What happens when a 190-year-old industrial company starts calling itself an energy technology company?

Join Gabe and Holly as they explore how Schneider Electric is repositioning from a behind-the-walls manufacturer to a global energy tech leader, and what that means for brand, communications, and marketing leaders.

Chief Brand and Communications Officer Monique Elliott helps unpack how an engineering-led, rules-based organization built an integrated brand and communications function, created a dedicated brand storytelling capability, and turned customer “impact makers” into the heroes of its narrative. She shares what it really took to sell storytelling into a technical culture, why brand and comms were brought under one roof, and how that shift unlocked new value internally and externally.

You’ll hear practical insights on:

• Moving a heritage “industrial” brand into a technology-led positioning without losing credibility
• Structuring brand and communications as an internal consulting function to the business
• Building a brand storytelling team (and how they hired for the right skills)
• Using customer stories and thought leadership to move beyond product marketing
• Balancing governance and guidelines with creativity in large, rules-driven organizations
• Leveraging AI to synthesize analyst and market signals so brand can respond faster

For anyone leading brand in complex B2B organizations - especially legacy or engineering-driven companies - this conversation offers a clear look at how to modernize your brand without discarding what made it strong.

Can a brand built on car radios win in a streaming world?

JulieAnne Evanina, Former SVP of Brand, Creative and Media at SiriusXM Radio, joins hosts Gabriel Cohen and Holly Osborne to unpack how the company moved from free trials to true fandom. You’ll hear how segmentation and product strategy shaped a brand evolution, why “personal connection” beats pure algorithms, and what it takes to rally a large organization around measurable brand outcomes.

What you’ll learn:

• How to build a segmentation model that guides real decisions, not just a slide
• Ways to protect your core audience while investing in growth segments
• The role of human curation and hosts in driving consideration and retention
• Turning creators and niche passions into sticky loyalty (yes, including heavy metal)
• Running a brand evolution tied to product updates, not vanity design
• Selecting and measuring leading indicators that predict revenue impact
• Using distinctive brand assets (sonic cues, mascots) to boost recognition
• Practical tactics to activate employees as advocates and co-creators

Listen for concrete examples, simple frameworks, and metrics you can steal for your next brand, content, or growth initiative.

When customers barely notice your brand, how do you earn trust and drive action without a big budget?

David Pendery shares how a comms-first mindset helped a utility make the “invisible” feel tangible, why he measured success through program participation instead of revenue, and how masterbranding simplified a complex B2B portfolio at CSG. You’ll hear practical ways to co-create positioning with analysts, build credibility in new markets, and scale a team from 8 to 60 without losing curiosity or humility.

What you’ll learn

• Story-first tactics to grow affinity when you can’t outspend competitors
• How to pick metrics when revenue isn’t the right KPI
• A simple framework for masterbrand naming that reduces buyer confusion
• Low-cost research loops using analyst feedback to de-risk positioning
• Practical steps for the first 60–90 days leading a new function
• Leadership habits that sustain momentum: trust, transparency, humility