249: What Radicalization Means to a Brand Marketer with Yonder CEO Jonathon Morgan

03/03/21 • 44 min

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On this 249th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart speaks with Jonathon Morgan, the founder and CEO of Yonder, an AI company that helps Fortune 500 communication teams identify and counteract online disinformation about issues that matter to their organization.

In this episode, Morgan talks about the power of groups with extreme ideals and how thought radicalization can mean something different for marketers.

Our conversation starts with understanding Yonder's mission and how the company originated. Early in his career, Morgan conducted internet research, advising the state department on how they could counter the impact of online radicalization worldwide.

Morgan explains that the modern concept of the internet is based on a fundamental premise — "there is wisdom in the crowd." He soon found out, however, that "if you value crowds, you inadvertently value mobs," and that someone who manipulates social platforms can have an immeasurable amount of power in swaying the crowd's thinking.

From there, Morgan provides insights on the pros and cons of social media censoring and how easily misinformation and extremist ideals can leak into mainstream media. Finally, he talks about how the idea of radicalization isn't always a bad thing when it comes to brand marketing.

In this episode, you'll learn:

The vulnerability of the internet and our social ecosystem
What contributes to the origins of radical groups and how misinformation can spread
The difference between good and bad radicalization
The importance of authentically communicating your company's values
How to build a coalition for your brand and leverage communication better

Key Highlights:

[02:16] Yonder's mission and how they got started
[05:46] How a person can have an incredible influence on the way the public thinks
[07:44] Motivations behind a mob; looking at the riots on the Capitol
[11:17] The pros and cons of censoring on social platforms
[15:21] How radical ideals spread into mainstream media
[18:40] When radicalization isn't always a bad thing
[24:00] Jonathon's advice to brand marketers about building a network
[32:53] How taking a stand is complicated but essential
[35:02] An experience that defines Jonathon made him who he is today
[36:27] Jonathon's advice to his younger self
[37:38] An impactful purchase Jonathon has recently made
[41:15] The brands, companies, and causes Jonathon follows
[42:38] What Jonathon thinks is the biggest opportunity for marketers today

Resources Mentioned:

Yonder
Jonathon Morgan - CEO of Yonder, his personal site
The prior episode on Marketing Today with Lisa Roberts, CMO at Yonder
4Chan (Wikipedia)
QAnon (Wikipedia)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Morgan talks about the power of groups with extreme ideals and how thought radicalization can mean something different for marketers.

In this episode, you'll learn:

The vulnerability of the internet and our social ecosystem
What contributes to the origins of radical groups and how misinformation can spread
The difference between good and bad radicalization
The importance of authentically communicating your company's values
How to build a coalition for your brand and leverage communication better

Key Highlights:

[02:16] Yonder's mission and how they got started
[05:46] How a person can have an incredible influence on the way the public thinks
[07:44] Motivations behind a mob; looking at the riots on the Capitol
[11:17] The pros and cons of censoring on social platforms
[15:21] How radical ideals spread into mainstream media
[18:40] When radicalization isn't always a bad thing
[24:00] Jonathon's advice to brand marketers about building a network
[32:53] How taking a stand is complicated but essential
[35:02] An experience that defines Jonathon made him who he is today
[36:27] Jonathon's advice to his younger self
[37:38] An impactful purchase Jonathon has recently made
[41:15] The brands, companies, and causes Jonathon follows
[42:38] What Jonathon thinks is the biggest opportunity for marketers today

Resources Mentioned:

Yonder
Jonathon Morgan - CEO of Yonder, his personal site
The prior episode on Marketing Today with Lisa Roberts, CMO at Yonder
4Chan (Wikipedia)
QAnon (Wikipedia)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

248: The Power of Audio with Audioburst founder and CEO Amir Hirsh

1 Recommendations

On this 248th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart speaks with Amir Hirsh, the chief executive officer and founder at Audioburst. This AI-powered audio discovery platform helps connect content consumers with relevant audio clips.

