Are Brand Impressions Irrelevant?
From Backcountry Marketing by Port Side
February 18, 2026 · 50 min · Season 7 · Episode 228
About this episode
Cole Heilborn discusses the relevance of brand impressions with Ryan Watson, emphasizing the shift in marketing strategies.
Episode Description In this episode, host Cole Heilborn sits down with Ryan Watson, CMO and COO at MTNTOUGH Fitness Labs, to unpack a hot take that should make every outdoor marketer pause: brand marketing for the sake of impressions is dead. Ryan breaks down why measurement has changed the game, why "one big campaign, one big message" is an outdated operating system, and how the best brands are blending performance rigor with brand-level creativity. We also go deep on community as the next frontier of differentiation. About: This podcast is produced by Port Side , a creative production studio creating content strategy + production for active brands, rooted in emotion. Enjoy this episode and discover other resources below: Slack Community | Tired of brainstorming with ChatGPT? Join us! Insight Deck | Want 20 of our favorite insights shared on the show? Booklist | Here's our curated list of recommended books over the years. LinkedIn | Join the conversation and share ideas with other industry peers. Apple Podcast | Want to help us out? Leave us a review on Apple. Guest List | Have a Guest in Mind? Share them with us here.
People in this episode
Host: Cole Heilborn
Guest: Ryan Watson
Topics covered
- brand marketing
- impressions
- performance measurement
- community differentiation
- outdoor marketing
Keywords
- brand impressions
- marketing strategy
- performance measurement
- community
- outdoor brands
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MTNTOUGH Fitness Labs, Port Side
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