Episodes

  • Designing Products That Market Themselves | Tracy Smith, STM Goods

    Designing Products That Market Themselves | Tracy Smith, STM Goods
    Apr 10 2025
    In this episode of Totally Radvertising, Dallin and Damian sit down with Tracy Smith, Chief Brand Officer at STM Goods, to discuss how innovative product development can serve as a marketing strategy. Tracy shares how STM Goods stands out in the crowded accessories market with their "smarter than most" approach, focusing on engineering solutions that solve genuine customer problems. The conversation explores how product innovation becomes marketing, the importance of designing distinctive brand elements into products themselves, and why marketing should always start at the product level. They also analyze a GMC Hummer EV commercial, discussing what makes advertising effective across different platforms and how to balance creative vision with market performance.

    2:21 GMC Hummer EV commercial analysis
    13:41 Brand differentiation strategies for EV marketing
    25:55 "Smarter Than Most" - STM Goods' product philosophy
    28:30 Product innovation as marketing strategy
    33:18 Designing marketing into your product
    42:08 The value of "breadcrumbs" on your product
    48:31 Testing ideas with your audience vs. Apple's approach

    "The best marketing always starts at product. So if your product doesn't have marketing built into it from the beginning, your marketers are going to have to really do a lot of lift." 31:50
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    56 mins
  • Building a Performance Brand with Creative Vision | Ben Perkins, &Collar

    Building a Performance Brand with Creative Vision | Ben Perkins, &Collar
    Mar 28 2025
    On this episode of Totally Radvertising, Damian and Dale sit down with Ben Perkins, founder of &Collar, who transformed dress shirts with performance fabric technology. Ben shares his entrepreneurial journey from a $300K company to over $50 million in revenue, discussing how creative marketing played a crucial role in that growth. They analyze advertising strategies from UGC to high-production commercials, and why some creative assets are still performing five years later. The conversation explores how &Collar navigated the challenges of COVID when dress shirts weren't in demand, the brand's discovery that 45% of purchasers are women despite the product being for men, and what makes creative content truly scalable. Whether you're a founder trying to find your brand voice or a marketer looking to make long-lasting creative assets, this episode offers valuable insights on building a distinctive brand.

    0:52 Ladder coaching ad critique
    13:18 Ben's entrepreneurial beginnings
    20:01 The role of creative in brand growth
    22:59 From $300K to millions during COVID
    24:51 UGC vs high-production content
    29:18 What makes creative content scale

    "The most valuable space you can buy is living rent free in people's heads. And enough that it got us to talk about it and it did more than the average ad, and I think that's awesome." 12:27

    https://andcollar.com/
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    34 mins
  • Smart Bets in Performance Marketing | Zack Litwack, Fourth Quarter

    Smart Bets in Performance Marketing | Zack Litwack, Fourth Quarter
    Mar 20 2025
    On this episode of the Totally Radvertising Podcast, Damian and Dale are joined by Zack Litwack, founder of Fourth Quarter. Zack shares insights from his unique business model of investing in promising startups while driving their growth through data-driven performance marketing. The conversation explores how Fourth Quarter uses their "high tempo testing" methodology and ICE (impact, confidence, ease) scoring framework to prioritize marketing experiments for maximum ROI. They discuss the balance between creative impact and testing efficiency, the power of memorable jingles, and why YouTube is increasingly outperforming Meta platforms. Whether you're an early-stage founder looking for growth signals or a marketer trying to balance experimentation with big creative swings, this episode delivers actionable insights from the frontlines of startup marketing.

    6:07 The power of jingles in marketing
    18:58 Fourth Quarter's unique model
    21:40 High tempo testing methodology
    25:30 The ICE scoring framework
    33:10 YouTube vs Meta platform performance
    44:45 Exploring new marketing channels

    "Marketers today have to be part artist and part scientist."

    https://fourthquarter.com/
    https://www.creatably.com/
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    49 mins
  • Creating a Brand That Sticks | Colby Bauer, Thread

    Creating a Brand That Sticks | Colby Bauer, Thread
    Mar 13 2025
    Co-founder and CEO of Thread, Colby Bauer, joins Damian and Dallin on this episode of Totally Radvertising to chat about the real hustle behind building a brand from the ground up. Colby shares the marketing strategies they used in Thread's early days to establish their reputation and how those strategies have evolved over time. Brands often face challenges when creating campaigns, especially around maintaining brand voice, and Colby discusses the power of expanding brand identity. Tune in to learn more about the creative decisions that have driven Thread's success!

