The Art of the Brand

What actually kills a brand isn’t one bad decision — it’s a thousand small ones. In this episode, Camille and Phillip unpack the leadership lessons behind Bulgari’s long-term discipline, Aritzia’s acquisition of Fred Segal, Ray-Ban’s creative director strategy, and why celebrity collaborations often dilute brand equity. They break down the four brand pillars that protect long-term value, the danger of chasing applause, and why nostalgia, restraint, and clarity are becoming competitive advantages. From Reformation’s smart cultural alignment to Cardi B’s authentic brand extension, this episode is a masterclass in brand discipline, taste, and saying no.

People hated her pricing, attacked her brand, and tried to tear it down-- little did they know they were helping build the #1 beauty brand in Colombia.In this episode, Camille sits down with Isabella Chams, founder of Belah Beauty, the leading beauty brand in Colombia. Together, they unpack the unintended benefits of backlash and controversy, and how relentless standards turned a two-year-old Colombian beauty brand into a cultural obsession. They break down why Isabella refused to be “just an influencer,” how world-building and community replaced traditional marketing, why controversy can accelerate trust instead of destroy it, and what most founders get wrong about pricing, launches, and public opinion.This episode is a masterclass in building a meaningful brand that breaks through.

Super Bowl weekend revealed something most brands still don’t understand: digital-only marketing is a trap. In this episode, Camille and Phillip unpack why real-world activations outperform perfectly measurable campaigns, how CMOs get stuck chasing short-term KPIs, and why Instagram has quietly become the center of cultural decision-making. From Lululemon’s Olympic misstep and Ralph Lauren’s precision to Abercrombie’s comeback and rivalry-driven advertising, this is a candid breakdown of what actually builds long-term brand equity in 2026.

From beauty backlash to Super Bowl campaigns, this episode breaks down how brands are navigating outrage, algorithms, and attention in real time. Camille and Phillip unpack the controversy around Huda Beauty, Sydney Sweeney’s guerrilla-style launch, Nike x Skims’ algorithm-native storytelling, and why shows like Heated Rivalry are built for social-first consumption. They explore Kendall Jenner’s Fanatics campaign, the return of iconic brand characters like Pepsi’s polar bear, whether “X” should’ve stayed Twitter, and what this year’s Super Bowl ads reveal about where marketing is headed. A candid conversation about culture, risk, and why modern branding is less about control, and more about understanding how people actually consume content now.

World-building is everywhere, but most brands still don’t understand what it actually means. In this episode, Camille and Phillip unpack why branding can’t be reduced to checklists, platforms, or AI-generated output. From speaking at Harvard Business School to breaking down why Substack, YouTube, and creator-led media are signals, not strategies, they explore how context, creativity, and point of view are becoming the real competitive advantage. The conversation spans brand patriotism, AI fatigue, binary thinking in business, and why the brands that win in 2026 will be the ones that understand how to build worlds people want to belong to, not just content people scroll past.