Brand Strategy Unwankified

104. What Clients Think 2025 with Carol Mackay

Listen to Carol Mackay sharing her take on the latest design industry report by Up To The Light: What Clients Think 2025.
We explore:
• The impact and opportunity of AI for designers
• The changing tech landscape in design
• What clients want from designers from pitch to presentation
 
About Carol Mackay:
Carol is the co-founder of Design Business Council and design studio Mackay Branson. She is also a leading and active advocate for Australia's design community.
As well as leading DBA, a business advisory focused on the business of design, Carol has mentored through AGDA, Womentor and The Aunties. She sits on the board of Never Not Creative, a non-profit dedicated to improving the mental wellbeing of people working in creative businesses.
Connect with Carol on Instagram
Design Business Council Website
What Clients Think 2025 Article
 
Want to connect with Bec?
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

103. 10 Steps to Create Strategic Case Studies that Sell

Are your case studies costing you strategic credibility?
If they read like a design diary: client needed a logo, you made it, they loved it, it’s time to raise the bar.
In this episode, learn how to craft and use case studies that demonstrate your value as a brand strategist.
You'll learn how to:
Lead with the business problem
Show your thinking (not just the doing)
Highlight transformation—emotional, strategic and visual
Use quotes, stats, and niche-specific insight
Repurpose for maximum leverage
When you use case studies to show your thinking, you’re no longer selling visuals, you’re selling value.
 
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

102. The Missing Piece in Your Solo Studio

If brands aren’t built in a vacuum, why are so many brand designers trying to create them in one?
In this episode, I explore the hidden challenge most solo brand designers face: growing creatively without any support.
I’ll unpack why:
~ Guides, hacks and courses will only get you so far
~ Creativity is a team sport (even when you work solo)
~ Insightful, objective and strategic feedback at the right time will unlock your next level of growth
Opening up to feedback feels hard, but pushing through the discomfort is a game-changer.
 
Want to connect with me?
Explore The Studio
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

101. Filtering: The Essential Strategy Skill No One Talks About

If you think brand strategy is about adding more... think again.
In this episode, I’m sharing the one skill that instantly makes you more strategic: filtering.
I’ll walk you through the three tools I use every time I create brand strategy: Themes, Priorities, and Focus.
These methods will help you simplify without dumbing things down—so your clients get clarity, not confusion.
If you want to be seen as a strategist (as well as a designer), this is where it starts.
Press play.
 
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Explore The Studio
Find me on Instagram
Episode 97 - Rethinking Customer Avatars: Apple or Spotify

100. Lessons From 25 Years (and 100 Episodes) in Brand Strategy

For this 100th episode, I’m sharing 12 lessons from 25 years of working in branding.
This isn't just the process of strategy, but what it really means to be a brand strategist.
From why no one wants to buy 'strategy', how good strategy often feels like therapy, to why the best strategists know they don’t know everything, this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at the mindset, method, and messiness of the work we do.
If you want to benefit from my insights and learnings as an experienced brand strategist, this is the episode for you.
 
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Explore The Studio
Find me on Instagram

99. How to Dovetail Strategy into Your Brand Design Process

Not sure how to fit brand strategy into your design process? 
This is the episode for you:
Why strategy doesn't have to be as complex as you think
The 5 steps in my SIMPLE framework
How to seamlessly dovetail strategy into your current design workflow
What it really means in terms of time and workload
Find out how adding strategy to your process could be the smartest shift you make.
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram
Listen to Episode 83: My 5 Pillars Brand Strategy Research Framework

98. Attract Clients Ready for Brand Strategy

Struggling to position yourself as a brand strategist? Finding clients don't want to or aren't ready to buy brand strategy services?
In this episode, I break down the Brand Strategist Focus Funnel (BSFF) - attract the right clients, build authority, and make buying from you easy.
You’ll learn:
✔ How to become known for the right thing with a compelling Value Pitch✔ How to attract predisposed clients using a Value Magnet✔ How to make buying from you easy with a Value Proposal
If you want to stop feeling invisible and start being valuable, this one’s for you!
 
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

97. Rethinking Customer Avatars

Over-engineered avatars are the brand strategy equivalent of a chocolate teapot - seems fun, but not fit for purpose.
In this episode, I'm rethinking customer avatars, because the overcomplicated, deeply nuanced descriptions everyone tells you to create are actually unhelpful for brand strategy:
Why unnecessary details (like Jane’s Spotify playlist) miss the point
What really drives buying decisions (hint: it's not their coffee order)
The SHINE framework - a simple but powerful approach to define the audience effectively
 
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand Method
Find me on Instagram

96. Simple Brand Strategy Minus the Buzzwords

Brand strategy is full of buzzwords, but does it need to be? 
In this episode, I share a straight-forward approach to developing strategies that are simple, but not basic. We’ll bridge the gap between client and business goals, and what their audience actually wants.
No fluff, no jargon - just a practical, simple approach for designers who want to create and talk about brand strategy with confidence.
The role of brand strategy
A simple, five-question framework that makes strategy accessible
How to drop the jargon and start selling and presenting brand strategy in a way clients understand
Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand MethodFind me on Instagram
 

95. The Evolution of The C Word Podcast

The C Word Podcast is evolving! 
Welcome to Brand Strategy Unwankified, a no-BS space for brand designers and creators who want to learn brand strategy and sell it as a service. If you’re over the jargon and gatekeeping of the ‘exclusive club’, and want practical, honest tools and insights, you’re in the right place.
Why listen… this podcast is dedicated to helping brand designers confidently add strategy to their skillset and create a lucrative revenue stream.
What you’ll hear… real talk on pricing, selling, frameworks, and processes, with expert insights and case studies.
The vibe… cheeky, straight-talking, simplified, and totally unwankified.
Subscribe and let’s dive in!Want to connect with me?
Check out The Brand MethodFind me on Instagram