Podcasts about unthinkable media

Bella In Your Business: Pet Industry Business Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2019 39:50

In the second episode of our miniseries featuring in-depth, behind-the-scenes conversations about makin' stuff, we share never-before published thoughts and ideas learned by making this show for three years. Subscribe to the Unthinkable Media newsletter to get one exclusive big idea each month for making great shows, plus a roundup of insights, resources, and show deconstructions: unthinkablemedia.com/subscribe

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Episode 137: How To Make Better Decisions In Your Business

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 14, 2019 20:22

With an uncanny knack for connecting quickly with warmth and humor, plus years of practical relevance and experience (ex-Google, ESPN, HubSpot, NextView VC; current founder/show host, Unthinkable Media), Jay Acunzo delivers keynotes that move people to action. Whether it’s with 40 global brand executives, 400 fire chiefs, or 4,000 fired up marketers, Jay challenges others […]

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The Paradox of Exceeding Expectations

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2019 18:52

JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: jay@unthinkablemedia.com or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

Bad Different | Eye-Opening Stories about Being Unique

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2019 25:53

Made to Stick | Anthony Constantino, CEO of Sticker Mule

On Brand with Nick Westergaard

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2019 30:56

Anthony Thomas, the CEO of Sticker Mule, adores operations and manufacturing. Those are decidedly not-creative areas to adore. Or so I thought. JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: jay@unthinkablemedia.com or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

Thinking Outside of the Box and Breaking the Wheel with Jay Acunzo

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2019 30:12

“As marketers we retreat to the mean — to trendy best practices.” What’s required is out-of-the-box thinking. As the founder of Unthinkable Media and author of the new book Break the Wheel, Jay Acunzo knows a thing or two about pushing beyond the everyday and inspiring others to create and share exceptional stories. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast. About Jay Acunzo Jay Acunzo is the author of the book Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work. He’s a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer, as well as the founder of Unthinkable Media, which creates documentary shows with brand clients. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. In a world where “storyteller” has become a buzzword, Jay has earned a living by understanding how to tell actual stories — emotional tales of people and teams doing their best work that help inspire others to push past conventional thinking in theirs. Episode Highlights The trouble with story. As Jay’s bio notes, he makes his living helping organizations tell better stories. Storytelling is everywhere today but that’s not always a good thing. “It’s good because it’s ubiquitous. It’s everywhere.” It’s a challenge as everyone has their own formulas and definitions. The most overlooked aspect of story. “Conflict. Conflict is critical as it creates stakes and tension. This raises the narrative and helps move the story toward resolution.” How you can Break the Wheel. Since Jay was last on the On Brand podcast, he’s released his new book Break the Wheel, which is all about moving beyond big ideas and exploring how the work gets done in a meaningful way. Think like an investigator not an expert. “You have to find what works best for you. That means we have to stop acting like experts and act like investigators instead.” For example, it’s not enough to say that the best practices work. You have to know why they work. What can you do with that? Dueling quotes. Jay’s investigative thinking reminded me of a favorite quote of mine from James Thurber, “It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” Jay went on to share a favorite of his, “It is better to be vaguely right than exactly wrong.” What brand has made Jay smile recently? Jay smiles at refreshing brands. “That means they’re different but welcome.” He went on to share a story from Wistia’s creative video production campaign — 1-10-100, chronicling their work as they created the same video for $1,000, $10,000, and $100,000. Talk about redefining the story! To learn more, go to jayacunzo.com/books. You can also check out Jay’s recent podcast episode with Patreon founder Jack Conte, which we discussed during the show. As We Wrap … Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. On Brand is sponsored by my new book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

Creative Cafe | Dan Mills, Creative Director at Wistia

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2019 47:10

Introducing a new miniseries running within Unthinkable: Creative Cafe, the kind of emotional, insider, and cathartic conversations creative people always have over drinks that microphones usually ruin when we try to record them. In this first episode of the series, we talk to one of the most creative honey badgers around, Dan Mills, creative director at Wistia. We cover things ranging from careers in music, how art and business collide (and why art is taking over), and why Wistia chose to reinvent itself as a company that makes far more than short, educational videos with the launch of One, Ten, One Hundred, a four-part docuseries. JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. Here's what to expect: IMMEDIATELY: A quick welcome note and video. WEEK ONE: A few of the most foundational ideas we need to go on this journey together. EVERY WEEK THEREAFTER: One new story and idea for questioning best practices, being consistently creative, and producing refreshing work. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: jay@unthinkablemedia.com or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

Resonance vs. Reach | Jack Conte, CEO of Patreon | Season 5 Premiere

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 3, 2019 19:30

A plea about creativity in the workplace, and a brief exploration of the evolution of the internet to learn why we should change how we communicate our value to others as creators. We're joined by Patreon's CEO, Jack Conte, as well as a collection of creative voices: Chase Jarvis (CEO of CreativeLive), Deb Aoki (Sr. Experience Designer, Adobe), Josh Bernoff (author, editor, and blogger at Without Bullshit), Juliana Casale (Head of Marketing, CrazyEgg), Angela Schneider (writer and photographer), Macaela Vandermost and Corey Fanjoy (both from Newfangled Studios). JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. Here's what to expect: IMMEDIATELY: A quick welcome note and video. WEEK ONE: A few of the most foundational ideas we need to go on this journey together. EVERY WEEK THEREAFTER: One new story and idea for questioning best practices, being consistently creative, and producing refreshing work. WORK WITH ME Keynote Speaking: jay@unthinkablemedia.com or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT THE SHOW: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT THE HOST: Jay Acunzo is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

Kid President's Battle

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2019 12:28

Robby Novak's most popular video has been seen over 44 million times, and even though it's his face, his words, and his VIDEO, almost nobody watching knows his name is Robby Novak. Instead, they call him something else: Kid President. In this episode, hear why even the most enjoyable of videos KP has created -- and the best work from the best creators on the planet -- suffers from one issue that we must face as well. Watch Kid President's Pep Talk video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o JOIN THE NEWSLETTER to get weekly inspiration and insights to help you challenge conventional thinking and create your best work: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices. A quick welcome note and video. IMMEDIATELY: A quick welcome note and video. WEEK ONE: A few of the most foundational ideas we need to go on this journey together. EVERY WEEK THEREAFTER: One new story and idea for questioning best practices, being consistently creative, and producing refreshing work. WORK WITH ME: Keynote Speaking: jay@unthinkablemedia.com or jayacunzo.com Creating shows for B2B clients: unthinkablemedia.com Get my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT UNTHINKABLE: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay is an author, keynote speaker, and a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was previously responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. Today, Jay travels the world delivering keynotes and producing/hosting episodes of docuseries about creative work as the founder of Unthinkable Media.

The Worst Career Advice

Content Marketing Playbook with Adam Rogers

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2019 11:56

I kick off Season 5 by sharing the worst advice I've ever received and announcing the next leg of our journey together to fight against conventional thinking in our work. As promised, here are the two links mentioned: TRAVEL LOG: http://bit.ly/jay2019log My transparent, public, and continually updated account (editorial calendar and more) of my work this year, packaged as a travel journal. We're fighting against one awful phenomenon in business (shortcut culture) and fighting for one major goal (creating unassailable work). My hypothesis is that we need to master the ability to create consistently great work -- that consistency is key. But how does that work? What does it take? The Travel Log contains all questions, ideas, stories, mental frameworks, science, and other goodies I'm uncovering and creating. NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/DamnTheBestPractices Subscribe to get a new story to start each week feeling inspired. The newsletter is the main vehicle where I push this quest forward, sharing everything from the podcast, as well as exclusive 1:1 video chat invitations, new projects and experiments, and behind-the-scenes insights that don't make it anywhere else. WORK WITH ME: I give ~20 keynote speeches a year to audiences ranging from 40 global brand executives to 400 fire safety officers to 4,000 marketers and everything in between: jay@unthinkablemedia.com or jayacunzo.com Hire me to host/produce an original series for your B2B company: unthinkablemedia.com Read my book, Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work: http://bit.ly/BTWbook ABOUT UNTHINKABLE: Hosted by author and keynote speaker Jay Acunzo, Unthinkable is a sweet-sounding, story-style show exploring conventional thinking that forms in our work and sharing stories of the people who dare to question it. From big brands like Disney/ESPN and Slack to fast-risers like Death Wish Coffee and InVision to craft-driven makers and marketers in the arts, real estate, design/illustration, content marketing, public speaking, books, comedy, and a ton more, we travel to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard, revealing ideas you'd never considered. It's all focused on breaking from conventional thinking to think for ourselves in our work. It's Unthinkable. ABOUT JAY ACUNZO: Jay is a critically acclaimed show host and executive producer, as well as the founder of Unthinkable Media, which creates documentary series with brand clients. As a digital media strategist at Google, Jay was responsible for pushing marketing executives and practitioners into the digital age. He then held multiple leadership positions at high-growth tech startups, including HubSpot, and served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay’s work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Fortune, Forbes, and more. He’s been called a “creative savant” by Salesforce and was named to the city of Boston’s “50 on Fire” list. In a world where “storyteller” has become a buzzword, Jay has earned a living by understanding how to tell actual stories -- emotional tales of people and teams doing their best work that help inspire others to push past conventional thinking in theirs.

