How Boring Brands are WINNING the Internet ft Dan Salkey | Hard Corps Marketing Show | Ep 436

The Hard Corps Marketing Show

Can “boring” brands unlock growth through entertainment-first marketing?

In this episode of The Hard Corps Marketing Show, I sat down with Dan Salkey, Co-founder and Strategy Partner of Small World. Dan explores how brands can unlock growth by prioritizing entertainment in their marketing strategies, challenging the idea that certain industries are too “boring” to stand out.

Dan breaks down how companies can shift from traditional, product-focused messaging to content that captures attention by being genuinely entertaining. From fandom mapping to the revival of brand mascots, Dan shares practical approaches for making content more engaging, shareable, and impactful across today’s fragmented media landscape.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why no industry is too boring for creative, audience-first marketing
• How to use fandom mapping to tap into what your audience actually cares about
• The value of staying ahead of trends to create platform-native, entertaining content
• How to protect the creative process by separating it from operational constraints
• Ways to measure the real business impact of entertainment-first marketing

If you’re ready to stop blending in and start standing out, this episode is packed with creative inspiration and strategies you can put into action!

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Connect with Dan:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-salkey/
• Company website: https://meetsmallworld.com/
• Book: https://www.entertainordie.com/
• Twitter: www.x.com/SalkeyDan

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hard-corps-marketing-show/id1338838763
• Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/0f4497c6-b402-4cad-9018-1e41b7e8f2bb/the-hard-corps-marketing-show
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1vVLpNI1LssMTiL6Kdsamn
• Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-hard-corps-marketing-show
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL3RoZS1oYXJkLWNvcnBzLW1hcmtldGluZy1zaG93
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/1p6YZ2Sosm0

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