On Brand with Nick Westergaard

The Myth of the Rational Customer

27 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The OLIPOP Strategy for Category Disruption

20 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Lester and David Lester are brothers who have turned a shared history of high-level brand strategy into a family legacy of innovation. David is t...

Why Your CX Dashboard Needs a Piece of Humanity

13 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The customer experience often feels like a series of accidental encounters, but Jeannie Walters argues it is actually the ultimate competitive lever. ...

The Cringe-Free Guide to Personal Branding

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Personal branding often feels like a race to see who can shout the loudest, but Vanessa Errecarte is changing the script. The CEO of Marketing Simplif...

We Have an Attentional Health Problem

30 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We often treat our attention like a machine to be controlled, focusing only on the metrics that drive immediate results. But we have an attentional he...

The Leadership Joy Gap

23 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We spend most of our lives working, yet so many of us have been taught that “ambition” has to come at the cost of our health and our weekends. On ...

Making Intangible Brands Tangible

16 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

A creative vision is only as good as its execution. As the Vice President of Creative at Agency EA, Joanna Badamo leads the teams behind major experie...

Changing Narratives for Cultural Impact

09 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We often hear that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but NéAndré Broussard knows that the cover is exactly where the story begins. After a ...

When People Matter at Work the Brand Follows

02 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Building a brand is about more than just what happens in the marketplace—it’s about what happens in the hallway. On this episode of On Brand, I’...

Being Yourself Is Bad Advice

23 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve all been told to just be yourself. But psychologist and author Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic—Chief Innovation Officer at ManpowerGroup and profess...

Designing with Emotional Friction

16 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Design is about more than just how something looks—it’s about how it works for the people using it. On this episode of On Brand, I’m joined by L...

The Myth of Brand Control

09 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The strongest brands don’t shout—they earn trust over time. That’s how Nikki Little approaches her work. She’s the CMO and co-owner at Franco,...

Episode 600: Flipping the Script

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today is a major milestone—Episode 600. My journey behind the mic began in 2012, and since then, this conversation has evolved from simple marketing...

Episode 600: Flipping the Script

02 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Today is a major milestone—Episode 600. My journey behind the mic began in 2012, and since then, this conversation has evolved from simple marketing...

Welcome to On Brand with Nick Westergaard

28 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

“I’m Nick Westergaard, and this is On Brand — helping you tell your story.” Storytelling is everything—especially for leaders and marketers...

The Manager Method for Human Leadership

26 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Ashley Herd, founder of Manager Method and former Head of HR at McKinsey, explains why most managers aren't actually failing—they're just guessing. ...

Why Recess Is Quitting Dry January

19 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

While every non-alcoholic brand is shouting Dry January, Recess is telling you to quit. Literally. Joining us is Ben Witte, CEO and co-founder of the ...

Startup Storytelling Through Your Customer’s Eyes

12 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Storytelling is easy to talk about—and hard to do well. On this episode of On Brand, I’m joined by John Elbing, Chief Storybuilder Officer at Stan...

Narrative-First Leadership in the Age of AI

05 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if the story your brand tells could drive growth like nothing else? Park Howell—The World’s Most Industrious Storyteller, Emmy-winning ad vet...

Marketing’s Most Human Moment Is Now

22 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if the future of marketing is a lot more human than we think? Today’s guest, Mark Schaefer, has been shaping that future for decades — and he...

The Naughty and Nice Brands of 2025

15 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s that time of year again: Brand Federation’s Naughty & Nice list is out, and Matt Williams is here to break it down. Matt is President of Bran...

AI-Powered Business Strategy at Lightning Speed

08 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if you could test your business strategy in days instead of months? That’s what Kate O’Keeffe, CEO and Co‑Founder of Heatseeker, makes poss...

Measuring the Impact of Brand Activism

01 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Impact isn’t a vibe — it’s measurable. This week I’m joined by Neil Callanan, LooseGrip founder and creator of the GRASP Impact Framework, to ...

Finding the Right Agency Partner

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The secret to great creative work isn’t just the idea — it’s knowing how to get there. Toby Wilkinson, co-founder of Ask Us For Ideas, has spent...

The Wedding Crashers Guide to Branding

17 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does the producer of Wedding Crashers, Serendipity, and Van Wilder know about building brands? Turns out—a lot. This week on On Brand, Andrew P...

The Hard Way to Real ROI

10 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to build one of the world’s top-rated social media management platforms—without a single dollar of outside funding? This week on...

