Brian Cooley is the Chief Marketing Officer at PlayVS, a leading scholastic esports platform in North America, where he brings over 25 years of experience in marketing. His marketing career began in the automotive industry with Land Rover North America, where he spent three years focusing on customer relationship marketing and retail operations. Brian then transitioned to the tech industry, spending six years with IBM. He continued his tech-focused trajectory at Blackboard, where he served as Senior Director of Global Marketing Services before advancing to Vice President of Global Demand Generation. Brian spent the next nine years as CMO at EverFi, deepening his role in edtech by leading the company’s marketing strategy. Now, in his first year as CMO of PlayVS, he leverages his rich background in edtech and marketing to drive growth and expand the platform’s reach in the competitive scholastic esports market.PlayVS was founded in 2018 and is now a leading esports platform in North America, partnering with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to provide and host organized competitive gaming in high schools across all 50 U.S. states and Canada. As of November 2023, PlayVS expanded access by removing enrollment fees for its state and regional leagues, making participation free for high schools. This initiative has likely increased the number of participating schools, which was around 4,000 as of late 2023.In today’s show, Alan and Brian dive into the booming market for collegiate and scholastic esports, exploring how partnerships with professional sports leagues are creating new opportunities for access and growth. They also discuss PlayVS’s collaboration with the Special Olympics to increase accessibility for students and why esports and gaming are essential areas for marketers to watch closely.In this episode, you'll learn:How marketing to the new generations changes the gameWhy marketers should pay attention to esports and gamingWhat to consider when partnering with an influencerKey Highlights:[01:37] How growing up in many different countries has influenced you[03:03] The most interesting meal from your travels[04:52] Career path to PlayVS[08:33] What is PlayVS[10:35] How PlayVS got started[15:17] The esports that PlayVS focuses on[17:42] Partnerships with pro sports[20:35] Partnership with the Special Olympics[22:17] Why marketers should care about esports and gaming[26:02] Experience from your past that defines you[28:10] Advice to your younger self[30:12] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about[32:29] Trends or subcultures others should follow[34:45] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Gaither is the CMO of Feetures, a high-performance sock brand. He joined Feetures in 2009 as a tech rep supporting sales, traveling to 49 states, meeting with thousands of retailers to strengthen Feetures' B2B partnerships and establish it as their preferred sock brand. Joe transitioned into a leadership role, managing the sales force in the Western United States. He later shifted his focus to marketing, where he helped build and grow Feetures' marketing department and expanded its Direct-to-Consumer sales channel. Today, Joe oversees marketing, ecommerce, and customer service, three key components of the customer experience. Under his leadership, direct-to-consumer sales have become the fastest-growing segment of the business.Feetures is a brand known for producing high-performance socks designed for both athletic and everyday wear. The brand emphasizes comfort, durability, and foot health, using targeted compression, anatomical design, and moisture-wicking fabrics to provide superior support. Their seamless construction makes them a favorite among runners, hikers, and other active individuals. Feetures holds the title of America’s #1 running sock brand by market share in the run specialty industry.In today’s show, Alan and Joe discuss the evolution of Feetures, which began as a family business launched by Joe’s father. They explore the brand’s future, including the upcoming launch of their first non-sock product in the U.S., marking their expansion beyond their core category. They also dive into the current state of the running industry, strategies for standing out in a crowded market, and the challenges of navigating the landscape as an omni-channel brand.In this episode, you'll learn: What it takes to stand out in a crowded marketThe mindset behind navigating as a successful omni-channel brandKey considerations when deciding to launch into a new categoryKey Highlights: [01:45] Sibling CMO’s, is marketing in the DNA [03:09] Path to CMO at Feetures[07:33] What is the scope of Feetures[10:05] Family business and a shift of generations[12:08] Current state of the running industry today[15:51] Differentiating in cluttered category[18:45] Expansion with new product [22:03] Being an omni-channel brand [26:17] Experience of your past that defines you[28:24] Advice to younger self[29:17] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about[31:11] Trends or subcultures others should follow[32:30] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sue Hermann is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at BOK Financial. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and began her career in public relations. As Director of Corporate Communications and Content, she led a team responsible for internal and executive communications, public relations, and content development. Later, she became the Senior Vice President and Director of Communications at CoBiz Financial Inc. When BOK Financial acquired CoBiz Financial in 2018, Sue joined BOK Financial, where she had served as Director of Communications since 2000 and CMO since 2022.BOK Financial Corporation, headquartered in Tulsa, OK, is a top 25 U.S. bank with $50 billion in assets and a wealth division managing over $107 billion in assets under management and administration. While rooted in the Midwest and Southwest, BOK Financial serves clients nationwide. The corporation operates under various names, including Bank of Oklahoma and Bank of Texas, with a diverse range of services. In addition to commercial and consumer banking, BOK Financial offers brokerage, trading, investment services, mortgage origination and servicing, as well as one of the nation's top 10 electronic funds transfer networks.On today’s show, Alan and Sue discuss her journey to becoming CMO at BOK Financial and the current state of marketing and banking today. They also delve into gender diversity in finance, balancing a career with motherhood/parenthood, and what leaders need to recognize about their teams to foster the right environments and cultures.In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of gender diversity in financeMarketing trends impacting the banking industryInsights and challenges from balancing motherhood and careerKey Highlights: [01:15] Wanting to be a coroner [02:39] Career path to CMO at BOK Financial [05:02] What is BOK Financial [07:00] The current state of marketing today[08:12] The importance of relationships[09:36] Gender diversity [14:12] Approach on blending parenthood and career[20:20] What insight leaders need to take from parenthood[24:34] Experience of your past that defines you[25:40] Advice to younger self[25:56] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about, AI[27:45] Trends or subcultures others should follow, Gen Z[29:15] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers today, noise Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shiri Hellmann is the VP of Global Brand Communications at Fiverr, with extensive experience in brand building, e-commerce, and consumer goods. Her diverse career began on the agency side before transitioning to the client side, where she led marketing communications for Bezeq International, Israel's largest telecommunications company, handling both B2B and B2C services. She later served as Head of Global Marketing Communication at SodaStream, overseeing campaigns in over 42 countries. Shiri then became VP of Marketing for SodaStream in the US, spearheading the brand's first Super Bowl ad. After returning to Israel, she freelanced with startups, focusing on brand strategy, research, and campaign execution. Shiri began using Fiverr in her freelance work and has since joined the Fiverr team as VP of Global Brand Communications. Fiverr is an online marketplace created to revolutionize the way the world collaborates by democratizing access to talent. Today, it is the largest marketplace of its kind, connecting freelancers and businesses in over 160 countries and offering more than 700 categories to choose from. On today’s show, Alan and Shiri discuss her journey to Fiverr and the increasing shift toward freelancing. They highlight the projection that by 2027, half of the U.S. workforce will be freelancing in some capacity and explore how Fiverr is positioning itself to capitalize on this trend. The conversation then turns to the impact of return-to-office mandates and the growing influence of AI in the freelance industry.  They also dive into the recent campaign featuring Martha Stewart as a participant in the Fiverr freelance community.In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of understanding local culture when driving global marketing successThe impacts of return-to-office mandatesHow AI is affecting the freelance communityKey Highlights: [01:40] Experience of being a birthday clown[03:22] Career path[09:07] What is Fiverr[10:30] How is Fiverr facilitating the freelance movement[12:35] Impact of return-to-office mandates[15:01] Impact of AI on freelance community [19:28] Latest brand campaign with Martha Stewart[21:55] What makes great marketing[22:53] Experience of your past that defines you[24:37] Advice to younger self[25:09] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about[27:25] Trends or subcultures others should follow[30:25] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christopher "Chris" Carl became the first U.S. Head of Marketing at AliExpress in 2023. Under his leadership, order volume increased by 60%, the brand's share of voice grew by 75%, headcount expanded by 400%, social media following surged by 500%, and brand awareness doubled. Chris’s impressive marketing career began as an intern at Calvin Klein. He then moved to BBDO in Germany, where he worked on pricing strategies, market expansions, and e-commerce development for European brands. Following this, he launched the U.S. office for Pulse Advertising, focusing on influencer marketing, and served as COO and President. He also founded his own men’s grooming brand before taking on his current role at AliExpress, where he continues to make a significant impact.AliExpress is a global online retail platform owned by the Alibaba Group, headquartered in China. Launched in 2010, it connects buyers with a wide range of sellers, primarily manufacturers and wholesalers from China, offering products at competitive prices. AliExpress focus is on facilitating international trade by allowing businesses and individuals to sell a wide range of products to consumers around the world at an affordable cost.On today's show, Alan and Chris discuss what AliExpress is and how it fits within the Alibaba Group. They explore advertising campaigns and partnerships, including the recent collaboration with UEFA and the latest campaign featuring David Beckham. Their conversation also touches on consumer behavior, the future of e-commerce, and how AliExpress plans to capitalize on emerging trends.In this episode, you'll learn: Strategies to enhance the online shopping experience while driving affordabilityInsights into consumer behavior and its implications for market positioningInnovative approaches to leverage emerging trends for competitive advantageKey Highlights: [01:35] Story of being brushed with fame in New York[03:13] Career path[07:20] Insights you gained from prior career experiences [11:42] AliExpress’ aspirations in the U.S.[14:00] State of U.S. consumers today[16:30] Where AliExpress is focusing its energy[19:23] Campaign with David Beckham [22:33] What’s next for AliExpress[24:55] Experience of your past that defines you[26:18] Advice to younger self[27:11] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about[28:13] Trends or subcultures others should follow[29:37] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave Edelman is a sought-after advisor on digital transformation and marketing, a professor, and an author. He teaches marketing at Harvard Business School and advises top executives on AI and personalization. Dave began his career as a young consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, where he coined the term “Segment-of-One Marketing.” Dave also guided Aetna (now part of CVS Health) as CMO through its transformation into a digitally oriented, customer-centric brand. Recognized multiple times by Forbes as one of the “Most Influential CMOs in the World” and by AdWeek as one of the “Top 20 Marketing and Technology Executives,” Dave has attracted over 1.1 million followers to his LinkedIn blog. His upcoming book, Personalized: Customer Strategy in the Age of AI, will be published by Harvard Business Press in October.On today's show, Alan and Dave discuss Dave’s upcoming book and the importance of personalization for companies. They delve into the '5 Promises of Personalization,' exploring how effective personalization can transform a company's brand and value proposition over time. They also examine the key conditions required for successful personalization marketing, and how the personalization index can be used to assess and enhance a company's personalization practices. Additionally, they discuss how personalization can unlock the growth potential of AI.In this episode, you'll learn: The 5 Promises of Personalization and how they can add value to your companyHow AI can enhance personalized marketingTips around building trust, a key component to personalizationKey Highlights: [01:40] Dave’s passion as a jazz player & how it parallels business[03:35] How Dave got into personalization[07:13] Why this book and why now? [09:03] Conditions needed for personalization [13:33] The 5 promises of personalization [18:40] Digging deeper into “Reach Me” [23:10] How trust factors in [25:33] How do you get better at “Delight Me”[28:44] Evolving your value proposition[32:00] Experience of your past that defines you[34:05] Advice to younger self[35:12] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about[36:27] Trends or subcultures others should follow[38:18] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

440: Entering the Consumer Market while Driving Sustainability with Elyse Winer CMO & GM of Consumer at GenPhoenixElyse Winer, CMO and GM of Consumer at GenPhoenix, began her career at Merrill Lynch before transitioning to healthcare consulting at Vynamic, where she gained branding and sales experience. She then moved into startups, leading marketing for Boston-based companies and collaborating with Reebok at MC10. Before joining GenPhoenix full-time, Elyse became a partner at Material Impact, a venture capital fund, where she served as interim CMO for GenPhoenix, overseeing a rebrand and their expansion into the consumer market. Her success in both startups and large companies has earned her numerous accolades, including Forbes' "30 Under 30" in Marketing & Advertising.GenPhoenix, founded in 2007 for the aviation industry, is a market leader in the mass transportation seating category, with over 250 airlines using their material. Their technology breaks down waste leather to the fiber level and uses recycled water to rebuild the fibers, creating a product even stronger than before. This recycled leather has an 86% lower carbon footprint compared to traditional leather. GenPhoenix has since expanded into the leather goods and footwear industries, collaborating with brands like Coach and Dr. Martens. To date, they have diverted more than 10,000 tons of waste from landfills.On today's show, Alan and Elyse discuss the sustainability of the fashion industry and its future direction. They explore how GenPhoenix is adapting, shifting from a predominantly B2B model to expanding into the consumer market. They also highlight partnerships with brands like Coachtopia and Dr. Martens, among others, and discuss strategies for promoting and protecting your brand in collaborations. Additionally, they discuss what early-stage companies and scale-ups, like GenPhoenix, should prioritize when allocating their marketing budgets.In this episode, you'll learn: Strategies when expanding into the consumer marketHow to protect and promote your brand in a collaborationWhat to prioritize when allocating marketing budgets, on a budgetKey Highlights: [01:37] What Snoop Dogg is like [04:36] Career path to GenPhoenix[11:00] What is GenPhoenix [14:25] What combined role of CMO and GM of Consumer looks like[18:05] Sustainability in the fashion industry[23:45] Expanding into the consumer market[27:49] How to protect your brand in a collaboration[35:22] How being budget constrained can drive creativity[40:47] Experience of your past that defines you[43:40] Advice to younger self[45:19] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about[47:35] Trends or subcultures others should follow[50:00] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Larry Weber is the Founder and Chairman of Racepoint Global and the founder of The Weber Group. He also engineered the merger of Weber Shandwick, making it the world’s largest public relations firm. With a career spanning over 45 years, Larry co-founded the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX). His impressive client list includes industry giants such as AT&T, Boston Scientific, John Deere, General Electric, General Motors, Panasonic, and Verizon, among others. Larry is the author of six books on marketing, technology, and leadership. His seventh book, A New Age of Reason: Harnessing the Power of Tech for Good, was released on August 6.Racepoint Global is an independent public relations agency based in Boston, Massachusetts. They specialize in providing integrated communications services to a wide range of clients, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Their focus is on helping B2B and consumer technology brands engage their audiences in meaningful ways.On today's show, Alan and Larry discuss the valuable insight Larry has learned from working with industry titans. They delve into the key themes of his new book, A New Age of Reason: Harnessing the Power of Tech for Good, examining the intersection of technology and humanity and the complementary forces they create. Exploring the concept of "tech for good", they discuss how traditional marketing has disappeared in today's world. They also talk about the evolving roles of earned, owned, and paid media in modern marketing.In this episode, you'll learn: How to build long-term customer loyaltyThe future of earned, owned and paid mediaHow to harness tech for good and drive innovationKey Highlights: [01:40] What is it like to have worked with industry titans [07:40] Career path to PR and Communications[13:10] Why this book and why now[20:40] Are tech and humanity competing or complementary forces[24:15] Tech for good[27:17] Has marketing disappeared[31:03] Earned, owned and paid media[36:12] Experience of your past that defines you[38:00] Advice to younger self[39:09] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about[40:35] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pam Morrisroe is the CMO of Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Consumer Studies from the University of Vermont and an MBA in Marketing and Media Communication from Fordham University. With over 20 years of marketing experience, Pam has led award-winning campaigns for clients like Ford, American Express, and Volkswagen across multiple channels, including digital activation, experiential, branding, consumer, business-to-business, CRM and omnichannel commerce. As Managing Director at VMLY&R, she spearheaded innovative virtual programming during the pandemic, driving significant growth. Now at Breakthrough T1D, Pam leads campaigns to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes and support the organization's mission to create a world without T1D.Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1970 by families affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D). It is now the leading global research and advocacy organization for T1D. Its mission is to accelerate life changing breakthroughs to prevent, cure, and treat T1D and its complications by connecting the brightest minds to advance treatments, influence policy, and improve access to care.On today's show, Alan and Pam discuss what sparked the rebranding from JDRF to Breakthrough T1D. They delve into the research behind the rebrand, the careful selection of the new name, and how it has been seamlessly integrated into their marketing strategy. They also highlight the progress made, what’s working well, and other critical milestones essential for rebranding success. Additionally, Pam highlights the importance of diversifying knowledge across various marketing categories, explaining how this approach has contributed to her expertise and success in the field. In this episode, you'll learn: Why research is critical to a successful rebrandHow to effectively integrate a rebrand into every aspect of your companyThe strategic, intentional steps behind a successful rebranding campaign, and how it expands consumer reachKey Highlights: [02:14] Experience of dropping your oldest son off at college[03:15] Living the only child life[04:10] Pam’s career path[06:50] What is Breakthrough T1D[08:22] What sparked the rebrand[10:30] Critical milestones to rebranding[13:51] How you knew you had the right name[16:40] Why simplicity was so important in the pitch process[18:00] How does the rebrand manifest in the marketing[22:03] Lessons learned[25:42] Experience of your past that defines you[27:13] Advice to younger self[29:05] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about[30:05] Trends or subcultures others should follow[32:36] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jennifer (Jen) McAdams is a seasoned marketing veteran with more than 25 years of experience within the software industry. Jen went to Northeastern where she graduated with a resume and a business suite, and hit the ground running in her career. She worked closely with Xactly in an advisory CMO role initially as part of Vista Equity Partners’ Value Creation Team – and her partnership and execution of a comprehensive marketing plan that generated increased pipeline and higher quality leads led her to permanently join Xactly as a member of the senior leadership team and CMO. Before Xactly and Vista Equity Partners, she’s previously held senior roles with SAP, Cisco, Progress, Ixia, and Kaseya. Xactly is a platform “for sales leaders founded by a sales leader”. Their main legacy product is for automating sales compensation and commissions. However, over the years, they have made acquisitions that have allowed them to extend their offerings into sales planning and forecasting tools that live in a single platform and are available as modular pieces that grow with their clients. On the show today, Alan and Jen talk about how she is bridging the gap between marketing and sales at Xactly and what she has seen work across the different types of companies that she's worked for. Jen gives us practical tips to align around a common goal, how she thinks about organizing teams, and the importance of leading by example. Alan and Jen also discuss how marketing is organized within her group, how that relates to customer marketing as she builds that new function and how AI can be a resource for marketers. In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of bridging the gap between marking and sales Tips on how to collaborate, align, and operationalize around a common goals How Jen organizes her team for a focus on customer marketingKey Highlights: [01:58] Life with a rescue Chihuahua (Biscuit)   [03:20] Jennifer’s career path [08:06] What Xactly does and who they serve [09:13] The gap between B2B marketing and sales[11:22] Aligning goals with compensation[12:15] How to operationalize[15:15] Getting the rest of the team on the same page[16:42] What does marketing look like at Xactly[17:58] What customer marketing looks like[20:38] Experience of your past that defines you[22:39] Advice to younger self[24:37] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about - AI[25:47] Trends or subcultures others should follow[27:08] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick Buchanan is from Lexington, Kentucky, and went to Western Kentucky University, where he studied journalism broadcasting with the dream of being a VJ. After graduation, Patrick moved to LA to pursue those dreams, but instead fell into marketing through a side hustle as an assistant at Creative Recreation. He found he had a knack for it, embraced his new path, and over the next 7 years, worked his way up to become Marketing Director at Creative Recreation before he moved on to Global Marketing Director at K-Swiss Global Brands, then Senior Director of Brand Marketing for Bravado at Universal Music Group. In 2021, Patrick became Vice President Marketing at GOOD AMERICAN, and today, he serves as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Lulu's, a women's fashion business with a mission to make women feel special and beautiful for all of their life's moments. On the show today, Alan and Patrick talk about what Lulus does, who they serve, and the kinds of altruistic disruptive campaigns they are implementing to get organic attention. Patrick also tells us how brands should be thinking about the types of partners and influencers they invest in to most effectively and authentically speak to their target audience, as well as his lived experience being a young black head of marketing and what he hopes to do with his platform. In this episode, you'll learn:Examples of disruptive campaigns to get organic attention How to pick and leverage the right influence partnersPatrick’s experience as a young black man and head of marketing Key Highlights:[01:40] A brush with fame alongside Kelly Clarkson [03:10] Patrick’s career path[08:30] What Lulus does and who they serve[10:00] How to get your brand noticed [12:30] Leveraging partnerships to bring brand missions to life[17:35] How to engage with influencer marketing as it evolves [20:10] Patrick’s experience as a young black man and head of marketing [23:30] Learning to maneuver creatively and never accepting no as an answer [25:20] Advice to his younger self [26:55] Always be learning more about your customers and what they like. [28:50] Trends and subcultures to watch [30:30] Opportunities and challenges with AILooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryan Bonnici is Chief Marketing Officer, Wellhub, previously known as Gympass. Ryan brings over 15 years of experience at places like Salesforce, HubSpot, G2, and Microsoft and was named one of the 2020 World’s Most Influential CMOs by Forbes. Ryan now leads a team of over 300 professionals at Wellhub, where his main goal is to make wellbeing a priority for employees globally. Wellhub is the world's leading corporate wellness platform. They have over 15,000 clients globally who rely on Wellhub to provide their employees with access to the best wellness partners around the world across fitness, mindfulness, therapy, nutrition, and sleep. Their goal is to make every company a wellness company.On the show today, Alan and Ryan talk about the reason behind the rebrand from Gympass to Wellhub, the logistics of making such a significant change, and differences in their B2B, B2C, and B2P marketing strategies. They also discussed the benefits of entertainment marketing tactics, why Ryan and his team ultimately settled on a fictional podcast called Murder in HR, and the impact it has had on their core businesses.In this episode, you'll learn:The reasoning and logistics behind rebranding from Gympass to WellhubThe differences in B2B, B2C, and B2P marketing strategies Why and how to leverage branded entertainment Key Highlights:[01:40] How Ryan gets wellness into his week [05:55] Ryan’s career path[10:45] Wellhub’s goal and mission [12:15] Their product is their network.[14:30] From Gympass to Wellhub[19:10] What B2B, B2C, and B2P marketing looks like at Wellhub[21:20] Leveraging branded entertainment [30:00] How self-low esteem as a kid impacted Ryan as an adult[32:10] Advice to his younger self [33:15] Don’t write off social selling in B2B and follow your own behaviors.[35:45] Trends and subcultures to watch [37:15] Threats facing marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the show today, Alan and Jen talk about how John Deere is staying relevant as a 187-year-old brand in today's market and what strategies they are using to help people, specifically the younger generation, more fully appreciate the pivotal role that farmers, construction workers, and maintenance crews play in our everyday lives. Jen also tells us about their recent hunt for a Chief Tractor Officer, how they ran the campaign on a budget by leveraging values-aligned celebrity relationships, and what qualifications made Rex perfect for the CTO job.Jen Hartmann has over 25 years of experience in public relations, communications, and marketing. However, after high school, she originally wanted to be a teacher, but discovered PR when she was in college and immediately knew she wanted to head public relations at John Deere. After a number of various marketing roles at companies like the Illinois Soybean Association, Advanced Technology Services, and United Way, she eventually landed at John Deere about 16 years ago. Today, she serves as their Global Director of Strategic Public Relations and Enterprise Social Media. In this role, Jen is responsible for managing the image and reputation of the company, leading media relations and social media community building, and handling crisis events and issues that could have an impact on the brand. In this episode, you'll learn:How the 187-year-old brand is staying relevant with innovative PR strategies and their new Chief Tractor Officer, RexThe key to organic social media successAdvice for working with values-aligned celebrities Key Highlights:[01:30] Royal Ball Run, an autism non-profit Jen founded [03:25] Jen’s career path[05:05] What John Deere (is outside of green tractors)[07:00] How a 187-year-old brand is staying relevant in today's market[08:00] The hunt for a Chief Tractor Officer [12:00] The Chief Tractor Officer hunt campaign on a budget[13:55] What made Rex perfect for the job?[17:25] The key to organic social media success[19:25] Advice on working with celebrities [23:10] Lessons learned from her daughter [25:15] Advice to her younger self[26:20] The AI portion of the show[27:55] Catching a vibe from X and Reddit[31:40] The biggest threat facing marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simmy Kustanowitz has built a reputation as an idea generator and "creative fixer" by utilizing two easy steps—Simplify and Gamify—to solve any company's toughest challenges. As an Emmy-nominated TV producer, Simmy has held high-level positions across multiple genres, ranging from live events and high-budget scripted sitcoms to reality docu-series and studio game shows. He started his career as a writer in the MTV and VH1 worlds on shows like TRL and Silent Library. He eventually was promoted to the producer role before moving into showrunning, then became a development executive, where he found his love for marketing. Simmy worked on the network side at WarnerMedia for about 8 years before he left to become Chief Creative Officer for Bad Woods Entertainment, the production company founded by the stars of Impractical Jokers and took over as their showrunner as well. Simmy took the problem-solving skills he learned in the entertainment business into the wider business world, where he now works with CMOs to help them streamline their internal communications and external messaging.On the show today, Alan and Simmy talk about the lessons he has learned over 20+ years in the entertainment industry and how he has translated those lessons into his creative workshop, “Rethink the Way You Think,” that helps corporate teams think more efficiently and problem solve more productively. Simmy also shares tips to overcome the most common pitfalls he sees teams face during brainstorming sessions.In this episode, you'll learn:How Simmy helps CMO’s think more efficiently and problem solve more productively What elevates thinking to creative thinking The biggest pitfalls teams face in creative solving problems and how to overcome themKey Highlights:[02:00] Death threats are not a joke.