In this episode of Totally Radvertising, Dallin and Damian sit down with Tracy Smith, Chief Brand Officer at STM Goods, to discuss how innovative product development can serve as a marketing strategy. Tracy shares how STM Goods stands out in the crowded accessories market with their "smarter than most" approach, focusing on engineering solutions that solve genuine customer problems. The conversation explores how product innovation becomes marketing, the importance of designing distinctive brand elements into products themselves, and why marketing should always start at the product level. They also analyze a GMC Hummer EV commercial, discussing what makes advertising effective across different platforms and how to balance creative vision with market performance.

2:21 GMC Hummer EV commercial analysis
13:41 Brand differentiation strategies for EV marketing
25:55 "Smarter Than Most" - STM Goods' product philosophy
28:30 Product innovation as marketing strategy
33:18 Designing marketing into your product
42:08 The value of "breadcrumbs" on your product
48:31 Testing ideas with your audience vs. Apple's approach

"The best marketing always starts at product. So if your product doesn't have marketing built into it from the beginning, your marketers are going to have to really do a lot of lift." 31:50

On this episode of Totally Radvertising, Damian and Dale sit down with Ben Perkins, founder of &Collar, who transformed dress shirts with performance fabric technology. Ben shares his entrepreneurial journey from a $300K company to over $50 million in revenue, discussing how creative marketing played a crucial role in that growth. They analyze advertising strategies from UGC to high-production commercials, and why some creative assets are still performing five years later. The conversation explores how &Collar navigated the challenges of COVID when dress shirts weren't in demand, the brand's discovery that 45% of purchasers are women despite the product being for men, and what makes creative content truly scalable. Whether you're a founder trying to find your brand voice or a marketer looking to make long-lasting creative assets, this episode offers valuable insights on building a distinctive brand.

0:52 Ladder coaching ad critique
13:18 Ben's entrepreneurial beginnings
20:01 The role of creative in brand growth
22:59 From $300K to millions during COVID
24:51 UGC vs high-production content
29:18 What makes creative content scale

"The most valuable space you can buy is living rent free in people's heads. And enough that it got us to talk about it and it did more than the average ad, and I think that's awesome." 12:27

https://andcollar.com/

On this episode of the Totally Radvertising Podcast, Damian and Dale are joined by Zack Litwack, founder of Fourth Quarter. Zack shares insights from his unique business model of investing in promising startups while driving their growth through data-driven performance marketing. The conversation explores how Fourth Quarter uses their "high tempo testing" methodology and ICE (impact, confidence, ease) scoring framework to prioritize marketing experiments for maximum ROI. They discuss the balance between creative impact and testing efficiency, the power of memorable jingles, and why YouTube is increasingly outperforming Meta platforms. Whether you're an early-stage founder looking for growth signals or a marketer trying to balance experimentation with big creative swings, this episode delivers actionable insights from the frontlines of startup marketing.

6:07 The power of jingles in marketing
18:58 Fourth Quarter's unique model
21:40 High tempo testing methodology
25:30 The ICE scoring framework
33:10 YouTube vs Meta platform performance
44:45 Exploring new marketing channels

"Marketers today have to be part artist and part scientist."

https://fourthquarter.com/
https://www.creatably.com/

Co-founder and CEO of Thread, Colby Bauer, joins Damian and Dallin on this episode of Totally Radvertising to chat about the real hustle behind building a brand from the ground up. Colby shares the marketing strategies they used in Thread's early days to establish their reputation and how those strategies have evolved over time. Brands often face challenges when creating campaigns, especially around maintaining brand voice, and Colby discusses the power of expanding brand identity. Tune in to learn more about the creative decisions that have driven Thread's success! 

2:23 Ad critique and advice
18:51 Advertise like you, not the big dogs
22:11 Thread's story
27:25 Thread's marketing evolution 
32:00 Product expansion like a pro
35:20 How do you sell to someone who doesn't want to be sold to?



