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On Brand with Nick Westergaard

Nick Westergaard

On Brand helps you tell stronger stories and build better brands. Each week, host Nick Westergaard, author of Get Scrappy and Brand Now, interviews marketing and communication thought leaders and innovators from brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Meta, Crayola, Beats by Dre, Southwest Airlines, Reddit, Spotify, and MailChimp. Watch the full, in-depth conversations and get actionable insights to help you and your brand stand out in a crowded, distracted world.

For show notes and more, please visit http://onbrandpodcast.com.

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  • 26 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 31 min
  • English

Episodes 26

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  • #617
    June 1 · 33 min

    The Science (and Secrets) of Building Super Teams

    What if the secret to a high-performing team isn’t found in a pep talk or a personality test but in the cold, hard data of behavioral science? Today we are joined by Dr. Ron Friedman, an award-winning psychologist and author of the new book Superteams. We dive into the science-backed strategies that transform a group of individuals into a cohesive powerhouse, challenging the myths of traditional management along the way. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why confusing collaboration with constan

  • #616
    May 25 · 33 min

    The Story Behind Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day

    Building a brand that lasts requires a bundle of promises, an uncompromising dedication to craft, and a healthy dose of grit. Monica Nassif, the force behind Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, didn’t just disrupt a tired $30 billion category—she bottled a legacy. From raising capital to fueling creative muscle, she knows exactly what it takes to turn an authentic story into a market-shifting powerhouse. What You’ll Learn in This Episode - How training your eyes to notice beauty helps you identify distract

  • #615
    May 18 · 32 min

    Kindness as a Competitive Edge

    How does a brand move from being a commodity to being a community? Scott Woodward joins the show to discuss why kindness is no longer a "soft" marketing line but a high-leverage strategic advantage that drives everything from customer acquisition to 76% higher employee engagement. What You’ll Learn in This Episode - The secret history of Ray-Ban's cultural dominance through product integration - Why 61% of consumers refuse to buy from brands they consider unkind - Lessons from the genesis

  • #614
    May 11 · 30 min

    The Intuitive Intelligence Advantage in an AI World

    Personal branding isn't about the perfect headshot or a polished LinkedIn bio anymore. In an AI-saturated world, the leaders who stand out are the ones brave enough to lead with intuition rather than just data. Elizabeth Rosenberg is helping the C-suite find their unfiltered voice and reclaim their spiritual health before they hit a wall. What You’ll Learn in This Episode How to harness intuitive intelligence as a human skill that AI cannot replicate Why the future of the C-suite may include a

  • May 4 · 31 min

    The Values Gap: What Do You Really Stand For?

    We all claim to have values, but do we actually know how to use them when the stakes are high? Paul Ingram, the Kravis Professor of Business at Columbia Business School and author of What Do You Really Stand For?, joins us to dismantle the “corporate poster” approach to values. He shares a research-backed framework for identifying your true North Star and, more importantly, how to turn those abstract ideals into a practical tool for better leadership and more authentic brand storytelling. What You’ll Learn in This Episode - The critical difference between your espoused values and the actual values-in-use that drive your behavior - Why limiting your organizational values to five or fewer is the key to making them operative and memorable - How to navigate the inherent conflict of values without damaging your team's culture or relationships - The specific role of “value stories” as the most credible way to express and build trust around your principles - Practical implementation techniques from Slack emojis to using personification and archetypes like Miles Davis Episode Chapters (00:00) Intro (01:31) The disconnect between posters and practice (03:15) The power of simplicity and the five-value limit (05:33) Addressing skepticism with empirical evidence (07:41) Creating an inclusive process for cultural ownership (11:39) Using values as a tool for productive conflict resolution (14:39) Storytelling as a bridge to credibility and trust (17:16) Practical techniques for daily implementation (22:54) Sharpening your labels and the importance of vocabulary (25:54) A brand that makes Paul smile About Paul Ingram Paul Ingram is the Kravis Professor of Business at the Columbia Business School and a renowned expert on leadership and organizational culture. He has received Columbia's highest recognition for teaching, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, as well as the Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence, and thirteen teaching awards voted by graduating students at Columbia and Cornell Universities. An empirical social scientist by trade, Paul has spent two decades researching how values influence performance at both the individual and organizational levels, resulting in more than one hundred published articles and books. What Brand Has Made Paul Smile Recently? Paul finds joy and a boost of creative energy in the Italian clothing brand Etro. He appreciates the brand's aesthetic—often featuring paisley prints and plaid foundations—noting that it has become a core part of his professional identity and a personal reminder of his own value of creativity. Resources & Links Connect with Paul on the Columbia Business School website. Check out his book, What Do You Really Stand For? We also discussed my work around values stories. Here’s a link to a Harvard Business Review article I wrote on this. Listen & Support the Show Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon/Audible, TuneIn, and iHeart. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others find the show. Share this episode — email a friend or colleague this episode. Sign up for my free Story Strategies newsletter for branding and storytelling tips. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • April 27 · 28 min

    The Myth of the Rational Customer

    Most of us believe we make rational choices, but our brains are actually wired to say no before we ever get to the logic. Paul Larche, a Hall of Fame broadcaster and author of The Divided Brain, spent four decades in media before turning to neuroscience to find out why customers actually buy. He joins the show to break down the Old Brain versus New Brain metaphor and explain how leaders can stop accidentally triggering the wrong response in their brand storytelling. What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why your customer’s brain is biologically wired to say no before you ever finish your pitch How a small engine mechanic turned a twenty-year radio campaign into a local empire by ditching technical specs The two-gear metaphor for understanding how the old brain drives the bus while the new brain just rationalizes the ride Why leading with facts and figures is actually a roadblock to opening the mind of your audience How to engage critical thinking and skepticism to avoid being manipulated by AI and modern algorithms Episode Chapters (00:00) Intro (01:36) From Radio Pioneer to Neuroscience Strategist (03:45) The Toronto Blue Jays and the Power of Emotional Advertising (04:45) The Story of Ted and the 20 Year Mechanic Campaign (07:53) The Divided Brain: The Two Gear Metaphor Explained (11:34) Using the Brand Value Canvas to Identify Emotional Drivers (15:10) Meeting the Moment: Patternicity and the Information Firehose (18:22) AI Awareness and the Need for Critical Thinking (21:24) The First Principle: How Not to Fool Yourself (22:35) A Brand That Makes Paul Smile (24:26) Closing and Where to Find Paul Larche About Paul Larche Paul Larche is a Hall of Fame broadcaster and media pioneer who spent nearly fifty years building a radio empire from the ground up. After starting as a teenage announcer and eventually owning multiple stations, he became obsessed with why some advertising failed while other campaigns lasted decades. This led him deep into the study of behavioral psychology and neuroscience, culminating in his award-winning book, The Divided Brain. Today, Paul translates complex brain science into actionable business strategies, helping leaders bridge the gap between technical expertise and the emotional drivers that actually compel people to take action. What Brand Has Made Paul Smile Recently? Paul finds himself smiling at legacy brands like McDonald’s that have successfully weathered decades of change by continuing to speak to the heart rather than the head. He admires how these organizations prioritize universal human feelings and lifestyle over technical product features, proving that compelling storytelling remains the most effective way to maintain brand gravity over the long term. Resources & Links Connect with Paul on LinkedIn. Check out his book, The Divided Brain. Listen & Support the Show Watch or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon/Audible, TuneIn, and iHeart. Rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to help others find the show. Share this episode — email a friend or colleague this episode. Sign up for my free Story Strategies newsletter for branding and storytelling tips. On Brand is a part of the Marketing Podcast Network. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 21–26 of 26 episodes