Think Editorial with Flavia Barbat
Think Editorial with Flavia Barbat
Podcast Description
I stand where editorial and brands meet. Where writing and society meet. Where thinking and people meet. Since I was 23, I've been known as the editor-in-chief of Brandingmag, an independent and global journal narrating the discussion around branding with insightful sources of thought leadership from the industry. It's a platform that I dedicated to long-form, educational content at a time when the world became obsessed with short attention spans, content templates, and engagement metrics.
And guess what? It led to one of the most durable brand reputations I've ever seen.
What many people are only now discovering is that I've been applying the same mindset and principles to some of the largest brands on the planet, consulting them on their own editorial strategies. I know and believe in the power of communications, in building legacy through language—and I'm not the only one.
I launched Think Editorial out of a desire to share the brilliant conversations I have with people I'm privileged to meet. We're all communicating on a regular basis, and to probe that fact continues to bring me immense joy. Whether you focus on public relations, content strategy, marketing, or any other bridge between brand and audience, these dialogues will alter your thinking and your state for the better.
In fact, any person (regardless of role or goal) can benefit from some solid editorial thinking, especially nowadays. So, take a listen, leave a review, and follow along directly:
→ @flaviabarbat on LinkedIn
→ @thinkeditorial on Instagram & TikTok
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{· Organic, 100% human-generated content
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on branding, editorial strategies, and communication practices, featuring episodes that explore personal branding, the relationship between verbal and visual identity, and the challenges of modern content creation. For instance, discussions with guests like Georgina Rutherford revolve around building personal brand strategies and overcoming the pressure to use AI in creative processes.
I stand where editorial and brands meet. Where writing and society meet. Where thinking and people meet. Since I was 23, I’ve been known as the editor-in-chief of Brandingmag, an independent and global journal narrating the discussion around branding with insightful sources of thought leadership from the industry. It’s a platform that I dedicated to long-form, educational content at a time when the world became obsessed with short attention spans, content templates, and engagement metrics.
And guess what? It led to one of the most durable brand reputations I’ve ever seen.
What many people are only now discovering is that I’ve been applying the same mindset and principles to some of the largest brands on the planet, consulting them on their own editorial strategies. I know and believe in the power of communications, in building legacy through language—and I’m not the only one.
I launched Think Editorial out of a desire to share the brilliant conversations I have with people I’m privileged to meet. We’re all communicating on a regular basis, and to probe that fact continues to bring me immense joy. Whether you focus on public relations, content strategy, marketing, or any other bridge between brand and audience, these dialogues will alter your thinking and your state for the better.
In fact, any person (regardless of role or goal) can benefit from some solid editorial thinking, especially nowadays. So, take a listen, leave a review, and follow along directly:
→ @flaviabarbat on LinkedIn
→ @thinkeditorial on Instagram & TikTok
—————————
{· Organic, 100% human-generated content
Kate Watts, CEO of independent brand consultancy Fifty Thousand Feet and Brandingmag contributor, joins host Flavia Barbat to unpack why thought leadership has been “neutered,” flattened into polished code by comms teams, frameworks, and algorithms until brands and executives sound like everyone else.
Drawing on thirty years across agencies and her time running the consultancy inside The Atlantic, she argues that commercial transparency is a creative advantage, not something to apologize for, and that leaders should reclaim their own voice and “full chest it” rather than hide behind a sanitized persona. This episode also explores why AI is exposing brands that deliver slop, the trouble with treating AI assistance like a scarlet letter, and why the next wave of genuine thought leadership will come not just from the C-suite but from the people doing the work every day.
Here’s a breakdown of their conversation:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:58 The networking-or-selling conference
00:07:56 The purpose-driven pendulum
00:12:43 Vanilla vs. disingenuous
00:16:25 Brands coming back to the customer
00:17:38 Losing agency to the comms team
00:19:40 Time for original thought
00:21:46 Flexible, not framework-driven
00:24:02 Can brand-led thought leadership work?
00:27:36 Editorial value in commercial content
00:30:05 Authenticity as the real differentiator
00:32:08 Owned and earned, sourced by AI
00:43:47 AI labeling and its nuances
00:48:33 Brandingmag’s labeling choice vs. Substack
00:51:32 Building a personal thought-leadership brand
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