Emily Heyward (Red Antler) on Building Brands That Stick, How AI Will Impact Creative Agencies and Lessons from Casper’s Success

What do Casper and Allbirds have in common, besides redefining
modern D2C brands? They all worked with branding agency Red Antler
before they became household names. Today Sammi sits down with
Emily Heyward, co-founder of Red Antler, the powerhouse creative
agency behind some of the most iconic startups of the last decade.
Emily shares how Red Antler went from a scrappy agency to the go-to
partner for founders launching the next big thing. They dig into
the real work of branding; how to create emotional connection, why
a logo is never enough, and the mistakes even seasoned founders
make when they treat branding as an afterthought. Emily also opens
up about the founding of Red Antler’s VC arm, how her team vets
investments, and why she thinks branding will always be human—even
in the age of AI. Follow Sammi on Instagram  Subscribe to the
Social Currency newsletter  Follow Red Antler’s work Here’s
what Sammi and Emily cover today: 00:00 Emily Heyward’s Social
Currency 01:45 The Origin of Red Antler 09:35 From Scrappy Startups
to Culture-Making Brands 14:23 How to Land—and Keep—Dream Clients
18:40 When Branding Gets Messy (and How to Fix It) 24:10 Strategic
Bets and the Ones That Paid Off 30:40 Building for Startups vs.
Working with Giants 37:20 Breaking Down Red Antler’s Pricing
Strategy 41:30 Why Red Antler Launched a VC Fund 49:23 What It
Really Means to Build an Iconic Brand 54:40 Will AI Replace
Branding Agencies? 1:00:36 Favorite Projects and Most Fun Collabs
1:05:22 Why Creative Breaks Are Critical 1:07:54 Crumbl, Duolingo,
and What’s Trending Now 1:11:30 How to Choose the Right Branding
Partner 1:20:35 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more
about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices