Podcast Summary: "10 Ways to Not Be a Boring Brand Next Year"

Podcast: The Marketing Architects
Episode: 10 Ways to Not Be a Boring Brand Next Year
Date: November 25, 2025
Hosts: Wayne Jasper (B), Angela Voss (A), Rob DeMars (C)

Episode Overview

This episode tackles the growing epidemic of "boring brands" and outlines actionable strategies—rooted in marketing, psychology, and economics research—for standing out and building brands that drive real business results in 2026. The hosts present and discuss 10+ concrete ideas (with some extra tips!) to help marketers inject boldness, emotion, and distinction into their brand-building efforts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Problem: Marketing Sameness & Conformity

• B introduces the episode by referencing Robert Wheatley's article, "Competing on Sameness":

  • Brands are converging into indistinguishable, lookalike competitors by copying each other’s features and messaging.
  • This "epidemic of conformity" leads to the death of differentiation—a phenomenon driven by "competitive mimicry."
  • Quote [01:20]: "Everyone's chasing the same consumers with the same promises, and differentiation quietly dies." — B

• Key solution: Brands should pursue "lopsidedness"—polarizing choices, clear tradeoffs, and subtraction instead of chasing every consumer.

The Top 10+ Tips to Avoid Brand Boredom

1. Use Odd Numbers in Listicles

• A jokingly suggests odd-numbered lists perform better in clickbait (02:10).

2. Expand Your Audience: Don’t Over-Target

• C emphasizes that hyper targeting shrinks your pool and starves long-term growth.
• Memorable Mantra:
  “Hyper targeting is paying more to ignore your future customers.” — C [02:32]
• Actionable Tip: Test removing some targeting filters to reach light and non-buyers, who drive real growth (Byron Sharp research).

3. Rethink AI: Treat It as a Creative Team, Not a Tool

• A advocates for using multiple AI agents with distinct roles to generate, critique, and rewrite ideas, fostering originality.
• Quote [05:36]: “It’s not about automation, it’s really about stimulation and how to get the most out of those ecosystems…” — A

4. Audit & Invest in Brand Distinctiveness

• B highlights the need for brands to be visually, sonically, and conceptually distinct—not just different.
• Conduct an asset audit (color, logo, sonic elements, mascots), compare with competitors, and invest in those truly unique and recognizable.

5. Develop and Prioritize Sonic Branding

• A and C discuss the rarity—and power—of a Sonic logo or audio brand standards.
• Quote [10:02]: “It’s easy to de-prioritize audio. You can't see it, you can't hang it on a wall. But man, everyone remembers an earworm.” — A
• Explore audio branding beyond ads (e.g., in-store, call centers). Untapped potential!

6. Apply the 60:40 Rule: Balance Brand and Performance

• C references Binet & Field’s research: 60% of spend on broad, emotional brand-building; 40% on measurable, performance-driven conversion.
• Warning: Overweighting performance leads to stagnation.

7. Invest Boldly in Offline Channels (Especially TV)

• B advocates for increasing share of voice through offline channels, which efficiently reach large audiences and support broad recall of brand messages.
• TV offers high attention and can amplify the effectiveness of digital marketing.

8. Hunt for Underpriced Media

• C encourages scrutiny of media costs, not just targeting and attribution.
• Use technology (e.g., AI buying) to find undervalued attention and impressions for better overall efficiency ("when you lower your CPM, everything downstream improves") [14:00].

9. Lead with Emotion in Creative

• A shares IPA data: campaigns led by emotion outperform rational ones 2:1 in short-term sales, nearly 4:1 in long-term profit [15:22].
• Quote [15:24]: "Emotion…is something we all need to continue to look at utilizing in 2026…They help us sustain a brand over years." — A
• Tap into joy, nostalgia, pride, belonging—emotions that build memory structures and long-term loyalty.

10. Be Consistent Over Time

• B asserts that consistency in campaigns, assets, and messaging—over years, not just months—compounds effectiveness.
• Mascots like the Energizer Bunny and Geico Gecko cited as examples; pick and invest in memorable assets, then stick with them.
• Quote [18:20]: "Commercial effectiveness compounds year after year if you have the right message."

11. Aim for Fame, Not Fragmentation

• C closes by advocating for big, bold, blockbuster ideas over splitting budgets into many small, forgettable actions.
• Quote [19:22]: "Pick an idea, make it distinctive, hammer it into memory, be consistent. That's how brands get famous—not a hundred tepid little things."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hyper-targeting mantra [02:32]:
  "Hyper targeting is paying more to ignore your future customers." — C

• On AI’s role in brand creativity [05:36]:
  “It’s not about automation, it’s really about stimulation and how to get the most out of those ecosystems…” — A

• The neglected power of audio branding [10:02]:
  "It's easy to de-prioritize audio. You can't see it, you can't hang it on a wall. But man, everyone remembers an earworm." — A

• Backing up emotion’s role with data [15:24]:
  "Emotion…is something we all need to continue to look at utilizing in 2026…They help us sustain a brand over years." — A

• Mascot Trivia [17:56–18:20]:
  The hosts quiz each other on the longest-running TV mascot (Answer: Energizer Bunny, since 1988).

Real-World Brand Examples (2025 Shout-Outs) [20:15–22:33]

• Coca-Cola — Brought back “Share a Coke” with QR-enabled, nostalgia-driven campaigns and boldly embraced creative trends, including AI.
• Nutter Butter — Highlighted as uniquely distinctive in the cookie category with its viral “Nutterverse” campaign.
• American Eagle — Despite backlash, stuck to a bold campaign with Sydney Sweeney, leading to notable positive results and brand buzz.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00–01:20] — Setting up the problem of marketing sameness
• [02:10–04:13] — Odd-numbered lists, hyper-targeting critique, audience expansion
• [04:27–07:11] — AI for creative originality as a "team" of agents
• [07:11–09:29] — Distinctive brand asset audit, importance of sonic branding
• [09:59–12:01] — Sonic branding's potential and 60:40 brand/performance rule
• [12:20–14:00] — Investing in offline channels to boost share of voice
• [14:00–15:22] — Hunting for underpriced media and CPM efficiency
• [15:22–16:38] — Emotional campaigns, IPA effectiveness data
• [16:48–19:20] — Consistency, long-running campaigns, mascot trivia
• [19:21–20:15] — “Aim for fame,” blockbuster marketing
• [20:15–22:33] — Brand case studies from 2025

Tone & Style

The show is lively, jargon-savvy, and research-dense, with playful industry banter and sharp humor (e.g., running jokes about “odd numbers” and “CAC”). The hosts balance serious, actionable insights with memorable phrasing and real-world examples, maintaining an encouraging and occasionally self-deprecating tone.

Takeaways for Marketers

• Stand out by being bold, emotional, and unmistakably distinctive—don’t fear polarization or selective audience reach.
• Audit and amplify the unique assets only your brand owns, including underused sonic branding.
• Approach AI as a team for creative stimulation, not just automation.
• Consistency and boldness—across channels, especially offline—will build memory and fame in a sea of sameness.

Famous Last Words

"Pick an idea, make it distinctive, hammer it into memory, be consistent. That's how brands get famous—not a hundred tepid little things." — C [19:22]