18. Creating Connection Through Content: The Brand Networks Approach

🎙️ Episode Summary: “Creating Connection Through Content: The Brand Networks Approach”

In this episode of the Training Impact Podcast, host Jeff Walter welcomes Josh Gelfat, Vice President of Marketing at Brand Networks, for an insightful conversation on how digital marketing, automation, and education intersect to help businesses of all sizes thrive.

Josh brings a unique perspective shaped by an eclectic career across agency, publishing, and tech environments—having worked with brands like Oreo and Chips Ahoy, led branded content initiatives at BuzzFeed, and helped global advertisers reach audiences at Twitter. That cross-industry experience informs his approach at Brand Networks, where marketing is not just about reach—it’s about empowerment through understanding.

Josh shares how Brand Networks has evolved since its founding in 2007 as one of the first cross-platform ad technology companies. In the early days, the company served as a one-stop partner for major advertisers—helping nearly half of the Fortune 100 manage campaigns across multiple social networks before each platform had its own ad manager. Over time, the company expanded into new products that bridge enterprise marketing and human creativity.

One of those products, Be an Influencer, began as a project for Walmart and now helps global brands like Starbucks activate their own employees as authentic content creators. The idea is simple but powerful: transform everyday team members into credible advocates who can create and share local-level content that aligns with brand guidelines. As Josh explains, this approach not only humanizes marketing but also supports internal learning—teaching employees to think like marketers, storytellers, and brand stewards.

Jeff draws a parallel between that concept and learner-generated content in training programs: empowering individuals to teach, share, and model best practices from within. “It’s like employee training meets marketing enablement,” Jeff notes, “and the result is better engagement and stronger brand alignment.” Josh agrees, highlighting how Brand Networks’ platform ensures all user-generated content meets corporate standards through built-in brand-safety verification.

From there, the discussion turns to Aimy—Brand Networks’ newest innovation. Aimy is a conversational AI assistant designed to help small businesses and franchises plan, buy, and manage digital ads across channels like Meta, Google, YouTube, and even streaming TV. For entrepreneurs who can’t afford a full marketing department, Aimy brings enterprise-grade capabilities into a simple chat interface.

Josh emphasizes that accessibility is the mission: “Our goal is to give every business—whether it’s a national franchise or a local bakery—the tools to advertise effectively without needing to be a marketing expert.” To make that possible, Brand Networks is embedding education directly into the platform. Tutorials, conversational prompts, and help modules guide users step-by-step through unfamiliar concepts like impressions, reach, or click-through rates.

That fusion of technology, training, and enablement resonates deeply with the Training Impact audience. As Jeff points out, Brand Networks isn’t just building products—it’s building confidence. The company’s success illustrates a broader shift happening across industries: when technology companies prioritize user learning, adoption accelerates, engagement improves, and impact multiplies.

Josh closes by sharing his enthusiasm for where Brand Networks is headed. The company continues to expand its suite of localization tools, helping multi-location brands quickly adapt creative content for regional audiences—a challenge familiar to franchisors and partner-based organizations. The same mindset that drives Brand Networks’ product innovation—making complexity simple through education—is what makes its story so relevant to training leaders.

This episode is a fascinating look at how a marketing technology firm became a model for user education and empowerment. It’s a reminder that every great technology—whether in advertising or training—succeeds not just because of what it does, but because of how well people learn to use it.

🔗 Learn more about Brand Networks at https://bn.co/