Brand Shorthand
Mark Vandegrift and Lorraine Kessler
Mark Vandegrift and Lorraine Kessler discuss advertising, public relations, sales, positioning, branding, and more in this podcast designed for those who want to do a deep dive into the world of marketing. Mark and Lorraine discuss the psychology of what makes great brands. They break down the details of the good moves and some really bad moves by brands big and small. It's like a play-by-play of what went right, or what went wrong.
If you're in the world of marketing, learn tips and tricks that will help you develop a new brand, from finding and focusing on a position, dramatizing that position in the marketplace, and distributing through the wide, wide world of media. With a combined 80 years of marketing experience, both Mark and Lorraine provide insights on campaigns they've led or seen others lead.
All gloves are off when it comes to their take on great strategic marketing moves and those that might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but later flopped. No matter what part of marketing interests you, there'll be something for everyone as we cover positioning strategy, branding, creative dramatization, media selection, sales techniques, analytics, and less discussed parts of the spectrum such as distribution and growth strategies. You can be a strategist, a copywriter, an art director, a web developer, a digital marketing specialist, a sales person, an SEO specialist, and pretty much anything else in the advertising world and you'll find something on the Brand Shorthand podcast that interests you.
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Top 10 Brand Shorthand Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Brand Shorthand episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Brand Shorthand for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Brand Shorthand episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Calvin Holston - Smeeple - Part 2
Brand Shorthand
10/14/24 • 26 min
Join Mark and Lorraine as they conclude their interview with Calvin Holston, the founder and CEO of Smeeple, an app designed to connect people to curated experts across a variety of specialties. In the second half of this interview, Calvin discusses Smeeple’s position among his competitors, as well as the effects his entrepreneurship has had on his faith and his family.
Spend 25ish with Mark, Lorraine, and Calvin as they talk all things marketing, advertising, entrepreneurship, and of course ... positioning!
Sensory Branding - Marketing Beyond Sight
Brand Shorthand
10/21/24 • 32 min
Between sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing, why do so many brands only appeal to the visual? Join Mark and Lorraine as they walk through a few jingles and audio logos. Then they discuss the topic of branding through smell, touch, and audio. From MasterCard’s “haptic logo” to smelling money through your phone, learn the different ways you can develop a brand that touches multiple senses!
Spend 30ish with Mark and Lorraine as they talk all things marketing, advertising, and of course ... positioning!
Positioning for Professionals - Exploding Myths Part 3
Brand Shorthand
06/17/24 • 32 min
In the final part of Positioning for Professionals, Lorraine and Mark knock down the last five positioning myths: 11) All clients are good; 12) full-service exists; 13) focus is limiting; 14) more means more; and 15) the middle is safe. Find out why these myths are simply not true, and what you can do about it. Mark also laments the "expiration" of so many great brands who have lost their positioning way.
Spend 30ish with the positioning duo as they discuss everything marketing, advertising, and positioning!
Calvin Holston - Smeeple - Part 1
Brand Shorthand
10/07/24 • 35 min
Bringing the experts right to you! Join Mark and Lorraine as they interview Calvin Holston, the founder and CEO of Smeeple, an app designed to connect people to real authentic experts across a variety of subjects, from sports to HVAC to homesteaders. Learn how Calvin came from nuclear engineer to entrepreneur, the origins and meaning behind the name “Smeeple,” and how it works to curate and cultivate the best of the best.
Spend 30ish with Mark, Lorraine, and Calvin as they talk all things marketing, advertising, entrepreneurship, and of course ... positioning!
08/21/23 • 31 min
The positioning gurus get to the point immediately on this episode of Brand Shorthand, that being a commentary on Roy Williams' Monday Morning Memo, "Why Most Ads Don't Work." It's a brief, but brilliant commentary on the advertising industry. Williams' point is that most ads are written "not to offend." Mark and Lorraine spend the episode walking through Williams' four mistakes most ads suffer and in the end, why most ads fail to create a customer.
Spend 30-ish with Mark and Lorraine to learn more about advertising, marketing, and positioning.
Ways to Differentiate: Heritage
Brand Shorthand
07/31/23 • 31 min
Italian wines. French romance. German engineering. Amish furniture. These all have a common thread and are the topic of today's discussion — how to differentiate using a Heritage position. Mark and Lorraine do a deep dive on why Heritage can be such a powerful position, including some sensitivities and potential competitor moves that can back your brand into a corner.
Spend 30-ish with Mark and Lorraine to learn more about advertising, marketing, and positioning.
Ways to Differentiate: The Market Specialist
Brand Shorthand
07/17/23 • 27 min
The Ways to Differentiate series continues with a focus on the Market Specialist position. Mark and Lorraine share how one of the best startup strategies is to enter the market as a specialist to position against the established generalist/leader. Also, take the specialist quiz with Lorraine and see how you score against her answers. [This is the third episode in the Ways to Differentiate series - see previous episodes for the positions of Owning an Attribute and the Leader.]
Spend 30-ish with Mark and Lorraine to learn more about advertising, marketing, and positioning.
02/19/24 • 30 min
Your favorite positioning tandem continue to look back on the past 50+ years of advertising, this time focusing on the rise of B2B marketing. What used to be considered risky is now standard practice, and in fact, B2B advertising continues to evolve closer to B2C strategies. Mark and Lorraine consider the examples of Owens Corning, BASF, and Intel, who all moved the B2B advertising needle in a big way.
Spend 30-ish with Mark and Lorraine as they talk all things marketing, advertising, and positioning!
Ways to Differentiate: Preference + Influencer Marketing
Brand Shorthand
08/28/23 • 31 min
Corporate speak runs amok today as Mark and Lorraine try to figure out what Calvin Klein's CMO is saying. Marketing 101, Public Relations 101, and other basic positioning principles rarely change and continue to be used by even the big brands. Once their frustrations are vented, the positioning gurus spend time explaining Preference as a way to differentiate. How does influencer marketing -- aka celebrity endorsement -- play with Preference? Spend 30-ish with Mark and Lorraine to find out, and learn more about advertising, marketing, and positioning.
Small Brands. Real Results.
Brand Shorthand
04/22/24 • 33 min
As a follow-up to Big Brands, Big Trouble, Mark and Lorraine chat about some of the small brands who have had amazing results despite relatively small marketing budgets. Before they get there, however, Mark rants about a Celebrity Cruise's article that adds confusion to the language of marketing, then we talk about what Celebrity is really doing.
The positioning gurus talk about a local body shop, a mid-size competitor in the synthetic grass market, and a c-store -- all who are having amazing results with a focused position and focused marketing. Learn why niching yourself into a nice profit is a real thing that gets real results for small brands.
Spend 30-ish with Mark and Lorraine as they discuss all things marketing, advertising ... and positioning!
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FAQ
How many episodes does Brand Shorthand have?
Brand Shorthand currently has 61 episodes available.
What topics does Brand Shorthand cover?
The podcast is about Marketing, Advertising, Podcasts and Business.
What is the most popular episode on Brand Shorthand?
The episode title 'Obvious Adams and In Search of the Obvious' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Brand Shorthand?
The average episode length on Brand Shorthand is 34 minutes.
How often are episodes of Brand Shorthand released?
Episodes of Brand Shorthand are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Brand Shorthand?
The first episode of Brand Shorthand was released on May 10, 2023.
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