In this episode of JUST Branding, we’re joined by Ulli Appelbaum, globally respected brand strategist, founder of First The Trousers, and author of The Science of Brand Associations.

Ulli has spent years helping organisations understand how brands grow by shaping the associations people hold in memory. In this conversation, we unpack one of the most important and often misunderstood areas of branding: how associations are formed, strengthened, measured, and used to drive real business growth.

We explore why some brands own clear memory structures while others remain vague, how emotion and storytelling help build associations, and what marketers often get wrong about consistency, distinctiveness, and meaning.

If you want to build a brand that is easier to notice, easier to remember, and easier to choose, this episode will give you a practical look at the science behind brand growth.

In this episode, Jacob Cass and Matt Davies sit down with David C. Baker, author of The Business of Expertise and one of the leading voices on positioning, specialization, and advisory businesses.

Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast

Together, they explore what actually becomes valuable in a world where production is abundant.

We discuss:

• The difference between execution and expertise

• Why many creative firms still struggle to position themselves clearly

• What clients are really paying for at the highest level

• Why judgment, trust, and perspective matter more than ever

• How AI is reshaping pricing, specialization, and creative work

• What makes a firm truly irreplaceable

This conversation is for designers, strategists, consultants, and creative entrepreneurs who want to move beyond being seen as a pair of hands and become trusted experts.

In this episode, we sit down with brand strategist and verbal identity specialist Emily Penny to unpack the growing challenge of differentiation in an increasingly saturated market.

Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast

Emily is the creator of the Fully Saturated report and founder of a micro studio focused on positioning and voice. Together, we explore why so many agencies struggle to stand out, what strong positioning actually looks like today, and how agencies can build relevance in an AI-enabled world.

We discuss:

• Why agency positioning often falls flat

• The real meaning of “fully saturated”

• How verbal identity creates distinction

• The role of personality and point of view

• What agencies can offer that AI can’t

• How micro studios and modern agencies can stay valuable

Whether you’re a strategist, designer, consultant, or agency founder, this conversation will challenge how you think about differentiation, positioning, and the future of creative businesses.

Grab the report @ https://fully-saturated.com/

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Jacob Cass and Matt Davies speak with Amelia Sordell, founder and CEO of Klowt and one of the leading voices in founder-led marketing.

Learn more at justcreative.com/podcast

As audiences become more sceptical of faceless companies, founders and leaders are becoming one of the most powerful trust signals a brand can have. The company brand still matters, but increasingly, people want to hear from the people behind the business.

Amelia shares why founder branding has become a serious commercial lever, how it differs from company branding, and what CEOs often misunderstand about visibility, thought leadership, and influence.

We explore how founders can show up without overshadowing the business, how to align personal voice with company positioning, and why posting more does not automatically mean building authority.

You’ll also learn where to start if you are building from zero, what content habits actually move the needle, and how to think about ROI from founder branding.

A practical conversation for founders, marketers, strategists, designers, and brand builders who want to understand how personal visibility can drive trust, growth, and brand momentum.

In this episode, Jacob and Matt sit down with Alexander Lofthouse — Senior Designer at Nzime and a specialist in UX and digital experience. Lex and Jacob go back nearly a decade, and after watching her deliver a standout talk at NDC London, it was time to get her on the show.

They get into where brand strategy ends and UX begins (and whether that line even makes sense), what happens when brand and product teams are pulling in different directions, and why beautiful brands so often feel terrible to actually use.

Why do some designers build lasting careers while others fade out?

In this episode of JUST Branding, we sit down with James Martin, founder of Made by James, to unpack what really sustains creative success over time and what quietly destroys it.

Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast

While many designers are chasing visibility, speed, and short-term attention, James makes the case for something deeper: reputation, craft, taste, and care.

We explore why reputation is more valuable than hype, why craft still matters in a world of AI and instant design tools, and why taste remains one of the most overlooked advantages in creative work.

James also shares why motivation is unreliable, why care is a far stronger driver of long-term creative growth, and how designers can think more clearly about their role in an industry being reshaped by automation and DIY branding tools.

This conversation is not just about design. It is about longevity. What makes people trust your work. What makes your work worth paying for. And what separates designers who build real careers from those who get lost chasing noise.

We also get into the hidden cost of DIY branding, when founders should do it themselves versus bring in a professional, and what becomes more valuable for creatives as AI lowers the barrier to entry.

If you are a designer, strategist, or founder trying to build something with depth, credibility, and staying power, this one is for you.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why many designers confuse visibility with credibility

• What actually builds a strong creative reputation

• Whether craft is being lost in the age of speed and automation

• Why taste is still a serious competitive advantage

• The difference between motivation and care

• The hidden cost of DIY branding

• What AI makes easier, and what it can never replace

A sharp, honest conversation about what still matters in creative work, and why the designers who last are rarely the ones chasing the fastest win.

In this episode of JUST Branding, Jacob Cass and Matt Davies sit down with Kevin Finn, founder of TheSumOf and author of Brand Principles, to unpack a provocative idea that challenges a core assumption in the branding industry.

Kevin argues that designers and agencies don’t build brands. Businesses do.

Brands are not logos, identities, or positioning statements. They are the result of consistent delivery, earned trust, and meaning that accumulates over time in the minds of customers.

In this conversation, we explore the difference between brand and branding, why many companies claim the title of brand far too early, and what role designers should actually play in the process.

B2B rebrands do not fail because of the logo.

They fail because the organisation was never aligned, the board never believed in it, and the rollout was treated like a campaign instead of infrastructure.

In this episode with Martin Zarian of Factory39, we unpack the uncomfortable realities of branding inside complex organisations.

If you work with complex B2B organisations or aspire to operate at board level, this conversation will sharpen how you think about brand as a financial asset, not a marketing layer.

No fluff. No shiny case studies. Just the operational truth of what it really takes to make B2B branding work.