This Modern Brand

What truly sets independent agencies apart, and why does it matter now more than ever? In this episode, Jason Parks sits down with Katy Hornaday and Doug Zanger to explore how independence drives greater creativity, agility, and long-term success in a landscape increasingly shaped by holding companies.

In this Super Bowl 59 recap, host Jason Parks is joined by Ben Pfutzenreuter and Kyle O'Brien to break down the night's biggest ads—grading the overall lineup, unpacking standout themes, and predicting which spots will have a lasting cultural impact.

What even is athleisure? Big-spending Gen-Xers don't know, but that's not stopping athleisure brand Vuori. It's pursuing a go slow to go fast approach to brand and performance marketing that's building a fashion phenomenon. Join host Jason Parks and his guest Karen Riley-Grant, Vuori's CMO, stitching together insights on the psychology of consumer needs, the […]

What's standing in the way of true innovation? Spoiler: it's not just silos or stale thinking—it's the way we try to innovate. In this episode of This Modern Brand, Emily Cohen, Senior Director of Global Innovation at Pernod Ricard, shares how ditching cookie-cutter approaches unlocked breakthrough results. Tune in to learn how to “brainstorm the brainstorm” and revolutionize […]

In this episode, we explore the rapid rise of AI in the creative industry. Host Jason Parks joined by Melany Esfeld, BarkleyOKRP EVP head of production and Tim McCracken, SVP creative, discuss AI's potential as a workhorse for time consuming tasks, so creatives can focus on what they do best: developing impactful, original ideas. We […]

Consumers expect personalization, but too many companies are falling short, wasting money and missing the mark on expectations. In this episode, hosts Jason Parks and Steph Parker interview one of the most influential CMOs in the world about his upcoming book, “Personalized:  Customer Strategy in the Age of AI.”  Now a Harvard Business Fellow, David […]

As an organization with no physical branches or sales teams, USAA has had to master the art of marketing. New CEO Francesco Lagutaine talks to hosts Jason Parks and Katy Hornaday about how USAA achieves an extraordinary level of customer focus. Learn how small “i” innovation, Mission Moments, and doing Zero Day like a recruit […]

Jason Parks is back with BarkleyOKRP Chief Media Officer, Reshma Karnik, and Sean Corcoran, President of Media and Analytics. They explore how the media landscape continues to change, and why it's making media management increasingly complex. Are brand stories getting lost in the rush to performance media? Is it possible to build a roadmap for […]

Uncover the strategies behind successful influencer partnerships. In this month's episode of This Modern Brand, Jason Parks hosts a panel of influencer marketers: Pam Davis, founder of likekind influencer marketing agency, Jane Chandler, VP of Public Relations at BarkleyOKRP, and Joe Spencer, BarkleyOKRP account supervisor whose focus is the influencer space. Hear how influencer marketing […]

Your brand's purpose might lead consumers to you the first time, but you'll need more than that to bring them back.  A clean brand before clean brands were a thing, Every Man Jack went from a line of great-smelling men's shower products to a B-Corp advocate for people, communities, and the planet. Hosts Jason Parks […]

Nostalgic mall brand Claire's rose from the brink of bankruptcy to a listing on Fast Company's “Most Innovative Companies” in 2023. Thriving in a retail landscape that ended legacy brands like Toys R Us, Claire's leveraged Paris Fashion Week, AI, feedback loops and the metaverse to win the loyalty of over 22 million Gen Z […]

Look under Winnebago's hood with hosts Jason Parks and Jen Mazi in this episode of This Modern Brand. Join them as Kunal Mehta, VP of Strategy, Marketing and Business Development at Winnebago, discusses the brand's award-winning Go Where You Feel campaign, and shares how data, intuition — and Whole Brand Thinking™ — has helped the […]

Sink your teeth into another juicy episode of This Modern Brand. Continuing our focus on B-Corps, we feature tomato titan: NatureSweet. They revolutionized the produce game with eye-catchingly packaged snacking tomatoes, and blazed trails for their workforce with transformative wages and mental health programs. Now, they're taking on their biggest challenge yet: the Tomato Tax. […]

Hosts Jason Parks and Lindsey DeWitte kick off B-Corp month in conversation with Annie Agle, VP of impact and sustainability at Cotopaxi, one of our favorite B-Corp brands. Annie discusses the rigor of maintaining B-Corp status, and how Cotopaxi's empowerment of employees has far-reaching effects. Does their “Gear for Good” tagline hold up against their […]

Barkley's Jason Parks and Jen Mazi dive into the evolution of an iconic brand with Jenna Berg, the VP of Marketing at Motel 6. Jenna shares her career journey, from her beginnings in advertising to her pivotal role in shaping the modern identity of Motel 6. Discover how Motel 6 has shifted its focus from […]

Join host Jason Parks and guests Berk Wasserman, Sue Salvi, and Josie Ellerbee as they break down the standout commercials from Super Bowl LVIII, delving into the Big Game's biggest themes, including A-list celebs and humor vs. emotion themes. Barkley's Dave Gutting leads an epic Brand Battle this week featuring three iconic beverage brands that […]

In this episode, Barkley's Jason Parks and Julie Barr delve into the “Judgement-Free Zone” with Jamie Medeiros, Chief Brand Officer at Planet Fitness. Jamie breaks down Planet Fitness' “Red Thread,” the importance of “Making your own Super Bowl,” and the brand's 2024 campaign featuring Grammy award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion as “Mother Fitness.” Plus, Dave […]

Join Jason Parks and Jen Mazi as they dig into the heart of the Kansas City Chiefs' rise to global fandom with CMO Lara Krug, exploring the strategies and values that have made the Chiefs a standout sports brand. Plus, gear up for a Brand Battle as Barkley's Dave Gutting weighs in on the age-old […]