Brand2Brand: The Marketing Show

LEGO vs IKEA: Leveraging Product Systems for Systemized Storytelling

By inviting customers to experiment, build, and co-create alongside them, LEGO and IKEA have transformed their modular product systems into engines for creativity and loyalty. In this episode, Tom and Veronica explore how both brands are translating their product systems into storytelling systems. Because in the end, you’re not just marketing a product—you’re marketing the entire experience of using it too. 🎧 For full episode resources and references, visit stirlingbrandworks.com [https://stirlingbrandworks.com].

Intuit vs Aerie: The New Rules of AI and Audience Loyalty

AI might be revolutionizing business, but that doesn’t mean your customers love it too. For brands like Intuit, AI represents efficiency, innovation, and next-gen thinking. But for lifestyle brands like Aerie, audiences crave human creativity and realness when that’s what the brand is built on. From FinTech to fashion, we’re unpacking how each side of the AI debate shapes brand trust and audience loyalty—and why success isn’t about if you use AI, but how you use it. For the full episode research and reference materials, visit stirlingbrandworks.com [https://stirlingbrandworks.com].

Happy Hour with Ted Schlueter: How Differentiated Brand Storytelling Lifts Exit Value

Grab a drink—it’s Happy Hour! Today, Tom sits down with Ted Schlueter, CEO of The Grist and author of Branding for Buyout, to talk brand equity, mergers and acquisitions, and how founders are simplifying their future exit strategies by baking it into the brand itself. Tune in as we hear from Ted on how he’s helped businesses from CPG to B2B tech dramatically increase their valuation, and how you can use these strategies in your own brand planning. For the full episode research and reference materials, visit stirlingbrandworks.com.

HomeGoods vs BILT: Why Long-form Storytelling Still Wins in a Short-form World

Attention spans may be shrinking, but the smartest brands are proving that long-form storytelling still wins. In this episode of Brand2Brand, Tom and Veronica dig into how both brands are creating binge-worthy series that blur the line between ad and entertainment—and why the future of advertising isn’t about interrupting content, it’s about being the content. From trust and brand loyalty to engagement and sentiment, we unpack how long-form storytelling builds deeper connections, why episodic content is on the rise, and what it means for marketers navigating a short-form-obsessed world. For the full episode research and reference materials, visit stirlingbrandworks.com.

American Eagle vs. Dove: Great Jeans Sparked Buzz, Real Beauty Built a Brand

When it comes to marketing to women, confidence is a commodity. But while American Eagle is blowing up over its choice to release—and then continue to defend—a headline-chasing campaign, Dove’s decades-long commitment to sincerity and openness is proving that purpose still pays off. In this episode, Tom and Veronica break down how American Eagle’s “Great Jeans” campaign went viral for all the wrong reasons, while Dove’s focus on Real Beauty continues to build lasting trust. From risky brand messaging to Gen Z credibility, we’re diving into what today’s signals say about tomorrow’s brand equity—and who really wins when it comes to heat vs. heart. For the episode research and reference materials, visit stirlingbrandworks.com [https://stirlingbrandworks.com].