When brand and product are treated as separate silos, user trust suffers. In this episode, Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney and Max Q Co-Founder Lee Eisenbarth unpack what it means to build software experiences that feel cohesive—because they are.
They explore how design systems, microcopy, onboarding flows, and even 404 pages can carry the weight of brand, not as decoration, but as the soul of the experience. You’ll hear examples from companies like Slack, Linear, and Ledger, and leave with tactics to align product with purpose — even on a lean budget.
Key Takeaways:
Why brand-product misalignment kills trust (and how to fix it)
Where to inject brand personality into the product — without overdoing it
Small but mighty ways to make technical UX feel human
How internal teams (not just marketing) scale brand consistently
Whether you’re building your MVP or scaling a platform, this is your playbook for embedding brand into every corner of your product.
Episode Resources:
Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.STAY IN TOUCH:
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
When product teams build fast and brand is left behind, user experience gaps emerge — and trust erodes.In this first installment of our Brand & Product Series, Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney sits down with Lee Eisenbarth (Co-Founder, Max Q) to unpack why brand and product are still so often siloed — and why that separation is a critical failure for B2B startups and scale-ups.From early-stage identity myths to missed emotional cues in product design, this conversation sets the foundation for a new way forward: one where brand is built in from day one.
What we cover:
Whether you're a founder, product leader, or brand strategist, this is a must-watch on how to create unified, enduring experiences that move both hearts and markets.
---Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.---STAY IN TOUCH:► Newsletter: https://focuslab.agency/subscribe► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc► Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/prof...► Instagram: @focuslabllc Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Totango’s CMO Karen Budell joins Focus Lab’s Bill Kenney to unpack how bold branding choices and a tight internal team led to a rebrand that didn’t just look good — it worked.
From aligning internal cultures to creating a booth activation that got people talking, Karen shares tactical insights and strategic takeaways that any B2B leader navigating brand change can apply.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
🔗 Learn more about Focus Lab’s branding approach here.
Episode Resources:
👉 View the new Totango brand in action
👉 Totango <> Focus Lab case study
👉 Check out the communities Karen is a part of:
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.---FOLLOW US: ► Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab► Instagram: @focuslabllc ► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc► Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ► Web: https://focuslab.agencyLooking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Brand isn't just a creative exercise — it’s a product that drives ROI.
Back for his third appearance on the Focus on Brand podcast, Sergio Claudio (ex-Adobe, Marketo, Zuora) joins us to challenge how organizations perceive and measure creativity. Is it just a cost center—or a powerful growth engine?
In this episode, Sergio unpacks how creative work can (and should) drive business outcomes. From C-suite blockers to strategic alignment, we cover how to elevate creative teams from "make it pretty" to make it perform.
What we cover:
🔹 Why creativity is still misunderstood in many orgs
🔹 Common executive roadblocks—and how to address them
🔹 How to align creative efforts with real business goals
🔹 Tactical ways to integrate brand moments into the customer journey
Whether you're a brand leader, CMO, or creative looking to make a bigger impact, this episode is packed with clarity, inspiration, and action.
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Episode Resources:
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.
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FOLLOW US:
► Dribbble
► Website
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Join Bill Kenney as he sits down with Jason Alvarez Coen, CEO and co-founder of Popl, and Bryce Alston, VP of Marketing, to relive Popl's transformation in this insightful episode:
✅ Discover how Popl transitioned from a viral TikTok hardware product to an enterprise B2B SaaS company
✅ Learn about the triggers and catalysts that prompted the rebrand
✅ Understand the challenges and opportunities faced during the process
✅ Gain insights into their strategic rollout plan for a successful market entry
✅ Hear about the importance of aligning brand identity with company evolution
If you're considering a rebrand for your rapidly growing startup, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways on planning, execution, and achieving alignment. Don't miss it!
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Episode Resources:
"House in Tulum" by LaLuz Photo Credit
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.
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FOLLOW US:
► Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab
► Instagram: @focuslabllc
► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc
► Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab
► Web: https://focuslab.agency
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Calling all creative agency founders (or aspiring founders) 🚨 In our latest podcast episode, we sat down with the partners of Casa Davka, a consulting firm for creative agencies.
Focus Lab CEO, Bill Kenney, had the pleasure of diving into the highs, lows, and everything in between with Emily Cohen and Hunter Vargas on their experiences and observations working with agency owners across the country and beyond.
They hit on fantastic insights such as:
A huge thank you to Emily and Hunter for taking the time to join us on the podcast to share their points of view on the industry as well as advice to creative agencies everywhere.
Episode Resources:
Follow us on LinkedIn!
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.
Stay up to date on all things Focus Lab:
Looking for a branding agency?We'd love to connect.
Calling all design and brand mascot nerds that were around in the 90s! We sat down with one of the original creators of Clippy (and the suite of Microsoft Office Assistants) and we got really deep in the lore of the tech mascot universe. Focus Lab CEO and Monte Atherton, founder of Astonishing Work design studio, hit on so many fantastic topics such as:
👉 How Clippy (and friends) came to be Office Assistants 👉 Using mascots to humanize technology in the 90s & today 👉 Clippy walked so AI could run 👉 Monte's advice for developing a B2B mascot 👉 And so much more! Be sure to like + subscribe for more content like this — and let us know which Microsoft Assistant you used in the comments.