Building Trust That Scales

03 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do the most visible leaders stay trusted and relevant in a noisy world? Danielle Sabrina has spent her career helping them do exactly that. As fou...

The Hidden Science of Brand Associations

27 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do brands really live in our minds? According to Ulli Applebaum, it’s all about associations — the complex web of meanings and emotions that d...

World-Building Brands in an AI Era

13 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Geoff Cook’s career took off the night he met MoMA’s CMO—and helped create the iconic MoMA QNS brand. Since then, he’s shaped brands from MILK...

Taylor's Version, Bonus Track! Showgirl Spotlight

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this special bonus episode of On Brand: Taylor’s Version, now that The Life of a Showgirl is out in the world, we’re asking: what does this new...

The Power of Productive Tension in Branding

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a brand unforgettable instead of overlooked? Tom Miner knows. As Head of Global Social Media at Crocs, he helped drive one of today’s big...

Taylor's Version, Pt 4: Swifties & Storytelling

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of On Brand: Taylor’s Version, we’re joined by Ann Handley — Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Chief Content Officer of Ma...

How AI Is Rewriting Answer Optimization

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Few business thinkers have shaped customer experience and marketing as profoundly as Jay Baer. A 7th-generation entrepreneur, best-selling author, and...

Taylor's Version, Pt 3: Eras & Education

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of On Brand Taylor's Version, we're joined by Stephanie Burt, poet, critic, and professor of English at Harvard University. Stephanie ...

Creative Swings, Not Cracker Barrel

22 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Hot Wheels, Disney, Burton, and WWE have in common? They’ve all had Mark Michaylira driving their brand forward. With two decades of creativ...

Taylor's Version, Pt 2: Fearless Focus

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of On Brand: Taylor’s Version, we’re joined by Emily Campion — Henry B. Tippie Fellow and Associate Professor at the University ...

TikTok and the Future of Storytelling

15 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Few platforms have changed culture as quickly—or as globally—as TikTok. Khartoon Weiss, VP and GM of North America and Global Business Solutions, ...

Taylor's Version, Pt 1: Swift Strategy Secrets

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In our first episode of On Brand: Taylor’s Version, we’re joined by Sinéad O’Sullivan — aerospace engineer turned business strategist, former...

The Stories That Made Guy Kawasaki a Wiser Guy

08 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What makes an idea—or a person—truly remarkable? Guy Kawasaki has spent decades evangelizing some of the world’s most influential brands—from ...

Introducing On Brand: Taylor's Version

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Brand: Taylor’s Version is a 4-episode mini-series exploring Taylor Swift’s brand brilliance — from storytelling and community to cultural hi...

How Brand Experience Works at LinkedIn

01 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a brand experience unforgettable? Laura Parkinson, Global Head of Brand Experience at LinkedIn, has created standout experiences at Apple, ...

The Women Behind Microsoft's 50-Year History

25 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when the women who helped build Microsoft finally get their story told? In her new book, The Women of Microsoft, Miri Rodriguez—Senior ...

Inside Google’s Grip on Advertising

18 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How did Google become one of the most powerful forces in advertising—and what happens when that power crosses the line? Ari Paparo, ad tech veteran,...

Values-Based Leadership Lessons at UPS Scale

11 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Noel Massie is the former Vice President of U.S. Operations at UPS and author of the new book Congrats, You’ve Been Promoted. Over a decades-long ca...

The Secret Agent of Smart, Fast Creative

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dani Dufresne is the Founder and Executive Producer of The Auxiliary Co., a creative execution firm known for bringing bold ideas to life—efficientl...

The Creative Power of Bad Ideas

28 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jason Keath is a creativity keynote speaker, digital strategist, and co-founder of Social Fresh — a long-running marketing conference and agency tru...

A History of Branding: Lessons for Today

21 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Shear is Founding Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Invōk Brands and a founding faculty member of SVA’s Master’s in Branding program....

How MOO Blends E-Commerce and Emotion

14 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Corin Mills is the Brand Marketing & E-Commerce Director at MOO, where he leads data-driven strategies that connect standout design with authentic bra...

Why Smart Brands Still Make Bad Decisions

07 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan Hamilton is an associate professor of marketing at Emory University and co-author of The Growth Dilemma. As co-host of The Intuitive Customer pod...

Brand Wisdom from the Guy Who Wrote the Book

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

David Aaker is Vice Chairman of Prophet and Professor Emeritus at the Berkeley Haas School of Business. Often called the “Father of Modern Branding,...

