Tom Sanders on Building Brands That Work

#170 Tom Sanders, founder of Lost Dog, is a branding + strategy expert who’s spent his career helping companies stop lying to themselves. In this show, we cover Tom’s unexpected start in IT and his journey to launching his own shop. Tom walks us through how brands get built — not with a checklist and some Helvetica, but with honesty, alignment, and a hell of a lot of listening. Here’s the full breakdown:      00:00–03:00 Intro & Tom’s background  03:01–07:30 From IT to Marketing: Tom’s origin story  07:31–13:00 What is strategy vs branding vs tactics? Mission, vision, and the “why” 13:01–17:30 Why most companies botch brand strategy (and why “making money” isn’t the mission) 17:31–21:00 Red flags: When mission/vision becomes a checklist 21:01–25:00 Tom’s branding approach: Organic, not fabricated.  25:01–28:00 Internal brand alignment: Why employees need to believe it too 28:01–34:00 The branding process deep dive 38:01–42:00 Metrics that matter: Why engagement isn’t enough 42:01–47:00 Tom’s 5-Step Process: Why → Current Situation → Goals → Communicate → Monitor 52:01–56:00 Timelines, and why smaller clients get his best work 59:01–1:03:00 Inferior products? Why experience and expectations still win 1:03:01–1:07:00 Why Tom started Lost Dog & the future of agencies  1:07:01–1:10:00 AI & strategy: From “C student” to A-minus assistant 1:10:01–end Final thoughts  Get in touch with Tom here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomsanders/ Or here: https://lostdogmke.com/ Connect with Pat here: pmcgovern@ascedia.com   Oh before you go, please do us a favor. Take a minute and leave us a review. That’s the energy that powers this supertanker!  Thanks, you’re the best! Want more marketing insights? Take a look at our full lineup. This podcast is sponsored by Ascedia. A web development and digital strategy agency helping clients win in the digital space.