----- Episode Resources: The Media Equation by Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass Monte Atherton’s Design Studio, Astonishing Work
Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. ----- FOLLOW US: ►Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab ►Instagram: @focuslabllc ►LinkedIn: / focus-lab-llc ►Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ►Web: https://focuslab.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In our latest episode of The Debrief, we're sitting down with MessageGears VP of Marketing, Will Devlin. After 10 years with the same logo, the MessageGears team's rebrand mantra was "anywhere but here" — and their rebrand project benefited greatly from that mindset. Will and Bill touch on so many important topics such as:
You won't want to miss this episode. Will and his team were a highlight of our year and being able to debrief with him was the cherry on top! P.S. Don't forget to like + subscribe.
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Episode Resources:
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. --- FOLLOW US: ►Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab ►Instagram: @focuslabllc ►LinkedIn: / focus-lab-llc ►Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ►Web: https://focuslab.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In our latest episode of The Debrief, we're sitting down with Cadmium's marketing director, Jessie Reyes—and she brings as much data as she does passion to this conversation. Jessie and Bill touch on so many important topics such as: 👉 The lead-driven reasoning behind Cadmiums rebrand 👉 The benefits of working with an "A" Team agency 👉 The importance of leadership championing a rebrand 👉 How brand architecture played a role in the rebrand ROI 👉 And so much more! For all of our marketing subscribers, this is a can't miss episode. Jessie shoots it straight and gives invaluable advice for anyone entering into their own rebrand project. --- Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. --- FOLLOW US: ►Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab ►Instagram: @focuslabllc ►LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc ►Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ►Web: https://focuslab.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In this episode of The Debrief, we're sitting down with Irwin's VP of Marketing, Melissa Homère, and digging into their team's experience working alongside Focus Lab to level up their existing brand. Irwin had an innovative product and a respected brand, but recognized that they were in need of a refresh to get organized, strategic, and elevated. In our conversation, we touch on everything from: 👉 Verbalizing the importance of a rebrand to the larger team 👉 The importance of strategy in their rebrand effort 👉 Quantifying the ROI of the rebrand after just a few months And so much more!
Additional Resources: Focus Lab <> Irwin Case Study Irwin Article: Boldly Forward, Introducing Our New Brand
Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. --- FOLLOW US: ►Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab ►Instagram: @focuslabllc ►LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc ►Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ►Web: https://focuslab.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In this episode of The Debrief, we are sitting down with our pal Philip Lakin, former CEO and co-founder of NoCodeOps. What do we mean by former, you ask? Well, a few weeks back our friends at NoCodeOps were acquired by "their favorite player in the space" — Zapier.
Focus Lab CEO, Bill Kenney, sits down with Phil to relive their rebrand experience with us from two years ago and discuss how the brand has helped get them to where they are today. They touch on topics such as:
👉 The strategy behind making tough brand architecture decisions
👉 The success behind a community-based approach as a SaaS company
👉 How the brand investment helped with the Zapier acquisition
And so much more!
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NoCodeOps / Zapier Acquisition Press Release: https://www.nocodeops.com/zapier
NoCodeOps Case Study: https://focuslab.agency/work/nocodeops
Join us in our latest episode of In Conversation as we chat with John Rougeux — founder of Flag & Frontier, a company that specializes in narrative design and execution. In this episode, John and host Bill Kenney break down various category design strategies, discuss how to find c-suite alignment without taking away autonomy from the larger team, dig into what the right mindset is to have when approaching a big brand change, and so much more. Whether you're a business owner, marketer, or creative we think you'll find some valuable insights from John!
--- Learn more about Flag & Frontier: 👉 https://www.flagandfrontier.com/ Subscribe to John's newsletter, The Narrative Field Guide: 👉 https://www.narrativefieldguide.com/subscribe
Calling all B2B marketing professionals out there — our latest episode of In Conversation is not one you'll want to skip. Today we're sitting down with Palmer Houchins, currently Head of Marketing at G2 (maybe you'v heard of it).
In our latest episode, Palmer and Bill dive into Palmer's early days at MailChimp, the tricky science of measuring brand ROI, the future of B2B marketing, and so much more!
A huge thank you to Palmer for joining us on the podcast and for sharing so many nuggets of wisdom.
Resources:
As an AI company who was building their premium product well before the big AI boom, PolyAI recognized that their previous brand did not represent the level of power and maturity they had achieved — it was time to level up.
It was a pleasure to have Kylie Whitehead, Senior Director of Marketing and Brand at PolyAI, sit down with Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney to reflect on their rebrand project with our team. Tune is as they discuss PolyAI's choice to reposition their company prior to finding a rebrand partner, the major benefits of transparency in a rebrand project, the importance of getting your C-suite on board, and so much more.
