We Built This Brand

Dive into the fascinating world of digital innovation with Mat Micheli, co-founder and co-CEO of Viral Nation. This episode takes you on a journey from Viral Nation's roots in 2014 to its emergence as a global leader in digital and social innovation. Mat recounts his entrepreneurial ventures with Joe Gagliese, detailing their shift from a liquidation business to the forefront of social media and influencer marketing.

Explore the complexities of influencer marketing, the role of AI in shaping Viral Nation's services, and the secret behind crafting viral content. This episode is a treasure trove of insights for entrepreneurs and marketers, highlighting the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and social media trends.

About Mat Micheli:

Mat Micheli, a dynamic entrepreneur and Co-CEO of Viral Nation, has transformed the company from an influencer marketing agency into a global digital and social innovation group since its inception in 2014. Under his leadership, Viral Nation has flourished, working with thousands of influencers and major brands like Anheuser-Busch and The Coca-Cola Company. His expertise in athlete influencer marketing and social technologies has earned him features in Business Insider, Forbes, and Vox, as well as the prestigious EY Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2019.

Show Highlights:

(00:00) Introduction to Mat Michelli and the formation of Viral Nation.

(02:20) The story of Mat's early entrepreneurial efforts and how a chance encounter with Joe Galease at university sparked the creation of Viral Nation.

(08:20) The expansion of Viral Nation

(16:00) Viral Nation's approach to selecting influencers, with a special emphasis on the power of niche markets.

(22:45) Viral Nation's support for creators, incorporation monetization strategies and content distribution.

(36:32): The Role of AI in the Creator Ecosystem

(40:28) Mat's admiration for innovative brands like Fanatics and ESPN, and their successful integration into the cultural mainstream.

(43:53) Closing remarks and contact information

Links Referenced:

‣ Viral Nation: https://viralnation.com/
‣ Matt Micheli - LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewmicheli/
‣ Sportico: https://www.sportico.com/
‣ Fanatics: https://www.fanatics.com/
‣ ESPN on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@espn
‣ Charles Leclerc’s Meta Campaign: https://www.instagram.com/charles_leclerc/reel/C06_4DYRKeE/?hl=en

Embark on a journey of digital transformation with Alex Melen, one of the masterminds behind Smart Sites. In this episode, Alex sheds light on the art of building a powerful personal brand, the intricacies of nurturing a thriving business in the tech-centric marketplace, and his innovative strategies that are shaping the future of digital marketing.

Listen in as he offers a blend of insightful experiences and groundbreaking ideas, making this episode a treasure trove for entrepreneurs and marketers eager to understand the future of digital marketing.

About Alex Melen

Meet Alex Melen, the dynamic Co-CEO and CFO of SmartSites, an influential player in the digital media realm with a career spanning over a decade. Alex is the visionary founder of T35 Hosting, a pioneering free web hosting service from the late 1990s. His expertise expanded while leading digital analytics for Walmart at Starcom MediaVest Group.

Alex's entrepreneurial flair has earned him widespread recognition. He's been featured in prestigious publications like BusinessWeek and Forbes. Celebrated as one of America's top young entrepreneurs, Young Biz Magazine listed him as #19 in the U.S. His academic journey at Babson College, renowned for entrepreneurship, concluded with honors and the esteemed Babson Student Business Initiative Award.

Alex's story is one of innovation, foresight, and remarkable achievements, making him an exciting guest on "We Built This Brand," where he shares his insights into the evolution and success of digital enterprises.

Highlighted Timestamps from the Podcast

(00:00) Intro: Chris Hill introduces the episode of "We Built This Brand" featuring Alex Melen, founder of Smart Sites.

(01:10) The Birth of Smart Sites: Alex Melen describes the premier of Smart Sites and its early days, highlighting bringing digital solutions to small, medium sized business who don't have access.

(07:45) The Personal Branding Journey: Alex delves into the importance of personal branding and how it has played a pivotal role in his career and Smart Sites' success.

(9:20) Navigating Entrepreneurial Challenges: A light-hearted moment where Alex humorously recounts the unexpected challenges he faced in his entrepreneurial journey.

(13:50) Leveraging Tech Innovations: Insightful discussion on how Alex and Smart Sites have utilized technological advancements to stay ahead in the digital marketing industry.

(18:35) Building a Digital Empire: Alex discusses the strategies and decisions that were instrumental in scaling Smart Sites into a digital marketing powerhouse. Navigating the challenges and finding what’s right for your business.

(22:10) Future of Digital Marketing: Alex provides his thoughts on the future trends in digital marketing and how businesses need to adapt.

(34:00) Writing a book to streamline your thoughts: Alex discusses the impact and learning experiences from publishing his book.

(47:45) Closing Remarks: Chris and Alex wrap up the episode with final thoughts and where listeners can find more information about Smart Sites and Alex Melen.

🔗 Connect with Alex Melen:

• Alex Melen’s LinkedIn
• Smart Sites Website
• Alex Melen’s Book: Automotive Research Marketing

Kelly Fletcher is the owner of Fletcher Marketing PR, an agency that has worked with brands of all sizes, from local businesses to Fortune 500 companies. On this episode of We Built This Brand, Kelly shares why she feels business is personal, and the mindset that she’s built to overcome the setbacks and challenges of building an agency from scratch. Chris and Kelly explore how the skills for building a brand and building a business differ, and Kelly shares why it was important to her to focus on selling the value of her team’s expertise rather than their time, as well as the importance of always looking forward towards new technologies and opportunities to maintain a constant edge above the competition.

Highlights:

(00:00) Intro

(01:35) Chris introduces Kelly, and she explains how she got her start in PR and Marketing

(05:14) How Kelly relates her performing arts background to her success as an entrepreneur

(06:20) Kelly and Chris discuss maintaining a healthy mindset as an entrepreneur

(18:10) Kelly’s early career

(23:49) Kelly describes how her PR skills and business skills differed

(28:30) The steps that Kelly took to set herself up for success when starting her own agency

(34:17) How Kelly keeps her agency forward-looking and moving in the right direction

(37:17) Why Kelly shifted from selling time to intellectual capital

(41:30) Kelly on the skepticism needed when evaluating agencies

(47:22) What the future of Fletcher Communications looks like

(54:10) Why Kelly can’t stand influencer marketing

(56:32) Kelly’s favorite brands right now

(59:17) Where you can find out more about Kelly, her podcast Ms. InterPReted, and Fletcher Marketing PR

Links Referenced:

• Website: https://www.fletchermarketingpr.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-fletcher-fprca-bb2b966/
• Email: [email protected]

Brandon Bruce is the CEO and Co-Founder of Uncat, but he’s also a co-founder of multiple brands and businesses. On this episode of We Built This Brand, Brandon shares what drew him to serial entrepreneurship, and how he’s successfully scaled his approach to branding across multiple endeavors. Chris and Brandon explore the inherent risk of starting a business, and how permission-based marketing and relationship building are key when building up brand awareness.

Highlights:

(00:00) Intro

(01:10) Chris introduces Brandon, who is the CEO and Co-Founder of Uncat and a prolific Knoxville entrepreneur, and Brandon shares the story of how he and Chris met

(05:15) Brandon shares how he got started on his journey of founding multiple successful businesses and brands

(07:34) Why being an end user before developing a product for that end user is advantageous

(10:43) Brandon shares how he approached branding when he was first starting out with Cirrus Insight

(16:11) Chris and Brandon explore the importance of having a unique name and how to handle it when you encounter other brands with a similar name

(17:47) How Brandon made the choice to sell his first business, and the thought process behind that decision

(21:00) What Brandon did after successfully selling his first start-up

(24:19) How the projects Brandon took on during his break wound up developing into various brands and organizations

(32:10) Brandon shares what he’s working on at Uncat

(40:08) Chris and Brandon explore the power of permission-based marketing and relationship-building in marketing a brand

(45:38) The challenge of identifying which marketing strategies are most effective for promoting your brand

