S07.EP12 - Creative Leadership & The Future of Branding with Ekaterina Solomeina

AI is no longer simply helping consumers make decisions. It is becoming an active participant in what they discover, trust and buy. Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast In this episode of JUST Branding, Jacob Cass and Matt Davies speak with Asha Parmar, founder of Élan Intelligence, about the changing relationship between brands, buyers and AI. Asha explains how AI is compressing the traditional customer journey, influencing brand discovery and creating a new kind of AI enabled consumer. The conversation explores “machine equity”, the role of reviews and third party conversations, and why brands must now communicate clearly with both people and machines. They also tackle a bigger question: if consumers increasingly outsource their research, decisions and even personal reflection to AI, how will that affect identity, values and brand loyalty? You’ll learn: • How AI is changing consumer behaviour and purchase decisions • Why the traditional marketing funnel is being compressed • What machine equity means for brand builders • How brands can become more visible to AI systems • Why transparency and genuine customer experience matter more than ever • How to research AI behaviour within your category The next buyer choosing your brand might not be human. Is your brand ready?

Why do stories move people in ways that facts, features and clever messaging rarely can? Learn more at justcreative.com/podcast In this episode, Jacob Cass and Matt Davies speak with Park Howell, Emmy Award winning brand strategist, founder of The Business of Story and one of the world’s leading voices on business storytelling. Park explains why story remains one of the most powerful tools in brand building, what separates a memorable narrative from an interesting one and how brands can shift from simply telling stories to becoming truly story driven. The conversation explores Park’s StoryCycle framework, the commercial value of storytelling and why moving from pitching to proving can create a genuine competitive advantage. They also examine storytelling in the age of AI, including where technology can amplify the creative process, where humans must continue to lead and what new opportunities AI creates for brand strategists. If you want to build a brand people understand, remember and choose to become part of, this episode is for you.

In this episode, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies sit down with Ekaterina Solomeina, creative director, TEDx speaker, co-founder of Future London Academy, and host of Creative Capes, to explore how branding, design, and creative leadership are evolving. As AI accelerates execution and businesses face more complex cultural, technological, and commercial challenges, the value of creativity is shifting. It is no longer enough for designers and brand leaders to simply make things look good. The real opportunity is to connect creativity to business value, strategic decisions, customer trust, innovation, culture, and growth. If you want to become a more strategic, commercially valuable, and future ready creative leader, this conversation is packed with insight.

In this episode, Jacob Cass & Matt Davies sits down with Jonathan Stark, pricing expert, author of Hourly Billing Is Nuts, host of Ditching Hourly, and co-host of The Business of Authority, to unpack why trading time for money is such a poor fit for expert work. Together, Jacob, Matt and Jonathan explore the difference between fixed fees and true value pricing, how to run better sales conversations, why pricing is deeply connected to positioning, and how authority changes the way clients buy. They also discuss the psychology of charging more, why creatives often underprice their own judgment, and the practical first steps for ditching hourly without blowing up your business overnight. If you are tired of selling hours, defending rates, or being compared against cheaper alternatives, this episode will help you rethink what you are really selling and how to build a business around expertise, not availability.

In this episode of JUST Branding, we’re joined by Ulli Appelbaum, globally respected brand strategist, founder of First The Trousers, and author of The Science of Brand Associations. Ulli has spent years helping organisations understand how brands grow by shaping the associations people hold in memory. In this conversation, we unpack one of the most important and often misunderstood areas of branding: how associations are formed, strengthened, measured, and used to drive real business growth. We explore why some brands own clear memory structures while others remain vague, how emotion and storytelling help build associations, and what marketers often get wrong about consistency, distinctiveness, and meaning. If you want to build a brand that is easier to notice, easier to remember, and easier to choose, this episode will give you a practical look at the science behind brand growth.

In this episode, Jacob Cass and Matt Davies sit down with David C. Baker, author of The Business of Expertise and one of the leading voices on positioning, specialization, and advisory businesses. Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast Together, they explore what actually becomes valuable in a world where production is abundant. We discuss: • The difference between execution and expertise • Why many creative firms still struggle to position themselves clearly • What clients are really paying for at the highest level • Why judgment, trust, and perspective matter more than ever • How AI is reshaping pricing, specialization, and creative work • What makes a firm truly irreplaceable This conversation is for designers, strategists, consultants, and creative entrepreneurs who want to move beyond being seen as a pair of hands and become trusted experts.

In this episode, we sit down with brand strategist and verbal identity specialist Emily Penny to unpack the growing challenge of differentiation in an increasingly saturated market. Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast Emily is the creator of the Fully Saturated report and founder of a micro studio focused on positioning and voice. Together, we explore why so many agencies struggle to stand out, what strong positioning actually looks like today, and how agencies can build relevance in an AI-enabled world. We discuss: • Why agency positioning often falls flat • The real meaning of “fully saturated” • How verbal identity creates distinction • The role of personality and point of view • What agencies can offer that AI can’t • How micro studios and modern agencies can stay valuable Whether you’re a strategist, designer, consultant, or agency founder, this conversation will challenge how you think about differentiation, positioning, and the future of creative businesses. Grab the report @ https://fully-saturated.com/ Use code: LASTCHANCE for 75% off Now only £95. Ends: 30th June 2026

Jacob Cass and Matt Davies speak with Amelia Sordell, founder and CEO of Klowt and one of the leading voices in founder-led marketing. Learn more at justcreative.com/podcast As audiences become more sceptical of faceless companies, founders and leaders are becoming one of the most powerful trust signals a brand can have. The company brand still matters, but increasingly, people want to hear from the people behind the business. Amelia shares why founder branding has become a serious commercial lever, how it differs from company branding, and what CEOs often misunderstand about visibility, thought leadership, and influence. We explore how founders can show up without overshadowing the business, how to align personal voice with company positioning, and why posting more does not automatically mean building authority. You’ll also learn where to start if you are building from zero, what content habits actually move the needle, and how to think about ROI from founder branding. A practical conversation for founders, marketers, strategists, designers, and brand builders who want to understand how personal visibility can drive trust, growth, and brand momentum.

In this episode, Jacob and Matt sit down with Alexander Lofthouse — Senior Designer at Nzime and a specialist in UX and digital experience. Lex and Jacob go back nearly a decade, and after watching her deliver a standout talk at NDC London, it was time to get her on the show. They get into where brand strategy ends and UX begins (and whether that line even makes sense), what happens when brand and product teams are pulling in different directions, and why beautiful brands so often feel terrible to actually use.

Why do some designers build lasting careers while others fade out? In this episode of JUST Branding, we sit down with James Martin, founder of Made by James, to unpack what really sustains creative success over time and what quietly destroys it. Learn more at https://justcreative.com/podcast While many designers are chasing visibility, speed, and short-term attention, James makes the case for something deeper: reputation, craft, taste, and care. We explore why reputation is more valuable than hype, why craft still matters in a world of AI and instant design tools, and why taste remains one of the most overlooked advantages in creative work.  James also shares why motivation is unreliable, why care is a far stronger driver of long-term creative growth, and how designers can think more clearly about their role in an industry being reshaped by automation and DIY branding tools. This conversation is not just about design. It is about longevity. What makes people trust your work. What makes your work worth paying for. And what separates designers who build real careers from those who get lost chasing noise. We also get into the hidden cost of DIY branding, when founders should do it themselves versus bring in a professional, and what becomes more valuable for creatives as AI lowers the barrier to entry. If you are a designer, strategist, or founder trying to build something with depth, credibility, and staying power, this one is for you. In this episode, we discuss: • Why many designers confuse visibility with credibility • What actually builds a strong creative reputation • Whether craft is being lost in the age of speed and automation • Why taste is still a serious competitive advantage • The difference between motivation and care • The hidden cost of DIY branding • What AI makes easier, and what it can never replace A sharp, honest conversation about what still matters in creative work, and why the designers who last are rarely the ones chasing the fastest win.