On Brand Ep. 8: Everybody Hurts (Sometimes)
In the On Brand season finale, contestants pitch campaigns for Therabody, rebranding the percussive massage gun for a broader audience beyond athletes. The challenge: make it “edgy, fun, and for everyone.” The result: creative panic, moaning sound effects, and a few genuinely insightful lessons about audience, positioning, and tone.
Ethan and Laura break down what this episode teaches about the messy intersection of art and science in branding—how clarity beats cleverness, how risk creates attention, and how even the best ideas can wobble when the brief (or the nerves) go sideways.
Main Topics Covered:
When “edgy” really means “please get attention without scaring us”
How Theragun became Therabody—and why names matter
What happens when contestants mix two good ideas into one messy pitch
Why funny ≠ effective (and how tone changes brand meaning)
Sonic branding: why your tagline has to be heard, not just read
The tension between creative freedom and client control
Why Bianca’s stress-relief concept worked—and what it teaches about universalityFinal thoughts on the On Brand season: what TV got right (and wrong) about marketing
Premium Stickiness Award:“Stress Will Find a Way Out.”
A clever, human truth—stress will find an outlet. It’s just better if it’s a massage gun, not your coworker’s laptop.
Tune in for the finale episode of Cover Brand Covers On Brand, where Ethan and Laura mix brand science with a splash of reality TV chaos. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and send your favorite campaign from the season to info@appliedbrandscience.com for a shot at some Applied Brand Science merch.
