The Brand Builder's Playbook – Details, episodes & analysis

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.

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/

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/

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/

 Every CMO faces the same question: how do you balance long-term brand equity with short-term performance marketing?

In the fifth episode of The Brand Builder’s Playbook, hosts Jim Stengel and Ryan Barker, along with guest co-host Lindsey Wehking, tackle one of the most heated debates in modern marketing: brand versus performance. Is short-term activation enough, or does long-term brand building ultimately win?

This week’s guest is Andrea Brimmer, Chief Marketing and PR Officer at Ally, who has spent nearly two decades transforming Ally from a regional bank into one of America’s most admired challenger brands. Andrea shares the inside story of launching the Ally brand, driving growth through bold, customer-centric marketing, and proving that financial services can stand for transparency and trust. The conversation explores how to build brands people truly love, balance creativity with measurable results, and use brand purpose as a competitive advantage.

“We have to stop calling it brand versus performance. It’s demand generation and demand capture. And you can’t have one without the other.” — Andrea Brimmer

If you’ve ever wondered how to build a brand that punches above its weight, Andrea’s playbook is one you won’t want to miss.

—

Download this week’s worksheet: https://bit.ly/4hFTZ7W

Read about upcoming episode topics and guests here: https://bera.ai/podcast/

This week on The Brand Builder’s Playbook, Jim, Ryan, and Cait dive into one of marketing’s toughest questions: how do you prove the ROI of a brand? In a world where every dollar spent needs justification, they explore how marketers can connect creative storytelling to measurable business growth.

To help unpack it, they’re joined by Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer. Raja shares how Mastercard built one of the world’s most trusted brands by grounding its marketing in data, financial discipline, and purpose. He outlines his framework for measuring marketing ROI across three dimensions, brand strength, business growth, and sustainable competitive advantage, and shares practical lessons on earning credibility with CFOs and boards.

“Purpose and profits are not mutually exclusive. If you pursue purpose methodically, thoughtfully, and innovatively, profits will follow.” — Raja Rajamannar

--

Download this week’s worksheet: http://bit.ly/3KX9ts4

Read about upcoming episode topics and guests here: https://bera.ai/podcast/

What do LEGO, Megan Thee Stallion, and a Ford Mustang have in common? They’re all proof that the right partnership can supercharge a brand.

In the sixth episode of The Brand Builder’s Playbook, hosts Jim Stengel and Ryan Barker, joined by guest co-host Lindsey Wehking, explore why not all partnerships deliver equal value…some enhance brand equity, while others can dilute it.

This week’s guest is Kristen D’Arcy, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Digital Growth at True Religion, who unpacks how collaborations and partnerships drive growth, cultural relevance, and long-term brand equity. From bold campaigns with Megan Thee Stallion to unexpected collabs with Ford, True Religion demonstrates how math, magic, and cultural insight come together to keep a brand not just alive, but thriving.

Kristen shares the playbook behind building a culture of collaboration inside the marketing team, tapping into subcultures that matter, and designing partnerships that actually move the needle.

Bottom line: when you know your customer and lean into culture, partnerships don’t just create moments, they create momentum.

—

Download this week’s worksheet: https://bit.ly/47oVdBa

Read about upcoming episode topics and guests here: https://bera.ai/podcast/

Brand building or performance? TV or TikTok? Data or gut? Every marketer wrestles with how to spend smarter, not just more.

In the seventh episode of The Brand Builder’s Playbook, hosts Jim Stengel and Ryan Barker, along with guest co-host Kate Lamberton, dig into the art and science of the marketing mix. They explore how brands can cut waste, make every dollar work harder, and balance the short-term demand for results with the long-term need for brand strength

Joining the conversation is Damon Berger, Head of Consumer Digital Engagement at Gap Inc., who shares his perspective on building a culture that embraces both measurement and creativity. From MMM (marketing mix modeling) to cultural relevance, Damon breaks down how Gap is revitalizing iconic brands by staying true to their DNA while staying agile in a fast-changing market

The takeaway: when you put the consumer at the center, smart spending isn’t about choosing between brand and performance…it’s about making both work harder together.

—

Download this week’s worksheet: https://bit.ly/3JI5FdV

Read about upcoming episode topics and guests here: https://bera.ai/podcast/

From tennis rackets to Beyoncé, Microsoft to Apple…brand legends David Aaker and Marcus Collins have seen it all, and they’re here to close out our series with a masterclass on brand-led leadership.

In the final episode of this season of The Brand Builder’s Playbook, hosts Jim Stengel and Ryan Barker reflect on the journey through our previous seven episodes before welcoming two of the biggest voices in marketing: David Aaker, often called the “Father of Modern Branding,” and Marcus Collins, award-winning marketer, author, and cultural expert. Together they dig into what it takes to get true buy-in for brand inside organizations, the traps of short-termism, and why culture, conviction, and clear differentiation are the ultimate energizers for growth

From the evolution of brand equity to the five B’s framework, from the lessons of Steve Jobs to the rise of cultural resonance, this finale ties the whole playbook together, offering both inspiration and practical tools for brand builders at every level.

Closing thought: great brands don’t just sell, they lead. And the smartest leaders put brand at the center of every decision.th David Aaker and Marcus Collins

—

If you’ve enjoyed this series, please share it with your team, your friends, or anyone passionate about building brands. Join in the conversation below…tell us what you’ve learned and what you’d love to hear in Season 2!

—

Download this week’s worksheet: https://bit.ly/4qDgxKG

Read about upcoming episode topics and guests here: https://bera.ai/podcast/