Diving Deep for a Brand that Soars with Gavin Baker

04/26/23 • 48 min

Get to know Gavin Baker, Founder of Baker Marketing Labs, as he joins Chris on We Built This Brand. In this episode, Gavin shares how his early experiences in social media management and running a start-up shaped his career in the world of branding. Dive into the process of taking his own company through a major rebrand and discover valuable, actionable tips for entrepreneurs building their first brand. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from an industry expert and gain practical insights into the world of branding. Tune in and let Gavin and Chris guide you on your brand-building journey.

Highlights

(00:00) Intro

(01:18) Gavin describes how he got his start in Knoxville as an up-and-coming entrepreneur

(03:13) The lessons Gavin learned from his first job at a start-up called Abunga

(07:33) Gavin’s experience being the first Social Media Manager hired in the restaurant industry

(14:40) Gavin’s first foray into public speaking and though leadership

(16:36) How Gavin’s experiences led him to entrepreneurship

(20:04) The story of how Gavin’s first business Greenlight competed directly with ConvertKit

(22:02) How Baker Labs differentiates their marketing firm

(24:08) Gavin shares how Baker Labs got their name, and the lessons he learned on picking a website URL

(28:07) Gavin discusses the visual identity of a brand and how that played into the rebrand at Baker Labs

(32:24) The approach to branding that Gavin takes at his firm and why it’s similar to the mythology of the flying fish

(39:35) Gavin’s advice to an entrepreneur who is trying to figure out their brand for the first time

(44:19) Gavin describes the pitfalls of asking the wrong people for feedback when developing branding materials

(45:29) The brands that Gavin is loving right now

About Gavin

Gavin Baker is the President and Founder of Baker Marketing Laboratory, an award–winning digital marketing agency in Knoxville, TN that helps clients in the healthcare industry better serve their patients and customers. Gavin also works as an adjunct professor in the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, where he leads a 400-level Brand Management course. As a respected individual in the healthcare marketing sphere, Gavin has been featured as a guest on various podcasts and radio shows, including HealthcareNOW (Nationally Syndicated Radio), Medical Practice Trends, Doctors Unbound, and Made Right Here. He sits on the Forbes Agency Council as well, where his marketing advice has been featured in multiple articles published on Forbes.

Links Mentioned:

Baker Marketing Labs: https://bakerlabs.co/

Follow the Podcast:

Subscribe to the newsletter & follow the podcast: https://www.webuiltthisbrand.com/
Check out HumblePod: https://www.humblepod.com

Highlights

(00:00) Intro

(01:18) Gavin describes how he got his start in Knoxville as an up-and-coming entrepreneur

(03:13) The lessons Gavin learned from his first job at a start-up called Abunga

(07:33) Gavin’s experience being the first Social Media Manager hired in the restaurant industry

(14:40) Gavin’s first foray into public speaking and though leadership

(16:36) How Gavin’s experiences led him to entrepreneurship

(20:04) The story of how Gavin’s first business Greenlight competed directly with ConvertKit

(22:02) How Baker Labs differentiates their marketing firm

(24:08) Gavin shares how Baker Labs got their name, and the lessons he learned on picking a website URL

(28:07) Gavin discusses the visual identity of a brand and how that played into the rebrand at Baker Labs

(32:24) The approach to branding that Gavin takes at his firm and why it’s similar to the mythology of the flying fish

(39:35) Gavin’s advice to an entrepreneur who is trying to figure out their brand for the first time

(44:19) Gavin describes the pitfalls of asking the wrong people for feedback when developing branding materials

(45:29) The brands that Gavin is loving right now

About Gavin

Links Mentioned:

Baker Marketing Labs: https://bakerlabs.co/

Follow the Podcast:

Subscribe to the newsletter & follow the podcast: https://www.webuiltthisbrand.com/
Check out HumblePod: https://www.humblepod.com

Previous Episode

Embrace Your Inner Brand Nerd with Jess Gutman

In this episode of We Built This Brand, Chris is joined by Jess Gutman, Creative Director at Big Slate Media. Jess reveals what it’s been like to see the company grow from its early days (she’s employee #3), and is able to share unique insights on how building a brand from scratch is an ever-evolving process. If there’s one big lesson you can take away from this conversation, it’s to embrace whatever it is you’re weirdly passionate about because that’s your superpower. Jess is a self-described “brand nerd” and it’s clearly paying off.

