Stoke Sessions

Miguel Raya, also known as Cooking with Fire all over social media shares his journey in the influencer marketing space and provides insights for brands and influencers alike. Miguel started cooking and barbecuing after being inspired by his father-in-law and later binge watching YouTube videos. Miguel started posting his BBQ on social media, coining the phrase "This came out absolutely fantastic, go ahead and give it a go!" - from there his popularity on social media catapulted.

In this podcast episode, Miguel talks through the importance of consistent posting, engagement, and outreach for when brands approach influencers. Cooking with Fire's worked with brands like Dawn and Budweiser and hopes to release a cookbook and seasonings in the future. In this conversation, Matt and Miguel discuss influencer marketing and the barbecue industry. Miguel shares his experience working with various brands and the importance of building long-term relationships. They also talk about different grilling styles and Miguel's favorite cuts of meat. They touch on the changes in influencer marketing and social media platforms, emphasizing the need for consistency and dedication. The conversation finishes with Miguel sharing his excitement for trying new foods, upcoming recipes, and a possible cookbook coming soon from Cooking with Fire!

Cooking with Fire Episode Takeaways

• Consistent posting and engagement are key to growing as an influencer.
• Brands should consider an influencer's engagement and reach before reaching out for collaborations.
• Miguel has worked with brands like Dawn and Budweiser.
• He hopes to release a cookbook and seasonings in the future.
• Building long-term relationships with brands is important in influencer marketing.
• Different grilling styles have their own advantages depending on the type of cooking.
• Consistency and dedication are key to success in influencer marketing and social media.
• Trying new foods and experimenting with recipes is an exciting part of cooking.
• The integration of features across social media platforms is an ongoing trend.

Cooking with Fire Episode Sound Bites

"I started watching YouTube, like binging, like nonstop."

"That's when I really approached my first brand, which was a pork company, and we were going back and forth, and when they say, you know what, we'll give you, I think it was maybe $300 a post? That's when I was like, what?"

"You know, brisket, anything, ribs, it's just a lot of meat."

"There's quite a few that I still work with and you know that sometimes there's brands that they do targeted post, right? So they only hit me up like certain time like when is peak barbecue season or the holidays."

"Long-term to me is always best because you build that relationship even deeper with that brand."

"I just love any kind of grill, really."

Cooking with Fire Podcast Episode Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Family Background

05:02 Transition to Paid Collaborations

11:13 Working with Brands as an Influencer

23:51 Changes in Influencer Marketing and Social Media

29:20 Balancing Work and Personal Life

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In Stoke Sessions Episode 6, the design team at Magnetic reviews their recent Figma design challenge - Hot Sauce Brand Design! The team presents their brand design concepts creative take on hot sauce brands. The design challenge allows the team to push each other, learn new skills without the pressure of client work, and explore tools without restraint.

The hot sauce designs range from a brand concept inspired by Hawaiian folklore to a digital look and feel with a focus on simplicity. The team discusses their inspirations, design choices, and the use of AI and prototyping in their work. The conversation covered topics such as the origin of Sriracha sauce, the importance of hand sketching in design, and the presentation of design work for a hot sauce brand. Watch till the end to see what next months design challenge will cover!

Episode 6 - FIGMA Hot Sauce Brand Design Challenge Takeaways

• The Figma design challenge allows the team to explore their creativity and learn new skills without the pressure of client work.
• Each team member presents their unique concept and design, showcasing their individual style and approach.
• The designs range from brand concepts inspired by Hawaiian folklore to digital designs with a focus on simplicity.
• AI and prototyping are used to enhance the designs and create interactive user experiences.
• The team discusses their inspirations, design choices, and the importance of pushing boundaries in their work. Sriracha sauce is actually a Thai sauce, but the founder is a Vietnamese Chinese man.
• Hand sketching is important in the design process as it opens up creativity.
• The participants shared their design concepts for a hot sauce brand, focusing on the use of color, AI imagery, and catchy branding.
• The next design challenge will involve creating an app for Whole Foods.
• The participants shared personal highlights and things they were looking forward to, such as spending time with family and attending music festivals.

