The Big Impression

Booking.com’s Chief Marketing Officer, Arjan Dijk, joins The Current Podcast to touch on the post-pandemic travel boom and how data supports the company’s omnichannel strategy, saying that 30 percent of his marketing team are “hardcore data scientists.” Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian: (00:01)I'm Damian Fowler. Welcome to this edition of the current podcast. My co-host Ilyse Liffreing is away.Damian: (00:10)This week. I sit down with Arian, the senior Vice President and chief marketing officer for booking.com. Since it was founded in 1996 in Amsterdam, booking.com has grown from a small Dutch startup to one of the world's leading digital travel companies. The company's stated mission is to make it easier for everyone to experience the world. Part of Booking Holdings inc. booking.com is a truly global company available in 43 languages. And with more than 28 million accommodations listed, Arian joined the company in 2019 and overseas marketing efforts worldwide. As such, he's responsible for all initiatives across the marketing funnel from brand social performance and innovation. We started by talking about this omnichannel approach.Arjan: (01:03)The role of marketing is to accelerate momentum. Uh, so you have to be very, very, very thoughtful where you invest and when you invest, because if there is no momentum in the market, it doesn't really make sense to really spend a lot of money and and convincing people to, to spend money. We look at more than 200 countries in the, in the world and we're really looking like, okay, what's going on in that country? Are we really sure we should weigh in or not? And especially during the pandemic, you can imagine this was kind of a daily, uh, monitoring, uh, because things moved very rapidly and you had, you had to deal with lockdowns and then suddenly demand would drop, uh, completely. And booking.com with my team, we've been able to manage through that in a very flexible mindset. And I think that flexible mindset is still helping us right now.Arjan: (01:51)'cause we're really looking very carefully like, oh, does this work? Oh, yes, it works. Let's invest a bit more. Invest a bit more. Okay, now it's enough. Now we go into other channels and I talk a lot about the role of different channels. So I personally always hate the difference between brand marketing, performance marketing. Uh, one of the key things when I started at the company almost five years ago is that, is that we would report separately on our performance marketing spend versus brand marketing spend. I'm like, you know what? Let's not do that anymore. Uh, it's the same money it should perform. And clearly when you work in what we call low intent channels, you have different objectives. Yeah. So low intent, our channels like pr, social media, general, TV advertising, all those kind of good things, but they drive awareness and consideration. They don't necessarily drive an immediate booking where we also work in other channels where it's more about immediate booking.Damian: (02:44)It's very interesting to hear you talk about looking at that data from all these different markets you are in. I mean, how do you stay on top of that? It sounds quite strategic and quite data-driven.Arjan: (02:55)We are very data-driven. I do think that anyone in marketing now nowadays needs to be data driven. And you know, you can imagine that I have a, a big marketing team, but I can assure you that probably 30% of them are kind of hardcore data scientists. And these are people who are day in, day out will look at effectiveness of our campaigns and then report back and say, Hey, we expect that actually this to happen. But it didn't. And sometimes results are very intuitive and sometimes results are not very intuitive. And I think being honest about that is very important.Damian: (03:25)In 2023, we had a little bit of a resurgence of optimism in the economy after 2022, and it seems that business travel is back in popularity. The summer of 2023 saw record numbers even from even before the pandemic. I'm wondering from your perspective, how has booking.com experienced this post pandemic travel surge? Is that predicted to continue?Arjan: (03:47)Yeah, so one of the great learnings I think from the pandemic is that people have just this amazing desire to travel. That's exactly what it is about. You know, like each of us, you know, you probably will agree, is that when it's holiday time, you're like, oh my God, this is amazing. I'm, I'm going away in a different environment. I'm experiencing different food, different people, uh, different weather, et cetera, et cetera. So the Pandemic was a huge confirmation of travel just being an enormous part of people's life. And of all the things that you experience in your, in your life, supposedly only 12% you actively remember. Uh, so, uh, from everything that you experience in your life. And the reality is that

Fresh off pandemic fame, Moderna wants consumers to know how it’s applying mRNA technology to reimagine health and wellness. Among other strategies, the company is leaning into sports and music to reach consumers when they’re likely to be most receptive. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio. Damian Fowler: (00:01)I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse Lieffring: (00:02)And I'm Ilyse Liffreing.Damian Fowler: (00:03)And welcome to this edition of the current podcast.Ilyse Lieffring: (00:10)This week we sit down with Kate Cronin, the chief brand Officer for Moderna.Damian Fowler: (00:15)Moderna is a biotech company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The focuses on MRNA therapies and vaccines against a wide range of illnesses including cancer, COVID-19 and the flu.Ilyse Lieffring: (00:26)Although the company was founded in 2010, it became a familiar brand name during the pandemic when it received full approval for its CVID 19 vaccine by the US Food and Drug Administration.Damian Fowler: (00:38)Since then, it's positioned itself to become a more commercial company and it's opening up direct to consumer marketing channels using digital messaging to reach healthcare providers and patients alike.Kate Cronin: (00:53)If you think about the healthcare landscape and where we are, we came out of a pandemic that changed everything. The pandemic turned every company into a healthcare company because companies were focused on the health and wellbeing of either their employees or their constituents or their customers. And that means hotels, airlines, travel, restaurants. It changed everything. And I think what happened is in a post pandemic world, people are laser focused on health and wellness. And looking at Moderna, we are leaning into that new focus on health and wellness and new understanding of health and wellness. And so as a company, we're leaning in on educating the world about our technology and what we believe we're going to do to change the future of healthcare.Damian Fowler: (01:40)And on that point, how has that impacted the way you go to market and the way you have rolled out marketing strategies? I understand it's a pretty big shift for the brand.Kate Cronin: (01:50)For the first 10 years of Moderna's life, we were an r and d company, so we focused on research and development. That means we studied products, the lab, and we did not have any products commercialized, so we never took a product to market. When Covid struck our CEO realized, hey, we have an opportunity with mRNA to see if our technology works against Covid. And the good news is it did. And so we are super proud of the fact that our first commercial product was for Covid, shot in the arms of billions of people around the world, literally prevented serious disease and hospitalization. And so that changed our company. And because the pandemic was the first time when people actually asked for a vaccine or knew their vaccine by name, you know, people would walk around and say, I, you know, I've got Pfizer or I got Moderna, or whatever it was.Kate Cronin: (02:39)And they were proud of the fact that they got the shot to prevent Covid. And so there was instant brand recognition. So Moderna was not a household name until the pandemic and suddenly became a global brand. Everybody knew the name Moderna and what everybody knew was Moderna was a company that manufactured a COVID-19 vaccine. What they didn't know is everything else that we were doing. And so I was hired in the middle of the pandemic to start educating around who is Moderna? What is our brand? What do we stand for? What's our identity and how do we reach consumers about the future of MRA technology and where we're going beyond covid. That's been the the focus. And that's not just for healthcare providers. People were getting it from pharmacists. They were not going to their doctors to get shots. So it was a very much of a consumer driven market. And because it was consumer driven, that's where I was leaning in on my focus on consumers and educating them about mRNA. So many people had it in their arms, did they know exactly what it did and why should they care? We started changing the dynamic in terms of how we reach our audiences.Damian Fowler: (03:45)Would you mind defining what mRNA is? I know it's in the name of the company, Moderna.Kate Cronin: (03:51)Interestingly, the agency that I worked at named Moderna, it's basically about mRNA. And mRNA is known as Messenger ribonucleic acid. And mRNA is a molecule that contains a set of instructions or a recipe, if you will, that direct cells to make a protein using the body's natural machinery to fight disease or prevent disease. And that's really what it is. It's a set of instructions and if you think about Moderna, the name, we came up with Moderna because it's modern, we believe we're gonna transform medicines, but it has RNA at the end. So it was very, it was a very nice play on modern

As a 102-year-old brand, White Castle has become a niche part of culture, from the “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” movie to people getting married at the restaurant. Jamie Richardson, VP of marketing and public relations, discusses maintaining the White Castle brand as a pop culture icon. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio. DAMIAN (00:01):I'm Damian Fowler.ILYSE (00:02):And I'm Ilyse Liffreing. AndDAMIAN (00:04):Welcome to this edition of the current podcast.ILYSE (00:10):This week we sit down with Jamie Richardson, VP of Marketing and Public Relations at White Castle, the 100 and 2-year-old brand that's been part of pop culture and a mainstay in American fast food since it was opened by founder Billy Ingram as a family business in 1921. It now operates around 342 US locations.DAMIAN (00:32):From the 2004 film, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle to making headlines for hosting weddings. White Castle manages to maintain its status as a pop culture icon while innovating in new areas like grocery and delivery.JAMIE RICHARDSON (00:53):Well, you know, when you work at White Castle, you get calls from all over the world, and one fine day somebody called their 800 line, and I had the opportunity to speak to this person and they said they were from Hollywood, and that there's this film about two likable underdogs who spent an evening of misadventure looking for White Castle. So we said, sure, send us the script. And then I remember taking the script home and taking a look at it, and they forgot to mention it was rated R for raunchy. So that was a little surprising. Um, but, uh, we had some good debate internally. And then I had the opportunity to talk to our CEO and third generation leader, uh, bill Ingram. I had the perfect pitch down. I was really ready to, to sell this big idea. I remember walking into Bill's office and panicking, and the first thing I blurted out was, it has sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Other than that, it's really good for us. And he kind of paused and looked up and said, what in the world are you talking about? And when I told him a little bit more, he, he looked and said, well, as long as it doesn't make fun of our team members, I'm fine with it. So that's how the greatest film that never won an Academy award. Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, got green-lighted thanks to Bill Ingram. That'sILYSE (01:59):Great. It must have helped business. What would you say are other unique aspects of White Castle, whether it's like the menu, branding or history and how that contributes also to its ongoing presence in pop culture?JAMIE RICHARDSON (02:12):You know, I think for us it's about being relevant and being resonant and having a reverence from where we've been, but also at the same time connecting with consumers today where they are. So, um, certainly at the base of it all, it's about hot, tasty, affordable food. Just like our founder Billy Ingram imagined at the very beginning, he really believed every family should be able to have an affordable evening out. Um, and but beyond that, I think we've been able to be a part of people's, uh, memorable moments and, and that connects us emotionally beyond the physical properties of product and the utilitarian value of food. So keeps it fun and real.ILYSE (02:44):And do you guys have like a lot of traditions when it comes to that? It seems, um, it, it seems to play a big role at White Castle, actually. Your burgers have pretty much stayed consistent and then certain traditions have continued on, such as like people get married at White Castle, which is super fun. And then you have a Valentine's Day celebration now, I believe in its 32nd year. Why is it important to continue traditions that consumers know and love? YouJAMIE RICHARDSON (03:13):Know, I think for White Castle, uh, as a family owned business that's been around for 102 years, our neighbors and friends are the people we serve every day in each of the communities we're in. So for us, uh, you know, around Valentine's Day, white Castle becomes love castle and people make reservations three months in advance to get that special seeding. And I think it's us not taking ourselves too seriously and having some fun with it and recognizing we, we exist to feed the souls of Craver generations everywhere.DAMIAN (03:39):Now, Jamie, you mentioned, uh, the word relevant, which obviously is key to any brand, you know, staying relevant and especially in the sector that you are in a competitive restaurant and fast food category. I'm wondering how White Castle has adapted to changing consumer taste and trends, um, whilst it's preserving this 102 year old iconic status.JAMIE RICHARDSON (03:58):I, I think for us it's about not being locked into something that we've done just because that's the way we've done it before. It's about meeting people where they are. And the best way to do that is ask good questions, listen intently, and the

Weinstein shares why data and technology are crucial to Hilton’s customers’ experience, the creative philosophy for the hotel’s recent campaign with Paris Hilton, and marketing against home-sharing companies. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian: (00:01)I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse: (00:02)And I'm Ilyse Liffreing. AndDamian: (00:03)Welcome to this edition of the current podcast.Ilyse: (00:10)This week we're delighted to talk with Mark Weinstein, the Chief Marketing Officer at Hilton.Damian: (00:16)Mark joined Hilton more than 13 years ago rising to become the CMO in 2020, where he now leads global marketing for the Hilton portfolio of over 7,300 hotels across 22 brands in 123 countries and territoriesIlyse: (00:32)As travel surged. After all that pent up Wonderlust created during the pandemic, the hotel brand unveiled its biggest marketing push in six years. The campaign focuses on the quality of the travel experience with Hilton Brands. So Mark Hilton, of course, has its own loyalty program, the free Hilton Honors. How many Hilton guests currently take part in this program? What does it offer in terms of perks?Mark: (01:02)We have 165 million Hilton Honor members and growing. We're the fastest growing loyalty program in travel. And what we love about Hilton Honors, it allows us to get to know our guests to personalize the experience for them. And it also connects all 22 brands. 'cause what's interesting about our portfolio is each brand serves a travel need, budget and occasion. And you may transverse the brands for your different needs. And so Hilton Honors is that connective tissue, whether you're an infrequent traveler and Hilton Honors is a way to give you the best value for booking through hilton.com directly. So we get to know who you are, things like free wifi and points towards that free stay, a more elite member who can earn additional benefits like automated upgrades that we're delivering so you have even better stay or even that ability to dream for that once in a lifetime experience with our partners at McLaren, uh, F one Racing or Live Nation. Uh, and which you can of course further accelerate with things like our credit cards along the journey. So there's something for everyone, uh, along the Hilton Honors program. And of course, as you said, it's free to join, so you'd be crazy not to get that additional value.Ilyse: (01:56)Now how would you say like technology such as like your digital platforms and mobile app also play a role basically in enhancing the guest experience in order to foster like that loyalty and that wonderlust?Mark: (02:09)Yeah. The interesting thing about our technology, I would say it, it focuses in two different ways. All in service of that wonderlust. In some ways it's taking the friction outta travel so you can focus on doing what you're there to do, which is explore and find a great stay experience. So some of our innovations around digital key and the ability to choose your room in the app before you even get there, you know exactly what room you're gonna have. The ability to book confirm connecting rooms for parents. There's nothing more stressful than wondering if you're gonna get those rooms together. We actually are able to confirm it at time of booking. The ability to personalize the stay and choose things you want, the ability to message with the front desk, those are all friction removing items of the travel journey. They take away that interaction at the front desk where it's highly transactional.Mark: (02:48)That frees you up to then have a human conversation. Where do the locals like to eat? Where's the best place to get that Instagrammable rooftop bar shot, you know, as the sun's coming down. So that's one aspect of our technology is making the guest experience better, uh, and easier. On the other hand, putting the wonderlust back in. So you look at our social media abilities to connect with customers with the things they want to hear most about, to produce content and serve it up, whether it's on the interim TV with our connected room, digital TVs through the app itself or on our websites. The ability to let you personalize choices on Hilton Honors. What benefits you most wanna earn on that trip, or the ability to serve up what interesting experiences you might wanna use your honors points for. And so that Wonder Lust is enabled by both the simplifying the basics and really making it straightforward so we're always reliable and friendly to our guests. And then it also supercharging that, that sort of wonder lust that makes you wanna explore the planet.Ilyse: (03:37)How does like data then come into play from your loyalty program to tailor your marketing efforts and create those very unique experiences?Mark: (03:46)Data plays a critical role in everything we do for our customers. Whether that is for our less frequent travelers, trying to better get them the right content on initial

The chief marketing officer of the free ad-supported television (FAST) platform breaks down the maturation of the free-streaming space, Tubi going for an entire brand refresh, and growing the brand past its “teenage-acne phase.” Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian Fowler: (00:01)I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:02)And I'm Ilyse Liffreing. Damian Fowler: (00:03)And welcome to this edition of the current podcast.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:10)This week we sit down to talk with Nicole Parlapiano, the chief marketing officer of Tubi.Damian Fowler: (00:16)Nicole became the CMO in 2022, having honed her marketing experience at a number of high profile companies, including VaynerMedia, WeWork and Tinder. In 2023, she was named one of ad age's leading Women of the Year.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:31)Tubi had a breakout year in 2023, it surpassed 74 million monthly active users. 10 million of those came between February and September when the brand had its viral Super Bowl campaign.Nicole Parlapiano: (00:47)I mean it was a big moment. I think it's one of those lightning in a bottle I think when it really hit for me is when I saw a friend of mine who has kids in college sent me a TikTok and they were imitating the kids what it was like when the Tubi commercial came on. And I thought like, what a privilege and what an amazing impact that people are creating reaction videos because of what we did. And you know, if it's with the college kids on TikTok, then it's gonna go. It really showed how much like impact we had in that moment and for you know, a more of a challenger streaming brand. It was a big moment for the company and for the brand.Damian Fowler: (01:28)It certainly raises the bar right for, for next Super Bowl. For you , do you, are you, are you thinking oh we've gotta build on this and and do something even more?Nicole Parlapiano: (01:37)I literally basked in it for three days and then I was like Ooh, like this is definitely a hard thing to follow. And I think you can't put pressure on things like that. We are just obsessed with our viewers and obsessed with like surprising them. I think that happens in small ways every day on social. We're very accessible to our fans and our viewers. We respond to everybody. So really scaling that mass intimacy, you know, sending our biggest fans Tubi care packages and special things that they like. The bigger campaigns we've done since then are really similarly just looking at the moment we're in, really being considerate about who the audience is, who is the target audience and like how can we break through creatively in that moment on a small scale, on a big scale. Instead of letting the content lead us, we really let the viewer and the audience lead where we go. That takes the pressure off of what, what are we doing? What do we need to do? They tell us what we need to do if we're listeningDamian Fowler: (02:39)So are your marketing campaigns sort of reacting to Yes. What your viewers are watching? Yes. Is that, could you talk a little bit about how you stay like in the moment stay relevant?Nicole Parlapiano: (02:48)Listen, like for things like Super Bowl you have to plan many months ahead, but we actually had a very condensed time. So even on our bigger campaigns we turned things within four months pretty quick. When we do Super Bowl in the future, I think that part of the magic is cutting it really close. I mean culture's just moving so fast at this point that if you make something 10 months out, like is it still gonna hit the right way? Like things are moving too fast. I wouldn't say it's completely reactionary, but I do over-Index on giving my team enough time to pay attention and listen versus follow a marketing calendar. I think if we're following a marketing calendar and we're so focused on the calendar dictating our lives, you're going to miss the things that are going on in culture and then you don't have the bandwidth to move when something happens. That'sDamian Fowler: (03:36)Such invaluable insight.Ilyse Liffreing: (03:38)You know, speaking of trends, especially in the streaming space, Tubi is becoming somewhat of like a poster child for Fast channels or rather free ad supported TV platforms, especially after breaking into Nielsen's platform rankings in March. What do you think is driving the next evolution of growth for Fast?Nicole Parlapiano: (03:56)I think people are starting to get it with Fast. Probably two years ago when Fast there was a little bit of my expectation is that it's like an SVOD think now people are starting to realize that Fast just really plays a different role in your life and that it is more of a place to come when you're not sure what you wanna watch and you're looking to watch based on a mood or an occasion or a feeling. The growth in viewership is coming from just better consumer understanding of the role that fast plays and it's not necessarily like a replaceme

