Be Meaningful

Taking advantage of the holiday chill, we got together again with Matt C., Core Developer with Nerd DAO. 

Following up on our feral discussion of Bitcoin, Ethereum and the blockchain in general, we wanted to focus on NFTs. While NFTs gained notice as ridiculously-priced digital art, this platform will likely explode over the next few years by providing limited access to cyber communities and, of particular interest to us, as an alternate approach to conducting fee-for-service commerce. (Can you say @bemeaningful infotoken?)

Do you understand cryptocurrency? Neither do we. So we talked with someone who does: Matt C. (We quickly learned that anonymity is pretty important on the blockchain.) His first exposure to digital currency was in 2017 and he’s currently Core Developer with Nerd DAO, a group creating NFTs or non-fungible tokens. Another thing we don’t understand. So we asked him to explain the basics and share what he thinks digital currency needs to communicate as it becomes more mainstream. After an hour, we barely scratched the surface, let alone delve into his NFT venture. (We’ll do that in another episode.) So if you’re as clueless as the rest of us, listen in and learn about this new world from someone in the cyber-trenches.

What’s the greatest need in American society? You could argue for empathy. Especially if you’re Michael Tennant, founder of Curious Labs and the creator of the card game Actually Curious. Between appearing on the Today Show and being featured in The NY Times, he agreed to spend some time with us. The conversation went far and wide… and deep. He shared his origin story, then we talked candidly about race and the biases we all grow up with but are often blind to. Michael was fun and gracious and, we hope, invigorated by our two hour long exchange. We were. (Don’t worry. We cut it down to an hour and change.)

It seemed poetic that we sat down (virtually) with Bruce Brady just as Covid19 was forcing the world into Zoom meetings. Bruce is one of the founders of ServerDome, a next generation data center that uses the thermal efficiency and airflow of a geodesic dome to keep servers cool without air conditioning. (We’re talking Buckminster Fuller cool.) No small thing when you consider how much of the cost of data management is in cooling systems. As we discussed defining their target, using key influencers and dove into large topics like green energy, edge computing and our increasingly digitized life, our Zoom disconnected multiple times, as if to underscore how mission critical data is, and to remind us that 5G is looming.

It’s always fun to chat about a brand new product. So we really looked forward to our conversation with Blayze founder Dion von Moltke. After a random look into Brian’s experience with Michael Jordan & his first commercial, the episode examines Dion’s first career as a professional Formula One racer, and how his early experience with mentors ignited his passion for coaching. Then we discussed how to infuse that passion into the brand and some ways to leverage Blayze coaches as content creators for social media as part of a broader inbound campaign. We also talked about the aesthetic of the website and the importance of SEO. As always, money limits how much you can do when you’re just starting out, but we kindled a lot of fires and look forward to seeing how Blayze grows in 2021.

We have a little history with Dan Vaughan, Executive Director at USA Cycling, and were eager to hear about his new role at the governing body. In this episode, Dan shares the organization’s vision to evolve from certifying races to influencing culture and someday seeing cycling become as popular in our communities as little league baseball and AYSO soccer. We discuss how the sport is actually many sports – from extreme to competitive to recreational, each with their own psychographic – and draw parallels between AYSO, USSA (skateboarding) and WSL (surfing). We also discuss how the coronavirus has forced USA Cycling to pivot to virtual and double down on their brand strategy going forward. By the end, we were just getting warmed up, but it was clear Dan had an ambitious project list, so we reluctantly let him get back to work.

When brand agency Meaningful discovered this pioneer purveyor outside of Bend, Oregon, they knew they had to get the founder on their podcast. Hobbs Magaret not only has one of the coolest names on the planet, he is a true visionary who sees cattle as a vital part of a larger ecosystem that rehabilitates the land, improves agriculture and reduces global warming. If that sounds like a reach, listen in. The conversation ranges freely from cows to forest fires to pandemics to FDA regulations to Wes Jackson, D2C and Tik Tok.

Can compression athletic wear make the world a better place? Give 2XU head of marketing Luke O’Shea 50 minutes and hear him kick around the Melbourne-based company’s big vision with brand agency Meaningful. We talk candidly about moving beyond product success to helping people lead healthier lives, and how a compelling brand vision will energize stakeholders, from professional and amateur athletes to every 2XU employee. The conversation is unscripted and unrehearsed, with an Australian accent.

Be Meaningful is more like a brand consultation disguised as a podcast. In each episode, the partners of new branding agency Meaningful invite a CEO, CMO or a founder to discuss their brand. These candid conversations explore the vision, challenges and opportunities through the lens of marketing in a world of constant change and immutable human truths.

In this short introductory episode, the three founders explain their vision while touching on subjects like the challenge of change, the symbiosis between business and marketing, the trust crisis and putting theory into practice with a real brand. It is also the episode where it became clear that Brian talks too much.