When’s the right time to let go of a brand that’s no longer serving your business—even if it’s been working for 10+ years?
In our latest episode of The Debrief, Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney talks with the GigSalad team: CEO Mark Steiner, CTO Locke Bircher, and Product Designer Nichole Baiel. Together, they discuss the bold, intentional rebrand that helped them level up and better align with their future audience and goals.
They unpack the creative decisions, moments of friction, and meaningful conversations that shaped the transformation from the brief to the big reveal.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
✅ Why holding onto a legacy brand can quietly limit future growth
✅ How “playing it safe” in B2B branding makes it harder to stand out
✅ Why designing for your audience—not yourself—drives better results
✅ The often-overlooked value of soft skills when choosing a branding partner
🎧 Whether you’re evolving your identity or evaluating your agency partner, this episode offers candid insights into what bold B2B branding really takes.
Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.---STAY IN TOUCH:► Subscribe to our Newsletter► LinkedIn► YouTube► InstagramLooking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Let's be honest, we don’t need more AI hype. We need real examples of how teams are using it to work smarter. In this episode, Henrique Cruz of Rows shares how AI is becoming a true creative collaborator — streamlining workflows, accelerating iteration, and unlocking bandwidth for higher-value thinking.
After partnering with Focus Lab on a full rebrand, the Rows team didn’t shelf the guidelines — they activated them. Henrique shares how they now use AI to generate on-brand creative drafts faster, using the original system as a foundation. The result? More assets, more agility, and more space for designers to focus on what matters most: pushing the work further.
What this episode covers:
🔺 Real examples of AI-driven creative workflows inside a lean B2B team
🔺 How brand guidelines + AI = speed without sacrifice
🔺 The tactical impact of AI on creative ops and content velocity
🔺 How to keep humans at the center while working smarter
Whether you’re leading a brand, scaling a creative team, or exploring AI for marketing execution, this conversation delivers practical insights — not just predictions.
Show Notes:
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.
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STAY IN TOUCH:
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
What does it really take to lead a successful B2B rebrand — one that aligns internal teams, resonates externally, and drives measurable ROI?
In this episode, Contentstack CMO Gurdeep Dhillon joins Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney to break down the full rebranding journey. You’ll learn how Gurdeep approached agency selection, structured internal collaboration, navigated creative feedback, and activated the brand with impact.
Whether you're planning a rebrand, navigating M&A, or evolving your company's voice, this is a playbook for brand leaders who want to get it right.
What you'll hear:
Episode Resources:
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.---STAY IN TOUCH:
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In the final episode of our Brand and Product series, Bill Kenney (Focus Lab) and Lee Eisenbarth (MaxQ) look ahead: What does the future hold for brand in a world shaped by evolving user expectations and AI tools?From kids swiping TikTok to professionals navigating enterprise software, the bar for user experience is higher than ever. So how does brand show up — not just in how things look, but in how they feel?This episode dives into:
Whether you’re a founder, product, or brand leader, this conversation will challenge how you think about the emotional resonance of brand, and its vital role in the future products we build.Watch the full series for a complete perspective on how to bridge brand and product in ways that endure.
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.
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Stay in Touch:
When brand and product are treated as separate silos, user trust suffers. In this episode, Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney and Max Q Co-Founder Lee Eisenbarth unpack what it means to build software experiences that feel cohesive—because they are.
They explore how design systems, microcopy, onboarding flows, and even 404 pages can carry the weight of brand, not as decoration, but as the soul of the experience. You’ll hear examples from companies like Slack, Linear, and Ledger, and leave with tactics to align product with purpose — even on a lean budget.
Key Takeaways:
Why brand-product misalignment kills trust (and how to fix it)
Where to inject brand personality into the product — without overdoing it
Small but mighty ways to make technical UX feel human
How internal teams (not just marketing) scale brand consistently
Whether you’re building your MVP or scaling a platform, this is your playbook for embedding brand into every corner of your product.
Episode Resources:
Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.STAY IN TOUCH:
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
When product teams build fast and brand is left behind, user experience gaps emerge — and trust erodes.In this first installment of our Brand & Product Series, Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney sits down with Lee Eisenbarth (Co-Founder, Max Q) to unpack why brand and product are still so often siloed — and why that separation is a critical failure for B2B startups and scale-ups.From early-stage identity myths to missed emotional cues in product design, this conversation sets the foundation for a new way forward: one where brand is built in from day one.
What we cover:
Whether you're a founder, product leader, or brand strategist, this is a must-watch on how to create unified, enduring experiences that move both hearts and markets.
---Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.---STAY IN TOUCH:► Newsletter: https://focuslab.agency/subscribe► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc► Podcast: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/prof...► Instagram: @focuslabllc Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Totango’s CMO Karen Budell joins Focus Lab’s Bill Kenney to unpack how bold branding choices and a tight internal team led to a rebrand that didn’t just look good — it worked.
