Marketing Today With Alan Hart

On this 238th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart speaks with Lana Buchanan, vice president of marketing for Beyond Beer at Anheuser-Busch. Buchanan oversees the marketing for everything that does not fall in the category of beer and, as such, has a massive portfolio full of product categories that require different marketing approaches!We start our conversation with Buchanan's background in the alcohol industry and the horror story that forced her to become an expert cocktail creator. Then Buchanan discusses what it's like working with such an extensive portfolio of products and why she loves it. "With every different category, I get to think differently in terms of the consumer," Buchanan says.At Beyond Beer, all the separate teams have the same goal, "create an innovation that really fits the needs and the wants of the consumer in the different moments." Buchanan then breaks down different marketing techniques that help them connect with consumers on an emotional level, because at the end of the d

On this 237th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart speaks with Heidi Zak, the co-founder and CEO of ThirdLove, the 3rd largest online bra and underwear company in the United States. Zak is passionate about making sure all women feel comfortable in their underwear, no matter their shape or size.Our conversation starts with a glimpse of Zak's past, growing up in a town of just 3,000 people and working at a farmers market. After college, Zak finally found her way to the Big Apple while working in an investment bank's retail division. Zak then talks about the cushy job with Google that pulled her out west, the same cushy job that she decided to leave to start ThirdLove. In a market dominated by men, Zak had a hard time finding investors for her women's bra and underwear company, that is until some men were able to see the "opportunity to do things differently in all aspects."We then dive into the challenges presented by COVID that forced ThirdLove to "cut back on marketing expenses to focus on efficiency.

On this 236th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart speaks with Travis Montaque, the founder and CEO of Holler. This messaging technology company uses AI and content to improve consumer communication online. Holler is on the frontline of the ongoing battle to bring human emotion into the world of technology.The conversation with Montaque begins with his time at Chick-fil-a as a teenager, starting as a cashier and eventually working his way to the role of district manager by the time he was 19-years-old. Montaque was able to make the "fastest transition from Main Street to Wall Street" that I have ever seen, leaving Chick-fil-a to work for a private equity firm at only the age of 20. Montaque then discusses the difficulties of deciding not to accept an offer with Goldman Sachs and instead start Holler and how the pursuit of passion "inspires people around you to invest with whatever they can."We then dive into Montaque's efforts as a successful black entrepreneur to bring diversity into the corporate en

On this 235th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart speaks with Steve Schlesinger, founder and CEO of Schlesinger Group, a market research company. Schlesinger has been a part of the family business for over 35 years, working to take the company to greater heights than it has ever seen!We start our conversation with the history of Schlesinger Group and how Schlesinger's mother's affinity for hard work set the foundation for years to come. Over the last 35 years, Schlesinger Group has experienced multiple chapters of growth. "The goal for us is really to maintain a nimble and agile approach to how we run the business and how we build the business," Schlesinger says regarding that growth. Schlesinger then dives into the recent partnership with the private equity firm Gauge Capital and how that has led to the company doubling in size in just the last 14 months. Schlesinger talks about the best ways to ensure success when growing a business and how it's vitally important to "make sure you have a great team

On this 234th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart speaks with the CMO of NetApp, James Whitemore. Over the last six years, NetApp has made the switch from a traditional data-storage company to a cloud-based storage company, and Whitemore is here to talk all about it.We start our conversation off with Whitemore's childhood in the U.K. and how an affinity for toying with technology sparked an early interest in the field. Whitemore then outlines his professional journey, starting as a salesman for a mobile phone company in the U.K., which led him to work for big tech in the data storage field in the U.S. Whitemore made the switch to the startup industry and that eventually led him to NetApp. NetApp has been "managing large-scale data storage" for over 30 years in countries all over the world. We then dive into the recent shift into large-scale cloud data storage and how that has affected NetApp's sales and marketing processes.Whitemore's background in sales helped him make the shift, staying true t