Stoke Sessions - Episode 6 Sound Bites

"I thought it'd be a cool concept of a brand sort of a spin-off liquid death you know how playful it is of just saying hey let's put some fire in your belly."

"Heat waves. I've been really, really listening to the song heat waves by Glass Animals a lot. When I made this, and I just thought it'd be a really cool hot sauce name."

"With mine, I kind of went with this theme of like death to dullness. Another headline is Sleigh Blandness."

"I thought it was Thai, and it's not, but I still don't know what it says."

"Starting a sketch by hand can take you far in design and open up your creativity."

"I wanted to challenge myself with this design and make the product stick as we scroll."

Learn more about MAGNETIC - https://mag.cr

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In this episode, Dave Korinek, Etienne Bruwer, and host, Matt Simpson discuss the fundamentals of brand strategy and how they have remained consistent over time. They emphasize the importance of understanding the human truths that drive consumer behavior and building brands on solid foundations. The three key elements of brand strategy discussed are relevance, differentiation, and ownability. The hosts also highlight the significance of purpose in branding and how it humanizes a brand, creating a connection with consumers.

Listen to actionable tips for defining purpose and extracting it from a business in order to humanize brands and develop a brand personality. They emphasize the need to align brand strategy with purpose and differentiate from competitors. They explore the concept of brand archetypes and how they can be used to define a brand's personality. The hosts also highlight the impact of brand development on business success, using examples of companies that have successfully built their brands. They stress the importance of building a brand rather than just a product, as it creates loyalty, opens up new opportunities, and reduces risk.

Takeaways - Fundamentals of Brand Strategy

• The fundamentals of brand strategy have remained consistent over time, as human truths and motivations have not drastically changed.
• Building a brand on solid foundations, such as relevance, differentiation, and ownability, is crucial for long-term success.
• Purpose is a key element in branding, as it humanizes a brand and creates a connection with consumers.
• Understanding the psychological mechanics behind purpose and finding a purpose that resonates with the target audience is essential.
• Brands that meet the various needs of consumers, from basic survival to self-actualization, create a strong connection and loyalty. Align brand strategy with purpose and differentiate from competitors
• Use brand archetypes to define a brand's personality
• Building a brand is crucial for business success
• A brand creates loyalty, opens up new opportunities, and reduces risk
• Upcoming masterclass on brand strategy

Sound Bites - Fundamentals of Brand Strategy

"A lot hasn't changed. Actually, who we are as consumers, what moves us, what motivates us, that stuff hasn't changed drastically over the last several years."

"You need to take branding a lot more seriously than what you've ever done before. Because you're no longer competing just to the people in your region. You're now competing against the whole world."

"You need to be able to actually build it into your culture of your brand. Brand strategy extends so much further than it's no longer just marketing. It has to be infused into your business making decisions for it to be real."

"Use the data, use everything at your disposal to position it the proper way to that market, then you win, 100% win."

"You need to break the brand strategy down so granularly that you can actually start thinking about it as a person."

"When you figure out what your why is or this true north or your purpose in life, we have to define that personality that they have as well."

Chapters - Fundamentals of Brand Strategy

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage

08:22 Relevance, Differentiation, and Ownability: The Key Elements of Brand Strategy

24:20 Aligning Brand Strategy with Purpose and Differentiation

31:17 The Impact of Brand Development on Business Success

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Learn more about MAGNETIC at https://mag.cr

All Stoke Session episodes available at https://mag.cr/stoked

In this episode of Stoke Sessions, Matt, DK, and Brad discuss recent trade show experiences at Expo West and the Annual Meat Conference. We highlight some standout brands and products we encountered like The Jolly Llama, Eat Coyotas, Evergreen, and Wanderlish. We review some of the good branding, packaging, and product taste in attracting consumers and mention the rising trend of mushrooms being featured in various products. We touch on the changing preferences of younger generations when it comes to meat consumption and cooking methods, with a surprising rise in popularity of the air fryer.

