lessons from NYT & Meta20:00 The Airbnb Approach to Brand and Design26:22 Scaling Brand Across Organisations and Best Practices34:10 Essential Qualities for Creative Leaders44:30 Beyond Decoration: Brand as ExperienceSend us a message if you enjoyed this episodeIf you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech. 👉 Watch episodes on YouTube👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed 👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspirationAnd finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!✌️

Melissa Rosenthal, co-founder of Outlever and a former creative lead at ClickUp, shares her insights on transforming B2B branding through dynamic thought leadership. She emphasizes the shift from traditional media models to amplifying voices of subject matter experts and customers. Melissa discusses how AI can enhance content creation while preserving the essential human touch. With a focus on building trust and relevance, she challenges companies to rethink outdated strategies and embrace innovative, authentic approaches to stand out in a crowded market.