Strange Coordinates

Hosted by territorial

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Strap in. We're going on a trip! Robert and Topher, cofounders of advertising agency Territorial, explore the weird, compelling, and sometimes forgotten corners of our culture through a surprising lens: the brands we all know and/or love. Every episode uses a familiar brand as a roadmap to stories you would never imagine to help you see the world in a new way. To learn more about Robert Balog & Topher Burns, and their work at Territorial, visit www.weareterritorial.com or find them on LinkedIn.

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33 recent

June 17, 202652 min

Strange(r) Coordinates: NBZ

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (or just Cannes if you’re normal) is coming up, and we’ve got the perfect tour guides. Rachel Segall and Simone Mandel of the growth platform and consultancy NBZ take us behind the festival facades and endless flows of rosé they experienced last year to give us a sense of what to expect next week. We talk about the shifting ecosystem of advertising, hyper-commercialization of the festival beaches, and how lean indie shops are successfully crashing a party historically dominated by legacy holding companies. Learn more about NBZ: https://www.nbzpartner.com/ --- territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world. To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorial Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@strangecoordinates Want to see our faces while we talk? Find Strange Coordinates on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@strangecoordinates--- Show art & design by Chris Allen Editing & Video editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/ Marketing by Billy Silverman Episode music by Blue Dot Sessions

June 9, 202654 min

Strange(r) Coordinates: Decyd

In our newest episode of Strange Coordinates, we’re diving into the pharmaceutical industry with Michelle Nguyen and Barbara Salami of Decyd to explore how AI is transforming how new drugs are brought to market. They break down why so many brilliant medical innovations flop on launch, how their platform acts as "genetic testing" for drug assets, and why the near-term financial payoff for commercial AI outpaces R&D by over a decade. Learn more about Decyd: https://decyd.ai/ --- territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world. To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorial Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@strangecoordinates Want to see our faces while we talk? You can also find Strange Coordinates on YouTube: --- Show art & design by Chris Allen Editing & Video editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/ Marketing by Billy Silverman Episode music by Blue Dot Sessions

May 27, 202642 min

Strange(r) Coordinates: Laura Kaye

In our latest episode of Strange Coordinates, we dive into the fast-moving world of consumer electronics with Laura Kaye, Global Social Media Director at Booking.com. Drawing from her years at Samsung Mobile, Laura breaks down how tech giants engineer brand love, while navigating the rising consumer craving for digital detoxes. --- Show notes: Find Laura Kaye on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraaokaye/ Find Laura Kaye on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraaokaye/ Ingenius - Samsung makes fun of iPhone X: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr37mJ37WOYSamsung - Ostrich (2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arpbDsa8IRU --- territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world. To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorial Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@strangecoordinates Want to see our faces while we talk? You can also find Strange Coordinates on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@strangecoordinates--- Show art & design by Chris Allen Editing & Video editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/ Marketing by Billy Silverman Episode music by Blue Dot Sessions

May 6, 202659 min

Thumb Kind of Wonderful (ep 18)

In our newest episode of Strange Coordinates, we’re going back to 2009: the year of Kanye at the VMAs, the Miracle on the Hudson, and the 56% market share peak of the BlackBerry. But this isn't just a nostalgia trip. We’re digging into how a tactile email machine reshaped global politics, contributed to the 2008 financial crisis, and turned us all into rats in a digital Skinner Box. Are you using your phone, or is it using you?------ Show notes: A brief, ignoble history of the BlackBerry on Wall Street: https://www.marketplace.org/story/2011/12/13/brief-ignoble-history-blackberry-wall-street Wall Street’s ‘CrackBerry’ Withdrawal (Published 2011): https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/wall-streets-crackberry-withdrawal/ A Romance With Risk That Brought On a Panic (Published 2011): https://archive.nytimes.com/dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/a-romance-with-risk-that-brought-on-a-panic/ Clinton BlackBerry photo led to State official’s query about email account: https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2016/06/hillary-clinton-emails-probe-blackberry-224154 What's Behind BlackBerry Addiction: https://www.inc.com/hardware/articles/200610/blackberryaddict.html ---territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world. To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorialFollow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@strangecoordinatesWant to see our faces while we talk? You can also find Strange Coordinates on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StrangeCoordinates---Show art & design by Chris AllenMarketing by Billy SilvermanEpisode music by Blue Dot SessionsEditing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/