Our conversation starts with how people have a tendency to call Hirsh crazy due to his innovative and forward-thinking. Hirsh discusses how 2020 acted as gasoline on the audio fire and how "audio connects people much stronger and creates brand affinity." In the last year alone, the podcast industry more than doubled in size as more and more people crave content that doesn't hurl visuals at their eyeballs.

We then dive into Hirsh's company Audioburst and how it has "built an AI engine that listens to that vast amount of content," analyzes, and cuts it into short clips to make it more discoverable on the internet. Hirsh explains the massive opportunities that await marketers who can create or participate in their own audio content, as well as sponsor and attach their name to the audio content of others. The power of audio lies in the fact that "it can pretty much follow you throughout your day without interrupting whatever it is that you're doing at that moment in time." No matter how many people call him crazy, Hirsh sticks to the guiding principle that has gotten him here. "As long as you are true to yourself, you'll be a happier and more contributing person in life."

Highlights from this week's "Marketing Today":

As an entrepreneur that has spent his life in innovation and forward-thinking, Amir has been called crazy plenty of times. 1:13
2020 saw the audio industry explode with more people connecting via audio and technology than ever. 2:20
Podcasting doubled to 5.5 million podcasts in 2020 alone as more and more time has been spent at home. 2:54
Consuming content through the ears rather than the eyes frees up the consumer to do so much more. 3:40
Though Amazon was a little bit late to the audio game, it has positioned itself to be the 800lb gorilla in the room. 4:27
Voice penetration through Alexa will allow Amazon to push audio content at an entirely new level. 5:36
It's vital for marketers to think about audio as it becomes more available in all industries. 6:40
People can connect with brands at a much higher rate through audio than just being bombarded with visuals. 7:10
If you are not moving your ads into the audio dimension, you miss out on half of the consumers' attention span. 8:00
Amir started Audioburst to help podcasts and other audio connect with internet searchers. 9:27
By adding as much metadata as possible to the audio clips, Audioburst makes audio much more discoverable. 11:00
Other than making it accessible, Audioburst aims to make audio easy to use on many different platforms. 11:42
Currently, Audioburst partners with the likes of Samsung and Hyundai to integrate into multiple industries. 13:31
Rather than answering questions with an automated voice, Audioburst provides an audio clip from an expert in that field. 15:15
Audio finds its power in its ability to follow you around throughout the day without interrupting your activities. 16:44
Brands and marketers should be open to opportunities both in audio and on audio. 17:56
Opportunities in audio involve brands and marketers creating their own audio content, whether producing or being interviewed. 18:24
Placing a brand around a playlist, podcast, or audio event is how brands can participate in audio. 19:28

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

250: How Product Experience, Marketing, and Community Coexist with FreshBooks' Paul Cowan

1 Recommendations

On this 250th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart speaks with Paul Cowan, the CMO of FreshBooks, a cloud-based accounting solution for small businesses and self-employed professionals. Over the past 20 years, Paul has marketed everything from booze to SaaS products, learning that product experience and marketing go hand-in-hand.

In this episode, Alan and Paul discuss the symbiotic relationship between product experience and marketing while touching on the intersection between marketing and community. They even talk of activism — or really slacktivism — and what it means for businesses.

The conversation begins with an overview of how FreshBooks came to be and how Paul stepped into his CMO role during a company rebrand. Like any good CMO, Paul believes it's important for your customers to understand the pain you address, but it's even more essential for them to understand what makes you different. From a brand standpoint, Paul says marketers need to look internally and find what he calls the "bits of goodness" that exist within the product experience and communicate that to customers.

Paul goes on to explain how to use that pain to build a community, what slacktivism means, and how it impacts business, for better or worse.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How to take a pain point and use marketing to exploit it
How to find your company magic and use it as your superpower
What the symbiotic relationship is between product, customers, marketing, and community
What role slacktivism plays in marketing and in pushing companies to be purpose-driven

Key Highlights: