Resilient Brands Build Audiences
Backcountry Marketing
Resilient businesses are built by building an audience. In this solo episode, Cole Heilborn challenges the assumption that people inherently care about brand campaigns, product launches, or high-production content, and instead argues that attention must be earned through relevance and value over time. Drawing from recent conversations, industry observations, and Port Side’s own projects, Cole breaks down the growing disconnect between how brands produce content and how audiences actually consume it. While many brands continue to rely on intermittent campaign cycles, the most durable brands...
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How DECKED Is Trying To Balance Brand and Performance
Backcountry Marketing
In this episode, , VP of Marketing at DECKED, and , Senior Brand Director at DECKED, break down one of the biggest tensions in modern marketing: brand vs performance. We talk about the rise of performance marketing, why it worked so well for so long, and why many brands are now hitting a ceiling. Greg and Bridget share how DECKED is thinking about long-term growth, what it actually means to invest in brand, and why community, storytelling, and customer connection are becoming more important than ever. We also get into the risks of over-relying on paid channels, how to think about creative and...
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Great Creative Doesn’t Start With The Algorithm
Backcountry Marketing
What is the value of great creative, and what happens when brands let marketing metrics dictate the work before the idea is even fully formed? In this episode, Cole sits down with , former Creative Director at Tracksmith, to talk about the role of the creative director, the tension between marketing and creative, and why distinction matters more than ever in a world where so many brands are producing work that looks the same. Rafa shares how Tracksmith approached creative as a long-term brand-building tool, why subtlety is often the marker of great work, and how brands can influence behavior...
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How to Stand Out When Everyone Has the Same Origin Story
Backcountry Marketing
Episode Description Most outdoor brands share a similar origin story: a founder identifies a need in the wild, builds a product in a garage, and grows a company from there. But as brands scale and growth pressures increase, something often gets lost in “the middle.” The result is a sea of epic imagery, interchangeable storytelling, and campaigns that feel indistinguishable once the logo is removed. , a marketing leader whose career spans The North Face, Sea to Summit, and Starbucks, joins the show to explore a persistent challenge in the outdoor industry. Ryan and Cole unpack how growth...
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Are Brand Impressions Irrelevant?
Backcountry Marketing
Episode Description In this episode, host Cole Heilborn sits down with Ryan Watson, CMO and COO at MTNTOUGH Fitness Labs, to unpack a hot take that should make every outdoor marketer pause: brand marketing for the sake of impressions is dead. Ryan breaks down why measurement has changed the game, why “one big campaign, one big message” is an outdated operating system, and how the best brands are blending performance rigor with brand-level creativity. We also go deep on community as the next frontier of differentiation. About: This podcast is produced by , a creative production...
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Navigating Change: Chris Burkard on Creativity, Risk, and Authenticity
Backcountry Marketing
In this episode (initially aired on June 18th, 2025), sits down with —photographer, creative director, adventurer, and storyteller. Chris shares his unique perspective on navigating the constant changes shaping the outdoor industry, creativity, and marketing. They dive deep into the evolving role of creatives in a constantly changing outdoor industry. From the blurred lines between artistry and strategy to the challenges of maintaining authenticity in a data-driven world, Chris shares insights from his expansive career and unique perspectives on storytelling, marketing, and...
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Why “Brand” Has Lost Its Meaning
Backcountry Marketing
Every company has a brand, but very few have built one intentionally or with differentiation. We use the word “brand” interchangeably with “company,” when in reality most companies have never done the work required to intentionally shape what their brand stands for. In this episode, I sit down with Marc Peruzzi, Creative Director at Cache Seven, to unpack one of the most misunderstood ideas in outdoor marketing: the difference between a company and a brand. Marc shares why so many outdoor companies lose relevance when they chase “brand building” instead of grounding themselves in...
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Brand Marketing is a Comfortable Lie Without Product Marketing
Backcountry Marketing
Does the outdoor industry overindex on brand? , President of OnWater, joins the show to challenge one of the outdoor industry’s biggest assumptions: that brand marketing alone drives growth. Drawing from his experience in SaaS and outdoor, Alex breaks down why product marketing is the missing link for many brands, how listening to customers actually fuels innovation, and what outdoor companies can learn from software when it comes to adoption, retention, and trust. We unpack the difference between brand and product marketing, why emotion still matters in utility-driven storytelling, and...
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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...
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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_outlineCole shares a personal reflection on the state of brand content today and why so much of it is falling short. This episode challenges brands, especially mid-size outdoor companies, to rethink how they approach content creation. Why bother doing it if it’s not driving results? Cole makes the case for content that’s built to solve problems, drive value, and show up creatively in a noisy world. He also includes a litmus test you can use to determine if your content is working as hard as it could.
About:
This podcast is produced by Port Side, a creative production studio. We help brands that move, create strategy-led, emotionally charged video campaigns
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