The Intangible Brand

Welcome to The Intangible Brand, where we explore the connection between employee experience and client experience, and the hidden forces that make brands stick. Each episode offers practical insights and inspiration for building a brand people are proud to work for — and eager to work with.

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The Intangible Brand

Ep 7 - Unifying Brand and Culture in Times of Growth | Eric Anest

September 17, 2025 • TOKY & Cline • Season 2025 • Episode 7

Watch this episode on YouTube

In this episode of The Intangible Brand, Jerry and Carl sit down with Eric Anest, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Salas O’Brien, a rapidly growing engineering and consulting firm.

Eric shares his perspective on the connection between employee experience and client experience — and why brand work must start inside the organization. Drawing on his experience leading multiple mergers, a major rebrand, and the ongoing work of unifying thousands of people under one values-driven identity, Eric explains how marketing can be more than a service function. It can be a driver of business outcomes.

This conversation highlights how culture, communication, and leadership align to create growth that’s both sustainable and meaningful — for employees and for clients alike.

In this Episode

Why internal communication is the foundation of brand alignment (00:01:46)
How employee engagement directly shapes client experience (00:04:21)
What it takes to unify thousands of employees during mergers and growth (00:09:12)
Why marketing must integrate into overall business strategy (00:16:45)
The role of employee ownership in driving culture and outcomes (00:22:10)

Guest
Eric Anest is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Salas O’Brien. He has been instrumental in leading brand strategy for one of North America’s fastest-growing engineering and consulting firms, overseeing mergers, a major rebrand, and the integration of thousands of employees into a unified, values-driven culture.

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