In this conversation, the speakers discuss the current economic turmoil and its impact on brands and consumer behavior. They emphasize the importance of seizing opportunities during downturns, the need for strategic risk analysis, and the significance of maintaining brand loyalty through effective communication. The discussion also highlights the necessity of adapting to rapid changes in the market and the role of innovation in navigating these challenges. Ultimately, the speakers encourage CEOs and business leaders to embrace change as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat.

In this episode of Stoke Sessions, Matt is joined by Corbin and Dave from SMB Strategy Consultants and Gerrie, CFO @ MAGNETIC to discuss the financial impact of alignment between the vision, operations, and financials.

Figma Config 2024 - Creative Review of the 2024 Figma Conference by the Design Team at MAGNETIC

In this episode, Matt and Jorge ( JP1985 ) discuss Jorge's journey from being a rap artist to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the CGI industry. They talk about the importance of branding and marketing in the rap industry and how it influenced Jorge's career in creative CGI.

Miguel Raya, also known as Cooking with Fire all over social media shares his journey in the influencer marketing space and provides insights for ⁠brands and influencers alike⁠. Miguel started cooking and barbecuing after being inspired by his father-in-law and later binge watching YouTube videos. Miguel started posting his BBQ on social media, coining the phrase "This came out absolutely fantastic, go ahead and give it a go!" - from there his popularity on social media catapulted. In this podcast episode, Miguel talks through the importance of consistent posting, engagement, and outreach for when brands approach influencers. ⁠Cooking with Fire⁠'s worked with brands like Dawn and Budweiser and hopes to release a cookbook and seasonings in the future. In this conversation, Matt and Miguel discuss influencer marketing and the barbecue industry. Miguel shares his experience working with various brands and the importance of building long-term relationships. They also talk about different grilling styles and Miguel's favorite cuts of meat. They touch on the changes in ⁠influencer marketing and social media⁠ platforms, emphasizing the need for consistency and dedication. The conversation finishes with Miguel sharing his excitement for trying new foods, upcoming recipes, and a possible cookbook coming soon from Cooking with Fire!

In Stoke Sessions Episode 6, the design team at Magnetic reviews their recent Figma design challenge - Hot Sauce Brand Design. The team presents their brand design concepts creative take on hot sauce brands. The design challenge allows the team to push each other, learn new skills without the pressure of client work, and explore tools without restraint. The hot sauce designs range from a brand concept inspired by Hawaiian folklore to a digital look and feel with a focus on simplicity. The team discusses their inspirations, design choices, and the use of AI and prototyping in their work. The conversation covered topics such as the origin of Sriracha sauce, the importance of hand sketching in design, and the presentation of design work for a hot sauce brand. Watch till the end to see what next months design challenge will cover!

In this episode of Stoke Sessions, Matt, DK, and Brad discuss recent trade show experiences at Expo West and the Annual Meat Conference. We highlight some standout brands and products we encountered, some of the brands which can use some help to stand out next time, and bunch of key insights for providing top notch trade show experiences.

This episode of Stoke Sessions revolves around the rapid advancement of AI technology in the creative services world. Matt Simpson, David Carrillo and Paul Drohan discuss how AI is creating buzz and possibilities, and how it is reinvigorating their interest in creative technology and tools. We take time to highlight the speed at which AI is evolving and producing better results and the need to sift through the overwhelming number of tools to find the ones that are here to stay. Learn how AI is enabling individuals to become more self-sufficient and control the entire outcome of a project, creating more 'unicorns' who are skilled in multiple areas. The speakers showcase the capabilities of AI in storyboarding and photography, and how AI-generated images are becoming indistinguishable from real photos. The conversation focused on the use of AI in interior design and photography. The speakers discussed how AI tools like Mid Journey can be used to create mood boards, explore different design options, and generate visual references for client presentations. They highlighted the efficiency and time-saving benefits of using AI in the creative process. The speakers also mentioned the potential for AI to enhance retouching and compositing in photography, allowing for seamless integration of AI-generated elements. Overall, they emphasized the importance of AI in expanding creative possibilities and avoiding tunnel vision in design. In this part of the conversation, David discusses his process of generating multiple variations of an image prompt. He explains how he copies the prompt and runs it multiple times to get a range of results. He also mentions the importance of refining and iterating on the initial results to find the desired image. David demonstrates how he can change the angle and composition of the image by adjusting the focal length. Overall, he emphasizes the flexibility and creativity that can be achieved with AI-generated images. In this conversation, David and Paul discuss the use of AI imagery in design work. They explore the process of using AI to generate images, the benefits and limitations of AI-generated content, and the potential ethical considerations. They also touch on the importance of transparency with clients when using AI imagery. The conversation concludes with a discussion about upcoming travel plans.

This episode of Stoke Sessions revolves around the presentation of design concepts for a rebranding project. The guys discussed their individual approaches and shared their designs using FigJam. They highlighted the importance of staying true to the project's style and aesthetic while finding inspiration from various sources. The designers showcased their creative ideas, including illustrations, typography choices, and color palettes. They also emphasized the value of collaboration and the strength of their team. Overall, the conversation demonstrated the passion and dedication of the designers in their pursuit of excellence. During the conversation, the team reviewed different design concepts for the Sunday Red brand. They discussed the use of color palettes, unique icon ideas, and the importance of collaboration. The team appreciated the attention to detail and the use of tools like AI and Figma to create visual elements. Each designer brought their own style and approach to the project, resulting in a variety of creative concepts. Overall, the team was impressed with the quality of the designs and the potential for the brand to be applied across various marketing materials. In this conversation, Mani and Eugene discuss their design projects and provide feedback on each other's work. They talk about the importance of texture in design and how it can create a tangible feel. They also discuss the use of color and typography to create depth and visual interest. Mani shares his goal of creating logos that people would want to proudly display, such as on a flag. They also discuss their upcoming project on designing a product detail landing page for a hot sauce brand.

This episode of Stoke Sessions focuses on consumer packaged goods (CPG) and consumer goods. Dave Korinek, Brad Hendrickson, and host, Matt Simpson discuss the impact of branding on the consumer goods market, using the example of VIZIO TV's success early in the market. They emphasize the importance of personalization, data-driven decision-making, and customer experience in building a legacy brand. The future of the consumer goods market is predicted to involve embracing technology, hyper-focus on personalization and direct-to-consumer strategies, and staying competitive.

A small group from our team gathered for some real-talk around branding and marketing during and after COVID-19. We talked through how brands can manage their customer relationships, build stronger relationships, and persevere through the global pandemic.

On this episode of Stoke Session, we talk with Trey Evans, Digital Marketing Manager at MAGNETIC about using Google Data Studio for real-time digital marketing reporting.

Small, Medium, and Large Business' are either running or looking to run Influencer Marketing Campaigns on social media platforms and on the web. While influencer campaigns are proving themselves time and time again as a viable addition to your marketing mix, many brands are still struggling to get started with running them and struggling more to manage and track the campaigns. In this series of the MAG Video Podcast, Brock Fuller and Matt Simpson break down some of their top influencer campaign strategies for: - Successfully running an influencer marketing campaign - Managing your Influencers - Tracking the effectiveness of your campaign