448: Jay Acunzo - Break the Wheel

The Self-Employed Life

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2018 46:42

One of the biggest challenges creatives face is the onslaught of advice. So many of us are running around chasing our tails because there is so much information available. Best practices can feel like spokes on a wheel that are endlessly turning, and it can be difficult to break the cycle. You can't shut off advice in today's world, but you need a filter of discernment. Figure out what works for you in your unique context. You can do this by listening, being open, and looking outside of your industry. Instead of acting like an expert, you need to act like an investigator and figure out how to ask the right questions. To get a better handle on the concept of “breaking the wheel,” I've brought on author, speaker and entrepreneur Jay Acunzo. Jay is waging war against conventional thinking. He is a globally touring keynote speaker, author of the book, Break the Wheel, and the founder of Unthinkable Media, which creates documentary series with B2B brands. Previously, Jay was a digital media strategist at Google, Head of Content at HubSpot, and Vice President of Brand and Community at the venture capital firm NextView. Jay's work has been cited in courses at Harvard Business School and by writers at the New York Times, the Washington Post, FastCompany, Forbes, and more. Today, he delivers speeches and hosts shows telling stories about people who break free of stale approaches and average results to do their best work. To learn what it means to vet the possibilities and be open to knowledge outside your wheelhouse, download this episode now. THE CHIP WARRIOR “Vet the possibilities.” -Jay Acunzo Highlights - Finding best practices isn't the goal. Finding the best approach for you is. Shift the way you view advice. You're not getting answers, you're getting possibilities. A visionary doesn't see the future. They just see the present more clearly. The theme of “openness” is key to honing your intuition. The signal of someone who vets possibilities well is that it looks crazy from the outside looking in. Noise isn't the problem- sameness is. Perform an extraction. Find something you like and make it your own. “I'd rather be vaguely right than precisely wrong.” - John Maynard Keynes You have to be ready to constantly course-correct. Instead of preparing to start, start. Our job isn't to be creative, it's to create. Guest Contact - Jay's Website Jay's Twitter Jay's Book: Break the Wheel Jay's Podcast: Unthinkable Jay's Youtube Channel Contact Jeffrey - Website Coaching support My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available! Watch my TEDX LincolnSquare video and please share! Mentions - Calvin and Hobbes Comics Merriam Webster Dictionary on Twitter Death Wish Coffee Tim Urban's Blog: Wait, But Why? Resources - Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! Is your website and are all your marketing materials speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Often it's not which is why you're not converting traffic and leads to clients and attracting your most profitable customers. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. If I have suggestions for you to improve your brand message (I almost always do), we'll set up a complimentary 30-minute call to discuss. A select number of websites are also chosen for my LINGO Review Video Series. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO! Music by Jawn

23: Going Beyond Best Practices w/ Jay Acunzo

Unleash Possible

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2018 31:57

In marketing we need to care what works for us and our clients. It is easy to find something that works well enough and put everything on auto-pilot, but it could cost us our ability to excel. Jay Acunzo, Author of Break the Wheel and Founder of Unthinkable Media, encourages us to break the cycle of best practices. There is a difference between good and great that starts with a level of self-awareness most people are prone to ignore. As marketers, we are no longer tasked with acquiring attention, but have a new mandate: Holding it.

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S1E11: Jay Acunzo - How to Avoid Being a Commodity, Market like a Professional, and Win at Freelancing

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2018 52:05

Jay Acunzo is the author of the book Break the Wheel, and the founder of Unthinkable Media. In this podcast you will learn: How Jay has rebranded the word storyteller and built his freelance business on this vital ingredient How to rethink your pricing and why if you charge by the hour or by the word, it makes you a commodity The two principles Jay focuses his time on, and why they will decide if his business is a success Read show notes About our guest, Jay Acunzo Jay Acunzo is the author of the book Break the Wheel, and the founder of Unthinkable Media. When he’s not writing or producing documentary series for brand clients, Jay travels the world speaking about how to make better decisions in the face of endless change and infinite advice. Find Jay on: Twitter: @JayAcunzo LinkedIn About our host, Adam Rogers Adam Rogers is the host and producer of the Boston Content Podcast. By day, he is a content marketer at Shopify, the ecommerce platform. By night, he is still Adam Rogers but it's nighttime. He loves writing, but he's sure it hates him. He's a lover of books, music, guitars, and his wife Lacey. Find Adam on: Twitter: @AdamRogersUK Linkedin

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SPOS #647 - Break The Wheel With Jay Acunzo

Six Pixels of Separation Podcast - By Mitch Joel

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2018 50:56

Welcome to episode #647 of Six Pixels of Separation. Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation - Episode #647 - Host: Mitch Joel. Jay Acunzo is the author of the book, Break the Wheel - Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work. He’s also a show host and executive producer, as well as the founder of Unthinkable Media, which creates documentary shows with brand clients. In his past life, he was a digital media strategist at Google, then held multiple roles at tech startups like HubSpot. He also served as Vice President of Brand at the venture capital firm, NextView. In a world where “storyteller” has become a buzzword, Jay really understands how to tell stories - emotional tales of people and teams doing their best work. It’s all about helping to inspire others to push past conventional thinking. With his new book, he wants to break the “best practices” model and get everybody into a new frame of mind. Enjoy the conversation... Running time: 50:55. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Subscribe over at iTunes. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Six Pixels of Separation. Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook. or you can connect on LinkedIn. ...or on Twitter. Here is my conversation with Jay Acunzo. Break the Wheel. Unthinkable Media. Follow Jay on Twitter. This week's music: David Usher 'St. Lawrence River'.

EP 289: Break the Wheel & Question Best Practices w/Jay Acunzo

Edge of the Web - An SEO Podcast for Today's Digital Marketer

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2018 67:04

The marketing world is filled with advice and ideas from "thought leaders" but just because an "expert" says or writes something, that doesn't mean we should do it. Focusing on best practices from the experts could actually be harming your business and you don't even know it. Jay Acunzo, the founder of Unthinkable Media, says in his new book "Breaking the Wheel" says that what we should do instead is to act more like investigators and do what works best for our own companies. This podcast will share some of the questions you should ask in any situation to make the best decision, regardless of what the "experts" say. Sponsor EDGE of the Web is brought to you by Site Strategics and they are offering to help you find out your digital marketing ROI. The Digital Marketing ROI Report will examine your existing SEO, content, social media, and PPC to help you discover your TRUE ROI. Visit https://edgeofthewebradio.com/roi/ to get 30% off your comprehensive review of your digital assets! Edge of the Web Radio is brought to you by Site Strategics. Site Strategics is a web design and marketing services company that not only helps business owners look good on the internet but helps ensure you come to the top positions on major search engines. Are you looking for a professional SEO firm? Site Strategics curtails its business to Indianapolis, Indiana -- but also works nationwide and globally. To learn more, visit our website at http://www.sitestrategics.com/ or http://www.edgemedia.studio

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Strategy: Jay Acunzo on Questioning Best Practices, Honing Intuition Mastering Decision Making – BTTDL246

Beyond the To-Do List

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2018 53:48

Jay Acunzo has served as a digital media strategist at Google and held multiple leadership positions at high-growth technology companies, including HubSpot. He spent three years as VP of Brand for the venture capital firm NextView before founding Unthinkable Media, which creates original series with B2B brands. Jay hosts his narrative-style podcast Unthinkable, and travels the world as a keynote speaker. In this conversation Jay talks with Erik about his new book: Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work. Mentioned in this episode: Break The Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition, and Do Your Best Work MGemi – Get $50 off your first pair! Robinhood – Get a free stock by going to TODOLIST.robinhood.com Please connect with me Subscribe, rate, and review in iTunes Follow @ErikJFisher Check out more Noodle.mx Network showsThe Audacity to Podcast: "How-to" podcast about podcastingBeyond the To-Do List: Personal and professional productivityThe Productive Woman: Productivity for busy womenONCE: Once Upon a Time podcastWelcome to Level Seven: Agents of SHIELD and Marvel’s cinematic universe podcastAre You Just Watching?: Movie reviews with Christian critical thinkingthe Ramen Noodle: Family-friendly clean comedy

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CONEX S10: How to Create Your Own Best Practices

The Marketer's Journey

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2018 32:47

Jay Acunzo, Founder of Unthinkable Media and author of Break the Wheel, joins the Content Experience Show to discuss best practices and when to buck the trend. Special thanks to our sponsors: Vidyard Uberflip Convince & Convert: Four Ways to Fix Your Broken Content Marketing In This Episode Why “best practices” are not always the way to go How to choose what's best for your business rather than just following the trend Why “Break the Wheel” is not about simply bucking the trend Why best practices should be viewed as more of a starting point rather than a rule Resources Uberflip CoSchedule Talk Triggers Break the Wheel Visit contentexperienceshow.com for more insights from your favorite content marketers.