Highlights
(00:00) Intro
(01:53) Chris introduces Jess Gutman, Creative Director at Big Slate Media
(02:38) Jess describes the early days in her career and what led her to a career in PR & Marketing
(07:25) Jess explains how a drone started the Big Slate Media brand and how she joined the company as one of the first employees
(12:47) The approach Jess took to building out the Big Slate Media brand and how she has scaled that into a branding workshop
(15:42) Jess describes the challenges of managing an evolving brand
(19:38) Jess & Chris discuss Upcoming initiatives at Big Slate Media
(23:37) Jess explains what the B-Roll Bank is and why Big Slate Media is so excited about it
(25:47) Why Jess is so passionate about her role and the brand she’s helping to create
(27:10) Jess’ thoughts on AI and other technologies as they relate to creative industries
(34:50) How a water brand captured Jess’ heart

About Jess

Jess is a storyteller at heart – from sitting in front of a screen crafting content for various brands, to bringing others’ words to life on a stage, to posting about her day on her Instagram Stories. Her passion has always been to communicate with others, tell stories that inspire emotion and really, just make people laugh (her mom thinks she’s hilarious).

Professionally, she enjoys telling brand stories through captivating images/graphics/video, digital content, and social media. Jess currently serves as the Immediate Past President of the American Marketing Association Knoxville and on the Community Engagement committee for the Historic Tennessee Theatre Foundation.

When not at work (actually, sometimes at the office, too), you can find Jess singing along to Broadway Cast Recordings, binging Netflix/Hulu/YouTube, snuggling her cat Aaron Purr, or hanging out with family and friends. She loves traveling, fresh flowers, and sour beer.

Links Referenced:

Big Slate Media: https://bigslatemedia.com/
Big Slate Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigslatemedia/
Big Slate Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bigslatemedia/
Big Slate LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/big-slate-media/

Keep Up with We Built This Brand

‣ Subscribe to the newsletter & follow the podcast: https://www.webuiltthisbrand.com/

‣ Check out Humblepod: https://www.humblepod.com

Next Episode

Communicating a Promise through Branding with Jeremy Floyd

Jeremy Floyd is a prolific marketer who currently serves as the Chief Communications Officer for Covenant Health, the largest employer in the Knoxville Metropolitan area. In this episode, he joins Chris for a conversation about how his career journey went from being a philosophy major, to a lawyer, to finding his lifelong career in marketing. Jeremy shares stories on why branding is so much more than the visual element of marketing a brand - to him, branding is your reputation and impacts lives in a meaningful way. Tune in to learn how Jeremy discovered a metal detector brand that saves lives, how he navigates the challenge of creating change in a large-scale enterprise company, and so much more.

Highlights

(00:00) Intro

(00:50) Jeremy’s background and what led him to his current role at Covenant Health

(02:39) Why Jeremy’s interest in disruption and brand building led him to take his current role when he already owned his own business

(04:11) How an early career change led Jeremy to a job that changed the way Jeremy thought about branding

(08:01) How Jeremy sees technology disrupting the healthcare industry

(12:49) The brand promise of Covenant Health and how Jeremy defined it and is sharing it with the people of East Tennessee

(25:46) The future initiatives that Jeremy is introducing for Covenant Health, including their new sonic brand and brand anthem

(28:42) The tools that Jeremy is finding most valuable to create efficiencies in his department

(32:25) What brand Jeremy is loving right now, and why he feels it’s so powerful

About Jeremy

Jeremy Floyd is Chief Communications Officer and Vice President of Marketing for Covenant Health. Upon joining in June of 2022, Floyd immediately began to oversee operations for the marketing, PR/communications, graphic services and call center departments. As a member of Covenant Health’s senior leadership team, he leads the health system’s marketing, branding, consumerism and communication strategies – including digital initiatives. In this role, he is responsible for enhancing the health system’s brand and reputation as the first and best choice for healthcare for the East Tennessee region.

Floyd most recently served as President and Chief Marketing Officer of KellycoDetectors.com,where his efforts more than doubled the company’s customer base in just two years. Floyd also founded Lirio/Finworx, a healthcare business development company specializing in customized communication tools that use behavioral science and artificial intelligence to motivate healthy behaviors in individuals and population groups.

His previous marketing leadership roles include BPV Capital Management, Bluegill Creative, Eluminaire, and Holrob Commercial Realty. Floyd also served as adjunct professor of digital marketing for the MBA program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

In addition to his extensive marketing leadership experience, Floyd holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree with a concentration in business transactions from the University of Tennessee School of Law, and is licensed to practice law in Tennessee. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English and philosophy from Middle Tennessee State University.

Links Referenced: