A lot goes into how a city is perceived by residents and visitors. Going well beyond shaping perceptions, Mural Arts Philadelphia has been inspiring change in people and places all over the city for more than 40 years. As the nation’s largest public art program, Mural Arts and its dynamic leader, Jane Golden, has empowered communities and earned Philly the distinction of “the Mural Capital of the World.”

Brian and John talk to Jane about her passion for the way public murals can revitalize neighborhoods, foster community pride, and influence social change.

Links and Resources

About Mural Arts: https://www.muralarts.org/

Jane Golden Ted Talk: Transforming a city, one mural at a time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rq4gOQAj_E

Preserving murals for future generations: https://muralarts.org/stories/a-bold-move-to-preserve-philadelphias-public-art-for-generations/

Shelly Palmer: If You Can’t Tell the Difference, There is No Difference. https://shellypalmer.com/2024/12/if-you-tell-the-difference-there-is-no-difference/?mc_cid=caa7672d1d&mc_eid=1c38b9576c

The Big Game (aka The Super Bowl) keeps getting bigger. As brands try to find new ways to break through, Eric Segal, accomplished ad guy with plenty of Super Bowl advertising cred, sees a marketing world that requires a fresh method for creating big brand ideas. He talks about what marketers are looking for and an agile new approach that veers away from the big ad agency models of the past.

John and Brian talk about Starbuck’s refreshed positioning, debate the proper ways to customize coffee, and unabashedly support their hometown underdogs, The Philadelphia Eagles. Go birds!

Key topics and chapter markers:

(00:52): What’s brewing at Starbucks. And an argument

(07:29): Introducing advertising pro Eric Segal, X&O

(11:00): The Super Bowl as a cultural opportunity

(17:12): Crashing the Super Bowl with user generated content

(22:02): Starting a new model for big brand ideas

(27:47): A completely different work: a thousand different things

(32:22): The role of specialists

(42:22): Who’s holding the brand together?

(46:11): Sell me. But entertain me.

(48:29): Building a Super Bowl ad: how long should it take?

(55:04): Kicking the Giants while they’re down

Background content:

https://heyxo.co/

https://www.adweek.com/agencies/build-teams-not-departments/

https://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/starbucks-chief-brand-officer-tressie-lieberman-super-bowl-marketing-approach/2601161

https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/crash-the-super-bowl-creators-doritos-evolution-marketing/

When we think of branding, we usually go right to what we see. But listen up - what we hear from a brand can be just as important as any other element in its identity. Joel Beckerman is the founder of Made Music Studio, which has created sonic identities and campaign elements for top brands, like Corona, Burger King, HBO, AT&T, and Panera. Joel joins Brian and John to chime in on the power of sonic branding. Hear how Joel got started, the impact of sound stickiness, and the time his music replaced a John Williams score (yes, that John Williams). Brian and John also share some interesting holiday shopping insights from a recent client project.

Key topics & chapter markers

(00:45): Diving into holiday shopping behaviors

(08:43): Introducing Joel Beckerman

(16:04): Time and resources to create sonic logos

(21:00): Creating an in-store sonic experience

(27:43): Building sonic branding for Corona and Burger King

(32:07): Developing new sound for an iconic sound (HBO)

(33:29): Evolving music by the great John Williams

(45:18): Measuring the impact of sound

Background content

Made Music Studios

• Corona
• Burger King
• HBO
• AT&T
• Super Bowl LII

2025 Essential Retail Insights Guide - AnthologyAI

Is Your Brand on Mute? - Fast Company

The Need to be Heard - Forbes