How Modern Brands Build Loyalty, Purpose, and Identity | Andy Stalman | Shekhar Natarajan Podcast

August 25, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In 2023, Andy Stalman stood before a sports AI conference and told the audience the only safe bed for the future is not AI — it is love. The VP of FIFA approached him afterward and said that is absolutely true. That moment captures the core tension Stalman has spent his career navigating: the gap between what brands say they are and what they actually do, and the quiet power of human connection in an era obsessed with efficiency.

Stalman, known as "Mr. Branding," grew up in Buenos Aires, a city and country that cycles through economic collapse with routine regularity. "Being in a crisis loop year after year gives you a sense of creativity, of resilience, and of innovation," he says. That instability taught him to see problems as unresolved deliberations rather than disasters. After roles at Lacoste, where he repositioned the brand from an older generation's staple to something young people wanted, and at Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, where he helped shift revenue from 95% on-air income to 50% off-air retail, he moved to Spain in 2002. There he left the safety of working for others and started his own firm. "It's very comfortable and it's very safe, but it's also a trap. Because you are not free."

Branding is not what you say, it is what you do

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What you'll learn

1 (01:28) **Welcome & Andy Stalman’s Origin Story** - Host Shekhar Natarajan introduces “Mr. Branding” Andy Stalman; Andy recounts being born in Buenos Aires and moving to Europe.
2 (09:50) **Early Career: From Media to Lacoste & Airports** - Andy describes his pre-entrepreneurship jobs, including launching the first 24-hour Spanish news channel and turning around Lacoste’s brand perception.
3 (18:50) **The 2001 Argentine Crisis & Leap of Faith** - Andy details the collapse of Argentina’s economy and his decision to leave for Spain, marking a pivotal personal and professional shift.
4 (27:20) **Founding Totem: From Tribe to Totem Branding** - Andy explains how he left a secure partnership to co-found Totem, a branding company named after the ancient concept of gathering around a totem.
5 (34:40) **The New Era: Branding vs. Brandoing** - Andy introduces his new concept, “Brandoing” (brand + doing), arguing that a brand is defined by action, not just words.
6 (38:31) **Pain Points: Inconsistency & Misaligned Values** - The host shares his experience at Coke, Pepsi, Disney, and Walmart, noting a constant drift between stated values and actual behavior.
7 (42:56) **AI as a Mirror of the Brand** - Andy argues that AI reflects an organization’s soul; a bad brand with AI becomes a “digital mirror” of its flaws.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Andy Stalman's journey from Argentina to becoming a global branding expert
How crisis can build resilience, creativity, and innovation
Lessons from working with global brands including Lacoste and airport businesses
Why a brand is much more than a logo
The importance of purpose, identity, values, culture, and consistency
Why companies struggle with internal and external brand alignment
How leadership shapes organisational culture and brand value
The idea of brands as modern-day "totems" that people gather around
Why branding must move from what brands say to what brands actually do
The growing role of technology and AI in branding
How businesses can protect brand value in an AI-driven world
Why intellectual property protection is becoming increasingly important
The connection between brand value and company value
Founder-led brands vs. brand-led organisations
Knowing when a company needs to reinvent itself
Lessons from brands such as Amazon, Zara, Apple, Coca-Cola, Nike and Ryanair
Why "customer-centric" is often one of the biggest claims brands fail to live up to
The role of love, humanity and purpose in the future of brands
Andy's perspective on suffering, resilience, family, purpose and the lessons life teaches us
A rapid-fire discussion on overrated and underrated brands, marketing, AI, leadership and the future of social platforms

Key takeaway:
A powerful brand isn't built by what a company says about itself. It is built by what the organisation consistently does, believes, delivers, and makes people feel.

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