The consumer sets the price. That simple truth reframes how we think about brand strength and its real business impact. In the third episode of The Brand Builder’s Playbook, hosts Jim Stengel and Ryan Barker, along with guest co-host Cait Lamberton (Professor of Marketing at Wharton), unpack one of the most powerful—and often misunderstood—outcomes of strong brand building: pricing power. Our guest this week is Sandeep Seth, Chief Growth Officer at Tapestry (parent company of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman), who joins the conversation to share lessons from his decades at Procter & Gamble and his current work revitalizing iconic fashion brands. Together, they explore how differentiation, brand love, and consumer perception translate into a brand’s ability to command a premium. From conjoint analysis to luxury pricing strategies, and from mass-market cosmetics to premium handbags, this episode dives into how pricing becomes both a signal and an outcome of brand strength. Listeners will walk away with fresh insights on how to connect strategy to pricing, reduce price sensitivity, and build long-term brand value. True pricing power doesn’t come from spreadsheets—it comes from the trust and love consumers place in your brand. --- Download this week’s worksheet: http://bit.ly/46WFMjp Read about upcoming episode topics and guests here: https://bera.ai/podcast/

How do you turn customer love into business growth? In the second episode of The Brand Builder’s Playbook, the team explores how emotional connection fuels measurable results, from loyalty and repeat purchase to long-term enterprise value. Jim, Ryan, and Lindsey dive into what it really means to build “Brand Love,” using BERA’s Love Curve to unpack how the most emotionally connected brands outperform competitors on pricing power, market share, and shareholder returns. They’re joined by Sofia Colucci, Chief Marketing Officer of Molson Coors, who shares how her team translates brand love into bookings, loyalty, and iconic creative ideas; from beer-flavored Pringles to New Balance koozies and even a dive-bar perfume. “Brand equity isn’t a soft metric. It’s a growth engine. The most loved brands deliver stronger loyalty, pricing power, and market performance.” --- Download this week’s worksheet here: https://bit.ly/43eFfHi Read about upcoming episode topics and guests here: https://bera.ai/podcast/

Welcome to the very first episode of The Brand Builder’s Playbook, a new limited series hosted by Jim Stengel (Host of The CMO Podcast) and Ryan Barker (CEO of BERA.ai), and this week joined by guest co-host Lindsey Wehking (Chief Strategy Officer at Nonfiction Research). In this 8-part series, we’ll build a practical playbook for 2025—designed to help brand leaders navigate an era of uncertainty, constant change, and rising expectations. Each episode tackles a critical theme in sequence, offering insights and tools to strengthen your brand as a true strategic asset. We kick things off by asking the most fundamental question: Why does brand matter? Our featured guest is Chris Burggraeve, former Global CMO of AB InBev and a longtime champion of treating brand as a financial asset. Together, we unpack how brand drives growth, profit, pricing power, and resilience—even in turbulent times. If you’re a marketer, founder, or business leader seeking conviction, clarity, and a new set of plays for brand building, this episode is your starting point. --- Each week we’ll offer you a worksheet to follow along and continue to learn after enjoying the episode. You can download this week’s worksheet here: http://bit.ly/4mZImdd  –-- Read about upcoming episode topics and guests here: https://bera.ai/podcast/"

The Brand Builder’s Playbook is here. Hosted by Jim Stengel and Ryan Barker, this 8-part series dives into how the world’s top marketers are building resilient, revenue-driving brands in an era of AI, shifting consumer expectations, and constant disruption. Featuring unfiltered conversations with senior marketing leaders and insights from experts at Wharton and Nonfiction Research. Episode One launches October 14.