Why have we seen a huge resurgence in this music pastime? Nick says: “Vinyl is a tangible format… it’s nostalgic, it’s much more appealing, deserving of attention than just purely listening to music online.”
Hear Nick share his inspiration for starting VNYL (spoiler: it started thanks to his first job working in a record shop!), why we’re so obsessed with nostalgia, and the power of a subscription model to nurture a loyal audience for your business. We also discuss how music discovery has changed over the years, and how influencers are inspiring all of us to spin records.
P.S. passionate about music? VNYL is hiring! Hear more about the opportunities around the 43:00 minute mark 👀
“When I’m listening to music on a device, I’m constantly getting distracted with a push notification or some other app that’s calling my attention and taking me out of the experience. But on vinyl, even if it’s just background, the uninterruption is so huge for me, to just have it on a physical format.”
– Nick Alt
Making the Brand is the perfect fusion of your favorite marketing and pop culture podcast. Listen to the episode below:
Want more marketing and pop culture fun in your life? The best thing you can do is subscribe to Making the Brand so you’re up to date on the latest episodes, released every Wednesday! Making the Brand is sure to become your favorite marketing podcast!
The Making the Brand podcast is a labor of love. If you’re a fan, I’d sincerely appreciate if you took a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews are incredibly important to help me grow the show!
Here’s why Making the Brand is everyone’s favorite marketing podcast:
“You’ll always come out smarter after listening to making the brand! Brianne explains everything in an easy to understand way no matter where you are in your marketing journey. Definitely subscribe and she’ll also turn you into a Backstreet boy fan if you aren’t already!”
– Kyle
Prefer to watch this interview on YouTube instead? Check out this episode on my YouTube channel!
Related Resources about music, nostalgia, and more!
Every fandom has its community where they go to connect with other fans to talk about their favorite thing. If you’re a Backstreet Boys fan, you have BSB Fangirls! It is the ultimate resource for Backstreet Boys news, updates, and commentary, past and present!
In this episode, I’m chatting with Karah-Leigh Hancock, who is the owner of the BSB Fangirls community and also the author of an upcoming book celebrating BSB’s 30-year legacy. And they’re still going strong!
Karah also shares her favorite memories as a Backstreet Boys fan and how her love of the boy band landed her a job and a book deal.
“You’re a fan regardless if you’ve done a VIP or a haven’t done a VIP. I try to make the website and community as a whole inclusive for those types of people because I’ve been there.”
– Karah-Leigh Hancock
Making the Brand is the perfect fusion of your favorite marketing and pop culture podcast. Listen to the episode below:
Want more marketing and pop culture fun in your life? The best thing you can do is subscribe to Making the Brand so you’re up to date on the latest episodes, released every Wednesday! Making the Brand is sure to become your favorite marketing podcast!
The Making the Brand podcast is a labor of love. If you’re a fan, I’d sincerely appreciate if you took a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews are incredibly important to help me grow the show!
Here’s why Making the Brand is everyone’s favorite marketing podcast:
“As a communications professional, it’s hard to find a podcast that really inspires you and makes you want to keep listening. Especially during the dead week between Christmas and New Years. Had my pen and paper out so I could take notes. Started with the Kevin from Manscaped episode and then went to their socials to pick out what i learned. Thanks Brianne!”
– Guillermo
Prefer to watch this interview on YouTube instead? Check out this episode on my YouTube channel!
Related Resources about the Backstreet Boys, boy bands, & More!
Equinox kicked off the new year with a campaign called ‘We Don’t Speak January’ which banned new members from joining on January 1st. It’s majorly backfiring on them on social media.
As someone who has spent most of my marketing career focused on fitness and wellness brands, I’m sharing my takeaways for why this misses the mark.
1. Be bold, but stick to your purpose.
This campaign immediately reminded me of REI’s Cannes-winning campaign, #OptOutside, when they closed their doors on Black Friday and encouraged customers and staff to spend the day outside. This makes sense for an outdoor brand like REI.
Equinox’s move had this same shock value, but banning new members doesn’t align with their brand purpose or mission.
According to their website, this is what Equinox stands for:
“In everything we do, we create the possibility for people to maximize the potential within themselves.”
This campaign did the exact opposite and isn’t true to who they are.
But Equinox isn’t the only one. I’ve seen other fitness centers try to shame customers into working out by poking fun at their past failures. Pity never works.
We’re all hard enough on ourselves as it is. No one wants a corporation making us feel worse about our goals.
I can’t believe I have to say this, but a little empathy here would’ve helped them avoid this mistake.