Activision Blizzard's Jonathan Stringfield on how advertisers can attach themselves to gamers' loyalty to specific franchises and how to find community in gaming. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.DAMIAN (00:01):I'm Damian Fowler.ILYSE (00:02):And I'm Ilyse Liffreing. DAMIAN (00:04):And welcome to this edition of The Current podcast.ILYSE (00:10):This week we're delighted to talk with Jonathan Stringfield, VP of Global Business Research and Marketing at Activision Blizzard.DAMIAN (00:17):Activision Blizzard made headlines in October. Microsoft closed its $69 billion deal with the gaming company, the home of legendary games like Candy Crush, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. Activision says it's ready for the next chapter as part of the Microsoft family,ILYSE (00:34):As well as being a VP at the company. Jonathan is also the author of Get In the Game, an Essential Guide for Marketers and Execs who want to integrate their brands with Modern Games and eSports published in 2022 by Wiley.JONATHAN STRINGFIELD (00:53):Sure. Well, so first of all, thanks for having me. I'm super excited to, uh, to be here today. Um, and, and again, I think the book is realistically a reflection of where we are in the greater marketing agency as it pertains to gaming, that I think there's been a lot of opportunities that have existed over the years. Um, certainly the marketplace has matured in recent years, but overall the level of investment in gaming is considerably lower relative to I think the amount that the fans are investing in it, the extent to which that this is consuming a greater amount of their time. And that on the whole, there's a lot of questions from marketers in terms of what's the right way to integrate and realistically no good resources in terms of how do we start to get folks to understand what is ostensibly not just a a form of entertainment. It's a new way in which people are increasingly interacting with media more generally. So the book was in some ways kind of a starter, what I was hoping to be a bit of a foundational educational piece to really kind of advance this conversation forward in the broader marketing industry. Yeah,DAMIAN (01:51):There's definitely intense interest and I've noticed even in the last 12 months it's picked up incredibly. Can you give us a sense of the scale now of gaming worldwide to sort of establish that, that context? Yeah,JONATHAN STRINGFIELD (02:05):For sure. I mean, you know, I think the latest estimates are the total gaming population will be about three and a half billion by next year. So somewhere between a third and a half of the population on the planet plays games, right. Substantial. Right. So, you know, I, I think that alone is, you know, kind of one of these light bulb moments for folks that, you know, when we think about what it means to play a video game more generally, again, you kind of get that classic view of like someone with a controller or maybe at a PC or what have you. But realistically, one of the biggest segments of gaming fans out there is, is mobile. Right? And since everyone has, or virtually everyone has a mobile device globally that can handle games like Candy Crush, what we found is that the surface area for people that enjoy games is just that much bigger. So, you know, when you look at the stats and see that, you know, conceivably the revenue that's attributed to gaming dwarfs things like film, movies, music, or what have you, it's because of the scale of the industry first and foremost in terms of how many fans have proliferated certainly in the last decade or so.DAMIAN (03:06):Yeah. What's interesting is people have certain preconceptions about gamers and gamers have changed over the years. I remember when I was coming about, I had an Atari 800 and I used to play Frogger. I don't really consider myself a gamer anymore, but could you give us a little insight in terms of who are gamers?JONATHAN STRINGFIELD (03:25):Yeah, so even the term gamer is kind of interesting in so far that it already kind of attributes a label that then kind of sparks preconceptions that are mine, right? So, you know, if we take a step back, we don't talk about, you know, folks that are watching movies as cinephiles per se, right? Or folks that are really into music with, with very specific terms. So in that world, even just thinking about gamers themselves, that kind of just entails someone who has or really kind of pulls some degree of identity from it, which is certainly the case. There are folks that like readily identify as a gamer and are, you know, very into it. And one of these, you know, spend multiple, multiple hours and lots of investment in the ecosystem and so on and so forth. But then there's just as many, actually many more folks who don't necessarily consider themselves a gamer, but they definitely play video games, right?JONATHAN STRINGFIELD (04:11):And a lot of it is on mobile p

State Farm’s Head of Marketing, Alyson Griffin, breaks down making the company’s iconic jingle a bigger deal next year and diving more into retail media. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio. Damian Fowler: (00:01)I'm Damien Fowler. AndIlyse Liffreing: (00:02)I'm EIS Lfr. AndDamian Fowler: (00:03)Welcome to this edition of the current podcast.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:10)This week we're delighted to talk with Allison Griffin, the head of marketing for State Farm.Damian Fowler: (00:15)State Farm Insurance Group has been around for more than a hundred years, but thanks to its high profile marketing campaigns, it remains a household name in the us. Over the years, companies had many entertaining creative campaigns, and the latest of course features the affable character of Jake from State Farm, who was present at a certain NFL game that made headlines in 2023. AndIlyse Liffreing: (00:36)We'll get to that with more than 25 years of experience leading teams at top Tech brands. Allison became head of marketing for the Iconic brand in May, 2021. She has a motto which goes like this, always curious, always learning, always happy to share my insights.Alyson Griffin: (00:59)State Farm is a 100 year old brand. You know, we've gotta try to figure out how to remain relevant, not only to our current big tried and true customer base of all. I'm pointing at myself, I know we're on a podcast, the Gen Xers of the world and older, but also that next generation. And one of the ways we do that is through life stages. And of course, every marketer knows you have to be relevant to the target that you're going after. Look, people don't think about insurance at all, ever. Maybe , if I could say, with a big smile on my face. So we've gotta think about, you know, your first apartment or your first car, or having a baby or buying a home, or those life stages matter because they matter to the person that they're happening to. They're big events. And for us, dissecting who the target is, what stage they're in, and how, you know, what do they care about? That has started to shape our media strategy. It started to shape how we think about capturing current demand, generating future demand, and retention and loyalty for our customer base.Ilyse Liffreing: (02:05)Now there's a lot of strategy, obviously behind your marketing campaigns. For instance, when you're selling auto or life insurance, there's a product for sale. But the genius of your campaigns is that you don't really talk about the product like it's there. Obviously you're selling it, but it's not, you know, in your face. This is auto life insurance. Um, what is the concept you are marketing exactly, would you say? And how does that vary, I guess, based on the demographic?Alyson Griffin: (02:33)Yeah, so it's different than, you know, if you hold up your phone or something, it's different than a product that somebody needs to understand how much it costs. How long is the battery life? I'm sort of making this up, this is different. The, the insurance, what we're selling is in part the policy, but it's also in part a relationship with the agent. We have almost 20,000 agents across the United States who are independent contractors, you know, not State Farm employees, and they're running small businesses and trying to be meaningful and are meaningful in the communities where they live and work and offer basically advice services, et cetera. So for us, from a national campaign perspective, we've gotta make sure the brand is strong and branding is not product advertising. We need to make sure that our assets are known and appreciated. And asset is Jake from State Farm that you already mentioned, but also our jingle or even just the words like a good neighbor State Farm is there. And so we dial up and dial down each of those assets in real life or in the virtual world, depending on the life stage. The person that we're targeting, do they know us or not? Are we trying to bind a policy today or not? And that's, you know, the mix with which we're trying to buy media and showing up in places where these current and potential customers are. It'sDamian Fowler: (03:54)Interesting to hear you talk about big national campaigns and that that awareness that you drive and done it so successfully over the years. And, and the latest iteration of course is is Jake from State Farm, that character, what, why has he proved such a strong character in campaigns?Alyson Griffin: (04:09)He started out over 10 years ago as Jake, a real State Farm employee, and it was back when we were putting agents and employees in our ads. And you may recall the original campaign where it's a middle of the night phone call and the husband is talking on the phone, the wife comes downstairs, who are you talking to? And it's Jake from State Farm. And the question is, what are you wearing? And he says, uh, khakis, . So we got a lot of play out of that for many, ma

