S06.EP21 - Best of 2025 (Season 6)

About this episode

This episode highlights key lessons and themes from Season 6 of JUST Branding, featuring insights from various branding experts.

We’re closing out 2025 with a highlight reel from Season 6 of JUST Branding. This year we sat down with some serious heavy hitters, including Mark Ritson , Rory Sutherland , Marty Neumeier (round two), David Aaker (round two), Laura Ries , plus guests like Simon Dixon (DixonBaxi) , Michael Bungay Stanier , Jay Clouse , and more. In this best of episode, Jacob and Matt pull the sharpest clips, biggest lessons, and most repeated themes that matter if you’re building a brand that lasts. What you’ll hear in this episode Branding basics that still win : meaning, relevance, relationships Positioning that actually works (and why “positioning” isn’t the goal) Strategic enemies and the power of contrast Leadership and alignment (yes, including the uncomfortable honesty) Culture as brand , not a side project Customer truth and the discipline of saying “not everyone” Problem framing and why the first answer is rarely the best Brand fame vs hype and playing the long game Execution realities , including SEO getting tougher in an AI driven world Community vs audience, and what participation really costs Featured clips in this highlight episode Branding earns its keep through meaning…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jacob Cass, Matt Davies

Guests: Mark Ritson, Rory Sutherland, Marty Neumeier, David Aaker, Laura Ries, Simon Dixon, Michael Bungay Stanier, Jay Clouse

Topics covered

• branding
• positioning
• leadership
• customer truth
• community vs audience
• execution realities

Keywords

• branding basics
• positioning
• strategic enemies
• leadership
• customer truth
• brand culture
• execution realities

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: DixonBaxi

More episodes of JUST Branding

• S07.EP08 - Why Most Agencies Sound The Same + How to Really Differentiate with Emily Penny · May 25, 2026 · 42 min
• S07.EP07 - Founder Branding with Amelia Sordell · May 9, 2026 · 55 min
• S07.EP06 - UX & UI — The Brand Experience Gap w/ Alexander Lofthouse · April 21, 2026 · 45 min
• S07.EP05 - Why Most Designers Won’t Last (and What AI Can’t Replace) with James Martin · March 31, 2026 · 1h 8m
• S07.EP04 - Designers Don’t Build Brands with Kevin Finn · March 13, 2026 · 58 min
• S07.EP03 - B2B Branding: The Unsexy Truth with Martin Zarian · February 25, 2026 · 56 min