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092: Jay Acunzo Don't Be An Expert, Be An Investigator

Helping Sells Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2018 38:39

We sure do sound like an expert at work when we educate our peers and stakeholders about best practices in our industries. After all, our executive teams are asking us to implement best practices. Our customers expect us to follow best practices. The conferences we attended attract us with sessions on best practices. We learn them. We implement them. We are praised when we do. But did any of us sit down and think, before we charged down best practices hill, "Is following these best practices right for us?" Jay Acunzo, keynote speaker, founder of Unthinkable Media and author of the upcoming book, Break the Wheel: Question best practices, hone your intuition, and do your best work, helps us change how we think about best practices. Jay tells us, "We are starting to lose sight of how to make good decisions at work. We think it's about finding that best practice. But here's the deal. Finding best practices is not the goal. Finding what works best for you is the goal. Big difference. So this begs the question. How do you (your organization) find out what works best for you? That is the question Jay helps us answer on this episode of Helping Sells Radio. Learn more about Jay: The book: http://jayacunzo.com/book/ His website: http://jayacunzo.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jayacunzo That Medium post we opened the show with: Confessions of a content creator: I don't care about data https://medium.com/unthinkable-creativity/confessions-of-a-content-creator-i-dont-care-about-data-3542c2d9a3a5 (I post the URLs rather than just linking the text, in case some of these podcast services doesn't pick up the HTML. At least you can copy and past the URL if you want to get it). Get on the email list at helpingsells.substack.com

confessions investigators html urls jay acunzo unthinkable media helping sells radio

