🎧 Episode: “Brand, Balls & Breaking the Mould: Property as It Should Be”

If you’re tired of property podcasts that play it safe, this one’s for you.

In this energetic and unfiltered episode of The Viking Chats, Kristjan Byfield is joined by Dan Marsden, founder of the award-winning brand agency Marsden & Co., and a force of nature when it comes to brand-first thinking in the property sector.

Dan’s not your typical marketing guy. He’s not here to flog templates, spew buzzwords, or pitch 50-page decks. He’s here to challenge the industry’s obsession with “sameness,” demand better from agency brands, and show us why bold beats beige every single time.

This isn’t just a conversation about logos and fonts. It’s a deep dive into identity, leadership, growth, failure, grit—and what it really takes to build a property business that people trust, follow, and champion.

💥 The Problem with Polite

Dan pulls no punches about what’s broken in estate and letting agency branding. Too many firms are stuck trying to please everyone—and in the process, they say nothing at all.

You’ll hear why:

• Bland, neutral branding kills growth
• Playing it safe is costing you market share
• “Professional” doesn’t have to mean personality-free

From independent agencies to corporates and proptech brands, Dan argues that the future belongs to the bold—and that the best marketing strategy is being yourself, loudly and consistently.

🚀 Scaling with Soul

Kristjan and Dan discuss the challenge of growing without losing what made your business special in the first place. It’s something many agency owners wrestle with: how do you scale the human, the humour, the heart?

Dan shares how Marsden & Co. helps property businesses retain their DNA while building brands that are scalable, sellable and sustainable. That means:

• Clarifying what you stand for
• Creating internal cultures that match your external voice
• Building consistency without becoming robotic

At a time when consolidation is everywhere, and private equity looms large, this is essential listening for founders and directors who still give a damn.

🧠 Why Brand Isn’t a Department

Let’s be clear: brand isn’t just about the visual stuff. It’s your customer experience, your people, your comms, your tone of voice, your reputation—all of it.

Dan breaks down:

• The difference between a “brand” and a “business name”
• Why most property firms think too small when it comes to identity
• How having a defined personality makes recruitment, marketing and growth easier (and cheaper)

The big truth? If you don’t define your brand, someone else will. And it probably won’t be flattering.

🔧 Bravery Beats Budget

This episode is full of real-world advice for agents and proptech leaders who want to make braver brand decisions—even without a huge budget.

From start-ups to long-standing agencies, Dan offers no-BS guidance on:

• How to stop blending in with everyone else
• Why most rebrands fail (and what to do instead)
• When to use humour, when to get serious, and when to stop talking altogether

Whether you’ve got £500 or £50,000 to spend, this episode will shift your thinking.

💡 Why This Episode Matters

In a world where portals dominate, tech stacks grow, and everyone’s “client-first,” your brand is the last piece of differentiation you truly own.

Dan Marsden makes the case that brand isn’t fluff—it’s leverage. It’s how you attract landlords, win landlords, keep landlords. It’s how you hire better, sell faster, retain more and get recommended again and again.

And the best part? You don’t need pe

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