On this 233rd episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart interviews Erich Joachimsthaler, founder and CEO of Vivaldi Group. Joachimsthaler's company works to keep its clients ahead of the continually evolving marketing game by remaining innovative at the intersection of purpose and profit.Originally from Germany, Joachimsthaler shares how academia brought him to Kansas of all places, and eventually landed him in New York, where he lives today. He looked at the option of going straight into the workforce after school in Germany but decided that "success in life is to minimize the time between graduation and retirement." We then discuss how the marketing landscape has changed over the last 10 to 20 years. "The value shifts now the demand side where the consumers are," and can no longer be providing better service alone.Joachimsthaler then discusses the concept of his new book, The Interaction Field, and how "when everybody participates in an interaction field...everybody benefits." We found ourselves in agree

On this 232nd episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart interviews the founder of Planable, Xenia Muntean. Planable allows marketing teams to collaborate, and even more importantly, visualize the content that they are creating before posting it online.Our conversation starts with Muntean's experience growing up in the Republic of Moldova, a post-Soviet country in Eastern Europe. This environment taught Muntean the discipline, resiliency, and work ethic that led her to land on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, though the journey wasn't always smooth. Muntean says, "it's only a path now looking back, connecting all the dots and looking backward."She then talks about how the problems with collaboration in her first marketing business led her to create Planable out of necessity. The best part about Planable is "the clarity that the tool gives you around your content." Now, marketing teams all over the world use Planable to help "them simplify their content workflows." Muntean then discusses how Planable is "more ab

On this 231st episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart interviews Good Man Brand CMO Nancy Richardson. Richardson has held executive positions at companies like Starbucks and Lululemon, and that experience led her to where she is today.We kick off our conversation talking about Richardson's past, how being born and raised in Hawaii led her to a career that she just wasn't happy with, and how her competitive nature from her soccer-playing days brought her into the marketing field. Holding executive positions for a series of startups and fast-growth companies taught Richardson the value of a dollar. "When you have a company that has a finite amount of money in the bank, you have to be so strategic and work with your partners to keep it alive."Richardson dives into her ventures. She founded Mom and Pop Shop, a company that pools readily available marketing talent to avoid contracting agencies' overhead. Her desire to provide value inspired her to write "Work Freely," a book about loving life and your job at

On this 230th episode of “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart interviews Michael De Los Santos, founder of Mike D's BBQ. Mike is a part of the entrepreneurs being profiled on the Discovery Channel Show, I Quit.We start our conversation with Mike's background and how he found his way into the world of BBQ. With previous experience in the nonprofit sector and fighting for social justice, Mike believes that “if you have food, you can bring anybody in town to the table to talk while they're eating.” Then, Mike dives into his experience on the Discovery Channel reality show, I Quit, and how it has taught him so much about the benefits of networking and being uncomfortable.Mike approaches his marketing and advertising in two ways; “one, to get sales, and two, to build that brand awareness, so people know who you are.” We talked about Mike's experience as a father when he lost his 6-month old son and how it changed his perspective on life. “Go after all your passions and what makes you happy. Otherwise, you might not g

On this 229th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart interviews Tony Wells, Chief Brand Officer at USAA.We begin with an inside look into Wells's basketball days playing alongside David Robinson during The Naval Academy's magical Elite Eight Run. Wells then dives into his unique transition into the corporate world from his military service. "I love this idea of engaging with consumers or members," Wells says regarding his attraction towards the marketing function. After a handful of positions at various top companies, Wells found his home at USAA. "One of the challenges in marketing...is you want to talk to everybody. We've been able to narrow this thing down to those who have served."We then discuss how and why USAA has brought the function of Diversity & Inclusion under the organization that Wells runs. Wells describes how important it is to the company's future branding because "the pie can get bigger and deeper for everybody when we all seek to win and live and succeed together." Wells believes that

