Designing Meaningful Brand Experiences with Steve Denekas
b'\\u201cExperiences bring brand values to life.\\u201d As leader of the creative team at BASIC, Steve Denekas spends his time crating experiences for brands like Canadian Club, Levi\\u2019s, and Dodge. As a designer, he brings a thoughtful process to everything he does. We discussed how he brings this design mindset to brand experiences this week on the On Brand podcast.\\nAbout Steven Denekas\\nSteven Denekas leads the creative team at BASIC\\xae, designing experiences for the world\\u2019s most admired brands. He fosters creative environments that cultivate ideas both big and small. It all began behind the color copier at Kinkos and proceeded to the mount room of BBDO and the design studio of W+K, along the way winning awards for his work on Canadian Club, Levi\\u2019s\\xae, and Dodge. Today, he brings raw energy, originality, and a poetic approach to digital experiences. His shifting career has shaped his current role building teams, methodologies, and practices that scale companies and deliver results for brands. His mission is simple: do work that creates legacies.\\nEpisode Highlights\\nBalancing expertise and flexibility. It\\u2019s easy to follow known paths. However, to stand out today, you have to know when to make a leap of faith. \\u201cYou have to be open to something that hits you in the heart. That kind of fluidity is something I think a lot about."\\nThe role of listening. \\u201cWith leadership you have to listen first \\u2014 then you can connect the dots.\\u201d Steven shared experiences about learning from clients \\u201cspewing all of their knowledge.\\u201d\\nFrom punk rock to Star Trek. With similar backgrounds as misfit kids in Iowa, Steve and I discussed how powerful it can be to connect with communities and brands \\u2014 like punk (Steve) and Star Trek (me). Brands like Nike do this masterfully. They stand for something but you also get to connect with them locally through their partnership with dance and other interest areas.\\nWhat brand has made Steve smile recently? Glossier. Steve loves that the founder was told that she couldn\\u2019t create a startup in New York City and yet \\u2014 she did. It all comes back to instinct.\\nTo learn more, check out the BASIC agency website, follow them on Instagram, and connect with Steven on LinkedIn.\\nAs We Wrap \\u2026\\nDid you hear something you liked on this episode or another?\\xa0Do you have a question you\\u2019d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.\\nOn Brand is sponsored by my new book\\xa0Brand Now.\\xa0Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world.\\xa0Order now and get special digital extras.\\xa0Learn more.\\n\\n\\nSubscribe to the podcast\\xa0\\u2013 You can subscribe to the show via\\xa0iTunes,\\xa0Stitcher, Google Play,\\xa0TuneIn, and\\xa0RSS.\\n\\n\\nRate and review the show\\xa0\\u2013 If you like what you\\u2019re hearing, head over to\\xa0iTunes\\xa0and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast.\\n\\n\\nOK. How do you rate and review a podcast?\\xa0Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes?\\xa0Check this out.\\n\\nUntil next week, I\\u2019ll see you on the Internet!\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'