Author Archives: Nick Westergaard

“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 →

“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 →

“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 →

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 →

“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 →

“Branding people have not formally gotten into the strategy world.” And vice versa. And that’s a problem according to branding and marketing legend David Aaker, author of several books including his latest Owning Game-Changing Subcategories. It’s a book that’s coming out at a game-changing and turbulent time in the world of business and beyond. We discussed all of this and more, this week on the On Brand podcast. Read More →

This week’s podcast interview was originally scheduled to take place live on stage at SXSW. Unfortunately, a nasty pandemic got in the way of this. However, I still wanted to talk with VR expert Ashley Crowder about her work as CEO and Co-Founder of VNTANA, a company that helps brands build out new online realities (which may be more relevant now than ever before!). We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. Read More →

Recently, I was having coffee with a friend who sits on a local board with me. The organization is embarking on a bold new rebrand that I’ve been consulting on. As we discussed the process, he asked me, “What’s the … Read More →