Emotion has a powerful influence on how consumers perceive and choose brands. Understanding why happiness shapes decision-making, how emotional resonance builds loyalty, and how to intentionally incorporate joy into your strategy can give your brand a meaningful competitive edge.
What happens when marketing becomes more automated, data-driven, and efficient — but less human? In episode 102 of Brand Story, we sit down with Rick Milenthal, Chairman, Founder, and CEO of The Shipyard, to explore why emotion still matters more than technology, how fear can hold brands back, and why understanding people is the key to building brands that last.
Season Five of Brand Story explored what it really takes to build brands that resonate — not just perform — in a noisy, fast-changing world. In this highlight episode, we revisit some of our favorite moments from the season—reflecting on what it takes to build brands people believe in, how marketers should think beyond surface-level metrics in a zero-click landscape, and what it means to lead creative work with intention.
100 episodes in, one thing is clear: creativity is still human at its core. For our 100th episode, editor and educator Scott Witthaus returns to reflect on the creative industry, the importance of stepping away, the rise of AI, and why our humanity is still our greatest differentiator. This episode touches on finding clarity and inspiration outside of work, the danger of an “always-on” creative culture, and how AI is changing (not replacing) creative work.
When creativity hits a wall, what keeps you moving? For creative director and educator Brian Thibodeau, it’s curiosity, empathy, and a relentless drive to connect. In episode 98 of Brand Story, he and host Steve Gilman explore how art, teaching, and storytelling fuel a creative life and how empathy helps drive good design.