BrandBox
Episodes
Ep. 54 - Scraping The Barrel
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 54 - Scraping The Barrel Southern Branding on The Skids. The Cracker Barrel rebrand. Cracker Barrel Rebranding Howard Johnson's Restaurants Cheer...
Ep. 53 - Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The anxiety of the white-collar worker. Ezra Klein - Kyla Scanlon Podcast "Bullshit Jobs" by David Graeber "Immaterial Labor" "Affective Labor" Veo ...
Ep. 52 - Bye Buy American Pie
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 52 - Bye Buy American Pie. Took our Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. Fast Company Headline: "America, The Brand, Is Becoming Toxic" F...
Ep. 51 - Super Markets
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 51 - Super Markets Brands in the age of backlash. Recent Target and Costco Customer Numbers Walter Benjamin’s “Arcades Project” Milan's Ga...
Ep. 50 - STFU
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 50 - STFU Brand speech swings to "the other side." NYTimes Op-Ed "Corporate Leaders Need To Keep Their Mouths Shut" Gartner Hype Cycle Kondratie...
Ep. 49 - Fan-tasies
31 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 49 - Fan-tasies The contributions of fandom to life. Swifties Why are Beyoncé's fans called BeyHive? Meaning, origin, and everything to know. B...
Ep. 48 - Artifice and Intelligence Part 2
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 48 - Artifice and Intelligence - Part 2 Part 2 of a two-part conversation on the wonder of AI and its impact on brands and agencies. Part 1 is he...
Episode 47 - Artifice and Intelligence - Part 1
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part 1 of a two-part conversation on the wonder of AI and its impact on brands and agencies. Show Notes Part 1 of a two-part conversation on the wonde...
Ep. 46 - You're Not Crazy!
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 46 - You’re Not Crazy Everything seems to be up in the air at this point… Show Notes Everything seems to be up in the air at this point…...
Ep. 45 - That New Book Smell
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 45 - That New Book Smell Show Notes We give Mark's new book the sniff test! "Universal Principles of Branding," available now at bookstores ev...
Ep. 44 - Persona Non Grata
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 44 - Persona Non Grata Show Notes Looking at the face that launched a thousand memes. The “Goldwater Rule” Donald Trump Mug Shot “Lip...
Ep. 43 - Post-Office
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 43 - Post-Office Even Zoom Is Making People Return to the Office. Goldman Sachs is frustrated by many workers failing to be in the office 5 days...
Ep. 42 - Brandmines
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 42 - Brandmines Show Notes Social commentary is getting even more dangerous for brands. BrandBox Episode 41 - This Bud's For You, But Not For...
Ep. 41 - It's Not TV
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 41 - It’s Not TV Show Notes HBO Max’s restructuring touches a nerve. HBO Max/Discovery Become "Max" HBO - "Home Box Office" History Gemei...
Ep. 40 - This Bud's For You, But Not For You!
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 40 - This Bud’s For You…But Not For You! Show Notes The culture wars take a beer break. Susan Sontag: "Against Interpretation" Dylan Mu...
Ep. 39 - Tool Time!
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 39 - Tool Time! Show Notes We shape tools, then tools shape us. Adobe drops Pantone 2:35 "First we build the tools, then the tools build us...
Ep. 38 - Cleverness
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 38 - Cleverness Show Notes Don’t we all want to be clever? Sianne Ngai - Our Aesthetic Categories David Shing Mark's Instagram Feed Chögy...
Ep. 37 - Rage Within The Machine
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 37 - Rage In The Machine Show Notes Why are we all so f*****g angry? "The Year We Lost It" NY Times "The Slap" Punctuated Equilibrium Basi...
Ep. - 36 - Elon Rorschach
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 36 - Elon Rorschach Show Notes What happens next in Elon’s Twitter experiment? Matt Levine "Money Stuff" Bloomberg Nate Silver "The Cultur...
Ep. 35 - What About This?
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 35 - What About This? Show Notes Why don’t brands take a stand on abortion rights? Justice Alito’s Opinion, Leaked on Politico Pew Rese...
Ep. 34 - Vibe Shift
02 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 34 - Vibe Shift Show Notes Why is everything so strange? "Vibe Shift" "A Vibe Shift Is Coming" "I Support The Current Thing" Graphic Walter...
Ep. 33 - Red Friday
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 33 - Red Friday Show Notes Brand War One: Beginning In Ukraine. Recorded 3/6/22. Derek Thompson's Framework "How New York Stole the Idea of ...
Ep. 32 - Our Sporting Life
05 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 32 - Our Sporting Life Show Notes Melinda, Mark, and Tom get ready for "the big game" by discussing the role of sports in American culture. T...
Ep. 31 - OK Pop
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 31 - OK Pop Show Notes Melinda, Mark, and Tom discuss the growing influence of Korean culture in today's world. K Pop Wikipedia article New ...
Ep. 30 - The Meta Mall
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 30 - The Meta Mall Show Notes Season 2 debuts with a discussion of some implications of Meta's metaverse announcement. Mark's article: "Don'...
Ep. 29 - Pick-A-Doodle
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 29 - Pick-A-Doodle Show Notes Lessons from David Hockney's "worst" work. Introduction David Hockney's Piccadilly Circus Underground Logo Or...
Ep. 28 - No Kidding
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 28 - No Kidding Show Notes How will falling birthrates in the West and China change the world? New York Times: New China Three Child Policy ...
Ep. 27 - Repairing For The Future
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 27 - Repairing For The Future Show Notes It’s “infrastructure week” here on BrandBox! American Jobs Plan 1975 Icelandic Women's Day Of...
Ep. 26 - Voting For Voting
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 26 - Voting For Voting Show Notes Should brands stand for democracy? New York Times Ad Signed By Corporate Executives and Notable Individual...
Ep. 25 - Everyone Gets An Award
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 25 - Everyone Gets An Award Show Notes Why do we need awards? Grammy Awards Oscar Awards Cannes Lion Awards Golden Globe Awards Food Network...
Ep. 24 - A Firm Goodbye
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 24 - A Firm Goodbye Show Notes Melinda Welch joins for reactions to the royal exit interview. Oprah Interviews Meghan Markle and Prince Harr...
Ep. 23 - NFTs? WTF? LOL!
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 23 - NFTs? WTF? LOL! Show Notes How real are my sneakers? Non Fungible Token or NFT Christie's Beeple Auction Beeple's 2020 NFTs Grimes NF...
Ep. 22 - Jump Cut
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 22 - Jump Cuts Show Notes What the impeachment videos teach us about brands. Second Trump Impeachment Prosecution Video Second Trump Impeach...
Ep. 21 - Fit For Use
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 21 - Fit For Use Show Notes If people can fit in, can they also fit out? Wikipedia entry, “survival of the fittest” William H. Whyte, “...
Ep. 20 - Away
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 20 - Away Show Notes Cartesian geometry and modern thinking. WSJ Article: Maersk Ship Loses 750 Shipping Containers Overboard in Pacific Oc...
Ep. 19 - Promises, Promises
25 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 19 - Promises, Promises Show Notes It’s judgment time for the political and brand promises of the last several years. January 6, 2021 Capi...
Ep. 18 - Teamz
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 18 - Teamz Show Notes New metaphors for working together. "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin Brian Eno on importance of the sense of h...
Ep. 17 - Emotional Rescue
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 17 - Emotional Rescue Show Notes The political realm of emotions. Hans Selye on stress Cognitive dissonance Sianne Ngai - "stuplimity" "The C...
Ep. 16 - We Need To Talk About Donald
17 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 16 - We Need To Talk About Donald Show Notes What made us think Trump was a master brand builder? Sem Devillart McLuhan on Hot and Cool Medi...
Ep. 15 - Responsible Citizens
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 15 - Responsible Citizens Show Notes Why does it feel strange when brands speak ethically? Uber Mural IBM's Thomas Watson Jr.: "Good design ...
Ep. 14 - Flagging Attention
26 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 14 - Flagging Attention Show Notes Flags in a fractured world. Trump Pence Flag Trump 2020 No More Bullshit flag Biden Harris flag Flags ...
Ep. 13 - Cargo Cult
17 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 13 - Cargo Cult Show Notes The ritualized practice of sympathetic magic in agencies and economics. Cargo Cults Sympathetic Magic Growth and ...
Ep. 12 - Rituals
11 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 12 - Rituals Show Notes The role and functions of ritual in life and brands. Religious affiliation identification Kathleen McKee SoulCycle B...
Ep. 11 - QAnon: Brand Audit
02 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 11 - QAnon: Brand Audit Show Notes The origins and properties of an influential political force. QAnon Wikipedia Page Google Trends, Searche...
Ep. 10 - A Sound Persona
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 10 - A Sound Persona Show Notes Exploring sound in brands and culture. Alex Friedman - Comedian satirizes commercials on Twitter "Vlog Brothe...
Ep. 9 - Meritocracy?
05 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 9 - Meritocracy? Show Notes As the world struggles with inequality, how do we re-think the meaning of “merit”? Isabel Wilkerson - “Caste: ...
Ep. 8 - Vinyl/Virtual
22 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 8 - Vinyl/Virtual Show Notes Cleverness, clothes, and fashion. Independent Article on £500 "Digital Shirt" Fast Company Article: "Who's Wearin...
Ep. 7 - PlayTime
14 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 7 - PlayTime Play is a primary condition for culture and creativity, and key to personal development and well-being. So why is it overlooked by br...
Ep. 6 - Standards
09 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 6 - Standards Brand standards in a dynamic world. Show Notes Don Pullen Tone Cluster Example Leonard Bernstein Videos Standards.site The NASA “...
Ep. 5 - Runaway American Dream
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 5 - Runaway American Dream Tracing the American myths of open space, freedom, and control. Show Notes Polaris Slingshot Revel Mopeds Mad Max Cann...
Ep. 4 - Sashiko
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What the traditional Japanese practice of “shashiko” reveals about our relationship to products and time. Show Notes Aeon Psyche essay: "Could t...
Ep. 3 - Be Here Now
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Ep. 3 - Be Here Now Show Notes Thoughts on time, gravity and space in COVID-era presentations. Apple World Wide Developers Conference Video WWDC Intr...
Ep. 2 - Plywood
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Show Notes Tom and Mark discuss how brands have responded to recent social protests in response to the murder of George Floyd and Black Lives Matter d...
Ep. 1 - Welcome To BrandBox
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The BrandBox - Ep. 1 - Introductions Show Notes Kendall Jenner for Pepsi Walter Landor Wikipedia page Hank Mobley - A Caddy For Daddy SVA Master’s ...