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Short on time? Here are my favorite nuggets from my conversation with Rob Meyerson – brand naming expert, founder of Heirloom, and co-author of Designing Brand Identity.

In about 10 minutes, Rob teaches us why the naming process is really about risk mitigation, not inspiration. Why "anyone can sue anyone for anything." The kiki/bouba effect, and why some words just sound sharper than others. And Rob's honest verdict on whether AI can actually name your company.

Want the full story, like Rob's path from an accidental gig at Interbrand to co-authoring one of the industry's defining books, and the moment Alina Wheeler passed him the baton?

Check out The Brand Builder version of this episode on your favorite pocast platform.

Let's Go!

Rob Meyerson wrote the book on brand naming, literally, and he's here to remind us that picking the perfect name has a lot less to do with inspiration than it does with knowing exactly who might sue you for it.

Rob teaches us that what looks like a small, obvious task (to pick a good name) is actually the tip of an enormous amount of unglamorous, disciplined work, and that work only gets learned by doing it and by people who were generous enough to teach you

Short on time? Mel Barfield's whole philosophy fits in three words: Shorten the Gap. Not to mention a few more "Mel-osophies" that should probably be on a t-shirt: "Nepotism is your Friend," and "Don't be the best, be the favorite."

Here are the PO Notes nuggets, straight up, in under fifteen minutes.

Mel Barfield turned "just a career advisor with a knack for words" into a Women in Marketing Award, a copywriting agency, and a LinkedIn following that recognizes her in the wild. Her whole playbook fits in three words, and it's the reason people hire her before they've even met her.

This episode is the full story: the career-advisor years, the freelance leap, and the week everything got put in perspective when her daughter landed in the hospital. It's the one that explains why the playbook works, not just what it is.

Before the guests show up, the host Phillip Oakley makes the case for the show itself: the name, the theme song, and why every episode comes in two lengths.

Welcome to The PO Show, a podcast for business owners and marketers who are tired of jargon, hype, the confusing martech landscape, and just want to know what actually builds a brand.

In this pilot, host Phillip "PO" Oakley lays out why he started the show, where the nickname (and that theme song) actually came from, and why every episode from here on comes in two lengths: PO Notes, for when you want the takeaways fast, and The Brand Builder, for the whole story.

PO also breaks down the idea the whole show is built on, Les Binet and Peter Field's "Long and Short of It," and why brands need both short-term activation and long-term brand building to actually grow.

I've wanted to do this for a while: The PO Show! is officially becoming a thing.

And while the show may carry my nickname thanks to the need for distinctive assets, it's really about what you and I get to learn from the smart cookies who join as guests.

The PO Show! unpacks real marketing wisdom from business owners and experts from all over who've actually rolled up their sleeves to build brands. We take a curious look at what actually works, so you can build brands worth remembering and buying.

Every episode is served up in two ways to listen, with zero patience for grift, empty jargon, or shiny objects. Tuck into the Brand Builder for the full story and parables for learning, or grab the PO Notes if you just want the tasty takeaways in 10-15 minutes.

Or use the short version to test a guest you're not familiar with, then dive into the longer version to learn more. You know, Long and Short. (Thanks, Les and Peter.)

Going live next Wednesday, September 9th: the pilot, plus two full guest episodes, each in both Brand Builder and PO Notes form. Five episodes, day one.

Hit follow on the show page so you don't miss it.