In this episode, Pebble Presents Emily Cushman. Emily walks us through her journey from her second-grade self (knowing she wanted to work in branding and advertising) to the cultural shift working in agencies vs working client-side. She shares what she’s found most effective when making a case for brand in companies where teams don’t know - or, in some cases, don’t care - about brand. Listen in to hear why Emily thinks research and insights are an essential part of brand building.

Emelia Rallapalli is the founder of Pebble - a brand strategy and marketing research consultancy. With decades of experience in global brand planning, strategy, and research, Pebble has helped shape businesses of all kinds, from ambitious start-ups to global Fortune 100 companies.

Emily Cushman is a brand and creative leader who’s spent more than twenty years helping some of the world’s most loved brands find their voice and purpose. Today, as Director of Global Brand Strategy at Zendesk, she leads the charge on defining what the brand stands for — turning strategy into stories and ideas that connect with people on a human level.

Over the years, Emily has guided Fortune 500 companies and emerging brands alike to bridge the gap between purpose, product, and experience, and her work has always centered on helping brands show up with clarity, heart, and authenticity.

At her core, Emily is a storyteller — one who believes the best brands don’t just sell, they inspire. She’s passionate about uncovering the spark that moves people, and turning that insight into creative ideas that build connection, culture, and growth.

Welcome to Pebble Presents.

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If you liked this episode of Pebble Presents, please share it with colleagues and friends! Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit PebbleStrategy.com.

You can also find us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/pebble-strategy/) and Instagram(https://www.instagram.com/pebblestrategy/).

Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Show Notes

0:28 - Emelia introduces today’s special guest and topic

2:06 - Emily recalls the journey that led her to her current profession

6:36 - Emelia shares a memory that Emily unlocked for her - and the two discuss looking back to pay-it-forward

19:27 - Emily divulges what happened, professionally, when she stepped out on her own

20:46 - Emily discusses how brand strategy discipline lives within the organization on the company side vs. on the agency side

23:56 - Emily recounts an example of when she was able to talk about brand so the organization recognized its necessity

26:09 - Emily describes what her team has done to position Zendesk globally for growth

28:26 - Emily shares where she sees insights being used and leveraged with the greatest impact for brand in organizations

37:00 - Emelia and Emily discuss the brand as behavior, not just message

39:11 - Emily describes the culture of her company and if she has had to evangelize and make the case for brand

41:20 - Emily shares what she’s found has helped make the financial case for brand

43:11 - Emelia invites Emily to participate in a lightning round

51:44 - Emelia wraps up the episode

Episode Credits

Executive Produced & Hosted by Emelia Rallapalli

Produced by Stephanie Watanabe

Edited and Post Produced by Erin Zimmerman

Artwork and Design by Liisa Turan-Walters

Today, Pebble Presents Sam Ladner. Emelia and Sam discuss Sam’s professional path that took her from journalism to sociology, the difference between foresight and innovation, and why foresight and visioning work so well in companies and applied settings. They also explore time, timing, and tempo: what they are, why they matter, and how to manage an attention budget as carefully as a financial one.

If you are looking to grow your company sustainably, this episode is for you!

Emelia Rallapalli is the founder of Pebble - a brand strategy and marketing research consultancy. With decades of experience in global brand planning, strategy, and research, Pebble has helped shape businesses of all kinds, from ambitious start-ups to global Fortune 100 companies.

Dr. Sam Ladner is a sociologist who helps teams innovate, design, and learn. She has worked at Amazon, Microsoft, and Workday, reaching the rank of Senior Principal Researcher, and is the author of two books on methodology (working on her third): Practical Ethnography and Mixed Methods. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, Dr. Ladner’s research focuses on productivity, technology, and work. She received her PhD from York University and is a proud Canadian.

Welcome to Pebble Presents.

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If you liked this episode of Pebble Presents, please share it with colleagues and friends! Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit PebbleStrategy.com.

You can also find us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/pebble-strategy/) and Instagram(https://www.instagram.com/pebblestrategy/).

Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources

• EPIC - https://www.epicpeople.org/
• Sam Ladner website: https://www.samladner.com/
• Freedom.to: https://freedom.to/
• Pomodoro Technique: https://www.pomodorotechnique.com/
• Readwise: https://readwise.io/

Show Notes

0:28 - Emelia introduces today’s special guest and topic

2:55 - Sam shares the journey that led to her current profession

11:27 - Sam recalls family influences behind her career path

15:53 - Sam investigates some of the biggest misconceptions about sociologists’ work

19:03 - Sam describes what sociological practices look like within a commercial setting

22:06 - Sam discusses her work in foresight and how she applies the practice today

28:36 - Sam breaks down how to bring visioning work into the corporate world

37:56 - Sam defines and discusses temporality and how it helps to unlock new thinking in business

44:48 - Sam describes types of crises on the horizon and how businesses can (and should) start planning for them now

54:48 - Sam shares advice to help executives navigate long-term thinking

56:26 - Sam divulges how she manages her attention budget

59:19 - Emelia and Sam discuss executive functioning, dysfunction, and reflection

1:05:23 - Sam participates in a lightning round with Emelia

1:14:34 - Emelia wraps up the episode

Episode Credits

Executive Produced & Hosted by Emelia Rallapalli

Produced by Stephanie Watanabe

Editing and Post Produced by Erin Zimmerman

Artwork and Design by Liisa Turan-Walters

In this episode, Pebble Presents Aaron Hall, a naming expert and founder of Emphatic Branding. Together, Emelia and Aaron discuss naming for brands, companies, and products: everything from the process and stages of naming, to the differences is between pre-screening, vetting, and linguistic analysis for name development (and why each is important).

Aaron shares how he uses AI in his naming process and workstreams so he can deliver better work for his clients. He also helps us understand the difference between naming strategy and creative name development.

This was an insightful conversation! If you are considering names for your brand, company, or product…this episode is right on time for you.

Emelia Rallapalli is the founder of Pebble - a brand strategy and marketing research consultancy. With decades of experience in global brand planning, strategy, and research, Pebble has helped shape businesses of all kinds, from ambitious start-ups to global Fortune 100 companies.

Aaron Hall is a naming expert and the founder of Emphatic Branding. He’s been naming things for 23 years. He founded Emphatic a year ago because he loves sharing his passion for naming with clients.

Welcome to Pebble Presents.

- - - - - - - - -

If you liked this episode of Pebble Presents, please share it with colleagues and friends! Find us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to rate/review/subscribe to the show.

Want more? Visit PebbleStrategy.com.

You can also find us on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/pebble-strategy/) and Instagram(https://www.instagram.com/pebblestrategy/).

Thanks for listening and joining the conversation!

Resources

• Emphatic Branding: https://www.emphaticbranding.com/
• Emphatic Branding on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emphaticbranding/
• Laurel Sutton, Senior Strategist & Linguistat Catchword Branding: https://catchwordbranding.com/team/laurel-sutton/
• Book recommendation: ”Brand Naming” by Rob Meyerson

Show Notes

0:23 - Emelia introduces today’s special guest

2:26 - Aaron shares the journey to his current profession

4:52 - Aaron divulges what makes a naming expert tick and breaks down the process of a naming expert

17:15 - Aaron defines linguistic analysis and its importance vs prescreening

20:16 - Aaron shares considerations for hiring a native speaking naming expert - and is it important?

24:28 - Emelia asks Aaron if there is a best time in the process to bring in a naming specialist, and they discuss how they named their own companies

30:21 - Aaron explains the difference between naming creative and naming strategy

33:18 - Emelia and Aaron discuss when the creation of brands, sub-brands or renaming a brand may not be the best idea

42:21 - Aaron shares what he recommends folks read to help them with naming, and the AI tools he uses to make his business flow

50:32 - Aaron participates in a lightning round with Emelia

59:32 - Emelia wraps the episode

Episode Credits

Executive Produced & Hosted by Emelia Rallapalli

Produced by Stephanie Watanabe

Editing and Post Produced by Erin Zimmerman

Artwork and Design by Liisa Turan-Walters