Building the HBO Brand with Jason Mulderig

07/06/20 • 28 min

“When it comes to HBO it’s really about quality, distinction, and uniqueness. And looking for stories that haven’t been told before.” As Senior Vice President at Warner Media, Jason Mulderig is responsible for everything related to the HBO brand—from advertising to promotion—including the new HBO Max streaming service. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.

About Jason Mulderig

Jason Mulderig is SVP, Brand Marketing for WarnerMedia Entertainment & Direct-to-Consumer, responsible for the branding, positioning, advertising, prosocial, and promotional efforts for the HBO Max brand, as well as the HBO brand and streaming platforms, HBO GO and HBO NOW.

Mulderig joined HBO in 1999 as a marketing assistant in the Affiliate Marketing group. In 2011, he added product marketing to his responsibilities with the launch of HBO’s first streaming app, HBO GO, and in 2013, he was promoted to VP, assuming responsibility for the HBO master brand strategy and advertising for all brand communications, including the HBO linear channel and digital products. In 2015, Mulderig oversaw the brand positioning, brand development, and advertising campaigns for HBO NOW. He currently oversees the national college ambassador program and promotion of HBO’s licensed theatrical movies and in 2020, he also took over leadership of HBO’s brand social media profiles and HBO.com.

Episode Highlights

The challenges of positioning streaming services. In the struggle to stand out among the various streaming networks, Jason framed the challenge as it relates to brand positioning: “What is the right amount of content? It’s the boutique vs. superstore question.”

Launching a brand in the midst of a pandemic. Additionally, COVID-19 presented another set of challenges in the launch of HBO Max, a campaign that was initially built around the NCAA playoffs. “We looked for how we could get to a critical mass—gathering up the long tail of users anywhere we could with high-impact placements online.”

What about Gone with the Wind? Another challenge still was Gone with the Wind. Specifically, how the 1939 film’s romanticized depiction of slavery in the Confederate South is viewed in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Jason talked about how they pulled the movie from HBO Max and “added additional context” to the conversation about the film.

What should you do in the next five minutes? As Tom Peters said on this podast, excellence is the best short-term strategy. I asked Jason what you should do in the five minutes after this show: “Continually go back and look at your messaging, what your purpose is, and what you’re putting out. Advertising can be so expensive. Are you hitting your audience?”

What brand has made Jason smile recently? “I’d have to say Spotify.” Jason walked us through how Spotify now owns every aspect of his audio listenership. I couldn’t agree more. (Remember, you can subscribe to On Brand on Spotify too.)

To learn more, go to HBOMax.com.

As We Wrap ...

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On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.

Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
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About Jason Mulderig

Episode Highlights

To learn more, go to HBOMax.com.

As We Wrap ...

On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.

Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.

Previous Episode

Rebranding Best Practices with Jim Heininger

“Rebranding itself signals change.” Change is something that Jim Heininger focuses on extensively in his work as the leader of not one but two agencies. Dixon|James focuses on communication and change management while Rebranding Experts focuses on the comprehensive art and strategic science of rebranding. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.

About Jim Heininger

Jim Heininger is a Growth Communicator, Change Activist, and Rebranding Evangelist. He has spent 30 years in the marketing communications industry building and protecting some of the best-known brands including McDonald’s, Anheuser-Busch, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Wendy’s, and Molson Coors. Based in Chicago, he leads two agencies: Dixon|James Communications, a communications and change management firm, and Rebranding Experts, a team which focuses solely on the rebranding of companies and organizations. A firm believer that rebranding is an enterprise-wide strategic growth accelerator, he regularly shares first-hand insights on when to consider a rebranding strategy and how and when to rebrand successfully.

Episode Highlights

Rebranding is a heavy lift. “Rebranding goes from the top to the bottom, inside and out.” Many struggle with employee alignment during this, which is why Jim notes that you should plan on 18 months for a rebranding project with another 12 months after the announcement for adoption.

Not everything is ‘rebranding.’ Jim notes that rebranding is used by many as a generic way to describe an identity change. He then walked us through three key applications that Rebranding Experts focuses on.

Refresh — updating the look and feel of a brand; modernizing.
Reposition — positioning the brand with a new audience as Old Spice did a few years ago.
Rebrand — a comprehensive revision of everything including a brand’s purpose.

At the end of the day, to know which strategy to pursue, it’s all about answering one question: what problem are you trying to solve?

Textbook examples of good and not-so-good rebranding. As a teacher, I had to ask Jim for his favorite good and bad examples. On the good side, he cited Arther Anderson’s rebranding as Accenture, noting that it happened at a key time when the brand needed to lose the baggage of the existing company identity. On the not-so-good side, Jim pointed to Weight Watchers rebranding as WW. “I’m not a big fan of acronyms. They don’t have a lot of meaning.” I couldn’t agree more!

What brand has made Jim smile recently? “During the pandemic, the brands that make me smile are really individual personal brands like Brené Brown and Oprah. They understand the human condition and what it means during this challenging time.”

To learn more, go to the Rebranding Experts website.

As We Wrap ...

On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.

Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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Next Episode

The Importance of Imperfect Action with Ashley Shuler

“There’s a shift that’s taking place that’s requiring a response. Now people are saying—action.” Ashley Shuler is a business strategist who helps busy solopreneurs operate their businesses efficiently and effectively. Recently, she replied to one of my ICYMI email newsletters on how brands need to do better on race. We discussed this along with productivity and missed brand touchpoints, this week on the On Brand podcast.

About Ashley Shuler

Ashley Shuler doesn't believe in quick fixes and seeks to create the transformative solutions for busy solopreneurs so they can operate more efficiently in their business. Her superpower is the ability to take big picture ideas and create business systems and recipes so entrepreneurs can generate leads, increase productivity, and enhance their client experience. Ashley is the Chief Strategist of Shuler Strategies Group where she offers two signature services: the client engagement experience and online virtual summit intensive. The Client Engagement Experience intensive is a system that bridges the gap between the discovery call, client onboarding, and client offboarding processes. The Online Virtual Summit intensive provides entrepreneurs an opportunity to build authority in their industry, generate leads, and create brand awareness for their products and services.

Originally from Northern Virginia, Ashley holds a BA in Government from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and graduated from George Mason University, School of Public Policy. She is a certified Project Manager and volunteers in her local community.

Episode Highlights

In the face of COVID-19, solopreneurs are busier than they’ve ever been. What do we do now? Ashley advises people to start with a routine and schedule. “Time is one of your most precious assets—we can’t get it back.”

Recently, Ashley emailed me ... As a brand myself, I made brands needing to do more on race the focus of my email newsletter. Ashley took the time to reply and we began a conversation on this challenging moment and how businesses need to at least start the difficult work of navigating it. “It won’t all look the same,” Ashley noted. “There’s a shift that’s taking place that’s requiring a response. Now people are saying action.”

What should you do in the next five minutes? As Tom Peters said on this podast, excellence is the best short-term strategy. I asked Ashley what you should do in the five minutes after this show ... “Think big. Taking imperfect action is where the magic happens.” Amen.

What brand has made Ashley smile recently? Ashley came prepared with not one but two brands. First, she pointed to Michelle Obama and the unique brand she’s built around “women’s empowerment” that runs through her book, talks, tour, and Netflix documentary. Ashley’s second smile was the “Share the Mic” event where successful white women shared their platforms, giving voice to women of color.

To learn more, connect with Ashley on Instagram.

As We Wrap ...

On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.

Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS.
Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to Apple Podcasts and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And, if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.
OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutori...