Vincent Sacco is a brand leader who has been in the trenches and, having built brands from the ground up at multiple fast-growing tech companies, has wisdom to impart in absolute spades.

He currently leads the creative team at Fivetran, a data management platform that has seen explosive growth, expanding from around 400 to over 1100 employees during Vincent's 3.5 year tenure. Previously, he built the brand at fintech startup Blend as they underwent rapid scaling. Vincent’s unique background also includes branding San Francisco's pioneering food trucks in the early days of the food truck movement.

In this episode, Vincent shares his hard-earned wisdom on building a brand amidst hyper-growth. Some key topics covered:

• How Vincent transitioned from branding bars and food trucks to tech startups
• The challenges of establishing a brand when a company has found product-market fit and is scaling rapidly
• Key first steps to take when you need to build a brand fast
• How to get buy-in across the company and turn everyone into "brand cheerleaders"
• Partnering with product marketing to align brand and product
• Engaging engineers and developers who are typically harder to reach with brand
• Collaborating cross-functionally and getting the C-suite aligned with the brand vision
• Adapting the Fivetran brand for the enterprise market while retaining its distinctiveness
• The importance of brand flexibility and rolling with unexpected sources of brand affinity
• What's next for the Fivetran brand as the company continues its rapid ascent

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and Vincent's background

03:51 - Joining Blend and Fivetran amidst hyper-growth
06:12 - First steps to building the brand foundation

09:22 - Getting company-wide brand buy-in

14:18 - Aligning brand with product marketing

17:34 - Engaging technical audiences with brand

21:35 - Cross-functional collaboration on brand

25:28 - Tailoring brand for enterprise without losing soul

30:44 - Leveraging organic sources of brand affinity

33:49 - The future of the Fivetran brand

35:36 - Conclusion

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode

If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

✌️

Here's the second of our new Byte-Size episodes! These are little natters between our team at Shaped By, on...well, anything really. Mostly related to creativity in B2B, But maybe the odd one about cake or something.

In this one, hosts Nick Farrar, Founder and CEO, and Alex Waite, Marketing Director at Shaped By, dissect key insights from the Bring Your Own Bold (BYOB) Virtual Summit. Themes include the importance of authentic and bold branding in the B2B sector, strategies to stand out in competitive markets, and the resurgence of brand investment. They also discuss the pivotal role of AI in business, touching on both the opportunities and challenges it presents.

00:00 Introduction to the podcast
00:14 Reflecting on the BYOB Virtual Summit
01:37 Defining and Embracing Boldness
03:13 The Importance of Authenticity and Differentiation
07:18 Key Themes from the Summit
09:22 The Renaissance of Brand Focus
13:43 Aligning Brand with Audience Values
15:13 Unexpected Insights from CMOs and CFOs
16:46 Bridging the Gap: Marketing and Finance Collaboration
19:57 AI in Business: Opportunities and Challenges
22:27 The Future of AI: Navigating Rapid Changes
24:41 The Strategic Importance of Brand
26:35 Female Leadership in a Male-Dominated World
28:32 Conclusion and Where to Watch More

Check out all the sessions from Bring Your Own Bold here: https://shaped-by.com/byob-event/

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode

If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

✌️

Li-Anne Dias is a design leader who has shaped world-class brands and led high-impact design teams.

Currently she leads brand and enterprise growth design at Handshake, a software firm that enables schools, companies, and students come together to help students and recent grads make career moves. Her previous achievements include building Reddit’s first brand identity and design systems as the company’s first brand designer, and scaling Grammarly’s brand design team as the company grew revenue growth from $43M to over $250M.

In episode 46 of The Changemakers, Li-Anne sits down with Dave to share her thoughts on what goes into making great creative work.

They discuss her journey in brand design, insights on balancing creativity with strategy, and the significance of iterative processes and embracing failure. They also delve into the role of creative leaders in maintaining hands-on involvement and evolving a brand. They chat about how Leanne's experience at Handshake, including their successful rebrand, highlights the importance of perseverance and collaboration in achieving great creative outcomes.

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Guest
00:59 Defining Great Work
01:37 The Role of Creative Leaders
02:46 Conversation with Leanne Diaz Begins
03:20 Leanne's Journey and Experience
07:57 Making Great Work Happen
17:58 The Importance of Strategy in Creative Work
24:02 Leveraging Past Insights for New Projects
26:08 The Creative Director's Journey
27:33 Balancing Leadership and Hands-On Work
35:48 The Importance of Brand Voice
42:42 Achieving Great Work Through Team Effort
47:07 Concluding Thoughts on Great Work

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode

If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

✌️

Welcome to our new byte-size episodes! These are little natters between our team at Shaped By, on.....well, anything really. Mostly related to creativity in B2B. But maybe the odd one about cake or something.

In this one, Dave and Alex, Shaped By's marketing director, chat about the agency's annual virtual summit, 'Bring Your Own Bold' (BYOB), scheduled for October. The event features back-to-back webinars and discussions centred on building bolder B2B brands. Dave and Alex discuss why they put the event on every year, who it's aimed at, and which of the sessions they're looking forward to. They also spill the beans on a couple of upcoming sessions that haven't been officially added to the agenda yet. Oops...

Check out the Bring Your Own Bold agenda and register here: https://shaped-by.com/byob-event/

It's free, and it's going to be awesome!

00:00 Introduction to the Change Makers
00:16 Introducing Bite-Sized Episodes
00:52 Bring Your Own Bold Event Overview
01:38 Why We Host BYOB
04:30 Exciting Sessions at BYOB
05:03 Exploring Weirdness in B2B
05:57 Balancing Short and Long Term Wins
10:40 Female Leadership in a Male World
11:36 Positioning Creativity as a Business Driver
12:50 Unlocking Your Creative Team's Ultimate Toolkit
06:26 Integrating AI Tools
17:50 Getting the Most Out of Your Creative Agency
20:24 Adapting to Build Brands
24:58 Conclusion and Housekeeping

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode

If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

✌️

We're stepping back into the world of big brand creativity! In this episode, Dave chats with Omar Fahmi, the creative mastermind behind Virgin Media O2 Business' in-house agency.

Ever wondered what it's like to steer creativity in a corporate giant? Omar pulls back the curtain on:

• The challenge of combining two distinct consumer brands - and adapting them for a business audience
• Building an agile and motivated in-house agency team
• Keeping the creative spark alive in a corporate environment
• The secret sauce behind his team's "family-like" culture (spoiler: it involves innovation days and breaking down silos)

Get the inside scoop on balancing short-term wins with long-term brand building, and learn how clear communication keeps this massive creative engine humming.

Whether you're a creative leader, senior marketer, or just curious about the inner workings of big tech creativity, this episode is packed with actionable insights and behind-the-scenes stories you won't want to miss.

Tune in for a dose of inspiration and a glimpse into the inner workings of in-house creative teams in the B2B tech world.

00:00 Welcome to the Change Makers

00:51 Introduction to Virgin Media O2

02:12 The Power of Brand Unification

04:01 Clientele and Market Focus

05:27 Building an In-House Creative Team

07:54 In-House vs. Agency Dynamics

14:10 Maintaining Brand Consistency

17:01 Innovation and Engagement Strategies

23:52 Marketing Team Dynamics

24:47 Innovation Day Activities

27:04 Showcasing Internal Work

31:44 Defining Success for the Team

36:45 Building a Creative Culture

39:39 Challenges and Opportunities in B2B

44:57 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode

If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

✌️

Rebrand versus brand evolution. What’s the difference, and how do you determine which is right for you?

In this episode of The Changemakers, Dave is joined by Nick Levesque, Creative Director at Asana, to discuss the nuances of evolving a brand expression.

As Asana nears the end of its own brand refresh, it was a timely chat about the process. Nick and Dave delve into approaches to evolving brand image, the importance of distinctive brand assets, and the balance between maintaining consistency and fostering creativity.

The conversation covers the challenges and strategies involved in refreshing a brand, the role of audience perception, and leveraging research to guide decisions. Nick also illustrates the careful considerations needed to align visual identity with company growth and evolving audience expectations.

If you want more pearls from Nick on all things brand and his journey, follow him on LinkedIn here.

00:00 Welcome to Changemakers: A Deep Dive into Brand Evolution

00:17 Introducing Nick Levesque: The Creative Mind Behind Asana's Brand Evolution

02:02 The Essence of Brand Evolution vs. Rebranding

03:01 Insider's View: Asana's Approach to Brand Evolution

03:38 Signals and Reasons for a Brand Refresh

09:25 The Strategy Behind Targeting Different Audiences

16:17 The Creative Process and Agency Collaboration in Brand Evolution

21:59 Balancing Consistency and Experimentation in Branding

24:51 Revamping Brand Imagery: A Creative Journey

25:24 The Power of In-House Creativity and Experimentation

27:04 Navigating Internal Brand Evolution: Strategies and Challenges

28:16 Collaborative Brand Audit: Engaging Teams for Insightful Feedback

30:22 Building a Business Case for Creative Projects

35:24 Distinctive Brand Assets: Balancing Innovation with Tradition

41:37 Reflecting on the Rebranding Process: Achievements and Insights

44:56 Dream Rebranding Projects: A Creative Director's Perspective

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode

If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

✌️

In this episode of The Changemakers, brought to you by Shaped By - our creative director Tom Ovens lifts the lid on the secret art of sound design by interviewing freelance sound designer, Adam Legg. They delve into the intricacies of sound design including the definition, the process of creation, and the difference between a ‘meh’ sound, and one that’s impactful.

Sound design in a B2B space brings so much to the table. It helps to control the pace, brings emotion, and can be a real differentiator. So we unpacked it for those of you interested in how it all works.

Adam gives insight into his creative process, balancing sound design with music, and offers a glimpse into how he keeps himself creatively driven. The conversation also veers into the symbiotic relationship between visuals and sound, and how a shift in their traditional sequence can result in a dynamic output.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to The Changemakers Series

00:14 Guest Introduction: Adam Legge, Freelance Sound Designer

01:21 Deep Dive into the Art of Sound Design

01:51 Adam's Perspective on Sound Design

03:51 The Role of Music in Sound Design

05:32 Adam's Creative Process

08:12 The Challenge of Time Management in Sound Design

10:10 The Use of Libraries and Starting from Scratch

13:05 Sound Design Inspirations and Heroes

18:16 Brands Excelling in Sound Design

20:35 The Potential of Sound Leading the Creative Process

26:11 Closing Remarks and Future Collaborations

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode

If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

✌️

Even just a few years back, you would naturally think of pretty much any fintech firm as a challenger brand. A digital disruptor to a financial sector that badly needed disrupting.

But today, fintech is fast becoming mainstream, if it isn’t already. And its “challenger brand” tag feels increasingly redundant, given the extent to which many established financial services firms are pivoting what they do to challenge fintech pioneers - especially when it comes to digital, UX and so on.

One guest wasn’t going to cut it for such an important discussion. So for this episode, we welcome three amazing design leaders - Aaron Robbs, Creative Director at Ramp, Michael Jeter, Executive Creative Director at Stripe, and Nick Farrar, Founder and Managing Director at Shaped By.

Between us, we delve into how great design can help differentiate fintech companies and build robust and memorable brand identities. Across the discussions, we also explore techniques to build trust, the power of design in gamification, and the importance of founder understanding and support in fintech.

And guess what? After two years of being an audio-only podcast, you can now watch on YouTube too! Each of this episode’s three discussions is available to view over there, on Shaped By’s brand new channel.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Changes
00:16 The Evolution of the Change Makers Podcast
01:16 The Role of Brand and Design in Fintech
02:43 Interview with Aaron Robbs, Creative Director at Ramp
03:56 The Importance of Design Principles and Team Dynamics
16:21 The Balance Between Brand and Performance Marketing
21:17 Interview with Michael Jeter, Executive Creative Director of Stripe
22:57 The Role of Craft, Beauty, and Culture in Branding
26:09 The Challenges of Building a Brand Around an Invisible Product
26:34 The Challenge of Branding in Fintech
27:54 The Role of Design in Branding
28:24 The Importance of Craft and Beauty in Branding
29:27 The Impact of Company Culture on Branding
30:28 Infusing Technology into Branding
33:22 The Power of Self-Serve Design Tools
35:25 The Role of Founders in Branding
35:57 The Future of Design in Fintech
39:03 Interview with Nick Farrar, Founder of Shaped By
40:30 Building Trust through Design
49:29 The Power of Gamification in Fintech
55:19 Final Thoughts on Design in Fintech

Send us a message if you enjoyed this episode

If you enjoy the chats then there are more ways to quench your thirst for creative inspiration in the world of B2B tech.

👉 Watch episodes on YouTube
👉 Follow us on LinkedIn for regular snippets in your feed
👉 Visit our website for more in-depth thinking on topics
👉 Subscribe to Beyond our monthly collection of insight, opinion and inspiration

And finally please rate our podcast on Apple if you enjoyed it!

✌️