Ep. 56: The Secrets to a Successful Podcast Ft. Jay Acunzo

Inbound Success Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2018 47:45

Lots of brands have podcasts, but very few podcasts succeed in delivering business results. Why? This week on The Inbound Success Podcast, Unthinkable Media Founder Jay Acunzo breaks down his formula to creating wildly successful podcasts for businesses like Drift, Divvy, Wistia, Flipboard, The Content Marketing Institute and Social Media Examiner. Listen to the podcast to hear Jay describe the exact steps in his podcast development process and learn who podcasting is - and is not - right for. Transcript Kathleen Booth (Host): Welcome back to The Inbound Success podcast. I'm Kathleen Booth, and I'm your host. Before we get started this week, I want to do a quick PSA. If you are somebody who has an Amazon Echo, I have an Alexa skill. Big news! So, if you want to hear me in your living room every week, not sure why you would, but if you do, you can go into your Alexa, hit skills, and search Inbound Success, and it should pop right up. With that, I just want to make a quick introduction of my guest. Jay Acunzo has a really long and interesting resume. He's the founder of Unthinkable Media, which helps start-ups and challenger brands establish B2B podcasts. But he's done so much more than that. He spent time at Google, at HubSpot, and he was involved with Next View Ventures. Jay, you've got a long resume. Actually, I think I'd love for you to tell our listeners a little bit more about yourself. Jay and Kathleen recording this episode Jay Acunzo (Guest): I'd be happy to. Thanks for having me on the program. So, the what is fine. Like you said, you summed it up nicely. The why, I think is where everything comes from, and the reason I do what I do is I like to make people feel stuff with the work I create. So, I like to create stuff, and I like to hand it over to other people to feel the same things I was feeling while making that stuff. It just so happens that the Venn Diagram overlap of that is a great and driving career in marketing today. It's not just media companies that need that skill. Whether it's launching dozens of side projects throughout my career, or one of the things I'm most proud of is the genesis of Unthinkable Media, my podcasting business, was my own show, which is called Unthinkable, and that's a very highly produced narrative style podcast, and I know we're going to get into podcasting today. But, that is my digital baby. The most fun I've ever had producing anything is to tinker and figure out how to tell stories that make people feel stuff about their work, because I just think too much B2B content doesn't actually match how we feel about our work day-to-day. The content is boring and dry and commodity stuff, but we don't want boring and dry commodity careers, and I'd argue we rarely experience our work like that. So, I'm trying to bridge that gap, and bring more emotion and entertainment value to great B2B content, because quite frankly, that also drives results. It's good for the audience, it's amazing for the audience, and it's just as good for the business. Kathleen: Amen. I totally agree with you. And I love that the thread that has sort of bound your career together is content. Whether that's acting as Vice President of Brand and Community at Next View, or being Head of Content at HubSpot, or working in digital marketing at Google, you've had such an interesting path to get where you are, and for me it's fascinating, because when I look at your history, so much in the world of digital marketing, and specifically content marketing has changed in the time since you've been doing this. The State of Content Marketing Before we dive into what we're going to talk about today, I just would love to get your take on kind of where you see content marketing now, because man, there's a lot there. Jay: Yeah. It's funny, we like to talk about the, I think the symptoms of any sort of market changes - or better than market changes, world changes - the way humans act and the changes therein. Now, paying attention to the people is far more important than paying attention to the industry for example, but we like to talk about the symptoms or the industry's reaction to the fundamentals instead of the fundamentals themselves. I like to focus on the latter. I think the fundamental shift we're living through, and the symptoms are things called content, and inbound, and influencers, and ABM, etc. but, the fundamental shift we're living through is that it used to be the case that marketers had to acquire attention, a few different channels existed, and you would jump out seven to eight times and hope that that added up to a purchase moment. But, you would mostly interrupt people, and mostly say, "Look at me" and then describe the value you could provide those people, but it was about acquisition of someone's attention. That was the marketing mandate. I think the big shift is that today, you have to hold attention. I think great marketers care more about subscribers than impressions. They talk in terms of minutes or even hours of a consumer's month, every month, instead of seconds. So, we're seeing this shift towards holding attention. What I do just happens to be great vehicles for holding attentions, which is creating shows, delivering speeches, writing books, but there's myriad ways to do that. I think that's where we're at. We're at this moment in time where we can continue glomming onto all these trends, and tactics and techniques, or we can look the shift in the eye and be like, "Okay, if that's what's happening in the world today, if that is the backdrop of everything we're doing in marketing, how do we actually address it more directly and build back up more original thinking, instead of trying to shoehorn old tactics into a new world?" It used to be that we had to acquire attention. I think the new mandate today, as a marketer, is you have to hold it. Do that and the rest of the job gets a lot easier. Kathleen: That's a really interesting observation. I have done a couple of podcasts recently where the subject of what constitutes really magnetic content has come up, and a lot of times, the people I speak to talk about having a point of view, or sometimes it's being funny, sometimes it's being controversial. Often, when you say that, the response from the person asked to create the content is, "I'm not comfortable." Or, "It's scary." I think there's a level of complacency in creating that kind of 'check the box' content that's really dry and factual and informative, but when you ask people to start to make it more interesting and emotional... On your website, it talks about getting people to feel emotions, and I think a lot of content creators are really nervous about that, either because they're afraid to be vulnerable, or because they're afraid that in having a point of view, for example, they're going to turn some people off. You work with a lot of B2B brands. I'd love to hear what your experience has been when you start working with these content creators and getting them to get more engaged? Working With B2B Content Creators Jay: Sure, and I think when you address the fundamentals instead of the incremental, or the superficial, or the conventional, it starts to sound a lot less scary, because all the sudden it doesn't feel like a leap. You're like, "Okay, if that is the starting point, then logically, in my world, let's create a show, versus pieces of content." Because we know the first principal insight here, we understand where we're all starting, which is to hold attention. Okay. Now, if I reason from that, every step I take is one step at a time. I'm no longer taking this mental leap between publishing articles that rank on search, and creating an amazing podcast or video series. That seems like a giant leap, so it's all about, like when I work with brands, I'm like, "This is the backdrop. If you do not accept that, we should not speak. If you're just interested in acquiring a bunch of people, if you're just interested in giant download numbers, for example on your podcast, we're not going to talk, because podcasts, quite frankly, aren't really great for growth. They don't rank on search that well. They don't actually get shared on social. The surrounding content that you create as a result of the show is what actually does that stuff. So if you just want empty reach, or if you want reach, which is important, if you want productive reach, create other types of content." I'd lay out what I feel is the reality, and then I'm like, "Let's walk step-by-step to where I'm already at mentally." Which is make a podcast. Why Brands Should be Podcasting Jay: To make it less scary, I don't just get on a stage and say "Make a podcast." I don't just talk to a prospect and say "Make a show." I say, "This is where we're at today. Now let's talk about all the myriad ways that this matters to you, and if we're still on the same page, let's talk about all the myriad ways to execute on that, to capture those benefits, and then let's pluck out one that I am saying I can offer to you, which is make a podcast, right? And if you're with me the whole way, it's logical the whole way." I think that's the first thing I'd say in response to that question, is if it feels scary, you haven't actually taken the time to think through all the points, all the logic you need to get from where you're at to where you're trying to go. I don't think people take risks. I don't think these entrepreneurs that we laud - being in venture capital, I was around dozens and dozens of entrepreneurs - they're masters at seeing the world for the way it is today, not peering around corners, and they're masters at understanding how to mitigate the risk. But the media dialogue paints innovators, creators, entrepreneurs, as people who take risks, and then we disassociate ourselves, saying we can't do that. I actually think if you want to make something not seem scary, you have to come up with the logic in your mind for why it's not. That's the only way anybody's going to act. Kathleen: Yeah. That makes sense. So, I feel like there's two different pieces to this, because one piece is the actual format of your content. In this case, we're talking about podcasting, as opposed to maybe blogging or creating videos, although you can have a video podcast. That's another subject. When you look at the format for content, you work with a brand, you're obviously a big believer in podcasting. That's what you've really built your business around, at Unthinkable Media. Is there any type of business for which podcasting is not a good format? Jay: Type of business? No. But, if you dig into the business, and they give you the right reasons why they shouldn't launch a show, sure. Most people who are selling something like podcasts are going to be like, "No, every business should launch a podcast. By the way, I sell services to help you create a podcast." Sorry, that's a load of crap. All of these things, whether we talk about blogging, or social, or podcasts, whether we talk about strategies or approaches rather content or ABM, all of these things are tools. To say to somebody, "Hey, you shouldn't use a hammer," period, blanket statement, is not true. You don't have enough context, unless you really deeply get to know that person and what they're trying to build, you can't say with certainty this tool makes no sense for you, or this tool is absolutely for you. So you can't make these blanket statements. What I start to do is think about where are you at in your embrace of content marketing? Do you have, I think there's some criteria up front. On my website, I very clearly articulate the three reasons why we are good fits to work together. Because I want to qualify out people that make no sense to work with me. The first is, you've already found some success through content, but you've already built up a little bit of an email list, or a little bit of a social following, or you have some traffic on your website, or you have an event series that's doing pretty well. Because into that flow, into that audience, you can insert a show, because I don't think a show is good for net new audience. Like I mentioned before, all the other types of content out there are. Everybody interested in this topic should to read a piece by Ben Thompson. He writes a blog called Stratechery. It's a terrible name, but he's one of the smartest tech analysts out there. Kathleen: Is that like the technical version of strategery? Jay: Strategy and technology. So it's like the strategy of technology. Stratechery. But, he's got a wonderful piece, it's a little bit old, called Grantland. Grantland, one word, and the Surprising Future of Publishing. He delineates why certain types of content are great for reach, and discovery, and net new audience, and a show or a podcast is great for residence and depth, and holding attention. It's very smart the way he lays it out. But, that's the reality. It's like if you haven't had success with content marketing already, if you have zero audience, do not start with a podcast, because it's going to be just such an uphill battle. Start with a blog, start with social, events, whatever. The second thing I say is, if you're ready to basically create an unassailable asset with compounding return, instead of yet another podcast. This is a big epidemic, especially in B2B. People are - every podcast in B2B, I'm kind of going to paint with broad strokes here, but let's go on attack mode for a moment - they all sound the same. They're all talking topics with the experts. You know, brought to you by, insert competitor here. So, if your show, this is a good example. You talk topics with experts. Kathleen: I do. Jay: What if you had this concept over the top of the show, that delineated why it was different than everybody else? Right? So, if somebody said it out loud, and it was white labeled, they'd be like, "Oh, I know exactly whose show that is." And if a competitor tried to copy it, it would be like you can call them out. Everybody who sells marketing software can write 10 tips and tricks for lead gen on Twitter and not get called out, but your show has this elevated IP to it, or a hook that gets people excited to listen now and subscribe over time. So, that's the big first piece of a show, which is a show level concept. The second piece is an episode level structure. So, you can kind of break up these component parts of Q and A, Q and A, Q and A, and then ending with a lightning round, and instead try to think about, "Well, how can I better create an experience to hold attention?" The third piece is talent. How do I improve my ability to hold attention? How do I improve my ability to be on a microphone? Because that's what podcasting is in the end. So, that's it. Those are the three pieces. If you want to create an unassailable, original version of those three pieces, you'll also work with me. The last thing is the hold attention thing again. I say, if that's your goal with a podcast, not reach, we can talk. So, I don't have to go out there and say, "This is a podcast. It's bad for FinTech." Or, "It's bad for B2C." I can't make those blanket statements. What I can do, is try to dig into those businesses I'm talking to, and also articulate up front where I tend to thrive as a service provider. Kathleen: Great. I love it. And I will confess that it's funny, I jumped on the podcasting bandwagon a few years ago. This is not my first one. I had a podcast before this, and it was fine, I mean, it was okay. It was not great. It was way too general, and we sort of just did the podcast to do a podcast. We didn't think a lot about it, because we were like, "We've just got to get in there and do it." Right? Jay: Right. Kathleen: It was like a podcasting land grab at the time. I learned a lot from that, because it didn't have - it's funny the way you talked about it - it didn't have a really clear structure. There was not any consistency from episode to episode. It wasn't specific and focused enough. It's very interesting to see what works. I certainly wouldn't say I'm an expert at this point. I think I still have a lot to learn, but it's been a fascinating journey, just even from there to here. Jay: Well, I'd also add that sometimes it's fine to just self-express. It's amazing. It's amazing that we can self-express. You want a podcast. You don't want to think through all these different parts and pieces. Great. Just launch one. Just have fun with it. Or, you have existing fans, and you want to serve them through a different medium. Great. Just launch a podcast. You don't have to think through it as much, because they already give you the benefit of the doubt. So, I argue that all these things I'm talking about would help in both of those cases, but they're not requirements. But, then I talk to my clients, and it's like they want actual results from their show. Kathleen: Yes. Jay: Too often, what happens is, it's a pet project for a marketer or worse, an executive who asks for it. And then, I kind of point this out, I'm like, "You don't have a show-level