Why Story and Authenticity Win on LinkedIn

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you stand out on LinkedIn and build a personal brand that truly works? Regina Dowdell, Content Solutions Consultant at LinkedIn, shares her ins...

The Taboo Topics of Women Leaders

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Johnston is a former global marketing leader turned transformational coach, with a career spanning Procter & Gamble, Hershey, and Newell Brands...

Rethinking Research for a Noisy World

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Heather O’Shea is Chief Research Officer at Alter Agents, where she helps brands like Netflix, Walmart, and Spotify solve tough business challenges ...

Marketing the Metaverse at Meta

02 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does the future of immersive tech look like—and what role will brands play in shaping it? Dave Kaufman, Senior Director of Global Marketing for...

How Album Design Shapes Brand Strategy

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Kingsley is the author of Universal Principles of Branding and the forthcoming Brands in the Age of AI. A Grammy-nominated designer turned brand ...

Mastering the Pause in Everyday Conversations

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cynthia Kane is the author of the new book The Pause Principle: How to Keep Your Cool in Tough Situations. A leading voice in intentional communicatio...

The Hollywood Blueprint for Brand Storytelling

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anson Sowby is CEO and co-founder of Battery, a global creative company that mixes Hollywood storytelling with brand strategy and Silicon Valley speed...

Revitalizing Legacy Brands with Modern Strategy

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Cardetti is Chief Strategy Officer at BarkleyOKRP, where he’s spent the past decade shaping strategy into a creative force behind brand reviva...

“Yes And” Thinking for Bold Brands

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kathy Klotz-Guest is Founder of Keeping It Human—a consultancy helping teams at Google, Amazon, and Wells Fargo ditch rigid thinking and spark bold ...

Why Brands Need to Be Entertaining (or Be Ignored)

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Salkey is Founder & Strategy Partner at Small World—a creative consultancy redefining industry norms with entertainment-first marketing. By cura...

Where Beer Runs Meet Brand Strategy

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dana Hork, Founder & CEO of Beers With Friends, joins me to share how her agile creative agency helps challenger brands solve big problems in just fiv...

H&R Block on Reinventing Relevance for Gen Z

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jill Cress, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at H&R Block, is a visionary marketer with 30+ years of experience in financial services, media, an...

How to Connect with Red and Blue Customers

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Peterson, Co-Founder of Lifemind, is a marketing pioneer with over 30 years of experience shaping the digital landscape. Author of Red & Blue Cu...

Growing Your Brand with Referrals & Relationships

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Grates is a visionary entrepreneur and expert in strategic relationship marketing, building multiple seven-figure businesses, including top insu...

Talk to Your Customers, Transform Your Brand

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole Powell is a certified brand strategist and neuromarketer who blends science-backed insights with creative storytelling. As the founder of HALCO...

The Work Talk Show Returns (Kind of)

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on On Brand, we’re shaking things up with a very special guest—DJ Waldow! Longtime listeners may remember that DJ and I co-hosted The Wo...

Audience Strategy Hacks from Amazon and MrBeast

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Constantine is the Founder and CEO of ACE Creatives, a full-service social media agency helping brands maximize ROI and build meaningful audience...

Timeless Leadership and the Power of Clear Communication

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Scott Monty is an executive coach, advisor, and speaker who helps leaders find clarity and drive growth. A former executive at Ford, he merged technol...

From Startup to Standout: Winning in CPG

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. James Richardson, founder of Premium Growth Solutions, returns to On Brand to share more insights on scaling CPG brands. A cultural anthropologist...

Brand Storytelling Takes Flight at Southwest Air

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Derek K. Hubbard is Manager of Public Relations for Southwest Airlines. In his role, Derek shares the story of Southwest with audiences across a varie...

Context is King: Designing with Purpose and Impact

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Todd Bracher, founder of BRACHER, is a leading industrial designer and strategist with 25+ years of experience. He shares how he blends design, scienc...

Revolutionizing Brand Storytelling with Superplastic

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of On Brand, Jennifer van Dijk, CEO of Superplastic, shares how the company is redefining entertainment by turning animated characters...

How Crayola Champions Creativity & Connection

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of On Brand, we’re celebrating creativity with Victoria Lozano, Executive Vice President at Crayola. As Crayola kicks off its annual...

From President Clinton’s Office to Crisis Communication

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elie Jacobs is a Founding Partner at Purposeful Advisors. With a career that began in President Clinton's post-presidential office, Elie has worked fo...

Pushing Creative Boundaries with Cannabis Advertising

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tommy Means is a Founding Partner & Chief Creative Officer at Mekanism. In his nearly twenty years in the industry, he has created award-winning campa...

