In this episode of Executive Connect, Melissa Aarskaug sits down with Owen Garitty, founder of FPW Media, to discuss what modern brands need to do differently to earn attention and trust. Owen explains why the traditional agency model often puts process, ego, and internal politics ahead of the client, and how a more connected creative approach can produce stronger stories across digital, physical, and in-person touchpoints. The conversation explores brand drift, customer journeys, AI-assisted creativity, community building, and why authenticity still matters more than volume. Owen also shares how companies can use AI for research, testing, and data analysis without allowing it to replace judgment, empathy, or real human experience.

This episode is especially useful for founders, executives, marketers, and creative leaders who want clearer positioning, stronger customer experiences, and marketing that creates measurable value instead of simply adding to the noise.

Chapters:

(0:25) Meet Owen and the mission behind FPW Media

(1:17) Why the traditional agency model needed to change

(2:48) How photography shaped Owen’s approach to storytelling

(3:52) Why brands explain too much and too little

(4:41) Connecting film, merchandise, and the customer journey

(6:44) How companies protect their core story while scaling

(8:52) What happens when brand experiences feel disconnected

(11:02) How AI is changing creative work

(13:29) Where AI creates the most value for teams

(16:03) The biggest risks AI creates for brands

(18:12) Keeping humans inside the customer experience

(20:25) How to stand out without adding more noise

(21:30) Why doing less can produce stronger marketing

(22:48) What intentional storytelling looks like in practice

(24:23) Why physical experiences still matter

(27:34) Building community around shared customer needs

(28:43) What struggling brands should reevaluate first

(29:58) How to know whether marketing is actually working

(31:52) Owen’s rapid-fire branding lessons

(35:10) Where to connect with Owen and FPW Media

Owen

(0:00) The nice thing is that, yes, the digital world is more complex, but because we’re able to track both in-person and digital, we should have a really good idea of how we’re performing, right? (0:10) So I always get very worried when brands are like, I don’t know if our market is working. (0:13) I’m like, that’s a huge problem.

(0:15) How do you not know? (0:16) Like, we should know it may not be working, but we should know why it’s not working, or we should at least know it’s not working. (0:22) So I think that’s kind of where we start.

Melissa

(0:25) Most brands are shouting into the void. (0:28) Louder ads, bigger budgets, more content. (0:32) My guest today took a different route.

(0:34) He built the agency model itself. (0:37) Owen Garrity is the founder of FPW Media, a creative studio designed for a world drowning in digital noise. (0:46) From branding and film to merchandise and physical experiences, his work focuses on one thing most companies miss, stories people actually want to be part of.

(0:59) Today, we’re talking about how AI is reshaping brand storytelling, what skills humans need to touch, and why the future belongs to brands that feel more like communities than campaigns. (1:13) Welcome today, Owen.

Owen

(1:15) Thank you so much for having me, Melissa.

Melissa

(1:17) Now, you founded FPW Media to dismantle the traditional agency structures. (1:25) What felt outdated or what was ineffective about the old model?

Owen

(1:31) Yeah, so I think probably a lot of the listeners who have had experiences with agencies can relate, but maybe for some that haven’t, what I found through working directly for agencies on the photography side when I was younger in my career was that it’s big rooms, a lot of people, big egos, but results are sort of secondary. (1:51) It’s all about the agency’s ethos. (1:54) It’s all about the founder or the lead creative, the way that they want to do it.

(1:58) And the client experience sort of goes to the wayside. (2:02) And quite frankly, a lot of times, the product sort of goes to wayside. (2:06) It’s death by committee at every turn.

(2:09) And it’s this very sort of monolithic structure that really doesn’t work with today’s highly evolving digital landscape. (2:17) And so I saw an opportunity to do things a little bit differently. (2:22) And so we came up with this idea of like connected creative studios, where you have centers of excellence inside the agency that all work together or don’t, depending on a client’s specifications and desires.

Melissa

(2:34) Are you ready to lead smarter and invest wiser? (2:37) On the Executive Connect podcast, we unpack executive strategies for wealth and influence. (2:44) Hit the subscribe button now.

(2:46) Don’t just watch, act. (2:48) That’s interesting. (2:49) Now, that is completely out of the norm.

(2:54) So talk to me about, you started, like you mentioned, your career in photography at 15. (3:00) How has that experience really shaped how you think about brands today?

Owen

(3:05) I think because I started sort of through the lens, so to speak, when you’re a photographer, everything is about the story that the photo tells, right? (3:13) The old adage is a photo tells a thousand words. (3:16) That was a print saying from way back when, when everybody consumed things from newspapers primarily, but it’s still true.

(3:24) And so a good creative photograph should tell this story. (3:29) And so coming from that world, that’s the ethos that we’ve built the agency on is that everything that we do from an advertising perspective shouldn’t just be about impressions and clicks. (3:41) It’s that plus a really connective story that builds brand loyalty or inspires FOMO or does these emotional triggers that we want in the target audience.

Melissa

(3:52) Now, do you think brands over-explain instead of letting the visuals speak for themselves?

Owen

(3:58) I think it’s interesting that both things can be true. (4:02) I think we see brands over-explain parts that customers don’t care about and under-explain the parts that maybe the customer does care about. (4:10) We’ve seen a lot of really high profile examples of brands fundamentally not understanding who their customer base is and having these huge swings and misses over the last maybe five years or so.

(4:22) And I think that really comes to both an under-explanation and an over-explanation, but not being true to what their customer actually cares about. (4:31) And then from there, obviously, yes, you wanna have the creative speak for themselves and really be able to stand on their own so that you’re not just shouting at your potential customer.

Melissa

(4:41) Yeah, well said. (4:42) And I’m curious, like, so FPW integrates both brand film and merchandise into kind of one story. (4:51) Why does that matter so much now?

Owen

(4:53) So we think about this customer journey, right? (4:57) So every time we work with a client, we’re thinking about what are all the customer touch points that happen with the brand that we’re working with, right? (5:06) And if you are not looking at it from a 360 perspective, you’re missing a lot of opportunities to enhance the story, to build brand loyalty.

(5:14) And while it may on the surface seem like a hat doesn’t matter, that hat might be the thing that your customer touches from your brand the most, right? (5:24) They may wear that hat that they got at an event for free every day. (5:30) And so they’re seeing your logo every time they put that hat on because they love the hat, right?

(5:33) It’s a style of hat that they love and it just happens to have your logo on it.

Melissa

(5:36) Well, and that’s funny as you say that I’m laughing because I tend to bring my husband all kinds of hats and swag back. (5:43) And he’s worn the same hat from an AI company for a year. (5:47) And I think hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people have asked him about the logo or what’s the company.

(5:56) And to your point, I wonder how many of those dialogues have ended up on that person’s website. (6:03) So I absolutely agree. (6:05) I think it’s so spot on.

Owen

(6:07) Yeah, and to kind of expand on that a little further is that like by controlling all of that in-house, it allows us to design these journeys. (6:16) And that’s the way we talk about it is like the story can unfold for a potential customer. (6:21) Maybe they see a digital ad, maybe they then go to a physical location, maybe they interact with a branded, some sort of branded material.

(6:29) And what we see is that now with things being so digital, the tactile matters more than ever, right? (6:36) People have kind of said, well, print’s dead. (6:38) And it’s like sort of, it’s dead in the way it used to be used, but it’s incredibly important in other ways.

Melissa

(6:44) Yeah, and I’m curious, how do you protect the core story of the company as it scales and grows and develops? (6:53) I know I’ve seen a lot of companies kind of change who they are in a short period of time. (6:59) And I think it’s kind of sometimes difficult to do that.

(7:04) So I’m curious to get your perspective.

Owen

(7:05) Yeah, this is something that I spend a lot of my days talking with clients about is what are we trying to say and why? (7:13) And I think that oftentimes there’s not enough focus paid to that. (7:18) There’s not enough attention paid to that type of conversation.

(7:20) And so you start to get story drift or brand drift. (7:24) And it almost feels like a lot of these brands start chasing trends that are external to their actual customer base, right? (7:32) They’re trying to signal to Wall Street or they’re trying to signal to the media that they are something that they’re not.

(7:38) And so it starts to disconnect from what the customer actually cares about. (7:42) And so where we really find success is what matters to our customer? (7:47) Do we understand that fundamentally?

(7:49) And then as long as we’re playing within that sphere, our story will feel authentic. (7:54) Our story will resonate because it’s what the customer cares about, right? (7:59) So it always has to be customer first or customer centric or else you very easily get off or you’re just pontificating from on high about how great your brand is, but nobody’s paying attention because it doesn’t actually have any value to the people that are buying your product or using your service.

Melissa

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(8:42) Just visit moneyripples.com forward slash secrets and enter the promo code E-X-E-C. (8:52) So true. (8:53) And I’ve seen some brands in my industry where they’re changing their messaging based on their competitors instead of really staying consistent to their core and what they’re focusing on.

(9:04) They end up chasing the shiny thing that the other companies are chasing and it really doesn’t connect with who they are. (9:10) So talk to me a little bit about what happens when brand stories don’t translate across different formats.

Owen

(9:18) Yeah, it’s like that womp, womp, womp, right? (9:20) You’re seeing an ad, you click on it and then you go to the page that it’s directed you to and it’s completely different than the ad. (9:28) That’s a very simplistic way to talk about it.

(9:31) Or you watch a TV commercial and then you go into the physical location to potentially buy the thing. (9:39) And the vibe of the commercial was so different than your in-store experience, right? (9:46) 2025 into 2026, we’ve been working with a lot of our clients on in-person or virtual brand experience.

(9:52) So not only just the marketing of it, but okay, when a customer actually picks up the phone or actually goes into the location, does their experience and the words they’re hearing match the advertising? (10:04) So at every single point, you have these potential disconnection points and the more friction you have at each of those points, right? (10:12) The less seamless it is for the customer to go along that journey, the more likely you’re not gonna convert.

(10:18) So your funnel becomes less and less efficient. (10:21) You’re seeing less and less ROI on the advertising dollars because you’re just shedding people, right? (10:27) And so the more seamless and connected that journey is the better.

(10:32) And that all comes down to making sure that the story evolves and is the same story, right? (10:37) We don’t wanna have the bait and switch or we don’t wanna have this really warm and fuzzy feeling when somebody interacts with advertising and then they go to the store and it’s cold and harsh and not inviting, right? (10:50) But we see that of like, it’s very easy for those things to get disconnected and somebody has to be paying attention to those details to make sure it’s not.

Melissa

(10:57) Yeah, it’s so true. (10:58) I’ve experienced it with different brands myself and so it’s really good spot on. (11:02) Now let’s talk about AI.

(11:04) AI is really changing the game of the creatives right now. (11:08) Where does actually that happen and how is AI changing that for creative teams today?

Owen

(11:15) Oh man, we could have a whole podcast just about that of course. (11:19) But as it pertains to what we’re talking about specifically I think AI is like this double-edged coil, right? (11:25) It’s an amazing tool, but it’s also a huge risk in the sense of it allows you to produce more, to produce more quickly, to ideate, to research, to do so many things that otherwise would have taken a lot of time and more resources.

(11:41) So it compresses those cycles. (11:43) It allows you to put creative out into the world faster. (11:46) It allows you to put out more different creative sets more easily, right?

(11:52) And just in general do a lot of things that you couldn’t otherwise do. (11:56) But with that overproduction also comes the risk of you’re getting farther and farther away from what your customer actually cares about. (12:04) So it’s like, it’s a wonderful tool unless it’s a terrible tool.

(12:08) And what we see is that I think everybody’s already that has Instagram for instance, right? (12:13) It’s starting to feel like it’s just AI slop. (12:15) Like every other video in the feed is something that’s not real.

(12:20) And so you start to question, okay, is this thing I’m seeing actually true or actually real? (12:28) And that becomes a really dangerous place for brands to be, right? (12:32) If customers start to question whether your advertisement or your content or your customer testimonial or whatever it is, is not real, then you’re in a really bad spot and you’re working your way back.

(12:46) So it’s really interesting is that, I think authenticity wins still. (12:51) It can be AI assisted, but it still has to be really authentic and it still has to be human centric.

Melissa

(12:57) Yeah, I love that. (12:58) It’s so true. (12:58) I did my first AI picture this past weekend and I’m like, wow, this looks so much like what I wanted to take a picture of.

(13:09) It’s actually super scary to see me in a picture with a place that I wasn’t even at. (13:16) And so it’s true to your point. (13:18) It’s like, what is real and what is not real is really getting to be difficult.

(13:23) And I work in this space and I’m like, is that real? (13:25) Is that not real? (13:26) What’s going on?

(13:27) What’s the right news? (13:27) What’s not the right news? (13:29) And so where does AI free humans up in this space to do better work in other areas?

Owen

(13:37) Yeah, so where we see a lot of the really, really deep value in AI is these large data sets or this research or some of these tasks that otherwise would take an FTE a whole week or would take an inordinate amount of hours. (13:54) You’re able to ingest large sets of customer data and find out trends, for instance, or you’re able to do really deep research on what is your whole competitive set doing from an advertising perspective. (14:06) And you’re able to synthesize that and pull out themes in five minutes, right?

(14:12) Which that kind of stuff was just not possible before these models came along. (14:17) So we see an incredible amount of value there. (14:20) And then there’s also the value at the creation level with all these tools, right?

(14:24) Almost every sort of tool that an agency touches is now AI assisted in some way. (14:30) So you’re going to see the efficiency build there over time, right? (14:33) It’s still very early in the sense of like, it’s not really replacing human hours yet.

(14:38) It’s just assisting, but eventually it will continue to, I think, replace. (14:43) So there’s kind of two different streams there, but right now the biggest value is making sure that you’re using all of your data, right? (14:50) All of your first party data, all of the third party data that’s available to you.

(14:53) That’s where that AI enablement really proves out to be the most valuable right now.

Melissa

(14:59) Now, what part of the creative process benefits the most from AI?

Owen

(15:03) I would say the research right now. (15:06) So research and A-B testing, right? (15:10) So you’re able to hypothetically work through creative sets across different like personas, for instance, much more quickly.

(15:19) Obviously it’s all synthetic, but if you have a big enough data set, it works really well. (15:24) I would also say just checking work, right? (15:27) Which is interesting, but making sure that you’re running all of your finished creative through something that knows your brand, something that’s checking it beyond just spelling, right?

(15:38) Really checking and validating that what you’re producing is good. (15:46) That’s a really other interesting tool. (15:48) And then the last one, I think, is the ability once you’re actually advertising to like try three or four different creatives in quick succession across different and to track how that’s performing.

Melissa

(16:03) Now, where do you think, kind of back to what you were saying about some of the AI shortfalls, where do you think AI becomes really dangerous for brands?

Owen

(16:12) I think where it becomes really dangerous is that fake versus real, right? (16:17) When you have brands who are maybe using it, not the most ethically, right? (16:23) They’re having synthetic customer testimonials, but they’re not disclosing it, right?

(16:27) So it’s a person. (16:29) Maybe they’re speaking in the actual world words of a real customer that wasn’t filmed, but it’s not the same person. (16:35) For instance, we see a lot of that or you’re using AI headshots of your people, but in a way that kind of makes your team look bigger.

(16:42) You know, there’s all these different things that people are doing. (16:45) And I think that that is really dangerous. (16:48) But then beyond that is again, do people start to perceive that what you’re doing is not real and that you’re not actually an expert?

(16:56) And so, you know, oftentimes you’ll go to a site and it’s so clearly an AI written article. (17:03) Will that, you know, statistically and all the studies just show that people just immediately disconnect from that, right? (17:09) They’re not gonna read a sentence more.

(17:10) They’re probably gonna navigate away from the site because it’s clearly not real. (17:16) And I think customers become somewhat offended by that because it’s like, well, if you’re not taking the time to actually give me value, why am I going to engage with you? (17:24) So I think it’s really just around those of using it strategically, not just, oh, this is going to solve everything I wanna do and I can just generate all of this content with a push of a button.

(17:36) Yes, you can do that, but if it’s not done properly, it’s just gonna be slop and nobody’s gonna pay attention.

Melissa

(17:41) Yeah, and it’s true. (17:42) I’m thinking about all the times I’ve experienced this with brands I work with or I engage with regularly where they’ve kind of replaced the human with an agent. (17:57) And so they’re really not leveraging the decision of the human or the empathy from the human.

(18:04) So talk to me a little bit of how we can keep the humans in the decision loop across all brands. (18:12) I even think of like the medical field I’ve had to leverage. (18:16) So talking to a human, I’m talking to an AI agent or the banks or whoever I’m talking to now.

Owen

(18:22) Yeah, the AI agent thing is really interesting, right? (18:26) When we work with clients to design the flows, which is something we do, it’s always about making sure you have those frustration points that get you to a human very quickly and very organically, right? (18:38) So I think where a lot of brands go wrong with this is like, oh, I can just outsource all of this to AI and I don’t have to staff these positions.

(18:45) And it’s like, no, AI should be a benefit, right? (18:50) To the customer. (18:51) And I think it all goes back to the kind of where we started, which is if these systems are not created to benefit the customer first and foremost, they’re going to introduce friction, right?

(19:02) Like, yes, there may be a temporary cost savings by no longer having that call center. (19:06) But eventually the competitor down the street that still has humans will start to bleed customers from the one that doesn’t because it’s so much less frustrating, right? (19:15) They can actually get their answers.

(19:16) They can actually get things quickly. (19:21) And so again, I think it’s looking at, are we using these tools to decrease friction across every touchpoint of the customer or are we increasing it? (19:30) And that’s really not what we want to do, right?

(19:33) So I think it’s really looking at it again from the lens of what is the customer experience? (19:37) And that has to be the cornerstone.

Melissa

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(20:25) I love that. (20:27) So let’s talk a little bit about cutting through all this noise without being louder. (20:34) What’s the smartest way to stand out today?

Owen

(20:37) Offer value at every turn. (20:39) I think in a very like nutshell answer, is every time you are talking to a customer or a potential customer, there should be some exchange of value that is going towards the customer. (20:50) That you are giving them something that’s either entertaining, informative, interesting, funny, thought provoking, or inspiring FOMO or something else.

(21:04) You’re doing something that has an emotional exchange and a value exchange, even if it’s very bite-sized. (21:10) Most of these will be very bite-sized, but if we’re just talking to talk, that’s where again, it just adds to the noise. (21:19) So it’s making sure that every single touch point has been looked at and every advertising tactic has been looked at to offer value and to deepen that customer relationship.

Melissa

(21:30) So why does doing less often work better than doing more?

Owen

(21:34) Well, it allows you, most brands don’t have an unlimited budget. (21:38) So it’s like this idea of slowing down to speed up, of let’s focus on what we’re doing and do it really well, rather than do all of these things sort of mediocre, right? (21:50) Because at the end of the day, the amount of advertising that people see on a daily basis continues to statistically go up.

(21:57) It’s a huge number, right? (21:59) Each time I see that statistic, it’s higher significantly, which makes sense because advertising is everywhere, right? (22:06) It’s even in your Uber now when you’re in the backseat, right?

(22:09) It’s like literally everywhere advertising is. (22:12) And so the only way that somebody pays attention to it is that it’s good. (22:16) And I think that people lose sight of that sort of concept.

(22:19) It’s like, oh, I can just buy all these impressions. (22:21) It’s like, yeah, you can, but is anybody going to take any action with that? (22:26) And so when we work with brands, especially smaller brands or brands that are like more challenger brands coming up or just starting, it’s let’s have something that’s going to punch through the noise.

(22:36) Let’s have a couple of ideas or concepts that we can market that are going to really resonate with people. (22:43) And then we’re going to focus all of our efforts on that so that we’re punching through that noise.

Melissa

(22:48) Now talk to me a little bit about what intentional storytelling looks like in practice. (22:54) So whether it’s the Uber car or it’s LinkedIn or wherever, what does that actually look like when businesses or people put it into practice?

Owen

(23:03) Yeah, so it starts with understanding who we’re telling the story to. (23:08) I think many brands, even established ones, have this construct of who they think their customer is and what they think their customer cares about. (23:17) But they haven’t done the work to actually validate those assumptions, right?

(23:20) They haven’t done a focus group or they haven’t surveyed. (23:23) They haven’t sent out and collected data on who their customer actually is and what do they care about. (23:29) And so if you don’t understand that, you’re, again, just automatically shouting into the void.

(23:35) And so what we always look to do is let’s fully understand who are we talking to. (23:40) So that’s step one. (23:42) And then step two is what are we trying to get them to do, right?

(23:45) Like what is success? (23:46) I think also people are like, well, I want to sell more. (23:48) Yeah, of course we want to sell more.

(23:50) But from A to Z is many steps. (23:52) So when somebody sees this ad, what is the thing we want them to do? (23:56) And maybe it’s nothing.

(23:58) Maybe the two ads later that we’re going to show them is when we actually want them to do something. (24:02) We’re just getting top of mind. (24:03) The first ad is just, we want you to know who we are.

(24:07) And so we’re going to storytell a little bit. (24:08) And then three ads down the road, that’s when we want you to actually click and buy something. (24:14) So, you know, it’s looking at those kind of things, but really being very, very hardcore about who are we speaking to and then what do we want them to do?

Melissa

(24:23) I love that. (24:24) So talk to me a little bit about why do physical experiences still matter in this digital first world we’re in today?

Owen

(24:32) Yeah, it’s so interesting, right? (24:34) Because people were at the beginning of COVID proclaiming that retail was dead. (24:37) And what we always say is bad retail is dead.

(24:41) But you look at these brands that have built experiences around their retail and they’re doing really well. (24:46) And the reason why is that people are so online that they want real experience, right? (24:53) They want to, when they go to the store, to have an experience.

(24:56) And you see brands that have really captured this, right? (25:01) Like the Trader Joe’s bag. (25:03) It’s a $3 bag or $4 bag.

(25:06) That’s a status symbol. (25:07) And it got people to go and buy this thing at the store and have this experience. (25:13) And so that I think matters almost more than ever because it allows you again to punch through that noise.

(25:20) If you’re only focused online and you don’t do anything in person or in the tactile world, you’re giving up a lot of opportunity to engage and to build loyalty. (25:30) Because ultimately humans, whatever the commentators want to say, aren’t just online, right? (25:37) People want lived experience.

(25:39) People want to go out into the world. (25:41) And I think more than ever, probably coming off the back of COVID, people really want to go out in the world and experience what you’ve seen, the travel boom happen. (25:49) And so brands can capitalize on that as well, right?

(25:52) Even if it’s something as silly as a barbecue at a dealership, right? (25:56) There’s almost outsized value in that now because people stopped doing all that. (26:02) So, and many brands have never gotten back on that train of like, okay, we need to get back into the physical world.

(26:08) So it’s all of those things coming together to tell this story.

Melissa

(26:12) It is so true. (26:13) I think we’ve seen some brands pull out of physical locations and now they’re just online. (26:21) So are brands losing depth when they stay only online?

Owen

(26:27) I don’t know if it’s necessarily true that they’re losing depth. (26:30) They just have to be more intentional about how they market. (26:32) And what we see is that they’re really successful online only.