concept. You sound like every other competitor. You don't have an episode structure. There's no IP here, and you can't repeat them with high quality and more efficiency and speed. The talent is lacking, because you haven't worked on the skillset, so who is this for?" And it's, "Oh, it's for our customers. It's for our prospects." "Well, every action that you're talking to me about maps to it being just for you, right? Because you haven't figured out if they want a podcast. You haven't figured out what concept they want, or what problem you're solving, or journey you're taking them on, etc, etc, etc." And at the end of it, it's like, "So, why did you want to launch a podcast?" "Oh, I guess it looked like fun." I'm like, "That's wonderful. That's amazing. I love this era we live in. So many side projects have been helpful to my career. Launch something for fun. But, you're telling me this is for work, and then when I dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, you have no real strategy. It's just a tactic that you glommed onto, right?" You have no real strategy. It's just a tactic that you glommed onto, which is only okay in a certain number of scenarios, so make sure it just maps to the goal you have. Kathleen: I think that's spot on, because it all depends on what your goal is, right? I'm somebody who learns by doing, so I always look at my first podcast as my podcasting 101 class. Jay: Nice. Kathleen: It was messy, people will find it online at some point and be like, "What was she thinking?" I kind of had to do that. Now though, what is interesting to me is when I started this one I really wanted it to be very much for the longterm and I took it a lot more seriously, and what I have learned is that even just doing it at the level that I am, it's time consuming. I think you're right. For a company to make an investment of people's time, especially the audience you work with - high growth startups, challenger brands - these are companies that the time value of money is quite large. If you're going to have people working on these things, you have to make it worth it. There has to be some measurable ROI. Even just with my podcast, I probably spend four to six hours a week between production and show notes, a half to a full day. Jay: I think about it like if you're going to go for a run, I'm going through this right now, I'm trying to get in shape, I have my first kid on the way, and I'm like, "Oh my god, I better get my ass in gear 'cause eventually it's going to drop off, so I'd better be in shape." So I'm going for runs in the morning. Now if I wanted to be, I don't know, if I wanted to be more in shape, but I still only have 30 minutes, I think my reaction, my brain, is usually, "I wish I had 60 minutes." But I could do more or do different or more variable things within the 30 minutes I do have, right? I could run in a different way. I could up more hills. I could do speed bursts or whatever. There's other ways I can use the time I have. When I talk to most clients, they have similar things. They're like, "Well, I'd like to make this better, but I only have so much time." I think about, okay, if that's the case and it's the Inbound Success Podcast, so it's like, why is that important? 'Cause we want our listeners to have success with inbound, great. Do any other shows do that? Sure. Kathleen: A lot. Jay: Right, so is there a different name you can put on the top of it or a different tagline that just articulates how we're different? Or could you even save time on the execution of it and say we're going to give you five minute tips and no one else does that? What is it that makes you thinking only game in town instead of yet another? I think about it not how do I get more resources to do that, I think about if I only have 30 minutes to run or I only have four hours to produce a show every week, what could I do, how could I rearrange the use of that four-hour period? Or how could I rearrange the structure of the show that I'm doing and not add any time to my plate? It doesn't have to be talking to bigger experts, and on the other end of the spectrum, it doesn't have to be creating a show like NPR with field reporting, music, and narration. I think there's just a lot of different ways to come at it. I've seen that opportunity, and I'm like, okay, this is something I should get out there and start teaching because I've been thinking about it so much in a marketing context and exclusively so. It's not a side project for me. It is now my business in addition to public speaking. It's like there's so many mental processes and frameworks you can use to use the time you have to still make a better show. That, to me, is a really exciting opportunity. Kathleen: I have so many questions for you. Jay: Hit me, let's do it. Kathleen: Okay, I'm going to try to mentally arrange this in order. I want to start at the beginning. You work with these clients and the first hurdle that you need to get over is convincing them that podcasting is the right format and that there's value in it for their business. Or maybe the first hurdle is creating content in and of itself, although you did say, I thought I heard you say, that if they're not already seeing success with content, they're not a good fit. Jay: Bingo. The first thing for me is figuring out where I fit in their journey. I never want to get into the conversation of why a podcast, ever. I want to find my true believers, because I'm a solo practitioner with some great freelance talent that I work with. I'm not building a scaling agency with a million dollar marketing budget and trying to get whatever, a hundred million dollar revenue every year. That sounds nice, but that's not what I'm building. I don't have to go and win over skeptics. I have to rally my true believers. So I can talk about things, like the new marketing mandate or why shows are great, and do a little hashtag, "Make shows, not pieces," and just start getting out in the marketplace and talking about this and win over those people that already believe what I believe, that, hey, we need to do a better job of this stuff, feeling emotion, creating entertainment value, holding attention, all that. The people that are already thinking it but lack the words or the services or the home base for that, they'll come my way. What I never want to do is be like, here's why a podcast matters, and have somebody be like, "Well, I don't know, we have a blog." Kathleen: That would be terrible client for you. Jay: That's the first hurdle. That's the first hurdle. Developing Your Podcast Concept Kathleen: Once you start working with these clients, they are your true believers, they've recognized that podcasting holds an opportunity for them. I assume, maybe wrongly, I don't know, but I assume that the next step would be to try and figure out what is this podcast going to be about, what's the concept? Walk me through how you work with clients on that? Jay: It's about distilling their brand values into the show level concept. The analogy I always use is like if you are most B2B marketers, you're like Tony Stark who becomes Ironman in the Marvel universe. Tony Stark is a billionaire, genius, philanthropist, clever guy. If you put a microphone in front of him, he's probably going to be really good as a host, and you need nothing else on your show. But if you send Tony Stark alone, no skills, out into battle, he's going to get crushed against the competition because he has no real superpowers. That's like putting a microphone in front of you and talking. There's no real superpowers. You're going to get crushed by the competition. But when he steps into the Ironman suit, now he's a literal superhero. What I do is I try to say to them, "I'm going to build you your version of an Ironman suit, and you as the host are going to step into this vehicle that I've constructed for you, and you're going to have superpowers." Sometimes I play Tony Stark and I'm the host; oftentimes, I'm coaching the host on the other end. I construct, given what I know about the brand and the competitive landscape and, most importantly, their customers, I construct the show level concept, the name, the tagline, the hook, how it's different. I create something called an empathy statement, which is a brief description of writing from the customer point of view, a description of the journey they're going on and why they would want to subscribe. I also do something called a show cross, which is like if this show meets that show meets that show. It's very TV pilot approach. Kathleen: Kind of like it's Airbnb meets Tinder. Jay: Yeah, it's very common in tech. For a while in venture capital, when we were hearing pitches, it was we're the Uber for X. Kathleen: It's a great way to explain your concept to an audience that might not have any basis from which to understand the market. Jay: It's shorthand, exactly right. Or if you don't know the inspirational sources on the receiving end if you're my prospect, I can say it's this show meets this show meets this show, which means this trait and this trait and this trait combined. That's really what it is. I have this document, what they call a show bible. Those are some of the component pieces of the show bible that I then create, and it contains things like the show level concept and the description they're in, and then the episode level structure. Those are the two pieces. Those are the sort of Ironman suit-esque pieces that I then use to insert either myself or my client because they're going to host into an actual show construct. That's like the first step is we want to document what the hell this is and who it's for and how it will sound before we actually create a single thing. We want a strategy. Kathleen: You mentioned having an empathy statement, and I love the name of that. Do you have an example of what that might sound like or is there one that you could provide that I could include in the show notes? Jay: My own show, I don't want to give away too many of the client shows, like behind the scenes. That's something that's for them. I'll give you my show Unthinkable. Let's see if I can remember it. It's a lot longer than what I'm about to give you. It's like three paragraphs, and I don't want to give you that. It's something like, "In our world today, we are drowning in best practices, conventional thinking, and trendy new tactics. It's like every single one of these things is a spoke on a wheel, and this wheel just keeps spinning endlessly. It leads straight to the one place we don't want our careers or companies to be, which is average or commodity work. In order to escape conventional thinking and think for yourself, we need to learn how to think for ourselves. We need to learn how to vet all the advice out there and question it in order to hone our intuition and do better work." "In Unthinkable, show host, former Google brand builder, public speaker, Jay Acunzo, takes you on a journey to the far reaches of the business world to dig up stories you've never heard and ideas you've never considered. We're going to showcase examples of work that seems crazy until you hear their side of the story. It's all in an attempt to help us all do what we want to do, which is bridge that gap between average work we're doing today and it's something exceptional in the future. It only seems unthinkable until you hear their side of the story." That's like an empathy statement. The whole goal is to get you nodding, which you were so that's great, you're a potential listener, and if you agree or you're excited and amped up, maybe you'll go and click subscribe. Now, I may put that nowhere publicly, and I kind of butchered it 'cause I'm doing it off the top of my head, but I may never publish that. But it informs everything else that I create as a North Star, and that's why it's so useful for clients I work with, upfront in the documented IP, because it is the North Star, it's from the perspective of the customer what we're trying to do. Kathleen: I am so impressed that you just reeled that all off the top of your head. Even if it wasn't verbatim, it was pretty good and it was kind of long. That's good. Jay: I was not joking when I say I obsess over this stuff. This is my world. Kathleen: Damn, A plus. Jay: Thank you. Kathleen: No, that's really good. I like it a lot. Am I correct that you phrase it as a we statement or as a first-person statement? Jay: We're going on a journey together, absolutely. That's the other thing, too. Whether or not you write "we" or "I" in your articles, social, whatever - I think you should, but it's one man's opinion and doesn't apply everywhere - voice is undeniably a person speaking to you. Not every article has a byline. Not every social post comes from a face. Sometimes it's a logo. But every voice is unmistakably "this is a person speaking to me," so you're going to name yourself on the show. You're going to have a relationship. I like to say that podcasting, or voice and audio, it's intimacy that scales. Everybody feels like they have friends in their pocket when they listen to podcasts or that they're in the VIP section. But like I said, everybody feels that way, right? So it feels one-to-one, it feels intimate, but it scales better than one-to-one coffee meetings or one-to-one relationships, and the benefits are similar. You feel like you've gotten to know this person to the point where if they ask me to do something next, I'm more likely to do that because I know I can trust them than if I were to say read an article or get a popup served to me or an ad alongside content I actually want. To me, that's the beauty of this medium. It's this powerful first-person voice that you get to know. Kathleen: It's been fascinating to me. I listen to a lot of podcasts, but obviously I have my own. Even though I know there are listeners out there, I still get a kick every time some stranger says, "I listen to your podcast." Or even sometimes friends of mine that don't work in marketing, because I have a podcast about marketing, but sometimes people I know just in my regular world say things like, "Oh, I listened to that episode you did," and I'm always thinking, "Oh, wow, that's so cool that somebody sat there and listened to a half an hour or 45 minutes of a conversation I had." It is, there's a level of intimacy I think in both directions because I feel so much closer to those people that listen than I might to somebody else I just met. Jay: Exactly, and that to me hints at how you should measure shows, especially early on. Measuring the Success of Your Podcast Jay: I can talk your ear off about how to plug a show into a marketing strategy and then measure the subsequent strategy. What I can't tell you is how many leads did this show generate? I know ways you could try and track that, but they're ineffective, like tracking links. However, I do know that in this world of crazy endless noise and worse sameness from everybody in your niche, if you have human beings coming up to you saying, with passion, "I love your show" or "I have a question for you," and then they talk to you like they've known you for years, or paragraphs of email, or an original thought shared on social or in the comments about what you're doing, I know for sure that is a project worth pursuing more. I can't tell you the exact ROI, I can just tell you that that's a reaction you don't get from other people you're trying to serve anywhere else, and so you should keep going. What I tell my clients we're going to measure early on is something I made up, 'cause if you don't have an acronym it doesn't exist in marketing. The acronym is URR, unsolicited response rate. If you're putting out these episodes and you're getting absolutely no qualitative and more importantly visceral response from what you put out, you need to rearrange or rethink what you're putting out, because that's the whole point of the show, is to get somebody passionately involved in you and your brand over time. You're holding a lot of time today, but hopefully that persists over time. That's the point of a show versus a piece. If you're not getting any reactions, that a signal that what you're doing isn't landing. I like to test this stuff to ensure that the idea that I'm putting in a show works. I'll send a tweet and look for a response, write an article, maybe put it in long form fashion versus a tweet on LinkedIn or Facebook, but I'll post a bunch of stuff, strongly worded ideas, and I'm testing. Does anybody care about this concept? Then I pluck the concept or the idea or the value from the medium, and I'm like "I'm going to up level this into an episode, because look at this visceral response." I do this with my newsletter a lot. When I get replies, I'm like "I'm going to save this, mark it in a Gmail folder, 'cause this could be an episode or a chapter of a book or a bit in my speeches." I'm looking for unsolicited responses to what I put out the door as a sign I'm on the right path and that's going to cause me to lean in with more confidence. Kathleen: That makes sense. Now let's say somebody has started doing their podcast, they're getting some URR. Do you have