As a CEO or brand owner, you need to ask yourself: are you making an impact or just looking busy?
If your team isn’t challenging the status quo and pushing beyond the script, you’re leaving opportunities for innovation on the table.
To drive extraordinary results, you need to focus on tactical problem-solving and you can’t do that by playing safe.
In our latest DesignRush Podcast episode, I sat down with Alex Myers, founder and CEO of Manifest, and one of the most respected leaders in the marketing industry today.
Here’s what we discussed:
- How successful brands don’t play by the rules — they shake things up and challenge the status quo to drive real change
- Why CEOs who never stumble are standing still — progress requires pushing beyond the comfort zone
- How authenticity isn’t achieved by avoiding mistakes; it’s built by embracing them, learning, and using them as a catalyst for growth and resilience
Who is Alex Myers?
Alex Myers is the Founder and Global CEO of Manifest, an award-winning brand communications agency with studios worldwide. Under his leadership, Manifest won PR Week’s “International and UK Agency of the Year” in 2019, creating groundbreaking campaigns for brands like Apple and Sony PlayStation. Beyond the agency, he co-founded Ecologi, a climate action nonprofit, and serves on Brewgooder’s board, championing social entrepreneurship and diversity in the creative landscape.
Alex’s mantra? “Build brands that change the world.”
He’s all about brands investing in authentic, purposeful actions — not just for the feel-good factor but because they forge deeper connections and stronger audience loyalty. Authenticity and empathy are the real drivers of trust and reputation management.
“The brands that will succeed are the ones that seem connected to my personal daily life, allow me to connect to a broader community, and feel naturally creative in an idiosyncratic way.
But that's if you're building a brand and a campaign that tackles a real challenge and changes the world, quite literally. You know, if that’s your ambition.
I think brands, if they want to connect to this new psychographic, need to find a way to build campaigns that people can join.”
Remember that Nike ad with Colin Kaepernick? Yeah, that one was about as controversial as socks with sandals. Kaepernick took a knee and called out the whole game with: “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.”
So, what makes brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, and Tesla the legends that they are? They’re like the cool kids who refuse to sit at the ‘safe and traditional’ lunch table.
Instead, they flip that table and break the mold — because, honestly, this industry needs more pot-stirrers.
Play it safe, and you’re yesterday’s news. Push boundaries, and you make history. Simple.
“A good idea sends a shiver down your spine, but a great idea scares the [hell] out of you — get used to it,” Alex states.
Check out the full episode with Alex over on Spotify:
88% of Customers Demand Authenticity — Are You Just Another Face in the Crowd?
Let’s get real for a second — playing it safe turns you into background noise.
Sure, going bold is risky, and you might not always hit your ideal target, but you'll connect with those who truly understand your mission.
That’s the real win, as it builds long-term loyalty with customers who choose you for a reason.
As Hubspot points out, if your brand isn’t actively building authenticity, you’re just another bland company no one remembers.
To really drive this home, Nosto found that 88% of customers say authenticity matters, and for half of them, it’s a deal breaker when deciding which brands to support.
“No one ever became famous by doing what everyone else did, just a bit better.
If you don't have a brand strategy, you only have a transaction, which is indeed a biddable price, but you'll have to keep bidding more and more for it.
A significant brand measures its success by the positive impact it has on its audience and its customers.”
Here’s the reality: 59% of folks trust user-generated content more than anything your marketing team can cook up
So, let your audience do some of the talking.
And, as cliché as this might sound, trust is everything.
81% of customers wouldn’t even think about spending a dime unless they trust you, according to an Edelman report, while 86% of them need to believe you're legit before they even consider sticking around — and who can blame them?
All it takes is one bad rumor and you’re toast. In fact, 21% will drop you like a hot potato, even if they’ve never bought anything from you, as found by a 2024 Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report.
Why CEOs Should Mess Up the Most — and Care the Least About It
Having big ambitions as a leader can feel like climbing a steep mountain.
As Alex says, big dreams require big risks, and with that comes feedback — both good and bad.
The key to building an authentic brand? Embrace mistakes as proof that you’re genuinely trying, not just following the rules.
“We’re very used to testing and learning, right? So there are only ideas that work and ideas you learn from. There’s no such thing as a mistake or failure because everything is about progress.”
A CEO's role is to take risks, make mistakes, and grow from them. If you’re not messing up, you’re not pushing hard enough. The more you stumble, the more authentic your brand becomes, as authenticity thrives on vulnerability and resilience.
In a recent DesignRush Podcast episode, Ushi Patel discusses why authenticity is the only loyalty strategy executives need. Check it out!
“If you think of the idea of a CEO as someone who doesn’t make mistakes, then I believe the CEO is actually the person who should make the most mistakes and care the least about them.”
The biggest takeaway from our conversation with Alex is this: Leaders are shaped by their willingness to face challenges head-on.
At Manifest, he designed a system encouraging employees to take risks early, building authenticity from the ground up.
True leadership — and true brand authenticity — comes from owning your missteps, learning from them, and using those lessons to create something real that people can trust and relate to.
Got an exclusive story to share? Send it over to spotlight@designrush.com and let’s make headlines together!
