Silicon Valley's New Trendsetting Agency and Its Role in TBPN's Brand Identity

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How can a nascent media entity make a significant impact in tech circles?

The solution? Enlist the expertise of Day Job, a creative powerhouse based in Los Angeles.

This is precisely what the creators of 'Technology Business Programming Network', popularly known as TBPN, did to elevate their podcast's brand and aesthetic.

Rion Harmon, cofounder of Day Job, envisioned a scene filled with a 'mosaic of logos', reminiscent of Formula 1 cars, enveloped in a 'country-club' shade of forest green, adorned with retro VHS effects.

The idea was to land the feel somewhere between a news outlet and a sports commentary channel, leading to rebranding from ‘Technology Brothers Podcast’ to TBPN.

'They're innovating,' Harmon explained. 'It's fresh, it's energetic, it doesn’t echo your typical journalism. It has a pulse. We aimed to mirror their dynamism and the humor in overt sponsorship.'

TBPN achieved remarkable success. Launching in 2024, it quickly became the spotlight for tech titans like Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Palmer Luckey of Anduril. Leading publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal featured its hosts, John Coogan and Jordi Hays, citing expected $5 million in earnings this year.

Day Job: Bridging CPG Brands and Tech Startups

Since its inception by Harmon and Spen Madsen in 2018, Day Job has remained an independent venture with a team spread across LA, New York, Portland, and Europe. This agency has collaborated with versatile brands ranging from the caffeine-infused pastels of CBD drink Recess to spicy condiment Fly By Jing. Additionally, they have been instrumental in branding Coogan's Zyn rival, Excel.

Their expertise spans early brand development to refined creative execution and advanced marketing strategies.

Initially rooted in consumer goods like Recess and the viral protein bar named David—plastered on colossal New York City billboards—the agency is now attracting increasing interest from tech companies.

Patron, a VC firm prioritizing consumer startups, enlisted Day Job’s services for a complete brand revamp, along with Stuut, an AI venture with backing from Andreessen Horowitz. The agency has crafted ad campaigns for Bland AI and the crypto platform Gemini as well.

According to Harmon, 'Tech is at a pivotal moment where strong branding is invaluable. The challenge is to resonate deeply with consumers amidst dense market chatter.'

Rethinking Tech Branding

The technology landscape is marked by repetitiveness.

Amber Atherton from Patron noted, 'There's a saturation in design uniformity—every platform shares the same typographies, and interfaces mimic one another.'

Establishing a unique brand presence is particularly challenging for AI companies.

Harmon commented on AI’s branding concerns: 'While the Valley gravitates towards it, AI often carries a foreboding sense of job disruption.'

In working with Stuut, which harnesses AI for payment processing, Day Job sought to shift the narrative, positioning it as a helpful tool.

'This isn't intimidating tech,' Harmon said of Stuut’s brand, 'It aids productivity so you can relish family time or a child’s soccer game.'

The Stuut mascot, inspired by retro time-card machines, playfully devours invoices and, upon reaching the website's footer, 'blows a kiss.'

Atherton further stated, 'Effective storytelling is pivotal—whether in securing funds, recruiting, or taking a company public.'

Rising Demand for Creative Innovators

Hays observed, 'The barrier to crafting creative content is lower than ever. Anyone can utilize tools like ChatGPT to generate a website.'

Yet, he emphasized that the proliferation of AI is distinctly heightening demand for innovative thinkers who can 'shatter conventional thinking and pierce through the clamor.'

This landscape provides comfort to Harmon as he anticipates the evolving role of creative agencies like Day Job.

'Naming our protein bar David isn’t a result of AI,' Harmon quipped.

Brands are realizing that AI isn’t a magic bullet for maintaining relevance and customer approval.

Reflecting on this, Harmon said, 'Perhaps our worth escalates, given the mean standardization. AI replicates the past well, yet it struggles with envisioning what lies ahead.'