any strategies or insights into the best way to do what you just said, which is to level up, to get the podcast in front of more people? Does it have to do with how you promote it? Does it have to do with the format of your show notes? What have you observed works really well? Jay: Historically, when we're in acquire mode, the medium is the delivery vehicle and you stop there. It's like the marketing channel is the blog, and so I write an article, and that's me doing the marketing. Now I think really smart marketers realize, well, when we publish the article, yeah, some people are going to find it organically on the site or visit the site, but really we need to now go out organically on the site, or visit the site. But really, we need to now go out where they live and we're going to post it on social networks, we're going to take little quotes from it, we're going to maybe create versions of this for the right social networks so it's endemic or more native to those networks, with a link back to the original. We know now, I think most of us anyway, that you can't just put it through the channel and your job is done, even though there is discovery to be had on that channel itself. It's the same with podcasting. It's like, yes, there's going to be some people that maybe discover you through their podcast player of choice like Apple Podcast or Spotify, but you have to market it. It's a new product, you're marketing a show, and so, you have to atomize it. I think this is where a lot of marketers are falling flat. The podcast works really well when it's central to your content marketing. It's very poor if it's a sidecar. So when it's central, you're like a journalist doing a recording of an interview. You have endless content bottled up in this recording that you can excerpt and publish into text, put on social networks as quotes or little audio-grams. You need to take tangents. I want you to learn or string together multiple episodes and talk about the lessons, or write a big new piece and instead of doing original interviews, you're quoting past interviews from your podcast. Basically, endless amounts of content should cascade down from your show. What most people are doing, instead of that visual of cascading down, they're sticking it on the side of their strategy, like this is an appendage, this is a side project for us, and they're not rating it for endless amount of content. So there's wonderful benefits to be had for marketing efficiencies if you make your show more of a centerfold, or centerpiece rather, than your little sidecar, side project. How to Do Podcast Show Notes Kathleen: Yeah. I'm interested to get your take specifically on the topic of show notes because I've seen them done so many different ways. I see some podcasts that do very short, almost like outlines, that are bulleted, of here's what we talked about, here's the key links. Boom, here's the player, go listen. There are some like mine where I have the full transcript, and feel free to tear my approach apart by the way, I'm totally open to it. There's others that write a truly original article that synthesizes everything that was discussed, and I'm sure there are hybrids of all of those. Is there anything in particular that you believe works really well, or doesn't work really well? Jay: I think of two of the most popular shows in the Apple Podcast charts. Bill Simmons, who's a sports columnist and CEO of theringer.com, and Reply All, which is the most popular show made by Gimlet Media in New York. They're a private company that makes narrative style podcasts. So Bill Simmons show is Q&A, interview style, very lightly edited, with sponsors. He uses a paragraph form show notes section. It has some links at the very bottom for stuff they talked about or sponsors, but then the actual paragraphs above are timestamped pieces of the interview. So you can kind of scroll to the thing that you maybe want to hear, and I find that very useful. Kathleen: So it's not the full transcript, just- Jay: Not the transcript, just a summary, yeah. Now, that's me as a consumer judging, subjectively, that that's very useful for me. Right? But then there's Reply All, which I listen to just as much as Bill Simmons' show and that I rarely miss an episode. Unlike Bill Simmons, instead of a Q&A, it's highly narrative. It's still very chapter, just like Bill Simmons, very broken up, so you can consume bits and pieces. But you probably want to consume the whole thing to know what's going on, right? There's context at the beginning that maybe makes the end make more sense because it's one story. Their show notes are like two lines and any links that they mention. Right? So is there a right or a wrong way? It depends on the style of show you have. That's what they think. It depends on the time you have, it depends on what you find your audience wants. So I'm telling you right now that the complete opposite of Bill Simmons' approach, in that I get almost no information from Reply All, I find just as useful because for them, I'm like, do I want to listen? Let me get two more lines of context to whet my appetite, to tease me to see if there's a good story. With Bill Simmons, I'm like, do I want to listen? Let me get some of the chapter breakdowns and timestamps, see if I want to go through this long interview or not, what do they talk about? So it's really about self-awareness here. You need to know your show, what kind of show is it, what's inside, and know your audience and how they actually want to interact with your show. So I think there's ... Again, they're all tools, you can use them in any different way you want and I can't give you the answer because you have to go investigate. Kathleen: Yeah, man, I wish I believed that two lines and a couple of links would do it because that would save me about three or four hours a night. Jay: Well, here's something that could help. Every month, the most transformative thing I've ever done for my shows is every month, I do five to six one-on-one video calls with my listeners. I ask them a bunch of questions. The first half, first 15 minutes are me asking them questions. Second 15 is me trying to add value, talk about anything they want, even if it's just catching up socially. The first 15 minutes, I change what I ask based on what I'm trying to learn, or what I learned prior. So I'll ask things like, okay so how often do you listen? Once I understand they listen frequently, I might then focus those questions, if I were you, on like do you ever read the show notes? Why or why not? Do you read the show notes for any shows? Why or why not? Which are the ones that you do read? What kind of show is that? It's like I'm going to start to have these one-to-one interactions that will compound in value the more I have them, so that I know with certainty, hey it's actually this kind of list that I need to, bulleted list of links, or I need to write paragraphs, or I need the full transcript right in the show notes. The only way you're going to be able to tell, I think, is to ask the people you're trying to serve. Kathleen: All right, done. If you're listening to this podcast, you can tweet me @WorkMommyWork or you can email me at kbooth@impactbnd.com and we will setup a 15-minute call. Jay: Yes, love it. Kathleen: The first five people will talk in the next two weeks. Jay: That's awesome. Kathleen: Done. Yeah, no, it's something I'm really curious about. I mean, honestly, that's why I do this podcast. I always say even if nobody ever listens, which I hope is not the case, but even if nobody ever listened, I learn so much every week. So selfishly, I love talking to people like you who have insights that I can use to help me do this podcast better, or be a better marketer. I love it, it's so interesting to me. Jay: Awesome, awesome. Kathleen: All right, so we've talked a lot about what makes podcasting work, both from the macro level, and we've dived into some details. I want to shift gears for a minute and zoom out again. Kathleen's Two Questions Kathleen: You've been involved in the world of inbound marketing and content marketing for quite some time, and there are a lot more players now than there used to be. There's a lot of companies creating content, a lot of individuals creating content. Company or individual, who do you think is doing inbound really well right now? Jay: I love what InVision is doing. They sell prototyping tools for product designers, so the people who develop the front-end websites for Airbnb, and the experience that you have on mobile for Netflix, and apps that you use like Instagram. People that are designing the experiences of the most important screens in our lives use InVision. Most companies would just go out and start bragging about that. Number one market leader and you know, they'd create a bunch of case studies. And InVision does do some of that, but a few years ago, they noticed that every one of their customers were asking, or responding, to the questions that their case study interviews gave them in the same way. So they talk about InVision's tools, they talk about how great it was and how, you know, all the usual case study stuff of like InVision transformed my business, and yaddi yaddi yadda. Same thing that every one of the customers on their competitor websites were saying about competitor tools. So not differentiated, in other words. But then, they asked these product designers where does product design fit in the business world? Why is this an important business function, as your brand or in your niche? And everybody, to a man or a woman, got defensive about the place that the product design profession held in technology. They started defending why they mattered and why they needed a bigger seat at the table and all these things. The team at InVision sort of realized, like, oh okay, we're not and the business of selling tools and empowering product designers to do their jobs better. We're in the business, at InVision, of giving these people, that clearly need it, an identity. We're going to give product design a community and an identity because if we do that, now, businesses will think more highly of product design, give them a seat at the table, let them do better work and be more strategic, and also probably budget for what they're doing more, or hire for it more. And then, we can sell them tools, right? It's a lot easier to sell companies who believe in product design tools if they first believe in product design, right? So they created a full feature, hour long, film called Design Disruptors. Kathleen: Wow. Jay: Yeah, and it seems like such a leap from a case study to a film, until you hear that logic behind the scenes. This was an episode of my show and it's called The Pike and the Minnow, if anybody wants to listen to it, on Unthinkable. The Pike and the Minnow. We go into the making of this project and why it was strategic and safe, not this giant leap, not risky or scary. That's just one small example of how they've transformed how they do marketing based not on a trend, or a best practice, or a precedent, but based on getting more fundamental insights about their audience. Like they need an identity, and no one else is addressing that insight we have. If we start there, we'll rally thousands of people around us, and lo and behold, I think they had something like a thousand live screenings and in 450 locations worldwide throughout a year. They doubled their user base and I think to date, I want to get the number right, I think to date they've raised $155 million in VC- Kathleen: What? Jay: So they're the best funded company in their space and they have a lot of competition. And it had nothing to do with having some clever new hack, growth hack, it had nothing to do with new technology or best practice that's been around for decades. It had everything to do with the fact that they just informed all of their work with this more fundamental insight of what the customer was actually going through, and they addressed that instead of the kind of conventional layer that everyone else around them was trying to address. Kathleen: That's so fascinating. I cannot wait to check that out. Yeah, some of the most forward-thinking brands that I've kind of observed seems to have also a real focus on building community. I mean, there's just something so lasting there. But InVision, I mean, wow. That's a product we use and I didn't know about the movie, it's something I definitely have to check it out. But what a interesting approach to demand generation. Jay: A hundred percent. Kathleen: Talk about way down the line, seeing dividends. Jay: Well, the thing is, they saw dividends that month. The month they would have ... So they made the film, then they would do these offline screenings, and in the room where these high-value prospects, like NBC, who you can't cold call necessarily, and they invited them into their office to show the film, and demo their products, and talk about design and where it was heading. In that room was NBC and all these other people, companies around NBC's office that were invited in. So if you're going to go check out the story, you can check out the story I did on my show, but you will not be able to find this film anywhere on the internet. You can find a bunch of little bits and pieces like teasers they made, but the film was only ever debuted offline, in full, because they wanted to build community. Because they were building on that first principle insight of giving product design an identity, so they didn't want to share it publicly with the world. This is only for the product design world. Kathleen: Wow. Jay: Imagine that, right? You invest all that time and energy into building a film. A film, not a case study, not a cool video, not an interview series. A film with real production value and tons of work and time and budget, and then you never release it publicly, or online. Kathleen: That is so fascinating. All right, I'm going to put the link to- Jay: It doubled their business. Kathleen: ... your episode in my show notes because I'm sure people are going to want to hear that. Jay: Sounds great. Kathleen: All right, second question, and that was a really good answer by the way. Second question is, digital marketing is changing so quickly, it's so technologically driven these days too, how do you stay up to date? Jay: I spend a lot more time than probably seems healthy, at first glance to other people, talking to the people I'm trying to serve. A way I have an advantage is that most of my business is public speaking, so I'm on stages, at events, networking, talking to people ahead of time, and afterwards ... But then I do try to have a process to it. I have my newsletter, it goes out once a week. I tell a new story every Monday morning and I call it Damn the Best Practices, is the name of the newsletter. I get responses to that and I try to engage and keep those people in mind. I have those one-on-one calls that I try to do at least a couple times a month. I spend very little time in the marketing echo chamber and I find that if you spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on the consumer you're trying to reach, the people you're trying to resonate with, the ones you're trying to serve. Back to the beginning of the entire episode here, when you asked me what I'm all about, the people I'm trying to make feel something when they consume content from me, if I just focus 100% of my time on that, and that tends to give me the answers that I need. Right? So if I have to be on Instagram instead of Snapchat, I'm going to learn it from talking to people that I'm trying to serve. If I need to shorten my podcast episodes, I'm not going to read an article how long should a podcast be. I'm going to talk to the people who are actually listening to my podcast, or I'm going to build an audience so I can ask them next. So I think we spend too much time obsessing over the echo chamber, which is fine, but that's just a starting spot, it's a starting place. It's a proxy for what all of this is really for, which is serving your customers. So why not just spend more time talking to them? Kathleen: Well, fingers crossed, a few people will email me or tweet me, and say they're willing to talk to me about the podcast because I love that idea and I'm really excited about it. So yes, if you're out there, remember, you can tweet me @WorkMommyWork, or email me at kbooth@impactbnd.com. Jay, if somebody has a question for you, what is the best way for my listeners to find you online? Jay: Jay@unthinkablemedia.com, or any social network. I answer every tweet, Instagram DM, everything. But email is always a way to cut through it all, so it's jay@unthinkablemedia.com. Kathleen: Great. Well, this has been really fun and interesting. Thank you for joining me. If you are listening and you liked what you heard, please consider giving the podcast a review on iTunes, Stitcher, or your podcast listening platform of choice. And if you know someone doing kick ass inbound marketing work, tweet me @WorkMommyWork because I would love to interview them. That's it for this week. Thanks Jay. Jay: Thanks for having me.

