Episode 36 · 21 Sept 2026 · 1h 9m
How to Build a Brand People Actually Remember - Ep 36, T. Christian Helms, Helms Workshop
Show notes
In this episode
How do you build a memorable brand when every competitor uses the same language, imagery and promises? T. Christian Helms explains why brand differentiation starts with honest research, clear positioning and a willingness to stop trying to please everybody. This is practical business advice for founders who want to stand out without relying on gimmicks or a cosmetic rebrand.
Christian is the founder of Austin-based agency Helms Workshop, whose clients have included Jack Daniel’s, Disney, Harley-Davidson and Formula 1’s Circuit of the Americas. He works with global names and smaller founder-led businesses to turn brand strategy into a genuine commercial advantage.
In this episode, Ben and Christian discuss the difference between being recognised and being remembered, why copying established competitors can make a young business disappear, and how a distinctive brand can support business growth.
They also examine why a rebrand cannot repair a product or customer experience that no longer delivers what the business promises.
Christian tells the story behind Austin Beerworks’ seven-foot 99-pack. The idea attracted international coverage and sent people following a delivery van around Austin, but it began with a practical problem: customers were confused by the beer’s original name.
They also discuss where AI genuinely helps brand teams, why it can pull businesses back towards the category average, and what Christian learned when serious illness forced him to rebuild his life and company.
In this episode:
How to make a business distinctive without chasing attention
Why brand promise and operational delivery must match
How the 99-pack turned a naming problem into international attention
Where AI supports creativity and where human judgement still matters
Why a smaller group of committed customers can be more valuable
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Working with global brands and founder-led businesses
01:59 Using brand as an unfair advantage
06:26 Recognised versus remembered
07:28 Why copying competitors is death for a brand
08:26 Lateral thinking and the Apple example
12:07 Why a rebrand cannot fix a broken business
13:01 Building brand culture throughout a company
15:11 When customer perception contradicts the founders
19:14 Why customers love flawed products
22:50 How brands should respond when things go wrong
27:30 Audacity versus attention-seeking
28:32 The story of the 99-pack of beer
31:01 Making the pub joke real
32:50 Why a brand does not need everybody
33:35 Creativity and lateral thinking
38:38 Why people love the absurd
40:35 Ryanair and the limits of brand personality
44:38 Where AI helps — and where it fails
48:57 What digitally native creatives do differently
51:16 Why the idea must come before the tool
52:25 Diagnosing a broken brand
54:38 Christian’s forthcoming branding book
56:05 Rebuilding after serious illness
59:17 Christian’s business takeaway
01:00:27 Rapid-fire questions
Guest links
Complementary episodes
Your Logo Is Not Your Brand — Jason Clark: the closest follow-on conversation about trust, brand delivery and AI-driven sameness. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3VKMVgJhBwyojq6Bxuyydj?si=av1eOFIOR9Ww25Nw2Ae3NQ
The Hard Truth About Building in a Niche Market — Mats Karlsson: extends Christian’s argument that a business does not need everybody. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2eIUh2ERYyJiYJ2WwKbddA?si=RIjcrVJ6R_uP4P9BHAqzGQ