What if purpose and performance weren’t mutually exclusive while building a brand?
In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Audrey Kemp brings together R. Ethan Braden, VP and CMCO at Texas A&M University, and Tyler Merrick, founder and CEO of Joyride, to explore how very different brands can turn authentic storytelling and bold marketing decisions into measurable growth.
Ethan shares how Texas A&M modernized a 150-year-old brand without losing its core values, including the campaign that generated 80 million YouTube views.
Tyler reveals how Joyride used product differentiation, cultural relevance, and genuine creator partnerships to become the No. 1 candy at Target.
Together, they unpack why purpose-driven marketing works best when it is grounded in authentic brand positioning, strong creative conviction, and a clear understanding of the audience.
From legacy institutions to challenger brands, this conversation offers practical lessons for building brands that matter and perform.
What you’ll learn:
- How to reposition a legacy brand nationally by what makes you distinct
- Why pulling underperforming creative can catalyze breakthrough results
- The three-legged stool framework for challenger brand success
- How to validate purpose-driven positioning through retail performance
- The difference between hiring an influencer and building a partnership
- How to maintain brand integrity while modernizing for national relevance
About the guests:
R. Ethan Braden is VP and chief marketing and communications officer at Texas A&M University, where he leads brand, marketing, communications, and storytelling to strengthen the university’s national presence. Previously, he served as EVP and CMO at Purdue University and Purdue Global. Earlier, Ethan spent more than a decade at Eli Lilly & Company, helping lead billion-dollar brands including Cymbalta and Jardiance. In 2023, he was named Content Marketer of the Year by the Content Marketing Institute.
Tyler Merrick is the founder and CEO of Joyride, a challenger candy brand that became the #1-selling candy at Target by combining clean ingredients with authentic creator partnerships. With roots in family entrepreneurship and a background in product development across multiple categories, Merrick built Joyride on a thesis of purpose-driven performance: delivering significantly less sugar and zero artificial additives without compromising taste.
Episode Highlights:
[04:43] Export Your Brand’s Distinctiveness Beyond Insider Culture — Ethan explains why Texas A&M had to move beyond insider mythology to build national relevance. Research showed outsiders primarily associated the university with football, sports, Aggies, and agriculture. By repositioning around “best university in the world,” Texas A&M translated its distinctive culture into a message outsiders could understand, generating 80 million YouTube views, with 88% coming from beyond Texas.