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How the Digital Team at the VA Hospital Pushed for Progress | Season 1 Finale

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2018 29:43

Courtney Eimerman-Wallace shares eye-opening stories inside the VA. Currently, Courtney is the Director or Product at https://www.colorofchange.org/. She's helped build https://www.winningjustice.org/ and other digital products. In the past, she was part of the first digital team at the VA, thanks to her work at the USDS. In this episode, she shares the backstory of 3 key projects and what she learned about pushing for change inside slow-moving or stagnant organizations. Say hi to Courtney at https://twitter.com/courtpholio?lang=en Get more content about modern leadership, including culture decks from companies like Google, Netflix, Spotify, and NASA, at http://orguncharted.com This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining shows about work. For more, visit http://unthinkablemedia.com

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Evolving Harvard Business Review: How a Legacy Business Rocketed into the Digital Age

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2018 25:55

A look into how a nearly 100 year old company is leading the way in digital media. This week we talk to Sarah Green Carmichael, the Executive Editor of Harvard Business Review and host of both HBR Ideacast and Women at Work. Not only is HBR a powerhouse of digital content, but they are a shining example of what it means to experiment and push the boundaries while staying true to the brand. LINKS TO KNOW: Show website: http://orguncharted.com (Get company culture decks, interviews with top thinkers, and more) This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining shows about work. For more, visit http://unthinkablemedia.com

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62. Jay Acunzo, founder, Unthinkable Media

Telling The Story

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2018 35:46

The greatest influence on my work last year came from outside my industry. I am a broadcast journalist who's been in the business 15 years, and in 2017 I spoke at six workshops, went to several awards ceremonies, and participated in four company summits. I witnessed a slew of inspiring speakers, colleagues, and leaders. But I transformed my game thanks to Jay Acunzo. He doesn't work in journalism - he actually eschewed the industry when he would have begun professionally - but he sure works in storytelling. He is the founder of Unthinkable Media and oversees a handful of B2B podcasts to reshape the way businesses connect with their audiences. But his primary podcast, Unthinkable, serves up weekly reminders of the value of carving your own path. Acunzo abhors the idea of "best practices". He encourages trusting your intuition and developing your voice. Those qualities might sound familiar. They're the basis of what my podcast is all about, specifically for journalists. But that's the problem. Young journalists too often become funneled into the familiar through traditional media outlets that demand quantity, speed, and routine over quality, depth, and originality. I have spoken before - including directly to college students - about thinking big. I use this podcast to spotlight others who do the same. Acunzo thinks huge but methodically, passionately, and with a willingness to push beyond the norm. Last summer I received the opportunity to launch my own storytelling franchise, Untold Atlanta, for the city's NBC affiliate. I didn't want to become complacent. I wanted to break ground. Around that time, I began listening to Unthinkable's eight-part "How Intuition Works" series. Every episode bubbled new ideas into my mind. The results soon showed: original output, audience response, and numerous honors. Most recently, my first Untold Atlanta documentary received a regional Edward R. Murrow award, my first in the documentary category. Acunzo is my guest on Episode #62 of the Telling the Story podcast. He may not be my typical guest, but that's what makes him great. He's a founder, creator, keynote speaker, podcaster, and soon-to-be book author. More importantly, he's an original thinker who inspires others to follow unique paths. → The post PODCAST EPISODE #62: Jay Acunzo, founder, Unthinkable Media appeared first on Telling The Story.

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Glomming onto Tactics vs Strategically Attacking Them

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2018 21:51

Brain Trust Partners’ Co-Founder and CEO, Scott Monty, takes us back to the wild west days of social media and his time with the Ford Motor Company. As someone who has cut through the jungle of building a social media presence for a major corporation, he knows well that simply glomming onto tactics is far different from deploying an actual strategy. It remains just as much of a fact today as it was then. The Difference is the show for big brand executives exploring one big question: In the digital age, why do some brands thrive while others struggle to survive? Each episode, the founders of Brain+Trust Partners tackle one big trend, technology, or change and explore the difference between succeeding and scuffling when trying to capitalize. Brain+Trust is an executive consultancy helping busy leaders make sense of customer behavior and data to drive results. LINKS TO KNOW Visit Brain+Trust Partners to learn more about the firm: braintrust.partners Follow the firm on Twitter: twitter.com/yourbraintrust This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining podcasts about work. More at unthinkablemedia.com

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Breaking the Mold: The Value of Atypical Jobs

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2018 23:02

A marketing evangelist shares his vision for the future of marketing. This week we talk to Mathew Sweezey, Principal of Marketing Insights at Salesforce, about his unusual job and how positions like this can be a huge benefit to companies. Through his research and speaking, not only is Mathew putting his company in front of audiences around the world at zero cost, but he is helping to push the world of marketing grow and move forward. LINKS TO KNOW: Show website: http://orguncharted.com (Get company culture decks, interviews with top thinkers, and more) This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining shows about work. For more, visit http://unthinkablemedia.com.