[05:00] Simmy entertainment career path[07:40] Lessons learned throughout his career [09:40] How lessons learned in entertainment help CMO’s[11:55] Defining creativity and creative thinking [15:10] How to stretch time[16:15] The biggest pitfalls teams face when it comes to thinking more creatively to solve problems?[17:10] The 10-3 brainstorm[21:25] How to improve brainstorm sessions [23:25] Simmy’s origin story for his creativity [25:30] Advice to his younger self[26:15] Learning from your competition [27:10] Reading Reddit[29:45] Battling against attention spansLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sun Lee is a seasoned marketing leader with over a decade of proven business success. She started her career on the agency side, working with small start-ups as a brand and digital designer in Silicon Valley during the e-commerce boom. She went on to get her Masters Degree, then reenter the workforce on the client side, heading up marketing and communications for big-name companies like Sisu Data, SurveyMonkey, and Pure Storage, before joining BigPanda as the CMO in April 2023. BigPanda brings AI to IT operations in order to proactively identify and resolve incidents before they become costly problems. They work with large brands like Autodesk and Zayo, as well as large banks and airlines, to ensure seamless technology operations. BigPanda is a start-up and challenger brand competing with giants in the industry, meaning Sun and her team are operating with a relatively small budget, allowing them to move faster and position themselves as an innovator in the sector.On the show today, Alan and Sun talk about her experience of coming to the US alone at 15, learning to speak English, and how being a nonnative speaker has given her one of her marketing superpowers. They also talk about how she navigated career transitions from specialized roles in design to broader roles in marketing and how that varied experience has contributed to her success as a CMO. Sun outlines with us her approach to digital marketing, the importance of understanding content journeys, and the marketing benefits of being a startup challenger brand. She also tells how she and her team have been implementing AI and how she foresees it shifting the ways marketing teams work as well as the characteristics of who she is looking to hire. In this episode, you'll learn:How and why to drive alignment between marketing and sales Marketing benefits and strategies for startup challenger brandsHow AI is causing a shift in expectations of marketers hiresKey Highlights:[01:50] Coming to the US alone at 15[03:30] Benefits of English as a Second Language in Marketing[04:15] Sun’s career path[07:20] How her experience shapes her approach to marketing [12:00] Finding alignment between marketing and sales [13:00] BigPanda: what they do and who they serve[15:05] Marketing benefits of being a startup challenger brand[17:10] Thoughts on digital marketing [19:45] Starting with the content journey [20:35] How AI is shifting Sun’s thoughts on marketing and productivity [22:35] From specialization marketing to the CMO role[25:30] The most embarrassing professional moment of Sun’s career [28:20] No dumb questions, only dumb questions. [29:00] Soft skills are the way of the future. [30:25] The evolution of word-of-mouth marketing [31:50] The biggest opportunity facing marketers today Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April Moh immigrated from Singapore to the US for love in her 20s and restarted her life and career from scratch. The first third of her career in the US was spent in PR agencies, learning the importance of impactful storytelling. She started to develop a curiosity about how the different parts of a company work together to fuel growth and decided to take her career in-house at Microsoft, then SAP, where she eventually became chief of staff. She went on to become CMO at SUSE before moving into the CMO role at Kyriba in October 2023, the same year she was named as one of Campaign Magazine’s “Most Inspiring Women." Kyriba is a fully unified SAS performance platform with over 80,000 users. They serve treasury needs, risk, payment, connectivity, and working capital to help their clients gain real-time visibility into their cash balances and break out of the liquidity gridlock that many finance teams get stuck in. With Kyriba, finance teams get an aggregated, reliable, and comprehensive view of their cash and liquidity, as well as actionable insights that empower them to make decisions on liquidity performance. On the show today, Alan and April talk about the rebrand Kyriba has gone through and why branding in B2B industries can be uniquely challenging and more susceptible to scrutiny. April tells what she has learned from her life experience as a female Asian immigrant in tech, including being told she was “not American enough," the maternity discrimination she has faced, and the advice she has for other people who may be told they do not belong. Alan and April also talk about the evolution of marketing, what marketers should be thinking about in terms of being successful in their careers, and tips on how to get ahead.In this episode, you'll learn:How Kyriba empowers clients with an actionable understanding of liquidity performance.When to rebrand and the unique challenges of branding B2BHow April has overcome discrimination as an Asian immigrant and mother, and her advice to othersKey Highlights:[02:00] Immigrating to the US in her 20s [05:55] From RP to CMO[09:16] Kyriba: What they do and who they serve[11:10] Which CFO’s have the most success?[13:15] Why a rebrand was needed[18:00] What she has learned through discrimination [24:20] “There’s always tomorrow.”[25:25] Advice to her younger self (and her two children)[26:45] Get out of the marketing silo.[29:00] Misperceptions of marketers [30:40] The evolution of the CMO role[33:30] Threats and opportunities facing marketers today Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elyse Oleksak is the author of A Shark Ate My Bagel and co-founder of Bantam Bagels. Elyse has always been competitive and incorporated the concepts she learned as a D1 lacrosse player, such as time management, hustling, and perseverance, into her entrepreneurship. She began her career in advertising as an Account Associate at JWT. From there, she went to Morgan Stanley, where she learned how to navigate the politics of corporate America. After some soul-searching, a late-night idea came to her husband, and eventually Bantam Bagels was born. After googling “how to make a bagel," figuring out how to get the cream cheese inside, and developing a business plan, they came up with the recipe that they took to Shark Tank.On the show today, Alan and Elyse talk about her rocket ship ride into entrepreneurship as the cofounder of Bantam Bagels, when they knew they had something real, her experience with Shark Tank, and how it changed everything for them. We also talk about her recent book, what inspired her to write it, and the advice she has for budding entrepreneurs that she learned from both failures and successes alike.In this episode, you'll learn:How Bantam Bagels was bornThe benefits of being a Shark Tank brandElyse’s advice to budding entrepreneursKey Highlights:[01:20] Experience of a D1 lacrosse player [06:00] How Bantam Bagels was born[12:00] How do they get the cream cheese inside?[12:30] When they know they really had done it[13:15] Why A Shark Ate My Bagel, and why now? [15:15] The Shark Tank experience [19:35] Major lessons learned[24:20] Success does not exist without failure. [29:30] Advice to budding entrepreneurs[31:10] The impact of a semester abroad [34:45] Advice to her younger self [35:40] The AI balance [37:45] Trends to watch[38:35] The speed of change Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicole Vilalte was born and raised in Puerto Rico, went to college on the island, and started her career there as an account executive at DDB LATAM. She eventually moved to New York to work for JWT before becoming an account supervisor at The Vidal Partnership for Sprint Wireless. She relocated to Portland for a few years to take over the Target account at Wieden + Kennedy before heading back to New York to work on IBM Global at Ogilvy. In 2017, Nicole returned home to become the Business Director for Puerto Rico Tourism Company, and after another stint with Ogilvy, she was hired on as the Chief Marketing Officer at Invest Puerto Rico in 2021.Invest Puerto Rico is on a mission to promote the island and bring new capital investment and businesses to the region. It is a public-private partnership that helps companies get established on the island by assisting them in navigating incentives, connecting them with resources for real estate selection and access to talent, and facilitating introductions to key stakeholders like sector experts and industry associations. Over the last 5 years, Invest Puerto Rico has secured commitments of $1 billion in capital investments, contributed to the establishment of over 550 new businesses, and helped create 20,000 new jobs. On the show today, Alan and Nicole talk about the unique challenges of marketing a place, who their target audience is, and how they communicate the benefits of establishing and expanding business operations in Puerto Rico. Nicole also tells us about the inspiration behind their new campaign, “It’s not what’s next, it’s where,” and what business sectors they are focused on the most. In this episode, you'll learn:Invest Puerto Rico’s mission and how they market a place. The inspiration behind their new campaign: “It’s not what’s next, it’s where.”The future of marketing for Invest Puerto RicoKey Highlights:[01:55] Life with a hot sauce addiction [04:45] Full circle agency career path [12:55] Invest Puerto Rico: Their mission and who they serve[14:55] How do you market a place?[18:55] Which sectors are they trying to grow in most?[23:20] The new campaign, “It’s not what’s next, it’s where.”[26:30] Benefits of being in PR[27:40] The future of marketing for Invest Puerto Rico[29:40] Unique challenges of marketing a place to niche audiences[31:10] Crossroads that shaped who Nicole is today [34:05] Advice to her younger self[37:10] The AI portion of the show[40:10] Watching the metaverse and VR space Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard Sanderson started his executive search career as a summer intern at Russell Reynolds Associates in London, then transitioned it into a full-time position as a research consultant with them, which brought him to the States. After five years in that role, he left the world of executive search and went to business school. He then worked at a management consulting firm until 2010, when he rejoined Russell Reynolds Associates. He then moved over to Spencer Stuart in 2018, where he leads their Marketing, Sales, and Communications Officer Practice. For the past 22 years, Spencer Stuart has created an annual CMO Tenure Report to better understand the average tenure of marketing leaders with the goal of determining if there is truth in the perception that marketing leadership roles have high turnover rates, if so, why, and how CMO tenure compares to other leadership roles. On the show today, Alan and Richard talk about the methodology of the study, key takeaways, and what he predicts for the future of the CMO role. Richard tells us how the current average CMO tenure compares to the past average, where it ranks among the rest of the C-suit, and what that means for new hires and internal promotions. They also discuss what may lead to misrepresentations and misunderstandings around the CMO role, as well as how the percentage of women and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups has changed in recent years. In this episode, you'll learn:The goal of the CMO Tenure Study and key takeaways from the newest reportHow CMO tenure compares to the rest of the C-Suite and what it tells usPredictions for the evolution of the CMO roleKey Highlights:[02:00] The second “Stag Do”[04:05] Richard’s career path[07:40] What is the CMO Tenure Report?[09:10] Changing up the methodology: From the Top 100 advertising spend to the Fortune 500 [11:15] The average CMO tenure and how it compares[13:20] Is a longer tenure always better?[17:10] External hires vs. internal promotions [20:55] Succession data across industries [24:55] Marketing in the technical sector[25:43] Everyone has a CMO, right?[26:50] Women in the CMO ranks[28:20] Underrepresented groups in the CMO ranks[29:40] The future evolution of the CMO role[35:25] Different names for the same jobs[38:45] Structural changes cause collateral damage. [40:45] Lessons from immigration [42:30] Advice to his younger self [45:50] Marketers are asked to do it all.[47:20] The ongoing politicization of brandsLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, you'll learn:What is the role of the Chief Corporate Citizenship Officer?Key takeaways from the global survey Rethink Disruption: The Rise of the Fifth EstateWhat is the Fifth Estate, and how do we leverage it?Marian Salzman is a global trend spotter, the first person to do market research in cyberspace, and the author of the book “The New Megatrends: Seeing Clearly in the Age of Disruption.” In 2018, she joined Phillip Morris as Senior Vice President of Global Communications to act as the spokesperson for them as they transitioned away from their power brand, Marlboro, towards a smoke-free future. In January of this year, she returned to the States from Switzerland to take on the role of Chief Corporate Citizenship Office. Prior to joining PMI, she served as CEO of Havas PR North America and, prior to that, CMO at Porter Novelli. On the show today, Alan and Marian talk about her responsibilities as Chief Corporate Citizenship Officer and key takeaways from a global survey she oversaw called Rethink Disruption: The Rise of the Fifth Estate. Marian helps us understand what the Fifth Estate is, how Alan fits into it, whether it's a good or bad thing, and how brands and marketers engage with it.Key Highlights:[01:40] The first person to do market research in cyberspace[03:55] Marian’s career path[06:20] What is a Chief Corporate Citizenship Officer?[10:10] Rethink Disruption: The Rise of the Fifth Estate[13:15] The other four estates[16:15] Clarence, the dog, and the power of content creators [17:30] Trust, but verify.[18:20] So, is the Fifth Estate good or bad?[19:25] How can we engage with the Fifth Estate responsibly? [21:10] Two things that shaped who Marian is today[26:20] Advice to her younger self[26:30] Do online learning![28:10] Trends and subcultures to watch[30:20] Beware of fake news.Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, you'll learn about:The role of Revenue OperationsCortland’s unique approach to branding, awareness, and rethinking marketing as an investment rather than an expenseThe importance of peer-to-peer recommendations and how Cortland manages their online brand reputationTim Hermeling is EVP of Revenue Operations at Cortland. He is a goal-oriented person, both professionally and personally, as seen in his love of competing in triathlons and marathons. Tim went to college to be a sports broadcaster, but pursued public relations in order to find work in the city. After working closely with C-level executives in that role, he found his love for strategy and goal-setting would make him perfect for the marketing world. Tim started his journey in relationship marketing, focusing on direct mail, before serving as VP of Marketing for Classic Residence by Hyatt and VP of Product Marketing at Northern Trust Company. In 2015, he started with Cortland to establish their marketing strategy and recently moved into revenue operations to align all of the teams that support the top-line growth of the company. Cortland is a vertically integrated, multifamily real estate investment, development, and management company based in Atlanta. With over 250 apartment communities comprising over 80,000 homes in the US, Cortland is rethinking what apartment living can look like and giving tenants top-of-the line amenities throughout the Sun Belt. On the show today, Alan and Tim talk about his new role as head of revenue operations as well as how Cortland differentiates itself, their unique approach to branding, how they are rethinking marketing in the multifamily industry as an investment rather than an expense, and how they approach performance-driven marketing.Key Highlights:[01:45] How to hate running less[04:55] Tim's career path[09:00] Marketing vs. Revenue Operations[10:25] What is Cortland?