From aligning internal cultures to creating a booth activation that got people talking, Karen shares tactical insights and strategic takeaways that any B2B leader navigating brand change can apply.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
🔗 Learn more about Focus Lab’s branding approach here.
Episode Resources:
👉 View the new Totango brand in action
👉 Totango <> Focus Lab case study
👉 Check out the communities Karen is a part of:
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.---FOLLOW US: ► Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab► Instagram: @focuslabllc ► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc► Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ► Web: https://focuslab.agencyLooking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Brand isn't just a creative exercise — it’s a product that drives ROI.
Back for his third appearance on the Focus on Brand podcast, Sergio Claudio (ex-Adobe, Marketo, Zuora) joins us to challenge how organizations perceive and measure creativity. Is it just a cost center—or a powerful growth engine?
In this episode, Sergio unpacks how creative work can (and should) drive business outcomes. From C-suite blockers to strategic alignment, we cover how to elevate creative teams from "make it pretty" to make it perform.
What we cover:
🔹 Why creativity is still misunderstood in many orgs
🔹 Common executive roadblocks—and how to address them
🔹 How to align creative efforts with real business goals
🔹 Tactical ways to integrate brand moments into the customer journey
Whether you're a brand leader, CMO, or creative looking to make a bigger impact, this episode is packed with clarity, inspiration, and action.
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Episode Resources:
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.
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FOLLOW US:
► Dribbble
► Website
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Join Bill Kenney as he sits down with Jason Alvarez Coen, CEO and co-founder of Popl, and Bryce Alston, VP of Marketing, to relive Popl's transformation in this insightful episode:
✅ Discover how Popl transitioned from a viral TikTok hardware product to an enterprise B2B SaaS company
✅ Learn about the triggers and catalysts that prompted the rebrand
✅ Understand the challenges and opportunities faced during the process
✅ Gain insights into their strategic rollout plan for a successful market entry
✅ Hear about the importance of aligning brand identity with company evolution
If you're considering a rebrand for your rapidly growing startup, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways on planning, execution, and achieving alignment. Don't miss it!
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Episode Resources:
"House in Tulum" by LaLuz Photo Credit
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.
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FOLLOW US:
► Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab
► Instagram: @focuslabllc
► LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc
► Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab
► Web: https://focuslab.agency
Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
Calling all creative agency founders (or aspiring founders) 🚨 In our latest podcast episode, we sat down with the partners of Casa Davka, a consulting firm for creative agencies.
Focus Lab CEO, Bill Kenney, had the pleasure of diving into the highs, lows, and everything in between with Emily Cohen and Hunter Vargas on their experiences and observations working with agency owners across the country and beyond.
They hit on fantastic insights such as:
A huge thank you to Emily and Hunter for taking the time to join us on the podcast to share their points of view on the industry as well as advice to creative agencies everywhere.
Episode Resources:
Follow us on LinkedIn!
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves.
Stay up to date on all things Focus Lab:
Looking for a branding agency?We'd love to connect.
Calling all design and brand mascot nerds that were around in the 90s! We sat down with one of the original creators of Clippy (and the suite of Microsoft Office Assistants) and we got really deep in the lore of the tech mascot universe. Focus Lab CEO and Monte Atherton, founder of Astonishing Work design studio, hit on so many fantastic topics such as:
👉 How Clippy (and friends) came to be Office Assistants 👉 Using mascots to humanize technology in the 90s & today 👉 Clippy walked so AI could run 👉 Monte's advice for developing a B2B mascot 👉 And so much more! Be sure to like + subscribe for more content like this — and let us know which Microsoft Assistant you used in the comments.
----- Episode Resources: The Media Equation by Byron Reeves and Clifford Nass Monte Atherton’s Design Studio, Astonishing Work
Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. ----- FOLLOW US: ►Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab ►Instagram: @focuslabllc ►LinkedIn: / focus-lab-llc ►Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ►Web: https://focuslab.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In our latest episode of The Debrief, we're sitting down with MessageGears VP of Marketing, Will Devlin. After 10 years with the same logo, the MessageGears team's rebrand mantra was "anywhere but here" — and their rebrand project benefited greatly from that mindset. Will and Bill touch on so many important topics such as:
You won't want to miss this episode. Will and his team were a highlight of our year and being able to debrief with him was the cherry on top! P.S. Don't forget to like + subscribe.
