Mark Lester, Co-Founder and CSO at Squint, talks about building human-centered brands and the overlooked benefits of happiness with our president and host, Steve Gilman.
Most brands chase relevance. The smart ones chase resonance. According to Mark Lester, that starts with something we don’t talk about enough in marketing: happiness.
As Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Squint, Mark helps high-growth brands like OLIPOP and Nike tap into what he calls a “happiness advantage”—the idea that when people feel good, they buy more, stay loyal longer, and connect deeper. In this episode, he joins us to unpack how branding that centers emotional intelligence and empathy isn’t just good for people, it’s great for business.
We talk about how the pandemic brought a long-simmering unhappiness crisis into focus, and how brands can be a force for joy without losing substance. Mark shares how he helped reposition OLIPOP from a niche health tonic into a mass-market happiness brand. He also explores the role of hospitality in branding, why old-school agency models just don’t cut it, and how marketers can lead with more humility, trust, and purpose. Whether you’re building a brand from scratch or ready for a rethink, this episode offers a practical, empathetic lens for building brands people actually want in their lives.