The conversation discussed the experience at a trade show and highlighted the importance of creativity and innovation in attracting customers. It was noted that smaller brands are putting in extra effort to stand out and connect with retailers. The conversation also mentioned specific brands that stood out for their visual presentation and engaging booth staff. However, there was also a mention of a brand that missed the mark with their product and booth experience. The importance of human interaction and the personality of a brand was emphasized and the conversation concluded with a discussion about upcoming trade shows and the excitement around innovation in the food and beverage branding space.

Episode Takeaways:

• Good branding, packaging, and product taste are crucial in attracting consumers at trade shows.
• Mushrooms were a prominent trend at Expo West, appearing in various products.
• Having enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff at trade show booths makes a significant difference.
• Younger generations have different preferences when it comes to meat consumption and cooking methods.
• Smaller brands are putting in extra effort to stand out and connect with retailers at trade shows.
• Visual presentation and engaging booth staff can make a brand stand out.
• The personality and human interaction of a brand are crucial for its success.
• Researching and understanding consumer trends is important for brands at trade shows.

View All Stoke Sessions at mag.cr/stoked

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This episode of Stoke Sessions revolves around the rapid advancement of AI technology in the creative services world. Matt Simpson, David Carrillo and Paul Drohan discuss how AI is creating buzz and possibilities, and how it is reinvigorating their interest in creative technology and tools. We take time to highlight the speed at which AI is evolving and producing better results and the need to sift through the overwhelming number of tools to find the ones that are here to stay. Learn how AI is enabling individuals to become more self-sufficient and control the entire outcome of a project, creating more 'unicorns' who are skilled in multiple areas. The speakers showcase the capabilities of AI in storyboarding and photography, and how AI-generated images are becoming indistinguishable from real photos.

The conversation focused on the use of AI in interior design and photography. The speakers discussed how AI tools like Mid Journey can be used to create mood boards, explore different design options, and generate visual references for client presentations. They highlighted the efficiency and time-saving benefits of using AI in the creative process. The speakers also mentioned the potential for AI to enhance retouching and compositing in photography, allowing for seamless integration of AI-generated elements.

Overall, they emphasized the importance of AI in expanding creative possibilities and avoiding tunnel vision in design. In this part of the conversation, David discusses his process of generating multiple variations of an image prompt. He explains how he copies the prompt and runs it multiple times to get a range of results. He also mentions the importance of refining and iterating on the initial results to find the desired image. David demonstrates how he can change the angle and composition of the image by adjusting the focal length. Overall, he emphasizes the flexibility and creativity that can be achieved with AI-generated images. In this conversation, David and Paul discuss the use of AI imagery in design work. They explore the process of using AI to generate images, the benefits and limitations of AI-generated content, and the potential ethical considerations. They also touch on the importance of transparency with clients when using AI imagery. The conversation concludes with a discussion about upcoming travel plans.

Episode Takeaways

• AI tech is creating excitement and generating a lot of possibilities in the agency world.
• The pace at which AI is evolving and producing better results is both exciting and a little scary.
• There is a need to sift through the overwhelming number of AI tools and adopt the ones that are here to stay.
• AI is enabling individuals to become more self-sufficient and control the entire outcome of a project, creating more 'unicorns' who are skilled in multiple areas.
• AI is capable of generating high-quality images that are indistinguishable from real photos. AI tools like Mid Journey can be used in interior design to create mood boards and explore different design options.
• AI can generate visual references for client presentations, saving time and increasing efficiency.
• AI has the potential to enhance retouching and compositing in photography, allowing for seamless integration of AI-generated elements.
• Using AI in the creative process expands creative possibilities and helps avoid tunnel vision in design. Copying and running an image prompt multiple times can generate a variety of results.
• Refining and iterating on the initial results can help find the desired image.
• Adjusting the focal length can change the angle and composition of the image.
• AI-generated images offer flexibility and creative possibilities. AI imagery can be a valuable tool for designers, allowing them to quickly generate high-quality images.
• The results of AI-generated content are getting increasingly impressive, but there are still limitations and challenges to consider.
• Transparency with clients is important when using AI imagery in design work.
• AI-generated images are similar to stock photography in that they can be used by others and may not be exclusive to the creator.
• Using AI imagery can save time and allow for quick iterations and variations in design work.
• The use of AI imagery raises ethical considerations that should be taken into account.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

04:15 Excitement and Fear of AI

07:09 Rapid Advancements in AI

08:19 The Pace of AI Development

09:14 AI Empowering Creatives

12:15 AI in Photography and Video Production

15:16 Showcasing AI Projects

25:11 Using AI for Brand Strategy

26:28 AI for Mood Boards and Photo Shoots

32:42 Efficiencies Gained from AI

34:57 Benefits of AI in Creative Work

36:20 Getting Sucked into a Rabbit Hole

37:47 Lightning Challenge

42:23 Exploring Different Lens and Focal Lengths

45:08 Ownership of AI-Generated Images

48:11 Creating Cinematic and Mood Boards

51:35 Excitement for the Future of AI in Creative Work

53:19 Personal Excitements

54:27 mag-logo-end-bumper.mp4

Learn more about MAGNETIC // https://magneticcreative.com

All Stoke Sessions Episodes // https://magneticcreative.com/stoke-sessions

Collaboration and sharing ideas in a team setting can lead to cohesive and complementary design concepts.

Finding inspiration from various sources and incorporating unique elements can enhance the overall design.

Staying true to the project's style and aesthetic is crucial while exploring creative ideas.

Using tools like FigJam can facilitate organization, feedback, and collaboration in design projects. The designers explored different color palettes and unique icon ideas for the Sunday Red brand.

Collaboration and combining strengths led to the best projects.

Utilizing tools like AI and Figma can enhance the design process.

Attention to detail and creative concepts were appreciated by the team. Texture can add a tangible feel to design and create visual interest.

The use of color and typography can create depth and enhance the overall design.

Creating a logo that people would want to proudly display is a goal in branding projects.

Designing a product detail landing page requires careful consideration of layout, navigation, and visual elements.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Stoked Moments

04:23 The Creative Inspiration Challenge

08:50 Flexing Creative Muscles

10:44 Manny's Sunday Red Brand

13:45 Thomas' Sunday Red Brand

21:02 Marketing and Exclusivity

21:07 JP's Icon Design

22:04 Micro Marks and Sunlight Gradient

22:50 Collaboration and Feedback

23:59 Light Leaks and Diamond Icon

24:56 Takeaways from JP's Design

26:13 Noah's Cinematic Approach

26:43 Utilizing AI and Close-up Shots

27:40 Prototyping in Figma

28:25 Golden Weave and Asian Connotations

29:08 Eugene's Design with Texture

29:46 Homage to Tiger Woods

30:58 Black and White with Spot Color

31:54 Signature and Typography

32:51 Journey of Tiger Woods

33:44 Feedback on Eugene's Design

34:08 Split Screen Approach

34:37 Collages and OCD

35:16 Mark's Classic Design

35:47 Texture on Golf Ball

37:33 Next Design Challenge: Hot Sauce

38:27 Sharing the Designs

39:02 Where to Find the Designs

39:32 Closing Remarks

This episode of Stoke Sessions focuses on branding for growth and longevity in the consumer goods industry. Dave Korinek, Brad Hendrickson, and host, Matt Simpson discuss the impact of branding on the consumer goods market, using the examples from their work with brands like VIZIO TV's, Skinny Girl Vodka, Jack Daniels, and more. The cast emphasizes the importance of personalization, data-driven decision-making, and customer experience in building a legacy brand. The future of the consumer goods market is predicted to involve embracing technology, hyper-focus on personalization and direct-to-consumer strategies, and staying competitive.

Takeaways

• Personalization, data-driven decision-making, and customer experience are crucial in building a legacy brand.
• Embrace technology and stay competitive in the consumer goods market.
• Focus on personalization, direct-to-consumer strategies, and innovation.
• Utilize data to make informed decisions and understand your target audience.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Focus on CPG

01:03 The Impact of Vizio TV's Branding

10:27 Early Stage Actions for Building a Legacy Brand

Guests

Dave Korinek / Founder + Global Head of Brand Strategy

Brad Hendrickson / Chief Revenue Officer

Matt Simpson / (Host) COO

Learn more about MAGNETIC Global, a Consumer Goods Branding & Marketing Agency.