Brand Shorthand
by Mark Vandegrift and Lorraine Kessler
Brand Shorthand Season #4 Wrap-Up
About this podcast
Mark Vandegrift and Lorraine Kessler discuss advertising, public relations, sales, positioning, branding, and more in this podcast designed for those who want to do a deep dive into the world of marketing. Mark and Lorraine discuss the psychology of what makes great brands. They break down the details of the good moves and some really bad moves by brands big and small. It's like a play-by-play of what went right, or what went wrong.
If you're in the world of marketing, learn tips and tricks that will help you develop a new brand, from finding and focusing on a position, dramatizing that position in the marketplace, and distributing through the wide, wide world of media. With a combined 80 years of marketing experience, both Mark and Lorraine provide insights on campaigns they've led or seen others lead.
All gloves are off when it comes to their take on great strategic marketing moves and those that might have seemed like a good idea at the time, but later flopped. No matter what part of marketing interests you, there'll be something for everyone as we cover positioning strategy, branding, creative dramatization, media selection, sales techniques, analytics, and less discussed parts of the spectrum such as distribution and growth strategies. You can be a strategist, a copywriter, an art director, a web developer, a digital marketing specialist, a sales person, an SEO specialist, and pretty much anything else in the advertising world and you'll find something on the Brand Shorthand podcast that interests you.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 115 episodes
- Brand Shorthand Season #4 Wrap-Up · 30 min · Season 4 Episode 21That concludes another great season of the Brand Shorthand Podcast! For this final episode of season four, Mark and Lorraine sign off by reviewing some of the trending marketing…
- The Journey of Heart Brands feat. Connor and Aleena Orban - Part 2 · 44 min · Season 4 Episode 20In this second of a two-part series, Connor and Aleena Orban, the owners of The Heart Brands Group, share how their brands came alive. From the initial difficult discussion that…
- The Journey of Heart Brands feat. Connor and Aleena Orban - Part 1 · 34 min · Season 4 Episode 19This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark Vandegrift is joined by two new guests, and the owners of Heart Brands, Connor and Aleena Orban. In part one of this two-part…
- Why Positioning is Everything Until It Isn't - Part 2 · 25 min · Season 4 Episode 18We’re back for part 2 of this lively discussion on the rise and fall of the Wendy’s franchise. Sometimes positioning takes a back seat, as hard as that is to say. In this part…
- Why positioning is everything until it isn't - Part 1 · 29 min · Season 4 Episode 17As diehard positionists, Mark and Lorraine will argue until they are blue in the face that positioning still matters, especially in this day and age. However, sometimes…
- The Big Idea in Marketing · 24 min · Season 4 Episode 16What makes an idea big? Nike’s Just Do It, the Aflac duck, Dos Equis with the most interesting man in the world. When done right, the combination of a brand’s position, the…
- Marketing in an Oversaturated Wine Market · 24 min · Season 4 Episode 15California’s wine industry is in trouble as values drop and the market becomes crowded! Tune in to this week’s episode of the Brand Shorthand podcast as Mark and Lorraine dive…
- Marketing Strategies for AEO, SEO, and GEO · 30 min · Season 4 Episode 14This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark is joined by the agency’s media and digital marketing managers, Alyssa Laubacher and Lauren Leroux, to discuss marketing strategies…
- The Symbiosis of SEO and Content feat. Jim Cyphert · 35 min · Season 4 Episode 13This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark Vandegrift is joined by the agency’s director of public relations, Jim Cyphert. Tune in to learn the importance of balancing your…
- FIFA World Cup 2026 Advertising · 30 min · Season 4 Episode 12The 2026 FIFA World Cup is underway! Join Mark and Lorraine on this week’s episode of the Brand Shorthand podcast as they discuss some of the advertising for this worldwide…
- Leveraging your CRM Platform feat. Carson Brown · 31 min · Season 4 Episode 11Tune in to this week’s episode of the Brand Shorthand podcast to learn all about leveraging your CRM Platform. Mark is joined by Carson Brown, the agency’s very own primary CRM…
- Unhinged Marketing Campaigns · 27 min · Season 4 Episode 10Do unhinged marketing strategies work? From Dunkin’s Dirty Soda to Dr. Squatch’s skits, tune into this week’s episode of the Brand Shorthand podcast to learn if this humorous…
- Playing to Win in Brand Rivalries · 30 min · Season 4 Episode 9Coke vs. Pepsi and McDonald’s vs. Burger King. These big brand rivalries are nothing new to the marketing world. This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark and Lorraine dive…
- Campaign Catch Up! · 25 min · Season 4 Episode 8Campaign catch up and the beauty of a simplified position! Some of the popular campaigns that Mark and Lorraine discussed last season are continuing their efforts into 2026. Back…
- Go-To-Market Plan feat. Tony Bell · 25 min · Season 4 Episode 7Tony Bell, Executive Director of Client Services and Media at Innis Maggiore, joins Mark for this week's episode of the Brand Shorthand Podcast to discuss the topic of…
- Brand Shorthand’s 100th Episode · 32 min · Season 4 Episode 6We’ve reached a milestone! 100 episodes — all about positioning. Spend 30ish with Mark and Lorraine as they remind us of the value of positioning, the meaning behind the name…
- True Crime Podcasts and the Power of Positioning - Part 2 · 31 min · Season 4 Episode 5This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark and Lorraine continue their discussion on true crime podcasts, a popular and growing category in the world of podcasting. Tune in…
- True Crime Podcast - A News Niche that is Community-Driven and Addictive · 31 min · Season 4 Episode 4A little green screen, a camera, and a microphone can put you on the podcast bus. True crime is a popular and growing category in the world of podcasting. How are these channels…
- PR News Updates feat. Merce Brown · 28 min · Season 4 Episode 3Ring Doorbell, AI slop, and Frida Baby backlash. This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, Mark is joined by special guest, Merce Brown, to talk about the recent chatter in the…
- Super Bowl LX Ad Panel · 47 min · Season 4 Episode 2This week on the Brand Shorthand podcast, the positioning panelists join Mark to discuss the real winners and losers of last night’s Super Bowl. From Instacart and Lay’s potato…