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Episode Resources:
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Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. --- FOLLOW US: ►Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab ►Instagram: @focuslabllc ►LinkedIn: / focus-lab-llc ►Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ►Web: https://focuslab.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In our latest episode of The Debrief, we're sitting down with Cadmium's marketing director, Jessie Reyes—and she brings as much data as she does passion to this conversation. Jessie and Bill touch on so many important topics such as: 👉 The lead-driven reasoning behind Cadmiums rebrand 👉 The benefits of working with an "A" Team agency 👉 The importance of leadership championing a rebrand 👉 How brand architecture played a role in the rebrand ROI 👉 And so much more! For all of our marketing subscribers, this is a can't miss episode. Jessie shoots it straight and gives invaluable advice for anyone entering into their own rebrand project. --- Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. --- FOLLOW US: ►Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab ►Instagram: @focuslabllc ►LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc ►Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ►Web: https://focuslab.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In this episode of The Debrief, we're sitting down with Irwin's VP of Marketing, Melissa Homère, and digging into their team's experience working alongside Focus Lab to level up their existing brand. Irwin had an innovative product and a respected brand, but recognized that they were in need of a refresh to get organized, strategic, and elevated. In our conversation, we touch on everything from: 👉 Verbalizing the importance of a rebrand to the larger team 👉 The importance of strategy in their rebrand effort 👉 Quantifying the ROI of the rebrand after just a few months And so much more!
Additional Resources: Focus Lab <> Irwin Case Study Irwin Article: Boldly Forward, Introducing Our New Brand
Focus Lab is an established B2B brand agency that believes, without question, that the most successful companies are the ones who invest in branding. Focus Lab creates transformative B2B brands that resonate with their customers and stand out as industry leaders. Through a proven process and a shared commitment to create unforgettable experiences, we develop true partnerships that help B2B brands become their boldest, most original selves. --- FOLLOW US: ►Podcast: https://anchor.fm/focuslab ►Instagram: @focuslabllc ►LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/focus-lab-llc ►Dribbble: https://dribbble.com/focuslab ►Web: https://focuslab.agency Looking for a brand agency? We would love to hear from you. Email us: hello@focuslab.agency
In this episode of The Debrief, we are sitting down with our pal Philip Lakin, former CEO and co-founder of NoCodeOps. What do we mean by former, you ask? Well, a few weeks back our friends at NoCodeOps were acquired by "their favorite player in the space" — Zapier.
Focus Lab CEO, Bill Kenney, sits down with Phil to relive their rebrand experience with us from two years ago and discuss how the brand has helped get them to where they are today. They touch on topics such as:
👉 The strategy behind making tough brand architecture decisions
👉 The success behind a community-based approach as a SaaS company
👉 How the brand investment helped with the Zapier acquisition
And so much more!
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NoCodeOps / Zapier Acquisition Press Release: https://www.nocodeops.com/zapier
NoCodeOps Case Study: https://focuslab.agency/work/nocodeops
Join us in our latest episode of In Conversation as we chat with John Rougeux — founder of Flag & Frontier, a company that specializes in narrative design and execution. In this episode, John and host Bill Kenney break down various category design strategies, discuss how to find c-suite alignment without taking away autonomy from the larger team, dig into what the right mindset is to have when approaching a big brand change, and so much more. Whether you're a business owner, marketer, or creative we think you'll find some valuable insights from John!
--- Learn more about Flag & Frontier: 👉 https://www.flagandfrontier.com/ Subscribe to John's newsletter, The Narrative Field Guide: 👉 https://www.narrativefieldguide.com/subscribe
Calling all B2B marketing professionals out there — our latest episode of In Conversation is not one you'll want to skip. Today we're sitting down with Palmer Houchins, currently Head of Marketing at G2 (maybe you'v heard of it).
In our latest episode, Palmer and Bill dive into Palmer's early days at MailChimp, the tricky science of measuring brand ROI, the future of B2B marketing, and so much more!
A huge thank you to Palmer for joining us on the podcast and for sharing so many nuggets of wisdom.
Resources:
As an AI company who was building their premium product well before the big AI boom, PolyAI recognized that their previous brand did not represent the level of power and maturity they had achieved — it was time to level up.
It was a pleasure to have Kylie Whitehead, Senior Director of Marketing and Brand at PolyAI, sit down with Focus Lab CEO Bill Kenney to reflect on their rebrand project with our team. Tune is as they discuss PolyAI's choice to reposition their company prior to finding a rebrand partner, the major benefits of transparency in a rebrand project, the importance of getting your C-suite on board, and so much more.
Rewind to 2022 when we were still gearing up for Odi, our sister agency purpose-built for startups. In order to drum up some excitement, we ran a giveaway — a free brand project for one lucky (soon-to-be) client.
The winner of that giveaway was no other than Noelle London, founder and CEO of Illoominus, a company focused on simplifying HR tech stacks in order to transform organizations into people-first workplaces.
Tune in to our latest episode as Noelle and Bill sit down to discuss how it felt to be the first ever Odi project, how the B2B landscape is becoming more humanized, and Noelle's approach to making brand decisions that would grow with her business goals.
We're back at it again with David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding. This time we dive into the idea of sustainability in when it comes to brand naming, specifically focusing on Lexicon's role in naming Lucid, a luxury EV car, as well as Mainspring, Subaru Outback, and beyond!
You don't want to miss this episode as we get into the weeds of creating value through brand names, the approach behind brand naming, and David's excellent advice for founders in the process of choosing their company's name (we promise it's not "call Lexicon").
Learn more about Lexicon Branding: https://www.lexiconbranding.com/