Painting the Pink Door: Ryan Chute on Brand Storytelling That Sells

In this powerhouse episode of The TradeMarke Podcast, hosts Eric Thomas and Sarah Ghirardo sit down with Ryan Chute—Wizard of Ads partner, strategic branding guru, and co-founder of The Difference bourbon with Chris Voss—for a no-holds-barred deep dive into what really makes marketing work in the trades.

Ryan doesn’t just talk strategy—he lives it. From founding an invite-only bourbon society to orchestrating marketing campaigns that punch through the noise, he’s on a mission to help businesses become unforgettable. In this conversation, you’ll hear how Chute breaks down the three essential components of a winning marketing mix: brand messaging, sales activation, and points of entry. He challenges the industry’s obsession with pay-per-click and exposes why cheap tune-up offers are often just gimmicks that lack authenticity and long-term effectiveness.

Key takeaways from this episode include:

• Why truck wraps and flashy visuals are only 10% of your brand—and what the other 90% really looks like

• How to craft brand messaging that creates emotional resonance and stays top-of-mind until your customers need you

• What the “doom loop” is—and how to avoid overspending on marketing that doesn’t move the needle

• How audio, frequency, and visual alignment play a bigger role in conversion than most realize

• The psychology behind effective advertising (and why being “nuts” might be the best marketing move you can make)

• Why words like franchise can become powerful triggers when baked into a strategic campaign

• Real-world results from brands that pivoted from performance marketing to emotional storytelling—and tripled their growth

Ryan also shares inside stories from the Wizard of Ads network and why most marketing campaigns fail not because of poor execution—but because they never had a real strategy to begin with.

Whether you’re a seasoned marketing pro, an HVAC business owner, or just a bourbon-lover curious about branding, this episode will reshape how you think about advertising.

🎧 Listen now to hear why the best brands don’t wait until people need them—they own the conversation long before that moment arrives.