Influence Anyone

Howie Chan interviews marketing icon David Aaker, widely regarded as the father of modern branding, to unpack the true drivers of brand equity — what a brand’s worth.

In this episode, brand storytelling takes center stage as Aaker breaks down the myths around branding and reveals what actually influences customer decisions in modern days.

From brand relevance to the power of loyalty, Aaker explains why branding goes far beyond awareness and image. He introduces his “Five B’s” framework and shows how brands shape both buying decisions and user experiences.

You’ll learn why storytelling in marketing is one of the most effective tools in today’s cluttered and skeptical landscape, how to craft signature stories that captivate audiences, and why most companies are underutilizing their greatest competitive advantage: their “secret sauce.”

Chapters:

00:00:00 Brand vs Brand Equity

00:04:01 The Five B’s of Modern Branding

00:09:01 Managing Negative Brand Perception

00:16:40 How to Create Powerful Signature Stories

00:25:47 Branding Beyond Ads (Events, Sponsorship & Communities)

00:30:30 The #1 Mistake Businesses Make with Branding

00:33:04 Uniqlo’s Example of Branding Differentiation and Innovation

00:52:26 High-Profile Branding Failures

00:57:09 Final Advice: “Brand Your Secret Sauce”

From David Aaker:

Website

LinkedIn

Take a look at David’s books mentioned in this episode:

Aaker on Branding: Second Edition

Creating Signature Stories

Owning Game-Changing Subcategories

Brand Portfolio Strategy

 Check out my conversation with Matt Sucha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evkin9z6Z4w

What’s Your Influence Style? What do you do when you need someone to do something?

This quiz will help you discover what is your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots.)

→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/

Join 700+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.

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Produced by Ideablossoms

In this solo episode, Howie Chan breaks down the true meaning of influence and why most people misunderstand it. Rather than focusing on persuasion, communication, or attention, Howie reveals that real influence comes down to one thing: changing human behavior.

Through a simple but powerful framework, Howie explains why people don’t take action — and how leaders, founders, and professionals can finally unlock consistent results. You’ll learn the critical difference between motivation and friction, and why adding more effort often backfires when trying to influence outcomes.

This episode dives into practical applications for both personal development and influencing others, from building better habits to closing clients more effectively.

Chapters:

00:01:12 What Influence Really Is (and Why Most Get It Wrong)

00:03:36 The Core Formula: Less Friction + More Motivation

00:05:20 The “SUPER” Friction Framework

00:08:12 Applying the Formula to Any Situation

Check out my conversation with Dr. Robert Cialdini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8joK8ViLneY&t=48s

Check out my conversation with Matt Sucha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evkin9z6Z4w

The Behavioring Blueprint:

A FREE, 7-day email course breaking down all the levers to influence human behavior to get people from a current behavior to a desired behavior.

→ http://howiechan.com/behavioring

What’s Your Influence Style? What do you do when you need someone to do something?

This quiz will help you discover what is your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots.)

→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/

Join 700+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.

Tech Humanist Kate O’Neill joins host Howie Chan to unpack the real truth behind AI strategy and why most organizations get it wrong from the start. Kate has spent her career helping leaders navigate AI ethics, responsible tech, and human-centric digital transformation.

In this episode, Kate breaks down why starting with tools instead of purpose leads to failure, and how “prompt skills” are becoming the most important capability in today’s workforce. She reframes AI not as a replacement for thinking, but as a mirror that exposes how clearly you think, communicate, and lead.

You’ll learn how to use AI to sharpen your thinking, improve emotional intelligence, and enhance human connection rather than dilute it.

Episode Resources:

Download the four master storytelling prompts here.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00:00 The Intersection of Technology and Humanity

00:08:30 The Real Fear Employees Have About AI (and What’s True)

00:11:02 Prompt Skilling vs. Prompt Engineering

00:16:27 How Technology Shapes Culture and Behavior

00:19:58 Human + AI Collaboration Done Right

00:24:27 Why Most AI Strategies Fail

00:33:34 AI Replacing Jobs: The Real Story

00:43:45 Using AI to Improve Emotional Intelligence

00:47:17 The Danger of Over-Relying on AI Outputs

00:55:28 AI and Creativity

00:59:20 Incorporating AI Into Your Small Business

Want to make influencing human behavior your company's superpower? Connect with me at howiechan.com/speaking and let's talk!

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

TEDx Talk

Check out my episode with Michael Margolis here.

See Kate’s audition form here.

Learn more about Office Space here.

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Produced by Ideablossoms

In this solo episode, Howie Chan shares his proven LinkedIn framework — the "LinkedIn 5" — five essential moves to grow your brand or business on the platform, whether you're starting from zero or finally ready to get serious.

Most people fail on LinkedIn not because they lack ideas or experience, but because they don't know what game they're playing.

Howie breaks down the three LinkedIn games — creator, business owner, and executive — and explains why mixing them up is the #1 reason people feel stuck, burned out, and invisible.

You'll learn how to optimize your profile as a high-converting landing page, how to get in front of the right audience without a single follower, and the counterintuitive content strategy that lets you win fast by using what already works.

Chapters:

00:01:24 The 3 LinkedIn Games (and How to Pick Yours)

00:03:33 Your Profile as a Landing Page

00:09:56 How to Find Your Audience Before You Have Followers

00:12:27 The Pro Move Most People Ignore

00:13:31 Match Your Content to Your Game 00:17:46 Full Recap

What’s Your Influence Style? What do you do when you need someone to do something?

This quiz will help you discover what is your most natural influence style, so you can use that strength more effectively (and know your blind spots.)

→ https://www.influencestylequiz.com/

Join 700+ leaders who've already uncovered what their style is.

In this episode of the Influence Anyone Podcast, host Howie Chan interviews Fotini Iconomopoulos, expert negotiator, bestselling author of Say Less, Get More, and trusted advisor to global leaders. They explore the truth about negotiation skills and why most people get them completely wrong.

Fotini reframes negotiation as a daily human interaction, not just a boardroom tactic and introduces her powerful “Three C’s” framework to build instant trust and connection. You’ll learn why leading with price weakens your position, how power is built through information, not dominance, and why the popular “win-win” mindset can actually sabotage long-term success.

Want to make influencing human behavior your company's superpower? Connect with me at howiechan.com/speaking and let's talk!

Episode Breakdown:

00:00:00 The Power of Negotiation

00:04:51 Why “Win-Win” is Flawed Thinking

00:11:02 Understanding Bias  

00:18:49 Never Lead With Price

00:30:01 Negotiation Shapes Society and Relationships

00:38:46 Common Traps for Business Owners

00:42:40 Negotiating Attention as a Speaker

00:49:37 Negotiating with Ourselves

From Our Guest:

Website

LinkedIn

Youtube

Instagram

Read Say Less, Get More by Fotini Iconomopoulos.

Want prospects to become customers and passers-by to become fans? Sign up for the Behavioring Blueprint, my FREE 7-day email course.

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Produced by Ideablossoms