March 26, 202623 min

Strange(r) Coordinates: Zesty Paws Shoot BTS

Usually on Strange Coordinates, we use brands as roadmaps to arrive at surprising places. Today, we’re arriving somewhere literal: a production set.We’ve pulled back the curtain on our latest collaboration with Zesty Paws to explore the friction, the "hot lights," and the specific magic that happens when creative intuition meets analytical rigor. We’re interviewing the makers and the marketers from both the territorial and Zesty Paws teams to find out what actually happens behind the monitor.---Learn more about Zesty Paws: https://zestypaws.com/---territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world.To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorialFollow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@strangecoordinatesWant to see our faces while we talk? You can also find Strange Coordinates on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StrangeCoordinatesSubscribe to our newsletter: https://forms.gle/YH9y99y1d9ZVKNm28Learn about our approach to Bot-Friendly Branding: https://www.weareterritorial.com/bot-friendly-branding---CreditsShow art & design by Chris AllenEditing by Topher BurnsMarketing by Billy SilvermanEpisode music by Blue Dot Sessions

February 18, 202656 min

Branded Little Pill (ep 17)

In our newest episode of Strange Coordinates, we dive into Eli Lilly and the fine line between being a "pharmaceutical company" and "a medicine company." We track their journey from standardizing doses in the 1800s to navigating the cultural minefield of GLP-1s and a $15 billion Twitter crisis. Everyone wants to be a hero… but do they have the history to back it up? --- territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world. To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorial Follow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@strangecoordinates Want to see our faces while we talk? You can also find Strange Coordinates on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StrangeCoordinates--- Show art & design by Chris Allen Marketing by Billy Silverman Episode music by Blue Dot Sessions Video editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/

December 11, 20251 hr 12 min

Do Robots Dream of Brands? (ep 16)

In our newest episode of Strange Coordinates, we dive into OpenAI and the identity crisis happening across the landscape. Everyone’s racing to make emotional, cinematic ads… but do they know what they stand for?---territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world. To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.comFollow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorialFollow us on TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@strangecoordinatesSubscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StrangeCoordinates ---Show art & design by Chris AllenEditing by Steph GeorgeMarketing by Billy SilvermanEpisode music by Blue Dot SessionsVideo editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/

October 30, 202545 min

Strange(r) Coordinates: Kelly Colbert

In our latest Strange(r) Coordinates interview, we sat down with Kelly Colbert, fractional CMO for the Humane Society, to explore how brand strategy works when your goal is purpose, not profit. From her days at Anthem to leading communications for one of the world’s top animal welfare organizations, Kelly shares insights on authenticity, empathy, and storytelling that connects hearts as much as minds.---https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellycolbert/---📌 Subscribe on YouTube for more Strange(r) Coordinates: https://www.youtube.com/@StrangeCoordinates?sub_confirmation=1---Subscribe to our mailing list: https://forms.gle/YH9y99y1d9ZVKNm28Learn about our approach to Bot-Friendly Branding: https://www.weareterritorial.com/bot-friendly-branding---CreditsShow art & design by Chris AllenEditing by Steph GeorgeMarketing by Billy SilvermanEpisode music by Blue Dot SessionsVideo editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/

October 1, 20251 hr 12 min

In For A Treat (ep 15)

How did a simple dog biscuit become a cultural icon? 🦴In this episode of Strange Coordinates, Topher Burns and Robert Balog explore the surprising story of Milk-Bone — a brand that turned an everyday pet treat into a ritual, a household name, and even a piece of advertising history.You’ll learn:🐾 How Milk-Bone went from functional snack to cultural symbol🐾 Why advertising shaped not just what dogs eat, but how people relate to them🐾 The role of play, absurdity, and memory in building lasting brandsIf you’ve ever given your dog a treat without thinking twice, you’ve been part of Milk-Bone’s story.---territorial is an advertising agency that helps brands find their place in the world. To see our work and learn more about what we do, visit weareterritorial.com and follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareterritorialSubscribe to our mailing list: https://forms.gle/YH9y99y1d9ZVKNm28Learn about our approach to Bot-Friendly Branding: https://www.weareterritorial.com/bot-friendly-branding---Show art & design by Chris AllenEditing by Steph GeorgeMarketing by Billy SilvermanEpisode music by Blue Dot SessionsVideo editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/

September 9, 202552 min

Strange(r) Coordinates: Ben Jenkins

In this episode of Strange(r) Coordinates, Aydan Sarikaya and Robert Balog talk with Ben Jenkins about the signals, impressions, and contexts that drive creative work and shape how people experience brands. From the way we read meaning before we hear messages, to the role of culture in creativity, this conversation explores the messy, human side of brand building.We discuss:Why brands are interpreted faster than they’re understoodHow ambiguity and creativity go hand in handWhat it means to make meaning in a world of noise and speedIf branding is about stories, this episode shows why you don’t always get to hold the pen.---Ben Jenkins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bensjenkins/Okay Human on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/okayhuman/---Subscribe to our mailing list: https://forms.gle/YH9y99y1d9ZVKNm28Learn about our approach to Bot-Friendly Branding: https://www.weareterritorial.com/bot-friendly-branding---CreditsShow art & design by Chris AllenEditing by Steph GeorgeMarketing by Billy SilvermanEpisode music by Blue Dot SessionsVideo editing by Patrick Elmore: https://www.patrickelmore.co/