How Finisterre Uses a Brand Muse to Guide Creative Strategy
Release Date: 05/21/2025
2025, The Year that Almost Broke Us
Backcountry Marketing
2025, almost broke Port Side as a company. But we've grown, grown some more and have rebuilt the business from the ground up. In this episode, Cole shares a raw behind the scenes look at year and the role that the podcast has played in allowing us to come back stronger. Thank you for supporting us! About: This podcast is produced by , a creative production studio creating content strategy + production for active brands, rooted in emotion. Enjoy this episode and discover other resources below: | Tired of brainstorming with ChatGPT? Join us! | Want 20 of our favorite insights...
info_outline
Get Lazy, Get Dropped: Inside SATISFY’s Brand + Content Strategy
Backcountry Marketing
, Chief Brand Officer at SATISFY, breaks down how the brand builds an emotion-first running world that turns casual observers into true fans. He explains why Satisfy treats people as guests, not customers, and how speaking to “people who run” opens the door to more honest, human storytelling. Daniel shares how they use emotional athlete content, localized community runs, and shock-and-awe moments at events like UTMB and Cocodona to create loyalty in a world where loyalty is fragile. He also unpacks their 80/20 creative approach, content “drips and drops,” and why the moment a brand...
info_outline
Why Brand Belongs in Product Development
Backcountry Marketing
, global brand manager for goggles and helmets at Oakley, digs into what happens when brand and marketing plug into the product development process from day one. Using WTR ICON, Oakley’s new surf helmet, as a case study, Shelby explains how a cross-functional “task force” of R&D, UX, product, sports marketing, and brand broke down silos, validated a real consumer problem, and reshaped how Oakley brings innovation to market. About: This podcast is produced by , a creative production studio creating content strategy + production for active brands, rooted in emotion. Enjoy...
info_outline
Creatives Aren’t Commodities: Red Bull’s Chris Whitten
Backcountry Marketing
In this episode, sits down with , Senior Production Manager at Red Bull, to unpack what separates irreplaceable creatives from the rest. Chris shares lessons from his journey through agency and brand-side production, spanning roles at Saatchi & Saatchi and now Red Bull, and offers candid advice for photographers, filmmakers, and producers who want to build long-term client relationships. The episode explores how mindset impacts success, why outreach is a creative act, and how to stay top-of-mind in an oversaturated industry. Chris shares practical frameworks for follow-up, positioning,...
info_outline
How Passion Blinds Brands to Strategy
Backcountry Marketing
In this solo episode, breaks down the differences between a strategist and a filmmaker. When content underperforms, brands often point to the creative execution, but more often than not, the real problem lies upstream in the strategy. Cole explains the downsides of a passion-led industry, why filmmakers have had to accept responsibility for defining KPIs and audience understanding, how skipping strategy leads to wasted resources, and what questions brands should ask before a camera ever rolls. About: This podcast is produced by , a creative production studio creating content strategy +...
info_outline
Why Your Campaigns and Branded Content Aren’t Working
Backcountry Marketing
Some brands treat branded content and campaigns as separate things, one emotional or value-driven, and the other transactional. But what happens when they work together? In this episode, , Marketing Director at Riton Optics, joins me to unpack what he calls the marketer’s trap, when teams invest in strategies they wouldn’t engage with themselves. Trent shares how to break that cycle by pairing campaigns and content to serve the same purpose, building trust, emotion, and results simultaneously. We discuss how data has given leadership "ammo to kill branding," why every...
info_outline
Brand Is Social, Social Is Brand: How Outdoor Brands Can Rethink Social Media
Backcountry Marketing
, former Head of Social at The North Face and current Director of Global Brand and Community at popFly. We break down her core thesis: brand is social and social is brand. Maren shares why brands must stop treating social as a downstream channel, how to bring social thinking upstream into campaign planning and what it takes to build a social-first brand. Enjoy this episode and discover other resources below: | Want 20 of our favorite insights shared on the show? | Here's our curated list of recommended books over the years. | Join the conversation and share ideas with other...
info_outline
Respect Your Audience
Backcountry Marketing
Cole shares a quick reminder about respecting your audience. Ask yourself: Does this provide value? If not, don't hit publish. About: This podcast is produced by , a creative production studio creating video strategy + production for active brands, rooted in emotion. Enjoy this episode and discover other resources below: | Want 20 of our favorite insights shared on the show? | Here's our curated list of recommended books over the years. | Join the conversation and share ideas with other industry peers. | Want to help us out? Leave us a review on Apple. | Have a Guest in...
info_outline
Experience a New High: The Strategy Behind Altra’s Latest Campaign
Backcountry Marketing
Altra’s Head of Marketing, , and Backbone Media’s Senior Director of Strategy, , take us behind the brand’s seasonal campaign, Experience a New High. We unpack the core insight tying mental wellbeing, social connection, and running to a younger audience; how a one-two punch of broad digital reach plus in-person activation moved awareness and consideration; and why the medium is part of the message when your pop-up is a Dopamine Dispensary. We also get into what went right, what needed rethinking, and how to decide when a big campaign makes sense versus always-on content. ...
info_outline
How to Be Creative
Backcountry Marketing
Ready to jump start your creativity? Cole Heilborn breaks down Port Side’s playbook for developing ideas that work in the wild. From setting guardrails and asking “why” three times, to building a culture of candor and using constraints, music, boredom, and flow to unlock divergent thinking, this solo episode is for marketers and creatives who want to ship better work, not just talk about it. About: This podcast is produced by , a creative production studio. We help brands that move, create strategy-led, emotionally charged video campaigns Enjoy this episode and...
info_outlineIn this episode, Bronwen Foster-Butler, CMO at Finisterre, breaks down how the brand is growing without compromising its identity. We talk about their North American expansion, the tension between polished production and platform-native content, and why user-generated stories often outperform high-budget ads. Bronwen also shares how Finisterre uses a fictional “brand muse” to guide creative decisions, what they’ve learned about emotional storytelling in a data-driven world, and where she thinks AI fits (and doesn’t) in outdoor marketing.
About:
This podcast is produced by Port Side, a creative production studio. We help brands that move, create strategy-led, emotionally charged video campaigns
Enjoy this episode and discover other resources below:
-
Insight Deck | Want 20 of our favorite insights shared on the show?
-
Booklist | Here's our curated list of recommended books over the years.
-
LinkedIn | Join the conversation and share ideas with other industry peers.
-
Apple Podcast | Want to help us out? Leave us a review on Apple.
-
Guest List | Have a Guest in Mind? Share them with us here.
-
Patreon | Want to support us financially?