Audience Connection
A podcast series focusing on audience engagement through visual storytelling. A 360 view on connecting with the audience that matters to you, whether that’s consumers, clients, stakeholders, or employees. Through entertaining and practical conversations with experts from various industries and disciplines, listeners will gain valuable insights and tips on how to engage with the audiences that matter to them.
Episodes
In Part 2 of this two-part episode, Oliver Atkinson sits with Phill Agnew, host of UK's #1 marketing podcast Nudge, to unpack the behavioral science tricks that keep us hooked, whether it’s binge-watching, endless scrolling, or unforgettable branding.
Hear why a single shout of “polar bear!” jolts wandering minds back on track, and how Waitrose’s rainbow-stacked veg aisle proves the contrast effect you can steal for thumbnails and ...
In this two-part episode, Oliver Atkinson is joined by behavioral-science storyteller Phill Agnew, host of UK's #1 marketing podcast, Nudge Podcast, to show how psychology-laced narratives can supercharge your pitch and keep audiences glued.
Agnew proves the power of costly signaling with his now-legendary 60-kilometre trek, blisters and all, to keynote a conference, instantly elevating his message’s worth . He dissects the Labor I...
Oliver sits down with Orlando Wood, Chief Innovation Officer at System1 Group and author of Lemon and Look Out, to unpack how advertising has shifted from right-brain showmanship to left-brain salesmanship, and why that’s costing brands attention, memorability, and growth.
From Yorkshire Tea’s witty, character-led “Everything’s Done Proper” to the unsettling “stare” creeping into modern branding, Orlando shows how right-brain showm...
In this episode of Audience Connection, Lydia Chan sits down with Terrence Wiggins, Director of Global Marketing at Cook Medical's Vascular Division, to explore what it takes to build trust and tell authentic stories in one of the world’s most highly regulated industries, MedTech.
With over 25 years of experience, Terrence shares how effective marketing in healthcare goes beyond physicians to reach hospital executives, patients, an...
Originally released in February 2025, this conversation with Brad Argent offers timeless lessons on building audience connection. From the art of unbranded storytelling to the long game of content creation, Brad shows how curiosity and trust can fuel authentic demand. It’s an episode worth revisiting.
Episode Description:
In this episode of the Audience Connection Podcast, Lydia Chan sits down with Brad Argent, Head of Ancestry St...
In this episode of the Audience Connection, host Lydia Chan shares a live panel discussion with Jennifer Apy, Partner and CMO at Chief Outsiders and Shveta Berry, Executive Producer and Content Marketing Leader. They explore how algorithms and benchmarks are reshaping the way we create content, often at the expense of authentic storytelling, while organizations increasingly prioritize volume over meaningful audience connections.
Ke...
Oliver Atkinson sits down with Dr Paul J Zak, Professor of Economic Sciences, Psychology & Management at Claremont Graduate University and Founder/Chief Immersion Officer at Immersion Neuroscience, to explore how measuring emotion rewrites the rules of brand storytelling. Discover why he calls immersion “the give-a-shit metric,” and dive into the science showing you need just six peak moments a day to thrive.
The discussion ran...
Oliver Atkinson sits down with Nicky Russell, Managing partner at ‘We Deliver Change’ (WDC) and co-founder of The In-house Agency Leaders Club, to reveal the hidden formula behind top creative teams. With experience on both agency and brand sides, Nicky shows why creative operations are the “connective tissue” that transform big ideas into genuine audience connection.
The conversation ranges from a live-action Cancer Research campa...
Oliver Atkinson sits down with global brand strategist Sabrina Godden, fresh off her tenure as Vodafone’s Global Creative Director, to explore how authenticity can survive when machines do the heavy lifting. Discover why the best prompt you can give an AI is “Tell me why this idea won’t work,” and dive into the mindset shift that keeps human judgment at the center of every campaign.
The discussion ranges from a playful riff on AI a...
What do the world's most beloved animated films and today’s top-performing brands have in common? They understand the importance and craft of storytelling.
In this episode, Lydia Chan is joined by Matthew Luhn, a master storytelling consultant and advisor to Fortune 500 brands. Matthew is a Pixar veteran who worked on beloved classics like Toy Story, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo. Now he advises businesses on how the mechanics of ...
Oliver Atkinson sits down with Dr. David Parkinson FHEA, Assistant Professor of Industrial Design and Director of Post-Graduate Research at Northumbria University’s School of Design, to explore how narrative can supercharge your pitch. Discover why the right story earns belief in even the toughest boardrooms, and dive into the neuroscience that makes audiences more open to new ideas.
The discussion ranges from a playful “Bob the B...
Discover how to transform complex technology into compelling human stories with Marcus Jones, former Global Head of Branded Video Content at WIRED and AI storytelling expert. Marcus reveals why the biggest mistake tech companies make is leading with features instead of use cases, and shares his proven framework for translating complex concepts into stories that resonate with both technical and business decision-makers.
Drawing from...
Lydia Chan sits down with Cliff Chiet, Chief Integrated Marketing Director at iHeartMedia, America's largest audio company, to explore audio marketing, discover why podcasts are twice as trustworthy as any other medium, and dive into the neuroscience behind audio's emotional impact.
The discussion covers targeting strategies using psychographic data to reach audiences in their preferred content regardless of topic relevance. Cliff ...
In this special episode of the Audience Connection Podcast, host Lydia Chan shares a live panel discussion on creating quality content with condensed timelines with Cristina Pandol, Executive Creative Director, Golden State Warriors, and Mandy Sprinkel, a seasoned creative producer. Together they reveal strategies for meeting demanding deadlines without sacrificing creativity or burning out teams.
Cristina compares content strategy...
In this episode of Audience Connection Podcast hosted by Lydia Chan, we explore the transformative power of journalism in brand storytelling with Stephanie Paterik, GM of Editorial and Editor-in-Chief at The Trade Desk. Drawing from her impressive two-decade journey through newsrooms and executive media roles, Stephanie unveils how adopting a journalist's mindset can elevate brand content from forgettable to indispensable.
Stephani...
In this episode of Audience Connection Podcast, Lydia Chan welcomes seasoned film director, Eternal Polk, whose work spans branded content, music videos, commercials, and award-winning documentaries. Eternal shares his journey from NYU film school to creating his award-winning documentary, "Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land," while exploring how brand storytelling has evolved from selling products to selling emotions.
Etern...
In this episode, Lydia Chan speaks with Amy Goodman, VP of Creative Content Development at TeamPeople, about creating meaningful content that truly connects with audiences.
With her extensive experience leading global creative teams and managing cross-platform media campaigns, Amy explains why we need to prioritize human connection in content creation and why social media shouldn't be treated as an afterthought but as another gatew...
Lydia Chan welcomes Jillian Johnson, GoDaddy's self-proclaimed "customer hype woman" and a powerhouse in customer storytelling and advocacy. With a decade of experience amplifying small business owners' voices, Jillian shares invaluable insights on crafting authentic customer narratives.
Discover why customer stories resonate more deeply than traditional marketing, how to create environments where people feel comfortable sharing th...
Lydia Chan sits down with Christine Sanders, Senior Executive Director at BuzzFeed, for an insightful discussion on creating culturally resonant content that drives both engagement and revenue.
Drawing from her extensive experience leading BuzzFeed's editorial identity channels and branded content studio, Christine unravels the delicate balance between data-driven decisions and creative intuition. Learn how brands can authentically...
Lydia Chan speaks with Brad Argent, Head of Ancestry Studios, to uncover the art of unbranded storytelling and its power to build authentic audience connections.
Drawing from his nearly two decades of experience at Ancestry, Brad shares his innovative approach to content creation that transcends traditional advertising. Discover how confirmation and transformation narratives can work together, why letting go might be the key to bui...
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