[14:30] Tim’s approach to branding Cortland[17:55] Finding efficiencies in driving awareness [19:25] Cortie, the Pug Mascot [21:20] Marketing in the multifamily industry [25:40] No one’s doing it quite like Cortland.[27:20] Online brand reputation management [31:25] Performance measurement and research[33:30] What Tim learned from his time as a reporter [35:20] Advice to his younger self [37:45] The AI portion of the show[39:40] Harnessing the growing focus on experiences[41:05] The importance of the human touchLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff Biesman grew up in Texas with dreams of being an NFL GM. While those dreams didn't pan out, he learned a lot along the way and decided to heed the advice he received to separate his hobbies from his career and went on to grow his marketing skill set in a very purposeful way. His path started in CPG product marketing with Converse, LA Gear, and Disney, went on to learn digital and performance marketing at Sony, got deep into data with Bank of America, moved onto venture-backed startups ShoeDazzle and Little Black Bag, then pursued B2B at YP and Remoov. In 2021, he was offered a role that was a perfect fit for all the skills he’d gained throughout his career and aligned with his personal values, so he accepted and joined the NDR team as their new CMO. In this role, Jeff is responsible for all direct-to-consumer marketing activities for the company, including PR, partnership development, paid search, social media, and CRM.The state of consumer debt is grim as we are coming out of COVID and battling inflation. NDR acts as an agent on behalf of qualified consumers, putting them on a budget and getting them into an escrow-like program payment that is less than their debt service. As those funds accumulate, NDR then works with creditors to negotiate down the debt owed. Jeff tells us most of their customers are out of debt within 24 to 48 months and see long-term changes in their credit behavior.On the show today, Alan and Jeff talk about why NDR doesn't want repeat businesses, how that impacts their marketing efforts, and what they are doing to stimulate demand in the upper funnel and then capture and migrate those consumers. Many people need help, but unfortunately, most are unaware that there are options like NDR to help them with debt relief, so a large part of the work for Jeff and his team revolves around building awareness, education, performance marketing, and meeting the consumers where they are by layering marketing through paid search, organic search, broadcast TV, and earned media. In this episode, you'll learn about:How does debt relief work? Why does National Debt Relief NOT want repeat businesses, and how does that impact their marketing strategy? How can marketers maximize demand stimulation, capture, and migration when the pool is shrinking?Key Highlights:[02:00] NFL Dreams[04:30] Purposeful steps in the career path[07:50] What drew Jeff to NDR?[09:40] The state of consumer debt[12:00] NDR's role and how it works[15:55] Qualifying to be a customer[18:40] Real human stories[20:00] NDR does NOT want repeat customers.[23:00] What marketing looks like at NDR[25:10] What CMOs need to know about demand capture [28:45] Learning grit, determination, and perseverance [31:15] The importance of patience [33:05] Neuromarketing just makes sense.[34:35] Nothing is set it and forget it.[35:55] We’re in the midst of an AI revolution.Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave Raggio holds dual roles as Vice President of QuickBooks Acquisition Marketing and Intuit SMB MediaLabs. He began his studies in aerospace engineering at Auburn, but found his passion for marketing while running a triathlon team and helping athletes at this school secure scholarships. After graduation, he started off in the agency world, seeking a wide understanding of the marketing world. Eventually, he went client-side with Method and Northface before entering the B2B world when he joined the team at Intuit in 2020. Intuit SMB MediaLabs is essentially an audience layer that can be applied to advertising campaigns. It was born out of a personal frustration Dave had with 3rd party data quality and a knowing that there was a better way to execute. In contrast to traditional retail media networks, Intuit SMB MediaLabs doesn't own or operate any inventory, freeing them to solve for a wider variety of KPIs and increase the efficiency of campaigns for the small businesses they serve. On the show today, Alan and Dave talk about what Intuit SMB MediaLabs is, how they compare to traditional retail media networks, and what makes them better at building an SMB business owner audience. Dave also gives us examples of how they are using their audience layer to enhance marketing for other businesses in banking, insurance, retail, and CPG, as well as the phenomenal results they have been able to achieve and what is on the horizon for Intuit SMB MediaLabs moving forward.In this episode, you'll learn about:How Intuit SMB MediaLabs differs from traditional retail media networksRevelations around SMB spending powerThe power of specificity in digital creativeKey Highlights:[01:30] Life as a professional mountain guide [02:15] Hiking the career path [04:25] Intuit SMB MediaLabs: what they do and who they serve[06:50] How Intuit SMB MediaLabs differs from traditional retail media networks?[11:10] Why the timing of serving SMB’s ideal right now [15:50] What working with Intuit SMB MediaLabs looks like[18:15] Examples of results [19:15] The future of Intuit SMB MediaLabs[22:30] What he learned at Digitas[23:20] Advice to his younger self[24:15] Looking into the future [25:10] Knowing is hard, but executing is hard too.[26:50] Laser focus and gardening tips[27:50] Identity in the context of measurementLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erika White is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Affirm. While she has experienced great success in her career, as a child, she was a rambunctious and highly social student who was told she was wasting her potential. However, one special teacher believed in her, challenged her, and got her to see the potential in herself. That lesson stuck with Erika as she obtained both her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Southern California and began to build an impressive resume. Erika got her start in marketing at Hilton, where she says another person saw her potential and took a chance on her. From there, she moved on to Director of Global Corporate Relations and Corporate Marketing at Visa, then to Pandora as their Corporate Communications Director, then to Director of External Affairs at TPG, a large private equity firm, before landing at Affirm. In her role at Affirm, she oversees the core functions of building the brand, including brand and partner marketing, creative, paid activations, social media, and communications. On the show today, Alan and Erika talk about Affirm’s place in the ever-growing buy now, pay later market as a more honest, transparent, and flexible alternative to credit cards for over 17 million active consumers and over 290,000 merchants. Erika tells us about the role buy now, pay later has in the overall marketplace and where she believes the industry is headed. She also gives us an overview of how she and her team are driving growth and customer acquisition for their retail partners, what she sees as the role of marketing as a whole, and why marketers have to always be adapting, changing, and embracing fluidity. She drives this point home by identifying those as the same attributes she looks for in new hires and telling us how her team embraces those qualities to continuously find new opportunities for value creation. In this episode, you'll learn about:The key attributes that set Affirm apart and how they benefit merchantsWhat is next in the buy now, pay later category?The role of brand and cross-functional partnerships in marketingKey Highlights:[01:45] A special teacher that impacted Erika[06:35] The peak and valleys in her career path[11:30] The state of Affirm's businesses today[12:55] What is unique about Affirm?[15:45] How is this similar to and different from layaway?[17:45] What is next in the buy now/pay later category?[20:15] The value proposition for merchants [22:20] The role of marketing [24:45] How she learned smart risk-taking [27:15] The role of brand and last year's refresh[30:15] Speed, precision, and fluidity[32:25] Read more books and nurture relationships. [33:55] AI is a mandatory consideration. [37:55] A decline in the desire for 4-year degrees [41:25] The threat of lacking agilityLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elina Vilk has been the Chief Marketing Officer at Hootsuite since August 2023. She has more than two decades of experience in the industry, but her love of marketing started years before that, when she was a 12-year-old refugee immigrant who had to raise money to get to her 8th grade graduation by being the top candy salesman at her school. Elina says this taught her a lot about marketing and gave her the first insights into consumer-based selling and asking the right questions that have continuously developed throughout her career. Prior to joining Hootsuite, Elina led marketing at WooCommerce, Small Business Marketing at Meta, spent nearly a decade at PayPal/eBay, and ran consumer and digital advertising at Visa. On the show today, Alan and Elina talk about Hootsuite's new Social Media Consumer Report, key takeaways and insights markets should be thinking about in terms of making their brands more relevant and authentic, and the biggest mistakes brands make on social media. They also talk about the design thinking and human-centered marketing philosophy she utilizes to solve consumer's real pain points, what it was like to be a digital marketer and social media manager before those terms even existed, and where social media is going in the future.In this episode, you'll learn about:How human-centered design thinking helps marketers ask the right questions The purpose of the Hootsuite Social Media Consumer Report and key takeaways The future of social media and the biggest mistakes brands make onlineKey Highlights:[01:30] An entrepreneur at 12[04:15] The career path from selling candy to CMO[08:15] Things Elina learned along the way that she uses most now[10:45] How design thinking fits into marketing[13:00] The brilliance of “Got Milk”[15:15] The purpose of the Hootsuite Social Media Consumer Report[17:05] Report key takeaways [18:40] Beyonce released a country album, so Hootsuite did too.[20:20] The worst social media brand sins[22:25] What Hootsuite is doing on social [25:50] The future of social media[27:00] How the immigrant mentality shapes who she is [28:30] Advice to her younger self[30:45] Two things CMOs have to think about[31:35] Specific subcultures of community building [33:35] How business levers map to the business impactLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christine Moorman is the T. Austin Finch Senior Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, where her research explores how consumers, managers, organizations, and financial markets learn about and use marketing knowledge. Christine tells us she didn't set out to become a professor, but through the encouragement of her mentors, she came to see it was the best path for her to pursue. After she received her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Political Science from Northern Kentucky University, she immediately went on to the University of Pittsburgh, where she got her Ph.D. and MBA in Marketing.In 2008, Christine saw the need for something in her field that would provide benchmarks and elevate the voice of marketers. This led her to found The CMO Survey, which she manages to this day, which gathers and shares insights from marketing leaders to forecast market trends, measure marketing excellence, and enhance marketing's impact on organizations and society.On the show today, Alan and Christine talk about some of the key findings of the survey, including how budgets are moving, the percentage of revenue for marketing spent at different kinds of companies, and the percent of sales versus the percent of the overall budget. They also discuss the types of metrics marketers are tracking and what implications those choices have for being able to communicate the value of marketing. This leads them into a conversation about the rise of technology and martech spending, as well as some important findings around the utilization of these tools and what could be causing gaps in anticipated value. The ROI question continues as Christine outlines her findings on trends of decreased DEI spend and ways companies could address the effectiveness of important DEI efforts. In this episode, you'll learn about:Top-level trends in marketing spend and percentage of revenue allocated What metrics best communicate marketing value? Why DEI investments are decreasing and how we can increase the efficiency of spend Key Highlights:[02:24] Becoming a “cracker-jack” event ticket salesperson[05:45] Why Christine became a professor [06:50] Why start the CMO Survey?[07:35] Where is the budget going? Top-level trends around spending[10:35] Marketers ability to communicate value [15:45] Martech challenges and how they're impacting marketing efforts [19:20] Experiences with failed CRM implementations [22:20] Why has DEI spending dropped?[28:30] Trends Alan has seen through these interviews[30:30] An experience of her past that defines who she is today: mentorship [34:10] Advice to her younger self: worry less and believe more.[34:40] Learning how to ask better questions and interrogate theories [38:30] Trends to watch: marketing for a better world and a base of disciplinary training [40:50] A big opportunity: cross-industry idea sharingLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Carter has been in marketing for over 20 years and has been a CMO for the past four years. First at ServiceMax and now at Reputation. Liz grew up in a small town in North Carolina, where her family runs a hosiery manufacturing company. Eager to venture out, she moved to Atlanta, where she began doing gig work to pay the bills. Eventually, in 2001, she began doing event marketing for Internet Security Systems, where she began to learn the ins and outs of the software business. From there, she escaped the South to California for a job with SuccessFactors, where she realized there was a real career path for her in the software industry.On the show today, Alan and Liz talk about her life as a kid growing up in North Carolina, her path to becoming CMO at Reputation, and how the CMO role is evolving. We also discuss why it's important for marketing to harness reputation data through a couple real-world examples and how understanding that data can drive M&A decisions as well as product and service changes. Reputation helps their customers understand their reputation, manage it, get insights from that information, and take action that provides trust and transparency back to the consumers, which will help them understand what to expect. Liz tells us that as more reputation data becomes available online, consumers are buying primarily based on reviews, star ratings, and what they see on their social feeds. In this episode, you'll learn about:What are consumers trying to understand with online reputation data? How have CRMs changed marketing and the CMO role?How can marketing teams harness reputation data?Key Highlights:[01:40] How Liz got into software[04:05] From ISS to Reputation[07:00] What does Reputation do, and who do they serve?[08:30] The Wide World of Reputation data[10:10] The evolution of the CMO role[16:15] How can marketing teams harness reputation data?[22:25] The future of reputation data[26:30] Noteworthy experiences from her past[28:00] Advice to her younger self [28:30] Something Liz is trying to learn more about [31:30] Trends and subcultures to watch [33:05] The largest opportunities and threats facing marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Miller is a Wall Street Journal and international best-selling author with over one million books in print in more than twenty-five languages. He is a storyteller, photographer, lifelong learner, and the embodiment of a servant leader. For almost 45 years, he was the Vice President of High-Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A, and today, Mark serves as the Co-Founder of Lead Every Day, an extension of his life-inspired mission to encourage and equip leaders with the tools they need to be successful. On the show today, Alan and Mark talk about his path to becoming a leadership expert, which he describes as less of a ladder and more of a rock wall. Since the start of his career, Mark has prioritized serving others and adding value. His willingness to do anything to those ends carved his path from the Chick-fil-A warehouse to the Vice President's seat and drives his work today in leadership development. We also talked about his new book, Uncommon Greatness: Five Fundamentals to Transform Your Leadership, the number one challenge facing leaders globally, why greatness should not be our goal as leaders, how leaders build followership, and much more!“The trying transforms us, not the destination.”In this episode, you'll learn about:The “quicksand” issues all professionals are facing How to develop a following as a leaderNavigating the difficulty of leading through the WFH and hybrid setup Key Highlights:[01:45] Storytelling through photography [03:20] Serving and adding value[08:25] How Mark became a leadership expert [10:18] The value of having a teachable point of view[11:50] Why this book? Why now?[13:40] CMO leadership stats[15:00] How is this book different?[16:40] The number one problem leaders are facing[19:05] “Greatness is not the goal.”[22:10] How to build followership[26:20] Reinvent continuously [29:05] The impact of the return to office and hybrid work on leadership[32:30] The power of lifelong learning [36:10] Advice to his younger self [37:55] The way we learn is changing. [39:55] Loneliness is trending. [41:30] Beware of marketing quicksand.[43:00] Free assessmentLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy King is an ocean creature enthusiast as well as the founder and CEO of Attest, a highly successful consumer research SaaS company. Jeremy started his career as a scientist, focusing on genetics, ecology, and animal behavior. He worked for McKinsey & Company for nine years and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. Attest has headquarters in New York and London, but they serve customers across the world and currently run research in 59 countries. Some of their customers include Unilever, Santander, Walgreens/Boots, Bloomberg, and Trustpilot. To date, Attest has raised close to $75 million in funding, with backing from global venture capital firms NEA and Schroeder’s. On the show today, Alan and Jeremy talk about the mimic octopus, zero-party data, and what he sees as the biggest threat facing marketers today. Up until recently, third-party cookies have been used to make digital advertising and tracking individuals online extremely easy. However, third-party cookies are going away, consumers are more conscientious about being tracked, and people are more open to paying for ad-free experiences. As the power to track is disappearing, marketers need to use new and old-school methods to adapt. In this new landscape, if marketers want the data, they have to give something for it. Jeremey outlines some of the findings from Attests recent zero-party data report to help us understand these new consumer behaviors and what consumers want in return for their data. He also talks about shifts in consumer expectations regarding how data will be treated, shifting cookie-blocking behavior, and who he expects will win and lose as we transition away from third-party data. “Inform every intuition to dissolve any doubt.” In this episode, you'll learn about:How is consumer behavior changing around cookie tracking?How do marketers need to adjust in a world with no third-party data?What do consumers want in exchange for their data?Key Highlights:[02:15] Do not be fooled by the thaumoctopus mimicus.[05:25] What is Attest up to today?[08:25] Zero-party data research [10:00] Third-party cookies are dying. Now what?[12:15] Americans' relationship with their data is changing. [14:25] More people are habitually opting out of cookies and mailing lists. [18:20] If we can't collect data, how can we place advertising?[20:45] Third-party data is done. So what should marketers do?[23:30] What do consumers want in exchange for their data?[26:20] Gordon Ramsay Data Nightmares[28:20] Winners and losers in the zero-party data future [31:40] What impact has entrepreneurship had on Jeremy?[35:55] Trends in venture investment [40:05] The biggest threat facing marketers todayLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spencer Burke is a girl dad to two young daughters, an experience that has helped him hone the patience and listening skills he needs as the senior vice president of growth at Braze. Spencer got his master's degree in information systems from the London School of Economics and started his career at PwC as a management consultant before joining Braze in 2011. Back then, it was still a small company in the early days of the mobile ecosystem. Over the past 12 and a half years, Spencer has held many different roles across the company, and today he is leading their data team in consulting with customers and managing their go-to-market strategy.Braze is a customer engagement platform that helps its clients communicate with customers through push notifications, email, SMS, WhatsApp, and more, as well as in product messaging channels like surveys. Braze powers cross-channel marketing for the world's largest enterprise and digital-first brands in 40 countries across six continents. They are at the center of all cross-channel orchestration for companies like Bombas, Wendys, Nestle, and Papa John's, helping them with cutting-edge marketing strategies and empowering them to use technology to harness their creativity. On the show today, Alan and Spencer talk about customer engagement and experience best practices and common pitfalls by highlighting some of the recent findings from their 2024 global customer engagement review. Spencer also gives us some actionable items that marketers can be doing right now as many of us are reentering the workplace after the pandemic, and he outlines how brands should think about moving into new channels like messaging apps or push notifications. Of course, we also talk about how marketers are using AI technology based on survey results and how to experiment with the technology effectively and efficiently.In this episode, you'll learn about:Key takeaways from Braze's 2024 Customer Engagement Report Common challenges marketers face in achieving great customer experience and action items all marketers should implement to overcome themHow Braze is helping brands optimize their channel mixHow to best experiment with AI Key Highlights:[01:50] Learning patience and listening skills as a #GirlDad [05:05] Spencer's path to Braze and his current role[06:50] What Braze does and who they serve [07:45] Common challenges in achieving great customer experience [10:20] Key takeaways from their 2024 Customer Engagement Report [12:30] What do marketers need to focus on? [16:00] How to get started on returning to the basics [17:30] How Braze is helping brands optimize their channel mix[19:30] A case study with WhatsApp [21:30] How to be effective AND save money [23:50] How are the 99% experiment with AI[27:15] How the debate team shaped his life[29:50] Advice to his younger self [31:05] What is Spencer trying to learn more about [33:10] Trends to take notice of [36:20] Let’s get better at storytellingLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mauro Porcini is a widely known design thought leader, author, and first-ever Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo. He is also a presenter and judge on the TV shows New York by Design and America by Design on CBS and Amazon Prime Video. Mauro is from Italy, where he studied design in Milan and did his thesis on wearable technology with Philips Design. After opening and closing an agency with music artist Claudio Cecchetto, he spent 10 years at 3M, then was hired at PepsiCo as Chief Design Officer in 2012 to help them gain a competitive edge over their main competitors at Coke. In this role, he is infusing design thinking into PepsiCo’s culture and is leading a new approach to innovation by design that impacts the company’s product platforms and brands, which include Pepsi, Lay’s, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Sodastream, Doritos, and many other brands. He leads teams based in cities all over the world, including but not limited to New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Moscow, New Delhi, Shanghai, Mexico City, and Cape Town. On the show today, Alan and Mauro talk about what it means to be a Chief Design Officer and how the role came about at PepsiCo. They also talk about the scope of design in an organization like Pepsico today, how design manifests in the work they do, and some examples of the type of work he is doing. Mauro tells us design is not about working with an outside agency; it is about the culture around everything in your company, from finance to branding to shipping and everything in between. PepsiCo realized they needed an outsider who could design their culture and found the perfect candidate in Mauro, who brought the five phases of design culture to their organization. In this episode, you'll learn about:What advice from Steve Jobs inspired PepsiCo to create the Chief Design Officer role? The five phases of redesigning culture What has changed over the past 15 years that is completely changing the business world? Three recent design examples to highlight three business goalsKey Highlights:[02:20] Shoes as a source of love and pain (and business)[05:50] How Mauro learned about innovation and timing[10:45] Why PepsiCo created the Chief Design Officer position [24:24] Being understanding but still calling out bad behavior [25:30] How does design manifest at PepsiCo?[33:15] Innovation is not just about a great idea; it's about being able to take it to market. [36:10] 3 recent design examples to highlight 3 business goals [41:30] Pushing businesses forward through design rather than innovation [44:00] There are two different types of projects. [46:20] Divorce, depression, and the importance of a community that cares[51:20] The barriers to entry are changing, and we need to change with them.Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the show today, Alan and Michelle talk about her career journey, the ETS rebrand, the uniqueness of her current role, and why more organizations should be thinking of a similar structure at the leadership level. ETS's focus on people and mission of driving human progress forward is what drew Michelle to the company. As Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer, she is responsible for internal and external communications, customer insights and analytics, branding and marketing, e-commerce, philanthropic impact, global demand generation, and product innovation and development. Michelle Froah is currently the Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer at ETS, but when she was younger, she had aspirations to become an astronaut. While that dream never came to fruition, it did lead her to study mechanical engineering, which unexpectedly shaped her into the perfect person for the complex role she has now. Michelle started her career at Procter & Gamble, where she learned problem-solving under pressure and the value of a well-managed team. She then moved to Singapore and became the Asia Pacific Regional CMO for Kimberly Clark, where she developed a global perspective and understanding of local execution. She then founded Brandable before moving on to Samsung and serving as SVP of Global Brand and Marketing at MetLife before joining ETS in 2023, where she is focusing on transforming it into an organization that empowers human progress. As ETS enters a new category of future readiness, the CMO role itself is changing as well. While it is still about marketing, it is also about sorting through insights, perspectives, and growth strategies to apply them most effectively, which is where the innovation title comes in. Michelle's combination role allows her to work with all of their partners to serve customers in new ways and communicate that ETS is delivering real-time insights and solutions to help people enhance their skills. Michelle wraps up by talking about how her time as an engineer unexpectedly shaped her as a leader, team member, and well-rounded marketer, how shared goals empower marketers to tackle increased complexity and help the consumer win, how data can improve personalization, and the ways consumers benefit by melding marketing and innovation leadership roles.In this episode, you'll learn about:How being trained as an engineer made Michelle a more well-rounded marketerWhy ETS decided to rebrand and how they are launching it How ETS has been using AI for 20+ years and how they are evolving with the landscapeKey Highlights:[01:50] Always looking for the road less traveled by[03:45] What drew Michelle to ETS, and what does she do there?[05:30] It all comes together over time.[08:00] Michelle’s career path: a global perspective and local execution[10:30] CMOs trained as engineers are just built differently.[13:10] What is ETS up to today?[15:30] Skills needed to be effective in the future[17:00] The future of CMO innovation [19:55] The AI portion of the show[25:20] Rebranding: why and how[30:30] Characterizing the new brand promise[33:15] The importance of her time as an engineer[36:10] Advice to her younger self [37:10] The increased complexity of marketing [39:10] Personalization supported by data[42:05] Thinking about how marketing and innovation can meld to improve customer outcomesLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alan and Jessica talk about Bubble Goods, who it serves, and how they are helping emerging food brands and unique consumers alike. Jessica Young is a fan of Fufu and the founder and CEO of Bubble Goods. With 10+ years in the food and wellness industry, Jessica saw a gap in the market: food brands were innovating (specifically in the health foods sector), but they didn’t have the digital know-how or right platform to launch and scale on. It was becoming harder and harder for these brands to get onto Whole Foods, launch and scale within Amazon, and drive customers into their singular e-commerce channels. Jessica saw an opportunity to launch something similar to what Etsy has done in the handmade goods space by creating and curating a marketplace for innovative, truly strict-label, independent food brands. When she was starting her career, she didn't intend to enter the food industry, but her passion for cooking triggered an evolution that led her to it, and she never looked back. After going to culinary school, she worked as a chef in NYC in Michelin-starred restaurants for a while before she became burned out and began exploring the online food space. She transitioned to the food startup scene in 2013 and eventually became the first employee and Head of Product and Operations for Daily Harvest in 2015 before launching Bubble Goods in 2019.Bubble Goods is a drop-ship marketplace that curates brands for their users and gives small independent food and beverage brands the ability to market nationally. Jessica tells us they have a strict vetting process to make sure they are only delivering the best to their customers, but there is no order minimum so they can remain start-up friendly and keep their finger on the pulse of emerging trends. Bubble Goods has two main groups of customers: one is interested in discovering innovative foods, and the other is searching for foods that adhere to lifestyle and dietary restrictions. Bubble Goods prides itself on being low-lift and high-impact for the brands it partners with, and for many of its brands, Bubble Goods is their first retailer. To help brands succeed, Jessica and her team work hard to be good partners by putting brands in front of the right customers and giving them resources when they onboard for everything from legal resources to marketing partners. In this episode, you'll learn about:What inspired Jessica to start Bubble Goods?What benefits do brands get when they partner with Bubble Goods? Who is the target consumer, and how are they targeted? Key Highlights:[02:00] The first professionally trained chef on the show[03:40] Fufu is having a moment.[06:15] Bubble Goods: what they do and who they serve[08:00] Who is buying from Bubble Goods? [10:00] Bubble Goods role in helping newer brands [11:30] The importance of transparency[15:10] Who is making the food, and does it matter?[17:30] How marketers should leverage Bubble Goods[19:20] What is coming next?[20:15] Lessons from the kitchen [22:30] Advice to her younger self [24:30] New-school and old-school tactics[26:00] Snaxshot and CPGD[26:45] The AI portion of the showLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alan and Jessica talk about the evolution of Calendly from serving solopreneurs to enterprise organizations, the success factors that have made that shift possible, how she thinks about the RIO and effectiveness of marketing spend, and balancing the need to drive results and be creative through “creative destruction.”.  Jessica Gilmartin is an amateur baker, an ex-yogurt mogul, and the new Chief Revenue Officer at the scheduling automation platform Calendly. She took her first marketing job at Dell, which prompted a move to the Bay Area, where she also started and sold a chain of yogurt stores. Before joining Calendly in 2023, Jessica was Head of Revenue Marketing at Asana and had also served as CMO of three high-growth, venture-backed startups, building their global enterprise marketing engines during rapid growth periods.  Calendly started with a basic scheduling link for individuals, but business users needed more team features, and enterprise users needed more admin and security features, so the product grew to meet those needs. Jessica tells us they are building for scale but are sure to never lose sight of the individual user's success. Her team is focused on how to tell a complete story with comprehensive features while maintaining simplicity in the product and the messaging. To do that, Jessica and her team have to experiment. Marketing changes all the time, and what worked then will not work now, so marketers have to be creative to drive results. She refers to this as “creative destruction” and encourages her team to make 70–80% of what they are doing every quarter new. However, to make this work, her team must trust that failing is not career-ending as long as they learn from it. Jessica also outlines how her approach to segmenting and communicating expectations around marketing spend facilitates experimentation. AI is a place where many companies are experimenting. However, within their product, the Calendly team sees a huge amount of opportunities they are pursuing, but they are taking a measured approach to keep their users' interests top of mind. Alan and Jessica wrap up by talking about accepting and embracing hard feedback, the importance of listening to her gut feelings, why markets have to learn sales, and the shifts coming from the consumerization of B2B tech.  In this episode, you'll learn about:How Calendly developed through user feedbackWhat “creative destruction” is and the culture needed to make it work How Jessica segments out her budget to maximize RIO and the effectiveness  Key Highlights:[01:55] A love of baking born out of necessity [03:10] From investment banker to CMO[04:40] Wait… a yogurt shop?[06:20] Where Calendly started and where they are now[08:00] Comprehensive solutions rooted in simplicity[09:20] Success factors for shifting from serving one to many[11:00] ROI and effectiveness of marketing[14:00] Fulfill your commitments and build trust to get more wiggle room. [14:45] Balancing the need to drive results and be creative [17:10] The AI portion of the show is a little different this time.[19:45] How Calendly is using AI[21:30] Learning to accept and embrace really hard feedback[24:25] Advice to her younger self[25:20] Advice to other marketers [26:05] Trends and subcultures[26:45] Marketers basically have to be magicians Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jacqueline Woods is the Chief Marketing Officer for Teradata, the cloud analytics and data platform for AI, headquartered in San Diego, California. Jacqueline joined Teradata from NielsenIQ, where she was a member of the executive leadership team and Global Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. She also spent nearly 10 years as CMO of the IBM Global Partner Ecosystem Division, where she focused on building cloud, data, AI, and SaaS strategies. Before that, she was Global Head of Customer Segmentation & Customer Experience at General Electric and also held roles of increasing responsibility at Oracle for 10 years, as well as leadership roles at Ameritech and GTE, now Verizon. Thankfully, Jacqueline has always loved math, because, as she points out, marketing today is based mostly on data. However, she also emphasizes the importance of empathy and notes that it is essential in creating a space where people can be authentic and drive innovation, productivity, and product design.In this episode, Alan and Jacqueline talk about where trust fits into the AI conversation, what leaders need to know before launching an AI initiative, and how AI can boost efficiency and productivity. Jacqueline also tells us why underrepresented people, like black female business leaders, need to be involved in AI as it evolves. While AI has been around for a while, it became all the rage at the end of 2022 with public access to tools like ChatGPT. AI is based on patterns, some factual and some non-factual. So that poses the question: how do we trust AI? That's where Teradata comes in. By having responsible people create the models, take responsibility, and think critically about the training, governance, and outcomes, Teradata is focused on building the trust required to use artificial intelligence, generative artificial intelligence, and large language models for their “global 10,000” clientele, like American Airlines and United Healthcare. These companies rely on Teradata for their cloud data and analytics workloads. Teradata has been stewards of trusted information and data since they were founded about 40 years ago, and they believe people thrive when empowered with better and entrusted information.In this episode, you'll learn about:Why is empathy important for marketers?The importance of clean data Why do underrepresented people have to participate in the evolution of AI?Our Sponsor:Download Emailtooltester’s free comparison spreadsheet to find the best email marketing service for your business.Key Highlights:[02:10] What is empathy?[03:45] Why marketers need empathy [07:00] How a love of math led her to marketing [10:30] Her path to Teradata[19:00] How can business leaders ensure AI can be trusted?[21:50] What to do before launching an AI initiative?[26:45] Remaining authentic using AI[30:20] Creative AI use cases as workforce multipliers[33:00] Why underrepresented groups need to participate in AI [36:20] What we can all learn from Moe[41:45] “Of course it’s Ai!”[42:10] Watching the shifting nature of work[44:40] Can you explain what marketing does and why it’s important?Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alan and Robin discuss his path from Wall Street to citizenM, their focus on affordable luxury, the innovations they are bringing to the hospitality industry, and who they are working to serve. Robin also tells us about their unique citizensOf campaign and how it is helping them integrate into communities, as well as their partnership with World Bicycle Relief and how they encourage their guests to participate in impactful ESG initiatives. Robin Chadha is the Amsterdam-based Chief Marketing Officer of citizenM, where he leads the Brand & Communications team. Robin is half Indian, half Dutch, and was educated in American schools his entire life, giving him a deep understanding and appreciation for different cultures from a young age. He spent his first year after graduation on the floor of the NYSE and did another year in the offices, but knew it wasn't the place for him. He made the move into fashion by joining Tommy Hilfiger in New York, where he fell in love with the industry. He then moved back to the Netherlands to join his father's fashion company, Mexx, but left shortly after it was sold to Liz Claiborne. In 2005, Robin entered hospitality by launching Rain, a unique design-led food and drink experience venue in Amsterdam. Robin has always had a passion for travel, so he sold Rain in 2008 to join the budding citizenM team, where he has since been responsible for growing citizenM into the worldwide, distinctly recognizable hotel and lifestyle brand it is today.citizenM was founded by Robin's father, Rattan Chadha, and opened its first hotel at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in 2008. When Rattan ran Mexx, he saw his designers traveling the world unable to find affordable luxury hotels to stay in, so they became the pioneers in affordable luxury with a focus on emotional connections, efficiencies, and experiences. Today, citizenM owns and operates 30 hotels in most major cities across the world. They focus on Bleisure travelers that are blending business and leisure, leverage their citizenOf campaign to overcome issues when integrating into new cities, and maintain impressive ESG and charity initiatives to encourage their guests to improve the world citizenM is helping them experience. In this episode, you'll learn about:The market gap citizenM was created to fill, and what a Bleisure Traveler is How citizenM inspires their guests to participate in ESG and charitable giving initiatives The creative citizenOf campaigns being used to launch new locations Our Sponsor:Download Emailtooltester’s free comparison spreadsheet to find the best email marketing service for your business.Key Highlights:[01:50] Polar opposites in travel, from Thailand to Dubai[03:40] From Wall Street, to fashion, to founder, to here[08:50] The idea behind citizenM Hotels[11:55] daring to disrupt and gain ground [14:45] 4 pillars it’s all built on [16:30] What is “Bleisure”?[19:05] citizensOf Campaign [26:15] citizenMovement initiative [30:40] The impact of growing up in three distinct cultures [33:30] What AI cannot do and what we do with data[35:10] Art and fashion trends Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alan and Andy discuss his path to creating Circle, how to build community, best practices and takeaways for community builders, how to build a great member experience, how to find the right members for your community, and much more!Andy Guttormsen is the co-founder and chief revenue officer of Circle, an all-in-one community platform for professional creators and brands. He started his career on Wall Street, but quickly found that it wasn't the place for him. He attempted to start a couple of ultimately unsuccessful companies before he made his way to Teachable, where he had the idea for Circle and met his co-founder. Circle has community building down to a science, and they are kind enough to compile and share that science with us in their Community Benchmark Report. To generate this report, Circle sent out a survey to their 10,000 customers, gathered their internal product data, and put together a report on premium “Platinum Communities” to identify how they differ from other communities. The full report is available online, but Andy outlines some of the key takeaways and best practices from those platinum communities that we can use to build our own strong communities, from encouraging member interaction to designing valuable signature gatherings. However, none of these community engagement strategies work without high-quality members in the community. Thankfully, Andy also shares tips and tricks from great community builders he has seen succeed in growing their membership base. No matter the membership numbers, each community has value, but for businesses, that value will look different based on their goals. Andy gives us several examples of what can make a community valuable to a business and how to identify and increase that unique value. In this episode, you'll learn:Why Andy’s first founder attempt failed, and why Circle was differentThe idea behind Circle and how it came to beBest practices and key takeaways from the Circle Community Benchmark Report How to find the right members for your community and build a great member experience Our Sponsor:Download Emailtooltester’s free comparison spreadsheet to find the best email marketing service for your business.Key Highlights:[01:45] Why does Andy prioritize daily walks?[04:35] His path from Wall Street to co-founding Circle[10:30] Alan is in the Circle too.[12:05] Key takeaways from the Benchmark Report [14:40] What can we learn from Dr. Becky?[16:23] Examples of communities providing transformation for members [19:00] Circle vs. The Other Guys [22:40] What is a Signature Gathering?  [25:50] Get in the Hot Seat![27:30] Growing and finding the right members for your community[31:55] The value of community to a business[34:35] Valuable lessons learned through failure [36:25] What would he have done differently? [38:45] Adding predictability to the business [41:00] More creatives. More side hustles.[42:50] The AI portion of the show: bad copywriters bewareLooking for more?Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lee Thompson is the co-founder and CMO of Flash Pack, a travel brand dedicated to small group adventures rooted in friendship that he founded with his now wife and CEO, Radha Vyas. Lee’s career merged with his passion for adventure as a self-employed photojournalist. He met Radha on a chance first date between gigs, and they immediately started planning what became Flash Pack. By 2016, they were married, had both quit their jobs, and were starting their new adventure as business owners. Initially, they successfully bootstrapped their business, but COVID and closed borders had other ideas. The pandemic was in full swing, they had a one-year-old baby, all of their investors wanted refunds, and by November 2020, they had filed for bankruptcy and lost everything. Thanks to teamwork, creative problem-solving, and dedication, Lee and Radha were able to relaunch in November 2021 and are in a better place today than ever before. Now, he is using the storytelling skills he learned through photojournalism to tell the story of Flash Pack, a story of friendship.In this episode, Alan and Lee discuss who Flash Pack is for, the unique experiences they offer their customers, and why they are all in on marketing friendship. Flash Pack is a London-based start-up, but with a large American user base, they are beginning the transition to become a US-based company with several existing US-based employees and an upcoming family move to the States. They have over 75 employees in 12 different countries, and revenue is higher than it ever was pre-pandemic. Lee says business is booming due to an increase in loneliness and awareness of the damage it can do. That is why all Flash Pack marketing is centered around friendship forged through adventure.In this episode, you'll learn:How Lee’s photojournalism skills serve him as a CMOThe solo travel market and why Flash Pack marketing is all friendship-basedWhat Lee has learned from failure and predicts for the future of marketingKey Highlights:[01:45] Historic adventures in photojournalism[04:40] The art of storytelling through photos and marketing efforts[05:25] From the first date to founding a company[07:40] Building a life together is the greatest adventure.