    2:23 Ad critique and advice
    18:51 Advertise like you, not the big dogs
    22:11 Thread's story
    27:25 Thread's marketing evolution
    32:00 Product expansion like a pro
    35:20 How do you sell to someone who doesn't want to be sold to?



    "Our first round of expansion was still within the wallet space. If you're looking for a wallet, how many wallets are you going to buy? One. So you're basically competing against yourself in a way. How do we introduce products that are complementary, like the 'do you want fries with that' mentality?" 32:50
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    49 mins
  • Balancing Humor, Product, and Sales | Nicolas Alayo-Matos, True Classic

    Balancing Humor, Product, and Sales | Nicolas Alayo-Matos, True Classic
    Mar 6 2025
    Nicolas Alayo-Matos, who is the commercial video director from True Classic, joins Damian and Dallin for this insightful episode of Totally Radvertising. They ask Nicolas about his most rewarding campaigns and how he overcomes the challenge of striking the right balance between entertainment and sales when creating engaging content. They also talk about the risk associated with creative choices and how to keep product messaging and humor in sync. Nicolas shares how True Classic is leveling up its brand in the coming year and tactics he uses to track campaign performance. Tune in to learn more about omnichannel marketing and the tools essential for modern advertising!
    00:45 Ad commentary10:01 Every second matters in advertising
    12:10 Nic's career
    22:28 Balancing the risk in entertaining campaigns
    36:07 Organic versus paid content
    42:27 How do you track performance?

    "There's still a value in traditional media, but you can learn your lessons on social media. You can learn your lessons with DR and see what drives performance, and then put that everywhere and go omnichannel as quickly as possible." 46:33
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    58 mins
  • Make a Lasting Impact with Better Creative | Trevor Crump, Bestie

    Make a Lasting Impact with Better Creative | Trevor Crump, Bestie
    Feb 27 2025
    On this episode of Totally Radvertising, Dallin and Damian sit down with Trevor Crump, who is the co-founder of Bestie Media. Trevor shares his journey and creative breakthroughs, including his most successful campaigns. They talk about how a limited budget can spark innovative solutions, challenging the idea that bigger budgets always lead to better creative. They also discuss current trends in advertising, the importance of organic content, and how a well-crafted ad can "haunt" a consumer's mind long after they've seen it. Tune in to learn more about standing out in your market and making a lasting impact on your audience!

    1:48 Advertisement review
    13:33 Trevor's career and best creative efforts
    22:33 Talking about creative
    25:30 Current trends they're seeing in creative
    46:28 How much you should spend on creative
    52:05 Value of rent-free assets

    "The way to target your audience is through creative. The way to stand out is one hundred percent through creative." 22:50
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • The Power of Creative Investment | with Alex Mospanyuk, Luminous

    The Power of Creative Investment | with Alex Mospanyuk, Luminous
    Feb 20 2025
    On this episode of Totally Radvertising, Dallin and Damian are joined by Alex Mospanyuk, the head of marketing at Luminous. Tune in as Alex shares her insights on how working for a company that truly values investing in creative efforts can make all the difference in marketing success. They discuss the challenge of producing engaging content that resonates with audiences, versus creating uninspiring filler material in an oversaturated market. Alex also offers valuable advice for founders looking to discover their brand's voice and connect with their audience. Plus, they explore Alex's creative process at Luminous and how they measure marketing impact through attribution. You don't want to miss this episode!

    0:00 Intro
    1:00 Advertisement review
    11:40 Alex's background in marketing
    21:50 Creative decisions
    25:57 Advice for founders
    31:14 Creative process
    33:44 How they measure attribution

    "Be super loud about what you're doing and the results you're bringing in so no one can deny the impact you're having on the business. Otherwise, you're going to end up as a task rabbit." 14:45
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    40 mins
  • The Most Radvertising Commercials Super Bowl LIX

    The Most Radvertising Commercials Super Bowl LIX
    Feb 14 2025
    EXTRA EPISODE!

    Damian and Dallin break down the best and worst Super Bowl LIX commercials! They discuss how brands leveraged humor, nostalgia, and emotional storytelling to capture audience attention, and whether these ads truly delivered or missed the mark. They also analyze the creative trends shaping this year's ads, the role of big-budget productions versus simple, effective storytelling, and which brands stood out the most. From unexpected celebrity cameos to viral moments, they dive into what made these commercials memorable and what marketers can learn from them.

    Tune in for an insightful and entertaining critique of Super Bowl LIX’s biggest ad plays!

    Also, if you liked this content, make sure to give us a review or comment on this podcast.
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    40 mins