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Corporate Values: The Difference Between Posturing and Action

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2018 27:27

Today, we explore how IDEO developed and lives by their values. "Values" are so often treated as nice-sounding, well-intentioned ideas that companies use more as internal marketing than actual guidelines affecting their behavior. In this episode, Sally Sosa, the Global Talent Director, Culture and Communications, at IDEO takes us inside their employee experience. From their infamous handbook to their innovative new approaches to design sprints and client projects, we learn how they stay aligned at all times. LINKS TO KNOW: Show website: orguncharted.com (Get company culture decks, interviews with top thinkers, and more) This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining shows about work. For more, visit unthinkablemedia.com

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Dark Data: Shining a Light onto Your Brand's Biggest Problem

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2018 26:48

Today, the co-founder and CEO of a new company, Brain+Trust Insights, Katie Lioy, discusses the ubiquitous issue facing large brands today: dark data. What is it? How do we combat it? And what can we as executives do and say to push through the problem? THE DIFFERENCE is the show for big brand executives exploring one big question: In the digital age, why do some brands thrive while others struggle to survive? Each episode, the founders of Brain+Trust Partners tackle one big trend, technology, or change and explore the difference between succeeding and scuffling when trying to capitalize. Brain+Trust is an executive consultancy helping busy leaders make sense of customer behavior and data to drive results. LINKS TO KNOW Visit Brain+Trust Partners to learn more about the firm: braintrust.partners Follow the firm on Twitter: twitter.com/yourbraintrust This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining podcasts about work. More at unthinkablemedia.com

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Pushing Past Pushing: How to Create a Pull Culture of Leadership

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2018 26:28

A startup veteran shares his secret to leading without pushing. Today we talk to David Cancel, currently the CEO of Drift, which helps businesses connect with current and prospective customers on their website. He was previously the Chief Product Officer at HubSpot after it acquired another one of his successful startups, Performable. Over the years David has led and worked with a lot of people, and along the way discovered that a pull culture, rather than a push culture, is a vastly better way to lead. LINKS TO KNOW: David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dcancel Show website: http://orguncharted.com (Get company culture decks, interviews with top thinkers, and more) This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining shows about work. For more, visit http://unthinkablemedia.com

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5 Terrible Brand Crises and What Execs Can Learn

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2018 49:27

Brain+Trust Partners' cofounder Christopher Barger and co-host Jay Acunzo run down a list of five awful PR crises facing big brands and what executives can learn. From the funny and bizarre to the serious and tragic, the guys deconstruct these stories through the lens of leading a global business and addressing the underlying people, process, and technology issues -- always in that order. The Difference is the show for big brand executives exploring one big question: In the digital age, why do some brands thrive while others struggle to survive? Each episode, the founders of Brain+Trust Partners tackle one big trend, technology, or change and explore the difference between succeeding and scuffling when trying to capitalize. Brain+Trust is an executive consultancy helping busy leaders make sense of customer behavior and data to drive results. LINKS TO KNOW Visit Brain+Trust Partners to learn more about the firm: http://braintrust.partners Follow the firm on Twitter: twitter.com/yourbraintrust This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining podcasts about work. More at http://unthinkablemedia.com

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A Simple Way to Break Silos at Work

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2018 25:21

An innovative global leader shares his approach to breaking down silos. Today, we talk to David Beebe, formerly of Marriott, and currently one of the most creative and in-demand marketing consultants in the world. David is an Emmy award-winning producer and director who pioneered the Marriott Content Studio -- a case study for marketers everywhere, but ALSO a case study for how to break down silos around any business, big or small. LINKS TO KNOW: David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidbeebe Show website: http://orguncharted.com (Get company culture decks, interviews with top thinkers, and more) This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining shows about work. For more, visit http://unthinkablemedia.com

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It's Hard: A Blunt Look at Digital Transformation for Brands

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2018 38:28

Brain+Trust Partners' CEO Scott Monty and co-host Jay Acunzo swap stories of doing things the right way and, of course, the wrong way both from their own careers and around the world of Fortune 500 brands. Jay shares the story of a global hotel chain executive acting more like a startup founder, and Scott starts with a tough premise (namely, this stuff is hard) before deconstructing it to bits. The Difference is the show for big brand executives exploring one big question: In the digital age, why do some brands thrive while others struggle to survive? Each episode, the founders of Brain+Trust Partners tackle one big trend, technology, or change and explore the difference between succeeding and scuffling when trying to capitalize. Brain+Trust is an executive consultancy helping busy leaders make sense of customer behavior and data to drive results. LINKS TO KNOW Visit Brain+Trust Partners to learn more about the firm: http://braintrust.partners Follow the firm on Twitter: twitter.com/yourbraintrust This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining podcasts about work. More at http://unthinkablemedia.com

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Rewarding Failure: How Udacity Separates Truth From Nonsense

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2018 27:38

A deep dive into a powerful idea getting used (and abused) all over the business world. We talk to Kathleen Mullaney of online education company Udacity, who has helped develop a thriving culture both internally with employees and externally with the company's students all across the world. Kathleen and host Jay Acunzo deconstruct this notion of "Rewarding Failure" to separate the noise from the substance -- and we walk away with a few practical ideas we can all use to empower others better in our companies. LINKS TO KNOW: Kathleen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kvmullaney Show website: http://orguncharted.com (Get company culture decks, interviews with top thinkers, and more) This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media, makers of refreshingly entertaining shows about work. For more, visit http://unthinkablemedia.com

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Artificial Intelligence: Setting Expectations

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2018 23:20

Brain+Trust Partners' Tim Hayden and co-host Jay Acunzo talk artificial intelligence. Tim dives into his past and present work with larger organizations and innovative tech companies, and the guys discuss the hype around AI. What should executives be prepared to do in the near-term, and are we asking the right questions to get us there? The Difference is the show for big brand executives exploring one big question: In the digital age, why do some brands thrive while others struggle to survive? Each episode, the founders of Brain+Trust Partners tackle one big trend, technology, or change and explore the difference between succeeding and scuffling when trying to capitalize. Brain+Trust is an executive consultancy helping busy leaders make sense of customer behavior and data to drive results. LINKS TO KNOW Visit Brain+Trust Partners to learn more about the firm: braintrust.partners Follow the firm on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yourbraintrust This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media.

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Why Unthinkable Media Exists

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2018 10:03

A welcome note to all those new to the Unthinkable Media website (launching later this week!) and community, and an explanation of why I'm starting this company in the first place. Email me anytime at jay@unthinkablemedia.com Or say hi on Twitter @jayacunzo or Instagram @jacunzo Thanks for your support!

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Autonomous Vehicles: The Crucial Missing Piece of the Discussion

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2018 29:44

Brain+Trust Partners' Christopher Barger and co-host Jay Acunzo dive into autonomous vehicles and try to separate hype from substance. Specifically, Christopher pulls from his years at GM and working with Fortune 500 executives to outline the real transformation needed to make autonomous vehicles part of our future. Make no mistake: The technology is quarters away, not years, and yet there's one big piece nobody is talking about. The Difference is the show for big brand executives exploring one big question: In the digital age, why do some brands thrive while others struggle to survive? Each episode, the founders of Brain+Trust Partners tackle one big trend, technology, or change and explore the difference between succeeding and scuffling when trying to capitalize. Brain+Trust is an executive consultancy helping busy leaders make sense of customer behavior and data to drive results. LINKS TO KNOW Visit Brain+Trust Partners to learn more about the firm: braintrust.partners Follow the firm on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yourbraintrust This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media.

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Personalization: Why Some Brands Win & Others Look Foolish

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2018 33:46

Brain+Trust Partners CEO Scott Monty looks at how some brands use personalized communications well, while others look foolish. The Difference is the show for big brand executives exploring one big question: In the digital age, why do some brands thrive while others struggle to survive? Each episode, the founders of Brain+Trust Partners tackle one big trend, technology, or change and explore the difference between succeeding and scuffling when trying to capitalize. Brain+Trust is an executive consultancy helping busy leaders make sense of customer behavior and data to drive results. LINKS TO KNOW Visit Brain+Trust Partners to learn more about the firm: braintrust.partners This podcast is a production of Unthinkable Media.

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Introducing The Difference