The NFL’s Marissa Solis on the Taylor Swift effect, expanding globally, and the powerful messaging coming for the Super Bowl. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian Fowler: (00:01)I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:02)And I'm Ilyse Liffreing. AndDamian Fowler: (00:03)Welcome to this edition of The Current podcast.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:10)This week we're delighted to talk with Marissa Solis, the SVP of Global and Consumer Marketing for the NFLDamian Fowler: (00:17)In 2021, the NFL recruited Marissa after almost two decades As a marketing leader with PepsiCo, it was an opportunity to influence the league's almost 400 million sports fans around the world.Marissa Solis: (00:32)It's an incredible feeling when the NFL calls and especially with an opportunity to influence the messaging and the marketing of such an incredible platform with so much potential. You know, it's something, an opportunity I can pass up.Damian Fowler: (00:45)I mean, there's no doubt about it that the NFL is one of the most dominant cultural forces in the world. So let's start right there. And we obviously have to start with the NFL's, which recent pop culture boost from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelsey, which is must be a consumer marketer's dream in a way. Could you talk to us about that moment and the opportunity for you as a marketer?Marissa Solis: (01:05)It means a lot when things like this happen and it goes so viral, it just goes to show that the NFL is at the peak of, you know, entertainment. I have to tell you, none of us knew this was not planned. This was not anything that was orchestrated. We had sort of heard the rumors about Travis, you know, going to her concert and then inviting her to the game. But we really didn't know. We didn't know she was gonna show up at the game. And so when it all happened, I mean the power of social media, right within 10 seconds this thing went viral. And for us, you know, we have a social media and influencer arm within the league that are ready at the go when anything happens. So we were able to capitalize and have some fun with the fans. Uh, we created some 1 0 1 football videos for Swifties that had never seen the game before on how you play. But think about all of the NFL fans that don't know who Taylor Swift is. So we also were able to do a little bit of education to some of our NFL fans about who she is. So it's actually been a cultural education for a lot of people and we've had a lot of fun with it. Yeah,Ilyse Liffreing: (02:10)Thank you for clearing that up because I think a lot of rumors circulating was like, oh, the NF L's behind it, they know this happened. Had no idea they a planMarissa Solis: (02:17)Idea. No idea. But I, I think, you know, it's a really good lesson for marketers. Mm-hmm. Culture happens at the speed of light and you just have to be ready. You know, we like to say or think we create culture, but culture is organic and embedded culture just happens and we just happen to be ready at the moment, right? Yeah.Damian Fowler: (02:37)There's no doubt that the Super Bowl is the high point of the year. Curious, are you gonna be using some of these immovable cultural forces like Taylor Swift and Kelsey in your Super Bowl messaging?Marissa Solis: (02:47)You know, we always leveraged the Super Bowl to do some powerful messaging around the joy of the sport, but also how the sport transcends. So last year the message was all around the power of women and what women bring to the sport. And now we're in the Olympics. So you're gonna see some powerful messaging about what the league means to culture. It will be a very powerful message.Ilyse Liffreing: (03:10)On that note, do you have like a favorite Super Bowl ad?Marissa Solis: (03:13)I did not even know you were gonna ask me that by the way. But I have to say, and it's very ironic, my favorite Super Bowl out of all times was actually created by Tim Ellis, who's my boss. He was not at the NFL at the time, he was at Volkswagen and it's the Darth Vader spot. You know, I don't know if you know where the, where the little boy he's playing Darth Vader and at the end the dad turns on the car and he's like, oh my God, I love, love that spot. And when I interviewed with Tim that was like the first thing IDamian Fowler: (03:44)Wanted to just pivot a little bit. I saw an interview in the Hollywood reporter with uh, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was headlined Hollywood's MVP. And in that piece he talks about how the NFL has embraced streaming, which you know is a topic we talk about a lot. And he was quoted as sayingMarissa Solis: (04:00)TheDamian Fowler: (04:01)Technology's changing, the platforms are changing, the economy is changing and we have to be ahead of that strategy at all times so that we are where our fans are and on the platforms they want to be on. Can you talk to us a little bit about the challengeMarissa Solis: (04:12)AndDamian Fowler: (04:1

Zillow’s Beverly Jackson on simplifying the housebuying process through its marketing, and why working at the company has special importance for her as a Black woman. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian: (00:01)I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse: (00:02)And I'm Ilyse Liffreing.Damian: (00:04)And welcome to this edition of the current podcast.Ilyse: (00:10)This week we sit down with Beverly Jackson, the VP of Brand and Product Marketing at Real Estate Company Zillow withDamian: (00:17)Over 212 million average monthly users is the country's number one real estate app and a website. In fact, Zillow is becoming a housing super app designed to help people find the home of their dreams.Ilyse: (00:31)Beverly is an award-winning marketer with two decades of experience managing global campaign for companies, including the Recording Academy where she delivered record breaking social engagement for the 54th Grammy Awards, Yahoo, MGM Resorts International and at Twitter before it became X.Damian: (00:50)We started by asking her about this impressive career journeyBeverly: (00:58)As I still like to think that I am always sort of new and fresh faced to digital marketing 'cause I tend to be a digital first storyteller and a digital first brand person. I always think about two things. What is the brand looking to achieve and how are we thinking about growing? And then I think about how does that connect to culture? And so whether it was the Grammys or Yahoo or MG M resource as a hospitality brand or a sports betting band or something like Twitter, it's always about what is the connection to the customer? Is it digital first? How does it play in transforming or growing the brand or the business or its role or impact. Share a voice, share a wallet in the industry vertical. And then the connection to culture. I think it's very important how a brand connects to its customers through culture is such a powerful way to tell brand stories. That was important for all the work that I've done previous and it's certainly the way I think about my role here at Zillow.Ilyse: (01:58)Would you say that was basically the opportunity that Zillow kind of created for you that was so compelling on your end?Beverly: (02:06)The idea that Zillow helps consumers more and more consumers get home and that's what we're sort of working towards. There's not a, not a bigger brand moment in a consumer's life than sort of helping them to figure out what home means. 'cause it's such a personal experience and, and with Zillow sort of being the destination for the real estate industry, it's a beacon for all consumers. And it's sort of getting them from that idea of like idea dreaming about what home they want to actually getting into a home. So the brand is transforming, it's culturally relevant, it's significant to a specific population and to others it makes so much sense to me. So like when we think about like millennial, the millennial consumers, it was not an opportunity that I could easily ignore or walk away from.Damian: (02:52)Now Beverly, I wanna ask you, you know, buying a home has always kind of been a complex process. To what extent would you say that the tech has speeded things up or maybe simplified that whole process?Beverly: (03:02)The idea is that buying a house, especially your first house is gnarly. Like it's so intense, it's so intense, it's so many moving parts, it's so confusing. But then we have this large generation of sort of digital first consumers that expect consumer tech to be a utility. The tech has to be easy and it has to demystify the complicated process. It has to serve the customer's needs to their ultimate goal, but it has to meet them where they are. Zillow as a consumer tech company, as a financial tech company, as a real estate company is making it easier, which is why we're so well situated for this idea of a housing super app where a consumer, regardless of where they are in the process, can come into the Zillow ecosystem and find a way to answer the questions that they need and help guide themselves through the process. 'cause the goal is not just to help them search for a great home or to talk to real estate agents before they find the perfect agent for them, but you've gotta tour a lot of houses. The housing super app concept in addition to financing and figuring out what you can afford and then financing it and then closing the deal, signing all the papers and actually getting into your home. Zillow is ideally situated to do that.Damian: (04:22)Just to break that down a little bit further, you know there are other property search engines out there, but Zillow goes above and beyond that. What is the differentiating factor at Zillow? And you mentioned some of those just nowBeverly: (04:34)Customers are a north star without question. So the idea of customers being the driving force behind what we do and how we serve information back to them, meetin

