Podcast Summary: "Stop Branding" | The Game with Alex Hormozi (Ep 8)

Date: July 14, 2017
Host: Alex Hormozi

Overview

In this episode, Alex Hormozi challenges the conventional wisdom of "branding" in business marketing. Drawing on his own experiences and failures, as well as direct response marketing principles from Dan Kennedy, Alex argues that focusing time and money on branding—logos, colors, awareness campaigns—produces little return for most small businesses. Instead, he advocates for a direct, measurable, offer-driven marketing approach. The episode is aimed at entrepreneurs and gym owners seeking actionable steps to generate real, trackable business growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Branding vs. Direct Response Marketing

Main Message:

• Traditional branding (logos, websites, colors) doesn’t generate trackable ROI for small businesses.
• Money spent on branding is often wasted compared to direct marketing strategies.

Notable Quote:

"Branding is BS because it doesn't actually produce anything. People are like, 'Well, it's good to have awareness.' It's like, what is awareness? How do you monetize awareness?" — Alex Hormozi (01:00)

Key Insight:

• Alex warns entrepreneurs against expensive branding agencies and encourages DIY tools (e.g., ClickFunnels) for creating functional, high-converting sites.

2. The 7 Pillars of Effective Marketing

From Dan Kennedy’s teachings and Alex’s experience, every business marketing plan should have:

1. Always Have an Offer

• Everything you put into the market should have a clear, actionable offer.

  "You should always have an offer that is going on. There's always an offer." (02:04)

2. Always Have a Deadline

• Every offer should be time-bound to create urgency.

  "There's always a deadline. ...Our prices increase every, like, eight weeks." (03:02)

3. Clear Instructions

• Spell out exactly what the prospect must do next—don’t assume they know.

  "People don't know what to do. Like, you have to let them know what to do next, because they're like, 'Oh, I want to do that. But now what do I do?'" (03:56)

4. Don’t Spend on Branding

• Direct response creates brand through repeated exposure—not color palettes or logos.

  "The only branding that you're going to have is going to be from people seeing your direct marketing materials. ...If it doesn't make you money, which branding doesn't ... then you don't know what you're doing." (04:36)

5. Must Be Measurable

• Track every marketing dollar to a result; avoid untrackable agency spend.

  "It has to be measurable. ...If you don't have a way of measuring return, you're literally burning money." (08:49)

6. Always Have Follow Up

• After an offer, keep engaging to convert prospects who don’t act immediately.

  "You have to follow up with people. ...People are like, 'How can you make money on something that's free?' There's a bajillion ways to make money on something that's free. But it's in the follow up." (06:46)

7. Strong Copywriting

• The words in ads/emails/direct mail must be compelling and emotionally engaging.

  "You have to have strong copy. ...Copy has to be compelling. It has to hook people. It has to drive emotions. It has to solve the problems that they think that they have." (08:00)

3. Criticism of Traditional Success Masterminds

Story:

• Alex recounts a gym owner paying $2,000/month to a Mastermind for six months with no measurable business growth.

  "I got off the phone with someone yesterday who had been in a Mastermind... spending $2,000 a month... I was like, awesome. How much has your business grown? And they're like, what do you mean?" (05:45)

Key Lesson:

• If you can’t ‘pinpoint to the penny’ how much your marketing investment is making you, reconsider your strategy.

4. The Step-by-Step Conversion Process

• Walks listeners through an example funnel: opt-in, application, phone call, next steps—always pre-framed and clear.

  "In the copy that I have, I'm like, hey, after you opt in for this free case study, there's gonna be application page. ...On the next page I say, hey, thanks for applying. Just so you know, all you gotta do now is schedule a time to call ..." (09:15)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Branding:

  "Branding doesn't matter. Your colors don't matter. Like, they really don't. Okay? Like Xerox. Like, who would think Xerox would be the name of a business?" (01:32)

• On the Need for Offers:

  "If you don't always have an offer, make one." (08:17)

• On Clear Instructions:

  "The more the experience that they go through is in sync with exactly what you said, the more they're going to inherently and subconsciously trust you already." (04:20)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–01:48 — Why Alex believes branding doesn’t work for gym owners/small businesses.
• 01:49–04:36 — Explanation of direct response marketing; introduction to 7 key marketing pillars.
• 05:41–06:46 — Example of wasted spend on masterminds; the importance of measurable ROI.
• 06:46–08:49 — Importance of follow-up and copywriting; explanation of how free offers work via follow-up processes.
• 08:49–10:25 — Reiteration of the 7 marketing rules and step-by-step marketing/customer journey.

Actionable Takeaways

• Stop spending on traditional branding; invest only in marketing you can track to revenue.
• Always have a clear offer, a compelling reason (“why now”), and tell your audience exactly what to do next.
• Make your results measurable, follow up obsessively, and use emotionally powerful copy.

Useful Links Mentioned

• gymlaunchsecrets.com/quiz — Example of Alex’s offer and funnel.
• acquisition.com — For larger businesses seeking growth.