On Brand with Nick Westergaard

On Brand With Nick Westergard

Hosted ByNick Westergard

On Brand helps organizations and individuals tell stronger stories and build better brands. Each week host Nick Westergaard, author of Brand Now and Get Scrappy, interviews marketing and communication thought leaders or those working for innovative brands like Adobe, Ben & Jerry’s, Maker’s Mark, the Minnesota Vikings, The Onion, Salesforce, and Whole Foods. For show notes and more, please visit http://onbrandpodcast.com.

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On Brand with Nick Westergaard

The Myth of Brand Control

February 9, 2026 MPN On Brand with Nick Westergaard 0 Comments
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The strongest brands don’t shout—they earn trust over time. That’s how Nikki Little approaches her work. She’s the CMO and co-owner at Franco, a women-owned, Detroit-based integrated communications agency with more than 60 years of history. After a full-circle career that took her from early agency life to leading social and communications teams, Nikki now helps shape Franco’s future with a purpose-driven, human-first approach to brand building, storytelling, and leadership.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why modern brand builders must accept that total control is a myth and focus on reputation monitoring instead
The difference between consistent storytelling and repetitive messaging across integrated channels
How to apply Brené Brown’s Strong Ground principles to build a solid brand foundation
Why employee alignment is the first step in closing the authenticity gap with your customers
How to treat AI as an overzealous intern rather than a replacement for strategic relationships

Episode Chapters
(00:00) Intro
(01:34) Authenticity in the Age of Unpolished Content
(03:37) Understanding Your Audience and the Brand Core
(05:22) The Myth of Total Brand Control
(07:25) Navigating Critics and the Crisis Plan
(10:10) Storytelling as a Tool for Trust Building
(12:45) Internal Culture and the Authenticity Gap
(15:12) Leadership Examples: Brené Brown and Liz Plosser
(19:51) Rumbling with AI in a Human Business
(25:30) Brands That Make Us Smile
(28:33) Where to Find Nikki Little

About Nikki Little
Nikki Little is the CMO and co-owner at Franco, a Detroit-based, women-owned integrated communications agency with a 60-year legacy. With a career spanning early agency life to leading complex social and communications teams, Nikki specializes in a purpose-driven, human-first approach to brand building and leadership. She is a recognized expert in navigating the intersection of PR, digital strategy, and authentic storytelling, helping brands find their “core” to build lasting trust in a critical and fast-moving digital environment.

What Brand Has Made Nike Smile Recently?
Nikki shared two brands that recently stood out: Chevy, for their deeply authentic “Memory Lane” holiday commercial that mastered the art of non-cheesy storytelling, and Mabel’s Labels, for their proactive customer service that turned a lost shipment into a “customer for life” experience.

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