VML CEO Jon Cook on how the agency came up with Wendy’s now iconic social media presence, the innovations he hopes to see in the streaming ad space and commerce on Instagram. Episode TranscriptPlease note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Ilyse: (00:01)I'm Ilyse Liffreing. AndDamian: (00:02)I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse: (00:03)And welcome to this edition of the current podcast.Damian: (00:10)This week we sit down with John Cook, the newly minted global CEO of VML.Ilyse: (00:16)VML is the new name for what is now one of the world's biggest creative companies. It's the result of WPPs merger of two of its creative agencies, Wunderman Thompson, and VMLY and R. The new company will employ 30,000 people in 64 markets.Damian: (00:34)WPP says, the merger is about simplifying business and unlocking scale for its clients, which includes blue chip companies like Colgate, Palm Olive, Dell Ford, Microsoft, Nestle, and Coca-Cola.Ilyse: (00:45)John Cook joined the agency back in 1996 when it only had 30 employees, which back then was just called VMLA full circle moment. He starts by telling us about the significance of the merger announced in October.Damian: (01:00)And one note, the first part of this podcast was recorded live at advertising week, New York. So John's audio changes a few minutes into the podcast.Jon: (01:11)I think it represents a reaction to, um, to several things, a reaction for holding companies like WPP to be simpler and easier to access. These are, these are two great companies within WPP, but they're two big companies. And that that can create confusion or complexity in within WPP. I think we've always simplified that well, but this takes that to the next level. This is a radical move in terms of simplicity. So I think it represents the thirst that marketers have for a simpler holding company landscape. A simpler WPP absolutely does that. It represents, I think, I think a statement about where the future of marketing is going. That a lot of people are pursuing you on one level. You've got consultants, you know, big consultancies pursuing creativity and trying, they're trying to acquire it, hire it, build it, and, and all having various levels success with that.Jon: (01:57)This represents a move to have the scale of some of the biggest consultancies, but with a creativity that I think a lot of them are really trying to have. We will have that right from the beginning. It represents, uh, a statement about where a lot of advertising agencies who are trying to stay relevant are going, meaning a lot of advertising are fantastic creative organizations, but they're all grappling with how do I add commerce, CRM, loyalty, technology, data. We have all that. When you put these two things together, what what I hope, and I think what we hope is that we are jumping right to that place where ad agencies and consultants are both trying to go from two different directions. We go there right now from the jump globally with, uh, two companies that already know each other really well, and it's a lot easier to say.Damian: (02:38)And so in, in, in effect, it's driven by the changing economics of advertising.Jon: (02:43)Yes, I think I I don't think it's solely driven by the change, the economics of advertising. I think there are economic advantages to being simpler. 'cause you can, you can be more efficient in, in how you deliver your, your agency. You can be, you know, and you can offer a lot. But I think it's, I think it's more driven by a fusion that marketers are looking for, not to speak for all marketers, but I think they struggle with how do I get brand storytelling and the the stories I wanna tell my by brand? How do I get that closer and closer to my product, the customer experience? And if I've got that right as a marketer, how do I then put that closer to the way people buy my product or transact or make a commitment to me as a brand? We're not perfect, and it won't be perfect right off the bat, but we have a really good chance to be the agency that can unite brand experience, customer experience, and commerce. Those three things aren't in our ingredients because they're fun or because we like those words, they're in our ingredients because that's the trilogy that marketers are looking for to, this is the absolute answer. For some peopleDamian: (03:41)May be a little bitJon: (03:42)Sad about sayingDamian: (03:43)Goodbye to some of those famous, famous names.Jon: (03:45)Like,Damian: (03:46)WhyJon: (03:46)And notDamian: (03:46)What, what do you say to those people?Jon: (03:48)I'm obviously in the camp of believing that evolution and simplicity is necessary to, to, to kind of go forward, but I have a ton of, um, respect and empathy for the fact. There's a lot of, uh, big brands that have built this to this place that we, that we are in now. And I think all you can do as a leader is just do two things. You can respect the heritage. It's not just heritage for heritage sake,

Francesca’s VP of marketing Traci Graziani shares what she thinks the future of retail will be, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s effect on sales, and how a Dolly Parton quote influences her perspective. Episode Transcript Francesca's, Traci Graziani Please note, this transcript may contain minor inconsistencies compared to the episode audio.Damian Fowler: (00:01)I'm Damian Fowler.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:02)And I'm Ilyse LiffreingDamian Fowler: (00:03)And welcome to this edition of the current podcast.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:10)This week we sit down with Traci Graziani, the VP of Marketing and Brand Partnerships at Francesca's, the fashion retailer specializing in women's jewelry and apparel.Damian Fowler: (00:21)Founded in 1999 in Houston, Francesca has grown into a household name with stores across the U.S. But like many mall-based retailers, the company faced serious challenges during the pandemic when foot traffic stopped.Ilyse Liffreing: (00:34)But since 2020, the company has turned its fortunes around becoming a successful omnichannel business.Damian Fowler: (00:41)Tracy joined the company in 2021 after a more than 15 year career in marketing where she specialized in helping brands identify their purpose, craft their story, and deliver successful campaigns.Traci Graziani: (00:58)I grew up in marketing, I grew up in digital advertising and it was a, I was there with a digital marketing firm called Resource for 11 years in my career. They were an independent women owned agency who was talking about being customer obsessed before anyone else. But I started by answering the phones and getting the flowers and just like learning and absorbing. And so I just fell in love from the beginning. I, I worked with a handful of clients over the years. You name a client or an industry, I've probably worked on that account from a communications or a marketing standpoint and ultimately that's what got me brand side. Damian Fowler: (01:39)I love that it's very entrepreneurial view from the very beginning, from the get go as you would say. And you know, one of your sort of specialties as a marketer is that ability to help brands identify their purpose and craft their story. What's your sort of dynamic when you start that whole process?Traci Graziani: (01:55)Can I quote Dolly Parton who's behind me here on the wall? Damian Fowler: (01:59)Oh yes. Please.Ilyse Liffreing:Yes you can.Traci Graziani: (01:59)Okay. She says Find out who you are and do it on purpose. And I believe that as a human and I believe that as a marketer. And so I think that's really what's carried me through and I think that one of my biggest beliefs is that one of the key KPIs that we all need to be looking at and continue to look at is trust. I mean I think it is more prevalent now than ever is trust with our customer in every interaction. Knowing that why and knowing that trust is so critical. Without it you have nothing that becomes your compass. Damian Fowler: (02:33)Yeah. Now, you joined Francesca's in 2021, you know, let me ask you about their story. What is Francesca's story? Yeah,Traci Graziani: (02:42)Francesca's actually started as one single boutique in Houston, Texas. And our girl Fran has been around since 1999. I think what's really neat and differentiating about it is that it has always been a place of discovery in this one boutique. It started as a collection of different, you know, products that service a very, you know, woman from 18 to 30 as like the core demographic and someone who's always looking for that like kind of something special. We know that we have an occasion shopper and so we cater to that and so that heritage of the brand from the late nineties all the way through has maintained and that is really the platform that we operate now that has turned into our free to Be You platform, which is this idea that our customer and our brand are always looking to discover new things. I mean, Elise, you love the store you go in, you kind of can't walk outta there without something. Um, but you never know what you're gonna find and I think that that has really been a core differentiator for the brand.Ilyse Liffreing: (03:44)Yeah, I mean there's no doubt I fall into that core consumer that 18 to 35, not gonna say my exact age, but yeah, every time I go home, you know, I, I have to go to Francesca's, definitely a fan. It's true, I can't hide that. But can you share any like insights into your target audience? Beyond me of course and how the brand actually like works to like reach and engage them?Traci Graziani: (04:08)We recently, within the last year, really did our homework and we surveyed current customers, non-customers and we have really utilized that in a massive way across the organization because I think a differentiator for us too is our ability to move so quickly with our product. And so being able to understand what the customer is looking for and what she's doing in her life, we really look at it as a psychographic more so even than a de

