Author Archives: Nick Westergaard

When it comes to content marketing, we live in extraordinary times. With cutting-edge tools like live video, VR, and AI at our fingertips, we can give our community behind-the-scenes access to our company, people, and products. We can showcase our … Read More


lee tone on brand

“People are smart about how they can avoid advertising at all costs. You have to present them with a story they want to hear and use the brand in support of that story.” Lee Tone of Alkemy X has spent his career navigating the blurred lines of advertising and entertainment, finding ways to talk about brands without directly talking about brands. This has never been easy but it’s even harder today. We discussed all of this on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More


“In digital, you can constantly keep going—if you had a good play celebrate it and see how you can evolve it from there.” In a career that started with athletics and continued to professional journalism to being a marketing thought leader and author, Christoph Trappe has executed several good plays. Because of this experience, he knows how to build a high-performance content marketing culture. We discussed all of this on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More


rob markey on brand

“In times of crisis, as leaders, we often want to clamp down—command and control. We go into bunker mode.” However, customer loyalty is best built by closing the distance between a brand’s leadership and the front lines of employees and customers, explains Rob Markey of Bain & Company. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More


bill cates on brand

“It’s a time to double down on your value—your why.” During Bill Cates’s storied career as an entrepreneur and relationship marketing expert, he’s helped countless businesses achieve exponential growth. Now he’s back with a new book on Radical Relevance and why we need it today more than ever. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More


When I teach business communication, I ask students to complete what I call a “CommBook.” This is simply a journal of professional communication that they observe in the world around them that reinforces lessons from class. The entries can be … Read More


david newman on brand

“It is absolutely a time to help more and to serve more but it is not a time to sell or market any less.” David Newman is all about getting things done. Whether it’s marketing or speaking, his approach helps people organize their work to positively impact their lives. While COVID-19 could make this harder, Newman argues that clarity is more important now than ever before. We discussed what to do now on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More


ana raynes on brand

It’s a different time for marketers and brand builders across the board. But what about B2B marketers? What’s different for them in the face of COVID-19? I couldn’t wait to ask our guest this week just that. Ana Raynes is the CEO and founder of Simplified Impact, a B2B growth marketing agency. We discussed what B2B marketers can do during these strange times and the various stages of business that will follow. Read More


At this point, most of us have already seen tons of articles and videos on things like “How to do XYZ in the midst of COVID-19.” Some have been good. Others have been not so good. As marketers in today’s … Read More


amber hurdle on brand

“People are going to have a favorable impression of your brand or a negative impression of your brand. Then, when you add social media reach on top of that, it can get really great or really crazy.” That’s why you have to brand—with clutter-cutting messaging and compassion—from the inside out, starting with your employees. Especially in the midst of the pandemic we find ourselves battling both personally and professionally. Brand strategy expert Amber Hurdle discussed all of this and more, this week on the On Brand podcast. Read More


Nick has a knack for making complex topics simple.
Jacey Wilkins, National Institute of Metalworking Skills

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