[09:00] What is a Flash Pack?[11:35] Everything was great until COVID hit.[15:45] Starting a Business: Part 2[18:40] The market for solo travel[21:00] Friendship forged through adventure[21:55] Flash Pack across the Pond[23:55] Generating buzz about friendship on the streets of New York[27:15] The next big thing to target is isolation on the streets of New York.[28:55] Learning how to fail early on[30:00] Advice to his younger self[32:05] Marketing is not just the marketer's job.[34:20] User-generated content[35:55] The opportunity for diversity and the threat of getting lazyLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kelly Cook does it all! She is a mother of five who plays the drums AND serves as President of Marketing, IT, and Finance at David’s Bridal. Her love of learning and trying new things can be seen in her impressive and varied work history. From Continental Airlines, to Waste Management, Inc. to DSW, Pier One, Sears, Kmart, and now David’s Bridal, Kelly tells us she learned a lot about herself and her craft by challenging herself in new industries and encourages other marketers to try the same.In this episode, Alan and Kelly discuss her unique role combining brand, tech, and finance and what those three aspects may mean for the future of brand experiences at retailers. Kelly also tells us how David’s Bridal views their role in the wedding planning process, as well as how their unique omnichannel approach and crowdfunded loyalty programs help them connect with brides on a deeper level.David’s Bridal sells 1 out of every 4 bridal gowns in the US, so they know brides, and they know brides are stressed out. That is why David’s Bridal is on a mission to make every step of the process as easy as possible, expand its scope to fill gaps in the market, add more value for its brides, and help them keep costs down. It was the creativity of the brides they serve and the dedication of their employees through COVID that inspired David’s Bridal's new “The Things We Do for Love” campaign. Even with the rise of AI, automation, and neuromarketing, Kelly and her team at David’s Bridal know the in-store human connection is a part of their business that will never be replaced.In this episode, you'll learn:How is David’s Bridal blending brand, technology, and finance to prepare for the future of retail brand experiences?How do they structure their unique omnichannel approach and crowdfunded loyalty programs?What inspired the “The Things We Do for Love” campaign?Key Highlights:[02:00] A mom of five on the drums[03:10] Her start and the stops along the way[04:05] Growing intellectually by switching industries[05:55] Brand, and technology, and finance, oh my![07:35] David’s Bridal market share and value prop[10:20] Keeping wedding costs down[11:25] The omnichannel approach to being there when brides need them[14:40] A loyalty program? Like, for repeat weddings?[19:05] “The Things We Do for Love."[24:40] Mentorship in prioritization, communication, and paying it forward[31:05] Advice to her younger self[33:05] How to not lose humanity in technology[35:35] Brand-on-brand social interactions[37:30] We are often our own worst enemies.Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regina Lawless is an inspiration. She is a recent empty nester, founder of Bossy & Blissful, a community for black women executives and business owners, and author of Do You: A Journey of Success, Loss and Learning to Live a More MeaningFULL Life.After graduating with her BA in communications from California State University-Sacramento, Regina got her first job in human resources at Target. After about 8 years in retail HR, she did a stint in banking, then moved to the airline industry, and in 2016 she pivoted to tech. This led her to Meta, where in 2020 she became the head of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Instagram. About 6 months into that role, her husband of 21 years, Al, passed away unexpectedly. This life-changing loss set her on a journey of healing and rediscovery inspired by her late husband’s last text message to her: “Do you, babe. Don’t worry about anything else.”Through that journey, she realized that she had learned some lessons the hard way that could really help others. So, in 2023, she left corporate America, launched the community she was looking for, Bossy & Blissful, and wrote her first book that outlines a five-part framework she has developed to help you live a “MeaningFULL Life".In this episode, Alan and Regina discuss why she wrote the book, what she hopes people get out of it, the state of DEI today, and what life is like on the other side of corporate America. Regina also talks about how her childhood impacts the work she is doing today, the double-edged knife of constant connectivity without real community, the way Gen Z is rolling back the clock, and what the loneliness epidemic could mean for employers. In this episode, you'll learn:How the death of her husband changed everything in Regina’s lifePractical ways to navigate grief and start finding yourself againWhat the loneliness epidemic could mean for employersKey Highlights:[01:55] Thriving as a new empty nester[03:15] Regina path[05:05] What inspired “Do You”?[06:25] Tips for grieving[09:10] How do you “do you”?[12:50] Navigating fear around making the leap[16:50] What’s it like to leave corporate America?[20:50] The current state of DEI[25:05] From NoCal to the Burbs[29:00] Don’t be afraid to “do you."[30:30] The AI portion of the show[31:40] Back to flip phones![34:15] The loneliness epidemicLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Stonick is a punk. Like, an “opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers before they were cool” kind of punk. He started in web design in the mid-90s, then pivoted to UX in 2012. With 18 years in e-commerce, fashion, beauty, home improvement, and automotive, as well as 15 years in executive design leadership roles, he has over two decades of “tra-digital” experience in brand creative, visual, and UX design. Now, in the third act of his career as Vice President of SCADpro at Savannah College of Art and Design, Paul tells us it's the opportunity to develop the next generation of design leaders as they work to integrate design innovation and overcome old-school obstructionism that inspires him. Savannah College of Art and Design is not an art school. They are a creative university, preparing students for their creative professions. SCAD was founded in 1978, and today they have over 17,500 students, over 100 different majors and minors, and a 99% rate of employment after graduation. SCADpro, Paul's department, is the university's collaborative innovation studio. He tells us they sit at the intersection of art design and business by generating business solutions for the world's most influential brands, like Google, Amazon, Apple, NASA, Delta, BMW, Volvo, Uber, Mayo Clinic, The Home Depot, P&G, and Chick-fil-A.In this episode, Alan and Paul discuss the new book he contributed to, his early brushes with punk royalty, and what makes Savannah College of Art and Design more than just an “art school." They talk about what SCADpro is doing, some of the partnerships they have developed, and what type of work they have done to date. Paul also tells us why design has to be integrated into the top ranks of businesses, what he is teaching students about navigating corporate obstruction and finding like-minded people, and how the punks are taking over corporate America.“Some of my greatest work will never appear in my portfolio.”In this episode, you'll learn:Why Savannah College of Art and Design is NOT just an “art school”The Chick-fil-A drive-through and other SCADpro projectsHow the punks are taking over corporate America Key Highlights:[02:20] A lover of music, maybe even INXS[03:40] Opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers?! [05:15] From Anthony Kiedis to the next generation of design leaders[07:20] Savannah College of Art and Design is not an art school.[08:00] SCADpro: the university's collaborative innovation studio[09:00] The BDR side of SCADpro[09:45] Love the Chick-fil-A drive-through? Thank SCADpro![12:10] “Innovation” is being abused.[13:25] Show the math![15:05] Navigating corporate obstruction and finding like-minded people[18:05] Punks and Pinstripes [21:40] Be unconventional[23:45] “The data will set you free.”[24:50] It’s all about the Gen Z mindset.[25:45] No, really, it’s all about the Gen Z mindset (and AI).Looking for more?Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Llibert Argerich is a hardworking triathlete from Andorra, one of the smallest countries in the world. At 11, Llibert lost his father and learned his work ethic firsthand as he watched his mother raise three children on her own as a waitress. His desire to expand his worldview beyond the valley has led him to live in five different countries on two continents over the last 20 years. After completing his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Toulouse in France, Llibert started doing market research for a small start-up, but it didn't take long for him to fall in love with marketing. After moving to London to learn English, he got his “lucky break” by faking it until he was making it and got hired on at Expedia. From there, he went to work for eBay, where he was able to achieve his 16-year-long goal of moving to the US. Most recently, Llibert served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Udemy before he was hired as Chief Marketing Officer at Thumbtack in August 2023.In this episode, Alan and Llibert discuss how he approached his first 100 days at Thumbtack, his view on integrating brand and performance, what is and is not working in marketing today, and how to become your CFO’s best friend. Llibert also outlines the guiding principles and operating philosophy that Thumbtack implements based on data and testing to determine how they spend marketing dollars.Thumbtack is a platform that connects homeowners to professionals in the home service area, making it a dual-sided marketplace. As CMO, Llibert oversees the entirety of the marketing and communications platform, and he is also the DIR (Directly Responsible Individual) for the consumers and all company metrics that link to the homeowners (the demand-side consumer). Llibert tells us he and his team have found a more functional synergy by leveraging the Directly Responsible Individual structure rather than breaking the team into supply and demand sides. Marketers are often unfairly categorized as either performance experts or brand experts when in reality, they should be fluent in both languages. Llibert believes that true success will come from a 360-degree approach that leverages various channels to meet consumers where they are and can measure impact and performance across the whole spectrum.In this episode, you'll learn:Llibert's approach to his first 30, 60, 90, and 100 days in his new roleStructuring marketing to benefit both sides of a dual-sided marketplaceThumbtack's guiding principles and operating philosophy that drive brand and performanceKey Highlights:[02:00] Growing up in one of the smallest (and oldest) countries in the world[05:30] “The right path is the hard path.”[10:15] What is Thumbtack?[16:00] First 30, 60, 90, and 100 days in a new role[20:00] Structuring marketing with a dual-sided marketplace[23:15] Directly Responsible Individuals[23:50] Getting brand and performance to work together[28:30] The gaps in marketing[32:10] How to befriend your CFO[34:45] Teamwork makes the dream work.[35:30] The impact of losing his father at a young age[37:10] Advice to his younger self[38:30] The Gen AI portion of the show[41:37] Trends in fashion and sports marketing[42:40] The dangers or false sense of marketing precisionLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Vasallo is not only a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, but he is also their Chief Marketing Officer. Since joining the organization in 2018, he has been leading his team in generating awareness for the mission, inspiring volunteerism, and bringing the organization’s brand and commitment to youth equity and empowerment to life on national stages. Prior to joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Adam spent 11 years at HSN, where he held several senior-level development and marketing roles, including Director of New Business Development and Entertainment Marketing. During his time at HSN, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America came to their offices to recruit mentors, and Adam, being a young professional who knew he wanted to give back, signed up to become a "big" that very same day. Adam is now a two-time Big Brother and is currently matched with his Little Brother, Giovanni.In this episode, Alan and Adam discuss his experience as a Big, what Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is trying to accomplish through their new national campaign, and the innovative ways they are showing up in the culture. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America was founded in 1904 in NYC as an innovative alternative to the juvenile justice system. Over the past 120 years, it has grown from a small start-up to more than 230 agencies serving more than 5000 communities operating in all 50 states.Currently, 1 in 6 American kids says they are growing up without a caring mentor. This statistic inspired Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's new campaign, “It takes little to be big." Created as a marketing platform without an ending, "It takes little to be big” is intended to be versatile, attract volunteers, and resonate with donors. Through market research, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America identified the main barriers people felt in regards to becoming mentors, then designed the campaign to intentionally change the narrative and encourage involvement. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is targeting specific pop culture spaces where mentorship is already happening, like sports, fashion, and music, to partner with existing brands and individuals who help advance their message in innovative ways.In this episode, you'll learn:Adam's experience as a Big and what it’s like to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of AmericaThe innovative ways Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is changing the narrative around mentorshipInspiring volunteers and donors with the “It takes little to be big" campaign and culturally relevant partnershipsKey Highlights:[02:30] Adam’s first experience with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America[04:15] From TV Journalist to CMO[08:40] What is Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and why was it founded?[12:30] "It takes little to be big."