Rewind to 2022 when we were still gearing up for Odi, our sister agency purpose-built for startups. In order to drum up some excitement, we ran a giveaway — a free brand project for one lucky (soon-to-be) client.
The winner of that giveaway was no other than Noelle London, founder and CEO of Illoominus, a company focused on simplifying HR tech stacks in order to transform organizations into people-first workplaces.
Tune in to our latest episode as Noelle and Bill sit down to discuss how it felt to be the first ever Odi project, how the B2B landscape is becoming more humanized, and Noelle's approach to making brand decisions that would grow with her business goals.
We're back at it again with David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding. This time we dive into the idea of sustainability in when it comes to brand naming, specifically focusing on Lexicon's role in naming Lucid, a luxury EV car, as well as Mainspring, Subaru Outback, and beyond!
You don't want to miss this episode as we get into the weeds of creating value through brand names, the approach behind brand naming, and David's excellent advice for founders in the process of choosing their company's name (we promise it's not "call Lexicon").
Learn more about Lexicon Branding: https://www.lexiconbranding.com/
Get excited: we've got a brand new Odi Debrief episode! Odi is a B2B brand agency built from the team at Focus Lab specifically to serve early-stage startups.
You won't want to miss this episode as we sit down with Ryan Masuga, owner of Masuga, a web development company that has been around for 17 years and recently made the bold and brave decision to rethink their brand after a hard economic year for so many service-based businesses.
Tune is as Ryan and Bill discuss what Ryan's approach to investing in brand, his best advice for founders considering a brand investment, how impactful the new brand has been for his business even after just two months.
Check out the Masuga case study: https://odibrand.agency/work/masuga
Learn more about Masuga: https://www.gomasuga.com/
Resources mentioned in this episode: The Bureau of Digital: https://bureauofdigital.com/ Conquer Your Rebrand: https://conqueryourrebrand.com/
--- Odi is a B2B brand agency serving the unique demands of early-stage startups. Created by the global brand experts at Focus Lab.
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@odibrand.agency
It's not everyday we get to sit down with someone who quite literally "wrote the book" on a topic. But today, we can say that as we recently sat down with Bob Moore, co-founder and CEO of Crossbeam and author of the bestselling book, Ecosystem-Led Growth. For all of our sales and marketing professionals, if you have been interested in learning how Ecosystem-Led Growth (ELG) can help your business grow — this podcast episode is for you. Tune in to our conversation with Bob as we cover topics such as where the idea of ecosystem-led growth came from, whether it will replace current go-to-market strategies, and how ELG works to create a system of quality AND quantity. Resources mentioned in this episode: Bob Moore's Website: https://www.robertjmoore.com/ Buy Ecosystem-Led Growth: https://www.amazon.com/Ecosystem-Led-... Learn more about Crossbeam: https://www.crossbeam.com/
00:00 - Introduction 06:43 - Where did the term ecosystem-led growth come from? 11:57 - Unpacking why ecosystem-led growth efforts are GTM efforts 15:41 - Do you expect ELG to replace a collection of marketing/sales strategies that already exist? 20:16 - Would you have been able to identify the need for ELG had you not founded your two previous businesses? 25:42 - How ecosystem-led growth creates a world of quality AND quantity. 29:21 - Why would people not use ecosystem-led growth methods? 32:43 - Crossbeam Branding Highlights 35:20 - Where to learn more about Ecosystem-Led Growth and Crossbeam — Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process, an all-senior team, and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. FOLLOW US: ► Instagram ► LinkedIn ► Dribbble ► Focus Lab Website Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
For creative work, we find that “good feedback” means “effective feedback.” That means hearing what isn’t working, AND what is. We’ve got some tips for you, or your clients, to get beyond “I don’t like it” and onto effective, actionable feedback.
Justin Sims, a Project Manager at Focus Lab, reads his blog “The Gift of Good Feedback by Justin Sims and Amy Nance.”
In honor of Earth Day and with a very timely rebrand, we have Senior Marketing Manager at Nori, Heidi Sloane, on the show to discuss their experience partnering with us on their new identity. For context, Nori is on a mission to scale the carbon removal industry, with the ultimate goal of reversing climate change. With a fully-integrated approach to creating, managing and selling verified carbon removals they seek to simplify a complicated market while increasing transparency, trust, efficiency, and impact. Tune is as Heidi and Bill discuss how Nori knew they were ready to elevate their brand, the biggest challenges and rewards of the project, and a few hidden gems of the Odi process that ended up being a pleasant surprise. Case study coming soon — stay tuned! Learn more about Nori: https://nori.com/
00:00 - Intro 04:25 - How did you know it was time to invest in brand? 10:10 - What were you looking for in a rebrand partner? 13:23 - What was the most challenging part of the rebrand? 18:00 - The rewards and ROI of the Nori rebrand 21:50 - Odi Process Highlights: SMIT (Single Most Important Thing) and Brand Attributes 27:45 - What advice do you have for someone approaching a rebrand?
- Odi is a B2B brand agency serving the unique demands of early-stage startups. Created by the global brand experts at Focus Lab. ► https://odibrand.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@odibrand.agency