"Our first round of expansion was still within the wallet space. If you're looking for a wallet, how many wallets are you going to buy? One. So you're basically competing against yourself in a way. How do we introduce products that are complementary, like the 'do you want fries with that' mentality?" 32:50

Nicolas Alayo-Matos, who is the commercial video director from True Classic, joins Damian and Dallin for this insightful episode of Totally Radvertising. They ask Nicolas about his most rewarding campaigns and how he overcomes the challenge of striking the right balance between entertainment and sales when creating engaging content. They also talk about the risk associated with creative choices and how to keep product messaging and humor in sync. Nicolas shares how True Classic is leveling up its brand in the coming year and tactics he uses to track campaign performance. Tune in to learn more about omnichannel marketing and the tools essential for modern advertising! 
00:45 Ad commentary10:01 Every second matters in advertising
12:10 Nic's career
22:28 Balancing the risk in entertaining campaigns
36:07 Organic versus paid content
42:27 How do you track performance?

"There's still a value in traditional media, but you can learn your lessons on social media. You can learn your lessons with DR and see what drives performance, and then put that everywhere and go omnichannel as quickly as possible." 46:33

On this episode of Totally Radvertising, Dallin and Damian sit down with Trevor Crump, who is the co-founder of Bestie Media. Trevor shares his journey and creative breakthroughs, including his most successful campaigns. They talk about how a limited budget can spark innovative solutions, challenging the idea that bigger budgets always lead to better creative. They also discuss current trends in advertising, the importance of organic content, and how a well-crafted ad can "haunt" a consumer's mind long after they've seen it. Tune in to learn more about standing out in your market and making a lasting impact on your audience!

1:48 Advertisement review
13:33 Trevor's career and best creative efforts
22:33 Talking about creative
25:30 Current trends they're seeing in creative
46:28 How much you should spend on creative
52:05 Value of rent-free assets

"The way to target your audience is through creative. The way to stand out is one hundred percent through creative." 22:50

On this episode of Totally Radvertising, Dallin and Damian are joined by Alex Mospanyuk, the head of marketing at Luminous. Tune in as Alex shares her insights on how working for a company that truly values investing in creative efforts can make all the difference in marketing success. They discuss the challenge of producing engaging content that resonates with audiences, versus creating uninspiring filler material in an oversaturated market. Alex also offers valuable advice for founders looking to discover their brand's voice and connect with their audience. Plus, they explore Alex's creative process at Luminous and how they measure marketing impact through attribution. You don't want to miss this episode!

0:00 Intro
1:00 Advertisement review
11:40 Alex's background in marketing
21:50 Creative decisions
25:57 Advice for founders
31:14 Creative process
33:44 How they measure attribution

"Be super loud about what you're doing and the results you're bringing in so no one can deny the impact you're having on the business. Otherwise, you're going to end up as a task rabbit." 14:45

EXTRA EPISODE!

Damian and Dallin break down the best and worst Super Bowl LIX commercials! They discuss how brands leveraged humor, nostalgia, and emotional storytelling to capture audience attention, and whether these ads truly delivered or missed the mark. They also analyze the creative trends shaping this year's ads, the role of big-budget productions versus simple, effective storytelling, and which brands stood out the most. From unexpected celebrity cameos to viral moments, they dive into what made these commercials memorable and what marketers can learn from them.

Tune in for an insightful and entertaining critique of Super Bowl LIX’s biggest ad plays!

Also, if you liked this content, make sure to give us a review or comment on this podcast.

Dallin and Damian are joined by A. Todd Smith from Gabb Wireless on this episode of the Totally Radvertising Podcast. The trio talks about how laughter is one of the greatest tools in advertising for disarming your audience and creating a connection that opens the door for other emotions. Todd shares how getting your team to laugh during every step of the creative process can translate into a more engaging and fun commercial. You have to earn every second of your audience's attention in advertising and they share tips on doing just that by balancing time, storytelling, and emotion. If you want to learn how to make commercials more entertaining and effective, this episode is for you! 