Tony Marlow, CMO of LG Ad Solutions, shares why everything in marketing comes down to storytelling, and LG’s vision to make the TV experience more immersive. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kendra Scott CMO Michelle Peterson on catching lightning in a bottle with Barbie, integrating with ‘Bama rush, and scaling from local to national with its digital strategy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lenovo’s Global VP and CMO Emily Ketchen on diversity as a cornerstone for the company, marketing to Gen Z, and if generative AI will replace workers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

VaynerX CMO Andrea Sullivan explains how a tweet launched the beginnings of the media agency’s Super Bowl commercial with Planters and what it’s like working with VaynerX Founder and Chairman Gary Vaynerchuk. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrea Palmer, Publicis Health Media’s president, dives into what health media is learning from beauty advertising, the importance of innovation, and creating the first upfront for pharma. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Randi Stipes shares why she lets the science do the talking for the company and how their data hopes to play a part in improving people’s mental health. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PepsiCo’s Shyam Venugopal breaks down why he thinks simple human insights lead to better “people-based marketing,” and where retail media could go next. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

SiriusXM Chief Growth Officer Suzi Watford shares how the company leverages data on searches to create channels like The Sleep Channel, and why partnerships with brands like Walmart are critical. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

AMC Networks’ head of marketing, Kim Granito, gives her thoughts on the writers’ strike and standing out in the streaming space by being “everything to someone.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Expedia’s Rory Patterson shares why destination marketing drives people to book travel after watching a show or movie, staying authentic with local marketing campaigns, and how Expedia’s marketing plan has shifted after the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cadillac CMO Melissa Grady Dias, who dreamed of working in advertising as a kid, talks about marketing our way to a future of electric cars. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Snap’s Doug Frisbie joins The Current Podcast to talk about how the company is leaning into AI and how social media’s move to mobile changed advertising forever. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Time Out CEO Stacy Bettman shares how the company is a global publisher that focuses on being local experts, its transition from print to digital, and how she views AI's potential future impact. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We sit down with Paramount Streaming’s EVP and CMO, Domenic Dimeglio to talk about what’s next for Paramount+ and Pluto TV, where the company is focusing its bets, and how they’re looking to boost revenue this year. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Klarna CMO David Sandström goes in-depth on being a disruptor in the financial services space and the company’s campaign with Snoop Dogg. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Canva’s CMO Zach Kitschke joins The Current Podcast to share how the brand is innovating with AI, its journey to becoming a global giant, and why design literacy is increasingly important. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Noel Mack, Gymshark’s chief brand officer, shares the inside story of the brand’s ultra-viral Times Square ad and why community is a key tenet of the fitness brand. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Uber Global Head of Media Lee Walsh breaks down why he thinks Uber is the ultimate local product as well as advertising conditions across the globe. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Robert Lambrechts, chief creative officer at ad agency Pereira O’Dell, goes in-depth on creativity versus leadership and how AI is impacting the ad world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Leading the company’s global marketing strategy, including how it shapes its brand identity, is Lisa Perlmutter. Perlmutter has been at Brilliant Earth since 2019 and joins The Current Podcast to break down why the brand strives to be a part of the customer journey past the point of purchase. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ajinkya Joglekar, Sling’s SVP of marketing, breaks down fragmentation in streaming measurement and why giving customers flexibility is paramount. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Edward Jones, the Fortune 500 financial services firm that serves over 8 million clients, celebrated 100 years in business in 2022. The company began with the mission of giving Midwesterners access to financial markets, even though they were thousands of miles from Wall Street. Edward Jones’ Chief Experience and Marketing Officer Tim Rea, who has a wealth of experience from roles at Office Depot, The Hershey Company, and Proctor and Gamble, shares his advice to young marketers on The Current Podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Retail media is on the tip of every marketer’s tongue this year. Cara Pratt, Kroger’s SVP of retail media, launched the Kroger Precision Marketing media network in 2017, pioneering the use of retail media. Pratt joins The Current Podcast to talk about how her team of data scientists can tap in to purchase data from 60 million households to create more personal experiences for shoppers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After seeking Chapter 11 protection in January 2021, Cici’s Pizza needed an injection of life. That’s where new owners and a new CMO came in. Stephanie Hoppe joined as CMO of the pizza brand in February 2022, focused on getting Cici’s back to its roots. The company, which opened in 1985 and has over 300 restaurants in 30 states, strives to be family oriented while providing great value with its unlimited pizza buffet. Hoppe says dialing back in on those key ingredients set the table for success. “People were ready to come back in,” Hoppe says on the season 5 premiere of The Current Podcast. “There’s so much nostalgia with this brand. People remember taking their kids. Kids remember, and now they have children whom they want to take to the Cicis experience.” Those brand marketing efforts showed instant success, with Cici’s seeing double-digit increases in sales the past two years. Now, just two years after the bankruptcy filing, Hoppe says the company’s next big step is opening more locations to keep giving people the pizza experience they want. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Zulily marketing exec Denise Jaeschke discusses the evolution of the Zulily brand, growing its network of mom influencers, and how the brand’s mission ties into her childhood in Ecuador. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Haleon U.S. CMO Katie Williams talks about building the brand after GSK split its consumer health care business into Haleon, which includes brands like Advil, Theraflu, and ChapStick. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mint Mobile’s CMO Aron North hops on The Current Podcast to share the secrets of how the wireless provider has been able to burst on the scene, working with Ryan Reynolds, and why North thinks risk and failure are necessary for success. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hyundai CMO Angela Zepeda shares her story of being the first female C-suite executive for the South Korean company, how the brand is attracting a younger audience, and how she is marketing Hyundai’s impressive fleet of electric vehicles. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

REI’s Chief Marketer Vivienne Long breaks down the importance of providing shoppers with an experience in physical stores that they can’t get by solely shopping online, and how the brand’s strong values inspire and drive its marketing strategy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

