This week on Cover Brand, Ethan talks with data strategist Crys Kelly about why followers and impressions don’t equal growth—and how to spot the numbers that actually move your brand forward.

Most people think the bottle makes the booze taste better—and they’re right, but only because your brain’s the world’s most gullible sommelier.

This week on Cover Brand Covers On Brand, Laura and Ethan dig into what happens when Crumbl Cookies turns dessert into a full-blown brand experience—and why the best ideas aren’t always the flashiest, just the ones that actually stick.

Ethan Decker sits down with Joel Grabois of Blue Onion Media to talk pancakes, positioning, and how to make AI-powered marketing actually make sense.

This week on Cover Brand Covers On Brand, Laura and Ethan unpack how brands can look premium without losing their value soul—and why the smartest marketing doesn’t chase clever, it nails clear.

Most people know less about olive oil than a loaf of bread knows about gluten—and that’s kind of how marketing works.

Turns out the market isn’t full — your mindset is; Ethan and Julianna unpack what “saturation” really means and why there’s always more room at the top.

McDonald’s proves you don’t have to be loved to be massive—just easy to find and hard to screw up.

This week on Cover Brand Covers On Brand, Laura and Ethan dig into how clever ideas can crash without clarity—and why the smartest brands make flying (and thinking) feel easy.

Ethan Decker sits down with Michele Blazier of Bishop Fox to talk rebrands, mascots, and how to make your brand more human—and unforgettable.

Surprise! Cover Brand kicks off a side-series where Laura Dodds and Ethan break down Jimmy Fallon’s new brand reality show—Dunkin’ pitches, cringe moments, and why smart still beats loud.

Like, when a new category pops the world, does it follow brand laws, or is it wonky?

On this episode of Cover Brand, Ethan sits down with my friend and AI consultant Carl Roose to explore how brands can stay authentic in an age when AI makes ‘authenticity’ slippery.

The NBD-Dirichlet nails how markets work—except when it comes to small brands, where the ‘laws’ start to wobble.

Ethan sits down with Billy Otteman of Scythe Robotics to dig into the branding challenges of disruptive tech—and how to turn robot lawn mowers into a story people actually buy.

The NBD-Dirichlet may be math-y and full of wild assumptions, but it’s the model that explains how shoppers and brands actually behave.

Ethan sits down with my friend Guillermo Saenz to unpack brand science for small business owners—cutting through jargon with real stories and practical strategies you can use from the kitchen table up.

In a classic study of 835 women with headaches, researchers found that even placebos work better when they’re branded.

Arissa Kirkland of Bishop Fox joins me to unpack the real lessons of rebranding—when to refresh, how to stay authentic, and how not to pull a Tropicana.

Pointer Media tracked 32 million shoppers and found a paradox: brands churn through their most ‘loyal’ customers every year—yet market share barely budges.