OM DENNE EPISODE
This is it. The last advertising podcast to ever be made.
But before we quit, we need to talk about time.
Switzerland has centuries of watchmaking history. Shinola is building an American version from a factory in downtown Detroit.
Kevin Wertz, CMO of Shinola, joins Geno Schellenberger to explain how a 13-year-old brand can create a sense of heritage, craftsmanship, and permanence in a category dominated by names that have existed for generations.
Shinola has expanded from watches into leather goods, jewelry, journals, bicycles, and hotels. That growth created a problem: people knew the name, but they did not always know what the brand stood for.
The answer was to return to the Runwell, the watch that started everything.
Kevin explains how Shinola turned that product into the anchor for the entire brand, why Detroit gives the company a story no Swiss watchmaker can copy, and how its latest campaign transformed a watch into a statement about reclaiming your time from your phone.
The conversation also explores the difference between signaling wealth and signaling values, why people choose products that reflect who they are, and what agencies misunderstand about working with a CMO.
Kevin closes the show with the final lesson advertising needed: people buy on emotion and justify it with rational thought.
Time’s up.
The advertising podcast is officially over.
Until next week.
The Last Advertising Podcast is hosted by Geno Schellenberger and powered by Breaking & Entering Media.
Visit www.thelastadvertisingpodcast.com for all the episodes.