T-Mobile’s VP of media Kari Marshall explains why marketing in the telecommunications space is like Game of Thrones, how the company went from being nearly bought by another company to becoming the second-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. after acquiring Sprint, and why the brand has its own in-house agency. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Johnson and Johnson marketing exec Nate Notwell joins hosts Damian Fowler and Ilyse Liffreing to share why the company’s marketing strategy is based on trust, how he is leaning into technologies that make the consumer journey easier, and the company’s “digital-first ambition.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dollar General CMO Chad Fox joins The Current Podcast to talk about how growing up in a small town prepared him to lead the Dollar General brand, why it’s customer base largely focused on the rural shopper makes its retail media network special, and how it’s an “83-year-old company in growth mode.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On the season four debut of The Current Podcast, Microsoft's Chief Brand Officer Kathleen Hall describes the emotional connection people have with brands, the biggest challenges for the brand since she started 14 years ago, Microsoft's partnership with Netflix and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrea Brimmer is now nearly 15 years into a career change she says she never expected. Brimmer — who made the move from an advertising agency to Ally Financial in 2008 and has spent the last seven years as the company’s chief marketing and PR officer — says her perspective on getting into the financial sector shifted after this realization: “The three most important things in your life are your family, your health, and your money,” Brimmer says on The Current Podcast. “And we all work so hard for our money, so if you could be a brand in this space that really puts the customer at the center of everything you do, and really finds ways to get people to think about saving their money in ways that are meaningful to them, that is a really cool opportunity. It’s been more rewarding for me on a personal level than I ever thought it would be.” Brimmer shares how important it was for Ally Financial to recast the brand with a digital mindset just as the first iPhone launched, how the company differentiates itself from the competition, and the creativity it takes to compete with brands that have more ad dollars to spend. “When you’re going up against Goliaths from a spend standpoint, and you’re a David, you’ve got to really figure out how to be differentiated. And I think our point of differentiation has come by leaning into the name and the promise of the brand, which is to do it right,” Brimmer says. “We have always adopted this idea of kind of ‘outwit, outlast, outplay,’ and find creative ways to get people to interact with their money.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Once taboo, sports betting is now thriving. The ever-growing list of states legalizing sports betting is a big reason for that shift in perception, with companies like DraftKings gaining popularity over the past decade. As one of DraftKings’ first 15 employees, Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Sherman has seen that transformation happen firsthand. “It has been quite the journey over the last nearly 10 years,” Sherman says on The Current Podcast. “I have been doing a lot of reflecting in general on our journey as an organization — where we’ve been and where we aspire to go over the coming years. From those early days certainly a lot of things have remained the same, but as we’ve scaled over the years there’s new, fun marketing challenges to solve.” Sherman breaks down DraftKings’ marketing strategy, as betting legislation is being drafted on both a state and federal level; why its core business is tech, analytics, and data; as well as the main messaging it wants to send its potential players. “What we think about in our marketing campaigns and what we really want to show up with and bring to life for our players is that fun,” Sherman says, “and that excitement [of] putting something on the line, of having skin in the game.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dating app OkCupid views itself as the feisty underdog that is comfortable causing a stir. The brand did just that last year with its “Every Single Person” campaign, which they doubled down on after it sent waves through the advertising industry, social media, and the New York City subway. The leader behind OkCupid’s overall branding is Melissa Hobley, the company’s first-ever chief marketing officer. Hobley left OkCupid in August to step in as the CMO of Tinder, both of which are owned by parent company Match Group. Before she moved roles, Hobley went on The Current Podcast to talk about why OkCupid is so at ease taking big swings with its branding. “We have to do this in an interesting, provocative way. Partly because it’s real,” she says, “and partly because when you don’t have those giant budgets and you don’t have tons of star power but your product is better and you really believe that, you feel like you have the permission to be aggressive and loud and make people uncomfortable.” Jason Harris, president and CEO of Mekanism, the brand’s agency of record, also joined Hobley to discuss creation of the “Every Single Person” campaign, standing out through the crowd in the dating app space, and why they worked so well as partners. “When you don’t have that core or the soul of the brand and what it stands for, you’re kind of inventing things to make the brand create hits,” Harris says. “I think what’s great about OkCupid is they have a real platform that you can run with for a while.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To David Cohen, an industry veteran who now serves as the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s chief executive officer, the media landscape is clear. “The future of video will be streamed,” Cohen says on The Current Podcast. “There is no doubt in my mind that it is going to happen. The main question is how much the industry needs to evolve from now until then.” Cohen breaks down the biggest challenges around being at the center of the digital advertising industry, Netflix starting up an ad-supported tier, the Great Resignation, and why he believes the upfronts and NewFronts will merge in this episode. “This is going to be one video market,” he says. “There is no need for the time and effort of separating them. It is a fallacy today and it will certainly be a fallacy in the future.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Campbell Soup Company is synonymous with memories of Mom making soup. Nowadays, the 153-year-old company still wants to hold on to that authentic branding, but to do so in the modern age. Campbell has been refining its data-driven strategies with Marci Raible, vice president of integrated marketing, at the helm. “It’s really easy to ask for a lot of data, but having the strategy for the data you need and how you are going to execute is critically important,” Raible says on The Current Podcast. “Otherwise, you can get paralyzed.” Retail media is also a key data driver for Campbell. On the podcast, Raible discusses how retail media has become a catch-all umbrella term, the innovations she would like to see with advertising on streaming platforms, and how to find new ways to connect with consumers who have been surrounded by the Campbell’s brand since they were kids. “How are we evolving with them as their lifestyle has changed? It’s really easy to just say, ‘We want to change. We’re going to be whatever, you know, is happening today.’ And to me, that just doesn't work,” she says. “We must be authentically Campbell. It’s understanding who we are as a brand, but then doing it with a modern twist. That is really the difference.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

U.S. politicians across the aisle, from ultra-Libertarian to extreme Republican, have used digital advertising to fuel their presidential campaigns. With the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential election fast approaching, the time is ripe for new strategies. On the latest episode of The Current Podcast, meet two men who sit — Wizard of Oz style — behind the curtain of political advertising: Billy McBeath and Mike Schneider. McBeath is the digital director and senior advisor at the Senate Leadership Fund — a Republican super PAC that specializes in getting conservatives elected to the Senate. Schneider, on the other hand, sits on the liberal side of the political spectrum. He worked on President Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020 as a partner and head of BPI Labs for Bully Pulpit Interactive. “What we’re really buying for is impact and outcomes,” Schneider says on The Current Podcast. “Where can we deliver a persuasive video message to a voter to get them to shift their opinion?” “It’s all about how can you measure how your message is received, not how many times it was viewed,” McBeath adds. The next upcoming elections also align around the expected deprecation of third-party cookies, which McBeath is awaiting. “We’re basically going to be rebuilding the airplane while we’re flying it next cycle,” McBeath says. “It’s going to be fun, but also really challenging.” McBeath and Schneider also discuss the fast nature of a political marketer’s job, why connected TV will be the way forward for all future elections, and how important identity will become as we get closer to the deprecation of third-party cookies. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.