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

Can private labels be brands people actively seek out? Walmart SVP Courtney Carlson explains how data, emotion, and design come together to build preference, not just parity.

What you’ll learn

• A practical framework for measuring what matters across digital funnels, SEO, reviews, and store performance
• When to trust common sense and human stories alongside analytics
• How a “branded house” approach turns private label into a reason to choose Walmart
• Using influencer immersion and product page excellence to drive conversion
• Culture as a brand tool: simple rituals, curiosity, and clear expectations that scale leadership
• Portfolio choices that balance core, trend, and price architecture without chasing national-brand equivalents

What happens when you need to rebrand thousands of physical products across global markets? For companies like Logitech and ResMed, changing a logo isn't just about updating a website - it's about retooling manufacturing lines, redesigning packaging for millions of units, and navigating complex regulatory requirements.

Join brand leaders Paige Lutter from Logitech and John Barger from ResMed as they share their experiences leading brand strategy for physical product companies. Learn how Logitech solved their global naming challenges with the "Logi" mark, how ResMed approaches branding medical devices, and why both companies treat AI as a utility rather than a branded feature.

Key insights include:

• Managing brand architecture across hardware, software, and digital touchpoints
• Strategies for implementing brand changes across global product lines
• The critical role of executive support in brand transformation
• Building authentic customer connections through physical brand touchpoints
• Balancing innovation with brand consistency in regulated industries

Whether you're working with physical products or digital experiences, this conversation offers valuable lessons on brand strategy, change management, and the power of patience in building lasting brand value.

What happens when companies chase metrics instead of meaning? Former Nike marketing leader Lisel Welden shares powerful insights from her decade-long journey shaping iconic brands like Nike, Lyft, and Stitch Fix.

Drawing from her experience leading Nike's first unified Black History Month campaign across all business units, Welden reveals how authentic leadership and cross-functional collaboration can drive both business results and social impact. She breaks down why Nike's recent shift toward becoming a "tech company" created unexpected challenges, and shares practical wisdom on balancing data with human insight.

Key takeaways:

• Understanding what truly drives your business
• The difference between being data-supported versus data-driven, and why blindly following metrics can lead organizations astray
• How to build diverse, high-performing teams by matching people's natural strengths to their roles
• Creating success for others as the foundation for meaningful cross-functional collaboration

Whether you're a marketing leader looking to drive brand growth or a manager aiming to build stronger teams, this conversation offers practical frameworks for leading with purpose while delivering results.

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How does a tech company turn a simple sound into one of the world's most recognizable audio marks - second only to a baby crying? Former Intel Global Brand Director Merlin Kister reveals the strategic thinking behind Intel's most iconic brand elements during his nearly two-decade tenure.

From simplifying product naming with the Core i3/i5/i7 system to creating Intel Gamer Days - an experiential event that expanded globally - Kister shares practical insights on aligning brand decisions with business objectives. He unpacks how Intel maintained its brand leadership even as competitors emerged, through initiatives like the Intel Inside program and strategic partnerships with PC manufacturers.

Key topics covered:

• How Intel simplified its product architecture to help consumers make better purchasing decisions
• The business strategy behind the famous Intel sonic brand and Intel Inside program
• Creating meaningful brand experiences through partnerships with the Olympics, NFL and gaming community
• Building trust with technical audiences while maintaining broad consumer appeal
• Balancing short-term sales goals with long-term brand equity

Kister provides a masterclass in connecting brand initiatives to revenue and profitability while never losing sight of the end user experience.

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What if you could completely reinvent higher education from the ground up? While most universities still follow a centuries-old model of lectures and tests, Minerva Project has created a radical new approach to learning that's challenging the status quo of higher education.

Ayo Seligman, VP of Strategy and Design at Minerva Project, shares how this innovative organization built both a university and a technology platform that's transforming how students learn. From removing tenure track positions to creating a global rotation across seven cities, Minerva threw out the traditional playbook to focus on skills-based learning and practical application.

Learn how Minerva positioned itself as a luxury education brand while disrupting entrenched Ivy League institutions, why their approach to learning through "deliberate spaced practice" could revolutionize corporate training, and how they designed their brand identity to reflect perfect imperfection. For brand leaders interested in driving transformation and innovation, Minerva's story offers valuable insights on building a challenger brand in a traditional industry.

Key topics:

• How Minerva rebuilt education using first principles thinking
• Creating a global learning experience across seven world cities
• Positioning an education startup against 200-year-old institutions
• Using learning science to transform how organizations train and develop talent
• Building a brand that appeals to unconventional thinkers
• The intersection of technology, education, and brand strategy

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How do you build brand credibility in an engineering-driven company where logos on napkins seem more important than strategic narrative?

After 15 years at NetApp, Emily Miller has mastered the delicate balance between education and execution in the B2B tech space. From transitioning from agency consultant to in-house brand leader, Emily shares practical approaches to portfolio narrative development, securing executive buy-in, and surviving multiple CMO changes while maintaining brand consistency.

Learn why starting with product stories before tackling corporate narrative creates stronger foundations, and discover how Emily's "think big, start small, move fast" philosophy transformed NetApp's approach to brand building.

Whether you're struggling with the "brand police" reputation or trying to convince engineers of the value of emotional storytelling, Emily's high school analogies and football metaphors offer practical frameworks for brand professionals at any level.

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