0:00 Intro
6:10 Using comedy in advertising
10:40 Shifting gears between emotions
16:00 Working on a Creatably set
26:10 Advertisement review
35:00 Blending emotion with consumer consideration

"If you can make an audience laugh, then they're more open to cry. They're more open to get hit in the feels." 6:35

Damian and Dallin are joined by Ryan Bartlett of True Classic. They talk about how Ryan and his team successfully merge humor with men's fashion as a marketing tool, and how they found the perfect blend to boost branding. Post-purchase surveys have been one of the most valuable assets for Ryan to gain insights on his consumers and their purchase trends, and they discuss why these are so helpful for driving marketing efforts. They talk about creating memories that live rent-free in potential customer's minds through creative content. They also explain how data is extremely valuable to those looking to avoid lackluster campaigns and advertising over-saturation. Tune in to learn more about getting dialed into the data!

• 0:00 Intro 
• 1:14 Using humor in branding
• 10:10 Post-purchase surveys
• 20:25 Creative trends and production budget
• 36:25 Ad critique
• 45:23 Where to focus creative

"To me, the best source of truth is the customer telling you where they found you and why they bought." 

https://www.trueclassictees.com/
https://www.creatably.com/

On this episode of the Totally Radvertising Podcast, hosts Damian and Dallin sit down with Johnathan Ruggiero and Michelle Luchese, cofounders of Manly Bands. With backgrounds in entertainment, Johnathan and Michelle discuss how their creative storytelling approach sets their jewelry brand apart. They talk about overcoming creative fatigue and experimenting with fresh advertising strategies that appeal to their ideal audience. They share their creative journey from starting with stock photography to building their own creative studio where golden campaigns take shape. Tune in to learn more about creative advertising and telling your unique brand story.

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:25 How Manly Bands was started
• 10:33 Optimizing and overcoming plateaus
• 18:32 Decision to invest in creative
• 29:40 Ad critique

"Every year should be the year of optimization. You should be constantly trying to improve where you are so you don't hit those plateaus."

https://manlybands.com/
https://www.creatably.com

On this episode of the Totally Radvertising Podcast, Damian and Dallin sit down with Jared Ward, the founder and CEO of Luminous, who have seen 3X growth this year. Jared talks about his decision to invest in content creation for his company and why that's atypical in the B2B world. They dive into tactics Jared's team uses to massively increase Luminous' online presence, including posting clipped podcast content on YouTube and LinkedIn. They answer the question of whether or not paid advertising works for B2B companies and explain how it can actually be the key to success with the help of a creative team. They also talk about common mistakes seen with brands such as not putting enough value in creative assets. Tune in to learn more about transforming your brand!  

• 0:00 Intro
• 1:00 Jared's background
• 8:00 Building a brand
• 18:14 Key pieces of content
• 31:45 Common mistakes
• 34:45 Ad critique

"Your number one competitor is not your competitor. It's ignorance."

https://www.joinluminous.com/
https://www.creatably.com/

On this episode of the Totally Radvertising Podcast, Damian and Dallin are joined by Jay Davis, the founder and CEO of Pillow Cube. Jay shares his entrepreneurial journey and how his experiences drive his work as a founder and investor today. They talk about creating viral videos that attract customers by organically putting brands on the map. The trio also dissect a product ad and provide valuable, expert insights on what they would do to refine the advertising strategy. If you're looking to learn more about marketing to make the masses pay attention, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to learn more! 

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:44 How Jay got started
• 8:03 One thing that made a difference
• 14:12 Balance the cost of creative
• 25:05 Ad critique
• 40:19 When to invest in creative

"Creative is important. Messaging is important. The way you position your product is important." 

https://www.pillowcube.com/
https://www.creatably.com/

Welcome to the Totally Radvertising Podcast, where we dive into the art and strategy behind creative advertising. Tune in each week as we sit down with some of the brightest minds in the industry: founders, CEOs, writers, directors, and creatives from the fastest-growing brands on the internet. Together, we explore the most innovative and bold decisions that made the biggest impact on their brand's success. From dissecting ads to analyzing what worked (and what didn't), we offer some of the best conversations on the creative process behind today's most memorable campaigns. Tune in to learn more about what's driving the future of advertising forward!