3. Perception is reality. Timing is everything.
At first glance, the sentiment behind the campaign manifesto seems uplifting.
But pairing this with a ban on new joins is what sticks with their audience. It’s what they will remember and criticize Equinox for, despite their intent.
This campaign may have been better received if it was launched before January to inspire people to make a change now, without needing a reset for the new year. But instead of making people feel welcome, they feel excluded.
4. What was the goal?
If the goal was lead generation, this campaign falls flat.
Even though REI closed their doors on Black Friday, they saw a boost in sales. I don’t think this Equinox will receive this same support for their ban.
But if I had to point out a positive, this may work well for retention. Existing members may feel assured knowing they’ve incorporated fitness as part of their year-round lifestyle.
I understand what they were trying to do, but Equinox could’ve made simple tweaks to this campaign to meet their audience where they are instead of shutting them out.
If you’re anything like me, you’re fascinated by Taylor Swift’s songwriting genius. I’m always trying to understand her brain and how she brings her lyrics to life.
In her 2022 speech for the Nashville Songwriter Awards, Taylor gave us a glimpse into her songwriting process by disclosing her unique lyric categories. Hint: they have to do with the writing tool she uses. She describes her lyric categories as “dorky” but anyone else would have to agree they’re pretty brilliant.
In this episode of Making the Brand, we do a deep dive on these lyric categories and discuss how we can apply them to our own content creation. Taylor’s process helps her approach songwriting with a bit more ease and gets her in the right frame of mind to create. It’s way less daunting than staring at a blank page or sitting at the piano without a plan.
I share a simple framework you also can apply to add order and consistency to your social media content calendar.
“When you write, you can turn your lessons into your legacy.”
– Taylor Swift
Making the Brand is the perfect fusion of your favorite marketing and pop culture podcast. Listen to the episode below:
Download the free worksheet to start creating your own content themes
How to Subscribe
Want more marketing and pop culture fun in your life? The best thing you can do is subscribe to Making the Brand so you’re up to date on the latest episodes, released every Wednesday! Making the Brand is sure to become your favorite marketing podcast!
The Making the Brand podcast is a labor of love. If you’re a fan, I’d sincerely appreciate if you took a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews are incredibly important to help me grow the show!
Here’s why Making the Brand is everyone’s favorite marketing podcast:
“This pod is so fetch! One of the best marketing podcasts you’ll find. Brianne always finds a way to relate marketing to pop culture. And that’s part of her genius. Who knew that Mean Girls, Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys could teach us so much about marketing? This is always a fun and informative listen.”
Liz Wilcox is a diehard *NSYNC fangirl AND email marketing expert. She dropped some actionable takeaways to help you turn your email subscribers into friends who will gladly become your customers!
Hear her share the biggest advantage small businesses have, as well as the one simple section you can add to your emails RIGHT NOW to boost conversions. She also shares the surprising difference between emails and newsletters.
I found myself taking notes throughout this episode. For more of Liz’s wisdom, be sure to follow her, subscribe to her email list, and even consider joining her incredible email marketing membership. She is truly the Fresh Princess of Email!
“Coca-Cola, Nike, all these giant brands… they spend millions of dollars trying to appear human. You ARE human, you just gotta be you!”
– Liz Wilcox
Listen to the episode below:
In this episode, we discuss topics like:
The power of email and newsletters for any creator or business
Liz’s framework for how to get people to know, like, and trust you
How to turn followers into subscribers and into customers
The difference between email and newsletters
The simple email section to include in your welcome sequence to inspire more conversions
Liz showed some love to my email welcome sequence! Subscribe here! 💌
How to Subscribe
Want more marketing and pop culture fun in your life? The best thing you can do is subscribe to Making the Brand so you’re up to date on the latest episodes, released every Wednesday! Making the Brand is sure to become your favorite marketing podcast!
The Making the Brand podcast is a labor of love. If you’re a fan, I’d sincerely appreciate if you took a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews are incredibly important to help me grow the show!
Here’s why Making the Brand is everyone’s favorite marketing podcast:
“Brianne’s podcast is amazing and so relatable! So many nuggets of marketing knowledge to walk away with, but the besr part is taking a trip down memory lane and experiencing the nostalgia she and her guests create! Highly recommend you give this one a listen! Even if it’s just to think about all your favorite boy bands and TGIF sitcoms. 🙃”
– Lindsay Moran
Prefer to watch instead of listen? See my full interview with Liz Wilcox on my YouTube channel!
Defining your niche is easy with this free discovery workbook! It’s packed with eight exercises to get the gears turning and help you uncover your unique value.