[14:45] Alumni messaging specifically for volunteers and donors[16:10] Barriers to overcome with recruitment and reactivation of volunteers[20:40] Executing authentic cultural connections[28:05] Understanding mentorship as a first-generation American[33:00] Advice to his younger self[34:45] Automations with authenticity and impact storytelling[37:10] Intergenerational sneakerhead subcultures[40:35] Maximizing time and riding the rapid change Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alyson Griffin is back! She is a musician, mother, and marketing leader born and raised in Silicon Valley with over 25 years of experience leading marketing, branding, and thought leadership teams. Alyson originally planned on being a pharmacist, but she eventually realized it wasn't the right fit for her. As soon as she walked into her first advertising class, the rest was history. She eventually got her degree in communications and started at a PR agency right after graduation. She went client side with HP in 2000, where she worked her way up to VP of Marketing, then served as VP of Global Marketing at Intel Corporation until 2019. She left to do consulting when the pandemic hit, but it wasn't long before Alyson got a perfectly timed call from State Farm. Alyson joined the team as Head of Marketing in 2021, where she has been tasked with revolutionizing the 100-year-old brand.In this episode, Alan and Alyson discuss her non-traditional path from pharmacy school to technology to insurance, and of course, we talk about Jake! State Farm has seven iconic brand assets, the most famous and well-cultivated being Jake from State Farm. Alyson tells us the story behind the iconic Jake character, the strategy behind it now, and how he is helping the brand resonate with Gen Z. After realizing that they had the older audience well secured, State Farm began to focus on expanding to the younger generation and investing in future demand generation. They have several diverse partnerships and spokespeople, from Disney to NBA 2K to Jimmy Fallon, that help the brand connect with the public and, specifically, young people. Like most insurance companies, State Farm leverages humor in these marketing efforts, but what sets them apart is maintaining contextual relevance and strategically utilizing their assets, like Patrick Mahomes, to reach the audience he is most relevant with, people watching Monday Night Football. Alyson also tells us why sports play such a large role in the marketing strategy and how her team is working with large media partners to cobrand and integrate naturally into entertainment content.In this episode, you'll learn:The story behind Jake from State Farm, why he is so unique, and how they are leveraging the asset to reach Gen ZHow they are creating future demand through strategic partnerships and doubling down with gamersWhy State Farm prioritized maintaining a large presence in sports Key Highlights:[02:30] Intergenerational music lovers[04:48] From musician to future pharmacist to marketer[06:40] From Intel to State Farm[08:45] Gaining confidence through change[10:20] Why insurance relies on marketing so much[11:30] Jake was real!?  [15:45] Jake has entered the metaverse.[17:15] Jake is playing NBA 2K.[23:45] Jake has entered the Swiftverse.[24:30] Diverse, yet values-aligned, partnerships[29:05] How State Farm thinks about marketing overall[32:45] Why sports are a strategic marketing move[34:55] Only Murders in the (State Farm insured Building[37:55] What shaped her risk tolerance, vision, and passion?[39:15] “Have confidence and trust your gut."[39:55] Leveraging AI while staying true to the brand and jumping on trends[42:30] Positive PR stunts[42:25] Acting SwiftlyLooking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Viden is a wine lover with an English degree who never expected to end up in healthcare but always had an interest in marketing and advertising. After graduating from college, working client-side, managing a small marketing team, and moving to San Francisco, Mark had the opportunity to join Dignity Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, where he stayed for 18 years. In 2019, he was hired as Senior Vice President of Brand for CommonSpirit Health, where he now drives brand development, advertising, and digital strategies that promote growth, awareness, and consumer preference across the organization. CommonSpirit Health is a healthcare company you probably have never heard of, but with a house of brands serving over 20 million patients in 23 states, they are the 7th largest healthcare organization in the country. CommonSpirit Health was created in 2019 when two legacy healthcare systems merged. Since then, they have acquired other organizations and developed partnerships with renowned research institutions. Mark tells us his job is to connect all of these consumer-facing brands through a single brand promise, “Hello Humankindness," which communicates the organization’s approach to care through kindness and connection. He is currently leading the platform’s national expansion by showcasing touching moments and ensuring patients, physicians, and employees are intrinsically aware of an unyielding commitment to humanity. In this episode, Alan and Mark discuss the “Hello humankindness” brand platform, how it came about, and how it comes to life across people, practices, and communications. Mark reminds us that people enter healthcare because they have a calling, a passion, and a purpose. No one wants to think about healthcare until they need it, so CommonSpirit Health's strategy is to stay present in the subconscious, so when you do need them, they come to mind first. By focusing on the emotional connections, Mark and his team are sowing the seeds of values alignment, awareness, and trust to create category differentiation. After patents are in the door, their experience is top of mind. They have to feel like the promise that they have been served up is coming to life through the interactions and the visual cues they see. In this episode, you'll learn:How “Hello humankindness” encourages connection and improves health outcomesHow to deliver on the brand promise through in-person patient experienceHow to create category differentiation by keeping alignment of values, awareness, and trust top of mindUse cases associated with making Gen Ai more empathetic Key Highlights:[02:00] Forget Napa, we’re going to Anderson Valley.[03:30] How an English major got into marketing healthcare[06:00] The 7th largest healthcare company you’ve probably never heard of[07:10] “Hello humankindness”[11:00] Human connection impacts health outcomes.[12:30] How the humankindness sausage is made[15:00] Found footage and real connections[15:55] The role emotion and connection play in a patient's selection of care[18:10] Technology in human connection[22:50] Working for and with smart, creative people[23:40] Advice to his younger self[24:05] Understanding and defining GenAI[24:35] Music is an important component of advertising.[27:05] The answer really is Gen Ai.Looking for more?Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Margot started her career as an analyst at Barclays Investment Bank. She wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to do at that time, but she did know having a good financial base would help her no matter what path she chose. She has always had a passion for retail, and in 2014, she joined the family business as a merchandising analyst at Movado Group. Eventually, she moved into sales, then business development, and most recently, she spent 4.5 years as the Vice President of E-Commerce, Digital Marketing and Marketplaces. All of these roles helped develop her understanding of the category and company and prepared her for her current role as president of the Movado brand and senior vice president of e-commerce. Today, she is responsible for the day-to-day management of the brand as well as the development and execution of long- and short-term growth strategies. In addition to managing Movado marketing and merchandising, Margot maintains responsibility for e-commerce sales for Movado, MCS, Olivia Burton, and Amazon North America.Movado Group is a watch and jewelry company made up of brands they own and also brands they license. Movado, their namesake brand, was founded in 1881 in Switzerland by a 19-year-old entrepreneur. Movado Group was founded by Margot's grandfather, Gedalio Grinberg, and is currently run by her father, Efraim Grinberg, the chairman and CEO. Margot tells us her family connection gives her the passion and inspiration she channels back into the company.In this episode, Alan and Margot discuss her professional path, her passion for pasta, and the legacy of Movado Group. They talk about her transition from investment banking into the “family business," the market for accessories, and where e-commerce is going. Margot tells us the retail environment is a challenge, and not just for accessories but across the board. To overcome these challenges, Margot and her team have taken a step back to think about how they can build on their longstanding good reputation and credibility in the industry to bring their brand promise to the next generation of consumers and build long-term relationships with them. One way they are doing that is with campaigns like “connecting the dots,” where they looked at everything that has defined Movado over the years, how they have evolved, and how they show up today to figure out how to communicate their brand promise most effectively.In this episode, you'll learn:The history of Movado and the family businessMovado's new “connecting the dots” campaignHow Margot and her team are building brand loyaltyKey Highlights:[01:50] Margot’s pasta obsession[03:15] Movado’s history[05:05] Working her way up through the ranks[07:50] Lessons from investment banking[08:50] Taking on the “family business"[10:40] The marketplace for accessories[11:40] Reaching customers[13:00] Owning where they have been and where they are going[13:55] “Connecting the dots”[15:20] Challenges of launching a new campaign[16:00] CSR at Movado[18:12] To be a young, successful female executive[20:40] Losing her mother at 9 shapes who she is today.[22:20] Flexible, adaptable, and open to change[23:30] How do you build brand loyalty?[25:00] Balancing using measurement and instincts[25:55] Marketing lessons from travel[27:00] How do you think about longevity in your company?Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kari Saitowitz is a baseball fanatic, the founder of Fhitting Room, and currently serves as the Chief Marketing and Creative Officer for the New York Sports Club. She graduated from the Wharton School with a strategic management and marketing focus and got her first job at American Express. From there, she leaned into her passion for marketing and decided to pursue her MBA. After graduating from Harvard Business School, Kari worked at Pepsi until she had her son. After his birth, she started meeting with a personal trainer who also happened to be in business school, and their conversations led her to become an “accidental entrepreneur” as she launched Fhitting Room in 2012. Business was booming until COVID changed everything. In 2022, NYSC acquired Fhitting Room and brought Kari on as their Chief Marketing and Creative Officer.In this episode, Alan and Kari discuss her path to creating Fhitting Room, how she ended up at NYSC, the complexity of their organizational overhaul and rebrand, and all the twists and turns that have happened along the way. NYSC is a long-standing brand, having recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. At the peak, there were over 200 clubs, but after closing many during the pandemic, there are now just under 50. Over the past few years, the NYSC has suffered from growing pains as it rebounded from the pandemic, shifted from a public to a private company, and brought in a new CEO. Now, in the rebuild phase, the focus is on repairing their damaged reputation and renewing trust.Kari is currently leading NYSC in a brand comeback by bringing all NYSC brands together under one roof in both name and operation. To execute the rebrand, Kari's main infrastructure goals have been consolidating the backend tech, implementing automation, and bolstering the NYSC brand. These efforts have unified their brand identity, increased efficiency and productivity, and improved the member experience. Now their biggest marketing objectives are increasing brand awareness, showing they are open and investing, growing membership, and deepening relationships to improve retention. They are also developing partnerships and creating activations with Garmin, Under Armor, and Hyperice to enhance the member experience, community unification, overall wellness, and build upon the NYSC mission of changing lives through fitness.In this episode, you'll learn:The founding of Fhitting Room and Kari’s path to NYSCHow Kari and her team are repairing reputational damage after a huge transitionPractical aspects of a complete brand overhaulKey Highlights:[02:00] 7 MLB events in 7 days across 5 cities[04:35] From “accidental entrepreneur” to CMO[11:30] Pivoting the Fhitting Room through COVID[14:00] Where is NYSC today, and how does Fhitting Room fit in?[16:30] Rebuilding the value proposition[18:55] Consolidating complexity[25:40] Meeting people where they are[28:45] Garmin, Under Armor, and Hyperice, oh my![31:15] Celebrating 50 years of NYSC[33:35] Learning to believe in herself and her abilities[36:55] Enjoy the journey and take more risks.[38:55] The AI portion of the show[39:40] The power of individual creators and influencers[42:00] The complexity and fragmentation of media Looking for more?Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alan and Matt discuss having a brush with Shark Tank, the benefits of developing a strong work ethic at a young age, and how Matt is working on being a fast decision-maker without being a prisoner to the moment. They also talk about the different categories within the restaurant category, the unique concept First Watch is creating with experiences, and the culture that makes it all work. Matt wraps up the episode by touching on why the new nature of marketing requires an unstructured team of specialists, the impact of Gen Z entering their earning years, and why leaders need to combat the high burnout rates in marketing.Matt Eisenacher got his first job in the financial sector with PricewaterhouseCoopers, but soon realized he wanted to figure out where a company is going, not measure when it has been. This led him to pursue his MBA and begin his marketing career in CPG. Matt worked for Nestle and then Abbott Nutrition before he shifted into the restaurant industry with Piada Italian Street Food. In 2019, he joined First Watch as the Senior Vice President of Brand Strategy and Innovation before taking on the role of Chief Brand Officer in 2023. Matt tells us his role as Chief Brand Officer is less about marketing to consumers and more about infusing consistent brand promise into everything First Watch does. Whether it is restaurant design or menu design, Matt is putting the team and experience first and bringing the brand to all parts of the organization.First Watch has been around for 40 years and specializes in daytime dining with an on-trend menu for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. They do whatever they can to be the “anti-chain” restaurant. First Watch is not trying to appeal to everyone. In fact, it's their specialization that makes them so special. Brand awareness may be low, but they leverage their business model constraints to drive demand in a quite organic way with highly targeted digital messaging, top-quality food, exceptional experiences, and word-of-mouth.Doing things differently starts at the top for First Watch. While many C-suite leaders are becoming more disconnected from their front-line workers, First Watch leadership commits a huge amount of time to listening to restaurant employees directly and being as responsive as possible to the feedback they get. This “you first” culture starts with happy employees and results in happy customers.In this episode, you'll learn:What it means to be an anti-chain restaurant and generate demand quietlyHow a “you first” culture starts with happy employees and results in happy customersThe benefits of business model constraints Key Highlights: [01:40] Inventing Shark Tank adjacent lawn bags[04:30] From the Midwest to finance to CPG to restaurants[08:00] First Watch is an anti-chain restaurant.[10:30] Driving growth with a self-imposed business model constraint[12:30] The First Watch experience[14:50] What kind of restaurants are winning in the post-COVID world?[16:00] “You first” culture[20:00] What does the Chief Brand Officer do?[22:20] Driving demand, quietly[26:20] The impact of a strong work ethic from a young age[30:25] Being fast without being a prisoner of the moment[31:40] Building a team of unstructured specialists[35:30] Gen Z is entering their earning years.[37:20] Burnout is the big one...[40:15] A little Taylor talkLooking for more?Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest! Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.