Customer-Centric Brand Storytelling

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Wright is Co-Founder, Director, and Chief Creative Officer at Sibling Rivalry, a New York and Los Angeles-based brand studio and production compan...

The Naughty and Nice Brands of 2024

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week we have our annual holiday episode of the On Brand podcast with the “Naughty and Nice Brands of 2024.” The smart folks at Brand Federati...

Planning Your Media Strategy for the Year Ahead

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Justin Goldstein is the Founder and Lead Strategist of PR72, an integrated communications agency that helps organizations like Uber, AARP, and General...

How to Build a Brand with Soul

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Siew Ting Foo is a transformational growth leader who builds businesses and brands with soul. Building Brands with Soul is also the title of her new ...

Why Authentic Brands Question Assumptions

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Katie Cabanas has been called the Bilingual Brand Builder. In a career spanning diverse organizations such as AT&T, Coca-Cola and the University of Mi...

AI Supported Collaboration & Creativity

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cliff Ettridge is Director at The Team, where he leads their employee experience strand. His work for clients such as IBM and the BBC helps bring bran...

Finding Your Brand Archetype

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jane McCarthy is co-author of the new book The Goddess Guide to Branding. Through stories of female entrepreneurs and business leaders (including Arge...

The Value of B2B Brand Building

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Eifert is the agency principal at B2B marketing agency TriComB2B. With an unconventional background as an engineer, he brings a unique and usefu...

Building Brands That Move People Emotionally

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Pietruszynsk is the CEO of Soulsight, a brand design agency with 30+ years of experience in building emotive brands that move. His work with globa...

The Design Story Behind Beats by Dre

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Brunner is Lead Designer for Beats by Dre and the Founder and Partner of design firm Ammunition. With over 40 years of experience, his experien...

Designing Messages That Can't Be Unheard

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tamsen Webster was one of my very first guests when this podcast launched in 2015. She's been busy over the past nine years — including writing two ...

BONUS! Productivity Tips from Astronauts (Tippie Leads 1.1)

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's launch day for Tippie Leads, my new podcast from the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business. Each season will focus on a challenge in to...

Measuring Your Brand Influence

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lida Citroën is a personal branding and reputation management expert and author of the book, The New Rules of Influence. We talked about personal bra...

Sneak Peek of My New Podcast: Tippie Leads

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Introducing my new podcast — Tippie Leads from the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, produced by the Tippie Leadership Collaborativ...

Connecting Consumer Insights to Brand Strategy

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Davies is the co-founder of Alchemy-Rx. With decades with brands like Unilever, he specializes in connecting changing consumer insights to eff...

Find Your Brand's Cultural Relevance

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maya Guice is the Director of Strategy at BRC Imagination Arts and host of the Masters of Storytelling podcast. Her work with brands like Diageo, Ford...

Sneaker Brand Strategy Lessons with Tom Ramsden

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tom Ramsden is CEO of creative agency, Sid Lee US. An Adidas veteran with both brand and creative side experience, Tom is a progressive and strategic ...

Managing Brand Transgressions with Shailendra Pratap Jain

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shailendra Pratap Jain is a professor of marketing at the University of Washington's Foster School of Business and the co-author of the new book Manag...

Brands as Cultural Beacons with Ruth Bernstein

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ruth Bernstein is Co-Founder and CEO of YARD NYC, an award-winning independent creative company. Her innovative work for brands like Athleta, Crocs, a...

The Insights Ecosystem with Brett Townsend

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brett Townsend is the Senior Vice President of Strategy at insights and analytics firm Quester. His work has helped brands such as Pepsi, Doritos, Ruf...

Designing Brand Identity with Michael Ian Kaye

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Ian Kaye is the Chief Design Officer at SYLVAIN. From his years of experience in design helping shape, define, and impact some of today’s mo...

Reinventing Workwear with Argent’s Sali Christeson

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sali Christeson is the Founder and CEO of Argent. Sali had a vision to arm women with a wardrobe that delivers style, functionality, and self-expressi...

Centering the Customer at BILL with Sarah Acton

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Acton is the Chief Customer Officer at BILL. Until recently she had been the Chief Marketing Officer. However, this is more than just a one-word...

AI-Powered Customer Strategy with Mark Abraham

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Abraham is a Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and co-author of the upcoming book Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI. With...

Inclusive Leadership with Jonathan Stutz

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Stutz is the President of Global Diversity Partners and co-author of the book Daily Practices of Inclusive Leaders. Based on his 25+ years as...