(26:37) And I say, quote unquote, online only are still doing physical activations. (26:41) So they’re still doing pop-ups at a event that aligns with their core demographic, or they’re doing a sponsorship or they’re doing this or that. (26:51) So they’re still having a physical presence.

(26:53) They may not have brick and mortar. (26:55) They may not have storefronts. (26:56) And by no means do I say that brands should or should not have storefronts.

(27:00) That’s a very individualistic decision. (27:03) But what we see is that the successful online only are still prioritizing that in person in some way. (27:10) And or they’re putting the tactile things in the box, right?

(27:14) You know, like the Chewy is a great example. (27:16) We have a dog. (27:17) I think everybody who has a dog, you know, they do an incredible job of added value.

(27:21) Anytime you order from them, you get things that you didn’t order. (27:24) You get an extra toy or you get a little pamphlet or you get you get something that provides that extra value. (27:30) And so they do a great job of extending that experience.

Melissa

(27:34) I love that. (27:35) Now, switching gears a little bit and talking about community. (27:39) I know it is such a huge part of the work you’re doing.

(27:43) Can you share a little bit about why that is?

Owen

(27:46) Yeah, community, when we talk about marketing is really interesting. (27:49) I think that that over the last maybe 10 years has really veered into the political, which in our view, it never really was supposed to be right. (27:56) Most brands don’t actually benefit from being in the in the world of politics, nor do they necessarily stand to benefit from being there.

(28:06) And so when we talk about community, it’s the like minded customers that you have. (28:11) And how are you engaging with them as a whole? (28:13) Right, especially if you’re a business that caters to some sort of industry, right?

(28:18) How are you speaking to that industry at large in a way that is value additive and conveys that you fully understand the pain points that they have? (28:28) Right. (28:28) When we’re talking about community building, it’s how are we explaining to this group of people that we understand what matters to them and that we’re here for them in the very narrow lane that this business should be, right?

Melissa

(28:43) So brands that aren’t breaking through or having a tough time, what should they reevaluate or look at?

Owen

(28:51) Step number one is do we understand our customers, right? (28:55) Are we or is it that we’re not breaking through or is that we think we’re talking to people that actually we shouldn’t be talking to, right? (29:01) Or people that aren’t the actual people who are going to buy our product or service at large.

(29:06) So, you know, 80% of the time when we work with somebody who’s like not breaking through, it’s that they’re trying to break through to the wrong people because they’re operating on assumptions that are wrong. (29:18) Then number two is why looking at why is the story we’re telling not compelling, right? (29:25) Is it that we’re telling it in the wrong way?

(29:27) Is it that it actually isn’t compelling? (29:30) And so we need to think about a new story, right? (29:33) We often talk about that good marketing should be a brand on the best day it’s ever had, right?

(29:40) And that that day should be represented every single day. (29:44) And so it’s not lying. (29:46) It’s not being disingenuous, but it’s taking the snapshot of what is the absolute best day we’ve ever had as a brand.

(29:54) And that’s what we’re going to tell every single day, 365.

Melissa

(29:58) That’s great. (29:59) Now, how can a brand tell if they’re being clear or just staying busy?

Owen

(30:05) Oh, man. (30:06) Yeah. (30:06) Well, that’s when we come into the data realm, right?

(30:09) Is that, you know, depending on the industry, there should be some level of benchmarking being done. (30:15) Are we staying consistent or outperforming industry benchmark across our advertising ecosystem? (30:23) And that’s where the data really should drive us as far as, you know, are we performing?

(30:29) The nice thing is that, yes, the digital world is more complex, but because we’re able to track both in-person and digital, we should have a really good idea of how we’re performing, right? (30:38) So I always get very worried when brands are like, I don’t know if our market is working. (30:42) I’m like, that’s a huge problem.

(30:43) How do you not know? (30:44) Like we should know it may not be working, but we should know why it’s not working or we should at least know it’s not working. (30:51) So I think that’s, you know, kind of where we start.