(52:45) The brands that Brandon is loving right now

Links Referenced:

• Uncat: https://www.uncat.com/
• Startup Knox: https://startupknox.com/
• KTech: https://www.knoxtech.org/
• Knoxville Entrepreneur Center: https://knoxec.com/
• Email: [email protected]

Asterios Kokkinos, a freelance creative director and copywriter who works in the advertising industry, joins me on this episode of We Built This Brand to discuss one of the most challenging and critical elements of building a brand - getting people to pay attention to you. Asterios shares how he was able to break into advertising through his stand-up comedy career, and how humor not only helps develop effective content but also drives relationships and projects forward. We discuss the risks brands take when advertising in a highly-politicized culture, and the different strategies brands will take to either mitigate or embrace risk depending on their positioning. Asterios also gives an insightful look into his creative process, including the approach he takes for effective B2B sales copy that makes it the easiest form of content for him to create.

Highlights:

(00:00) Intro

(01:29) Chris introduces Asterios, who is a freelance copywriter and creative director in advertising

(02:53) How Asterios wound up going from stand-up comedy to advertising

(06:42) Asterios explains how creating a viral video comes with inherent risk

(11:06) How positioning can reduce or even eliminate the risk of traditional advertising

(13:23) Chris and Asterios discuss the recent Bud Light controversy and the phenomenon of seeing market leaders struggle in our fast-moving culture

(20:30) Asterios describes how so-called “edgy” brands are using the illusion of edge, but not actually risking controversy

(23:20) Chris and Asterios discuss the political minefields that exist in advertising today and how risk is often avoided by the fact that most advertising ideas don’t come to fruition

(27:01) Asterios’ creative process for coming up with advertising pitches

(31:05) How Asterios approaches sales content writing and why he feels it’s the easiest content to write

(37:08) Asterios’ favorite brand right now and why he feels their advertising strategy strikes a good balance

About Asterios

Asterios Kokkinos is an advertising creative with nearly fifteen years of experience writing for the biggest companies on the planet. He enjoys Babylon 5, yelling at the TV with his elderly father, and naps.

Links Referenced:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asterioskokkinos/
• The Loudest Podcast: https://www.asteriospodcasts.com/
• Loudest Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@theloudestpodcast

Transcript

Chris: What’s up, We Built This Brand listeners? This is your host, Chris Hill. And today we’re talking to Asterios Kokkinos. He is a freelance writer who has done a lot of writing in advertising and marketing over the years and worked with some huge brands. He’s worked on viral marketing campaigns—and yes, I do mean actual viral content—and has a very interesting career balance between having a background in comedy and a writing background that has helped him to create some very interesting, influential campaigns.

So unfortunately, we couldn’t talk a lot of detail about the brands he worked with specifically, but, you know, can look him up on LinkedIn, you’ll get a feel for what he does. We’ll include a link here if he’ll let us. This was a great interview with Asterios. It’s very wide-ranging, so be prepared. We go all over the place, we talk about what makes content viral, how he got his start in advertising, if he was a stand-up comic in LA, how did he end up in New York, and everything that happened in between.

It’s quite the journey that he’s had with his career and we talk a little bit about that. We also talk about what it takes to be edgy in this day and age and why it’s better to play things safe or, frankly, why it’s not better to play things safe and when to take risks and when not to within advertising. So overall, I really enjoyed this conversation and I think you will, too, so let’s get into it.

Chris: Welcome to We Built This Brand. I’m excited to be joined today by Asterios Kokkinos.

Asterios: Hello.

Chris: Asterios, thank you for joining me.

Asterios: Thanks for having me.

Chris: Yeah, man. Asterios is a freelance copywriter and creative director, and honestly, he’s an all-around cool guy. I’ve gotten to know him through one of my employees, John Zwick, and we actually share him as an editor. And he’s been great for both of us. And he was like, “You two need to talk. I just think you’d have a fun time talking.”

And Asterios knows a ton about branding. He’s worked for some big brands, and we’ll just—yeah, I’ll just...