The Myth of Brand vs. Performance with Preston Rutherford, Co-Founder of Chubbies | 5

Beyond The Billboard

Brand is not simply a logo.

It’s the irrational reason people choose you over your competition. That’s the mindset Preston Rutherford brings to Beyond the Billboard in this informative conversation with hosts Greg Wise, Co-founder of OneScreen.ai, and Charlie Riley, OneScreen’s Head of Marketing.

Preston—widely followed on LinkedIn for his brand-building insights—breaks down how Chubbies disrupted men’s apparel and why the obsession with performance marketing has led many brands astray.

This episode is a CFO-friendly argument for why brand marketing is a smart investment. Preston shares how branded search, contribution margin, and organic revenue serve as real business metrics—not soft ideas. He challenges marketers to master their P&L, think in terms of incremental revenue, and measure what really drives long-term, resilient growth, not just immediate revenue.

If you’ve ever struggled to explain brand marketing value to a CEO or CFO, this episode is the blueprint.

This episode is brought to you by OneScreen.ai

👤 Guest Bio

Preston Rutherford is a co-founder of the breakout brand Chubbies, a company built around the idea of weekend apparel that flipped the script on men’s fashion. From startup roots to a nine-figure exit, his journey blends brand-first intuition with performance-era insights. Today, he creates educational content for marketers on LinkedIn and is building Marathon—a measurement tool designed to quantify the real value of brand.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonr/

📌 What We Cover

• Why “brand marketing” is actually the irrational reason people make buying decisions
• How Chubbies built a cult favorite by challenging the serious, cargo-shorts norm
• Why marketers must understand every line of their company’s P&L
• How branded organic search and direct traffic signal a strong brand
• Why contribution margin—not ROAS—is the CFO-approved way to measure success
• How digital ads have turned into "wacky, wavy inflatable tube men" and what to do about it
• The myth of a short-term drop when investing in brand—and what’s really happening
• How investing in brand reduces discounting and increases resilience in a crowded market

🔗 Resources Mentioned

• Preston Rutherford’s LinkedIn
• Marathon

Did you enjoy today’s episode? Make sure to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an update! If you found this conversation insightful, share it with a fellow marketer who should think more about out-of-home advertising. For more insights and tips, connect with us on LinkedIn!