Melissa

(30:54) Now, at that point, do you ask or suggest that those companies rewrite their story or rework it for those that don’t know if their marketing is working?

Owen

(31:06) Yeah. (31:06) So number one is let’s make sure that we have a measurement methodology that’s going to work. (31:12) And then number two is let’s make sure that we just iterate.

(31:18) We’re not going to redo it completely unless it’s just terrible, right? (31:22) But that’s maybe 5% of brands we work with where they have to completely overhaul it. (31:26) Maybe they’ve had a bad event or whatever, you know, we’re kind of in crisis mode.

(31:30) But if we’re not, let’s slowly make changes so that we can with purpose see what is working and what’s not, right? (31:37) Because oftentimes it’s like a, you know, small correction, right? (31:41) If we’re thinking about the brand as a cruise ship, we don’t need to completely turn it in a new direction.

(31:45) We just need to slightly go on a new heading. (31:49) And so it’s small changes, not big changes.

Melissa

(31:52) I love that. (31:54) So, so true. (31:55) Tiny little, tiny little tweaks.

(31:57) This has been great. (31:58) We’ve covered so much information and insights today. (32:04) Thank you so much, Owen.

(32:05) I want to do just a quick lightning round and get some quick nuggets from you to our listeners. (32:11) So right out of the gate, I have to ask one word that describes bad branding today.

Owen

(32:19) Disingenuous.

Melissa

(32:21) What should never ever be automated with no matter how good AI gets.

Owen

(32:27) Your in-person stories. (32:29) So your, you know, customers talking about who you are.

Melissa

(32:34) What’s the fastest way for a brand to lose trust?

Owen

(32:39) Oh, being disingenuous.

Melissa

(32:42) What makes a story instantly human?

Owen

(32:46) Real, real people talking about their real experience.

Melissa

(32:50) Ah, clarity or creativity. (32:54) What matters first?

Owen

(32:57) Clarity.

Melissa

(32:59) One signal a brand has lost its soul.

Owen

(33:03) Ooh, that everything is what we call beige. (33:07) Everything is just meh.

Melissa

(33:09) Oh, I love this question. (33:12) What’s the biggest mistake founders make when sharing their story?

Owen

(33:18) They think that what matters to them matters to their customers.

Melissa

(33:23) I love that. (33:25) What do great brands do less of?

Owen

(33:30) What do great brands do less of? (33:34) I think great brands let their successes speak for them more than speaking hyperbole, right? (33:43) So great brands are able to celebrate why they’re great without having to get too far out of reality.

Melissa

(33:52) That’s good. (33:53) What’s one, let’s see, what’s one question every brand should ask before creating their own content?

Owen

(34:01) What are we trying to accomplish?

Melissa

(34:05) What does the future look like of great brands? (34:10) What does that actually feel like, the future of great brands?

Owen

(34:15) I think the brands that are going to win over the next five years are the ones that are able to punch through the noise and tell a story that matters to their customers in a really humanistic way.

Melissa

(34:26) So true. (34:27) We’ve got to end with that. (34:28) That’s so spot on.

(34:29) I agree. (34:30) I think there’s so much noise. (34:32) And I’m, like you said at the beginning, I scroll through a lot of that stuff now and the ones that stick are the ones that I understand their story and they’re clear and they’re transparent and honest.

(34:44) And I love the chewy story. (34:45) I don’t have an animal, but they’re just over providing value, over providing value and which keeps customers coming back again and again and again, very loyal customers. (34:55) So, so much good nuggets inside our chat today.

(34:58) Thank you so much for being here, Owen. (35:00) Share a little, any final thoughts that you want to leave with our listeners. (35:04) And then secondly, share a little bit about the best way to get in touch with you and your team.

Owen

(35:10) Well, first and foremost, thank you so much for having me on. (35:12) It was a pleasure. (35:14) People can contact me at Owen Garrity on any of the major social platforms, as well as fpwmedia.com.

Melissa

(35:22) Thank you so much for being here. (35:24) And that’s the Executive Connect podcast.