On Brand with Nick Westergaard - The Myth of Brand Control

Описание: The strongest brands don’t shout—they earn trust over time. That’s how Nikki Little approaches her work. She’s the CMO and co-owner at Franco, a women-owned, Detroit-based integrated communications agency with more than 60 years of history. After a full-circle career that took her from early agency life to leading social and communications teams, Nikki now helps shape Franco’s future with a purpose-driven, human-first approach to brand building, storytelling, and leadership.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why modern brand builders must accept that total control is a myth and focus on reputation monitoring instead
The difference between consistent storytelling and repetitive messaging across integrated channels
How to apply Brené Brown’s Strong Ground principles to build a solid brand foundation
Why employee alignment is the first step in closing the authenticity gap with your customers
How to treat AI as an overzealous intern rather than a replacement for strategic relationships

Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro
(01:34) Authenticity in the Age of Unpolished Content
(03:37) Understanding Your Audience and the Brand Core
(05:22) The Myth of Total Brand Control
(07:25) Navigating Critics and the Crisis Plan
(10:10) Storytelling as a Tool for Trust Building
(12:45) Internal Culture and the Authenticity Gap
(15:12) Leadership Examples: Brené Brown and Liz Plosser
(19:51) Rumbling with AI in a Human Business
(25:30) Brands That Make Us Smile
(28:33) Where to Find Nikki Little

About Nikki Little
Nikki Little is the CMO and co-owner at Franco, a Detroit-based, women-owned integrated communications agency with a 60-year legacy. With a career spanning early agency life to leading complex social and communications teams, Nikki specializes in a purpose-driven, human-first approach to brand building and leadership. She is a recognized expert in navigating the intersection of PR, digital strategy, and authentic storytelling, helping brands find their "core" to build lasting trust in a critical and fast-moving digital environment.

What Brand Has Made Nike Smile Recently?
Nikki shared two brands that recently stood out: Chevy, for their deeply authentic "Memory Lane" holiday commercial that mastered the art of non-cheesy storytelling, and Mabel’s Labels, for their proactive customer service that turned a lost shipment into a "customer for life" experience.

Resources & Links


Check out the ⁠Franco website⁠ (https://franco.com/).

Connect with Nikki Little on ⁠LinkedIn.⁠ (  / nikkilittle  )



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