On this 228th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart interviews Carrie Seifer, the GM of GlobalWebIndex in North America. The company is a market research SaaS company founded by Tom Smith in 2009 that provides audience insight to publishers, media agencies, and marketers around the world.We start the conversation about how Seifer 's mindset has shifted throughout her career, going from focusing on the present to centered around where she wanted to go. Seifer then dives into the plethora of complex factors that go into purchasing decisions for Americans in today's world.There is mistrust across the board in America right now. In fact, "only a third of Americans trust what the government tells them." Seifer and GWI recognize this mistrust and are working to change the fact that "only 9% of Americans feel like they are represented in the advertisement industry." GWI believes that consumer interests, rather than demographics, should be the focus of all businesses. Seifer claims that "we're not seeing shift

In this 227th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart interviews Andy Zimmerman, president of Frog, a company that assists leading businesses in designing, engineering, and bringing meaningful products to market.Zimmerman began his career as a writer traveling with the circus around Europe. "Life is just a circus," he says whenever someone asks him about his past. He likes to think of himself as a storyteller, inspiring clients to try new things and put themselves out there. Zimmerman believes it's essential to "make functional designs but also designs that touch people at an emotional level." We talk about how Frog has spearheaded HBO Max's creation, pushing to create a social platform that is "a combination of Spotify and Netflix." He then talks about how the experience industry has begun to blend and where that takes the industry in a future that includes COVID. "To be a leader, you need to show your vulnerability so that other people feel comfortable to show theirs," and Zimmerman tries to keep that

On this 226th episode of “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart interviews Ben Proudfoot, founder of Breakwater Studios.In today's episode, Proudfoot talks all about how brand films can thrive and closing the gap between the brands and the filmmakers. We also discuss how he has been able to produce a multitude of films during the COVID-19 pandemic.Proudfoot's career as an entrepreneur and filmmaking began after his success as a junior magician in Canada, becoming an international champion at a very young age. We discuss how that success led him to the University of Southern California. Proudfoot shares how his films bring “sometimes ordinary, sometimes extraordinary people's stories to life.”Proudfoot then discusses how today's younger generations won't trust brands who are not clear about who they are or solely focused on making money. We discuss how the recent deaths of his father and other people in his life have taught him that “our life is so fragile and so short and could be over at any moment...and it's int

On this 225th episode of "Marketing Today," host Alan Hart interviews Bill Tine, the vice president of marketing at King Arthur Baking Company.On the show today, we talk about Tine's refresh of King Arthur Baking's brand, including the process and research that went into the refresh. We also discuss the impact of the current months on his business and the explosive growth that they've had.We start this episode by talking about some of Tine's favorite recipes. We then dive into our discussion about King Arthur's rebrand, which emphasizes their identity as a baking company. Tine shares insights from the rebranding process, including what they learned from consumer research and the value of their core team. Then we learn about how King Arthur has experienced significant growth during the pandemic. Reflecting on this moment, Tine says, "Baking has become at times a new national pastime." He shares how the company keeps its audience engaged. He says, "It's really the core of our approach that we want to help and i

During this 224th episode of “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart interviews Chandar Pattabhiram, the chief marketing officer at Coupa Software.On the show today, we talk about the shift Pattabhiram is making in his marketing across strategy and programs. He defines 4 Ps around positioning, posture, programs, and people. We dive into each of those components. We also talk about C-suite leadership and how CMOs should be thinking about the role.Pattabhiram begins by introducing us to Coupa Software, which is a platform to manage business spend. We then talk about Pattabhiram's approach to marketing in the current climate; he says, "if you can operate in that mix of thoughtfulness and hustle, then you can respond to these situations that are in front of us." Then Pattabhiram shares his 4 Ps and talks about creating an advocacy flip, where they're showcasing their customers' resilience. He says, "You can only showcase your brand by showcasing your community." Then we discuss how to be an effective C-suite leader. Pa

During this 223rd episode of “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart interviews Norm Chait, the Head of Out-of-Home Service at Ubimo.On the program today, we modernize my definition of out-of-home based on what Ubimo is doing with its location-based intelligence offering and bringing audience understanding, location, and traffic monitoring to an old medium. The updated view Chait shares on what out-of-home should look like today can expand what's possible for marketers.Chait begins by talking about what attracted him to the out-of-home space and how Ubimo uses location intelligence to understand what people do throughout their day. We then discuss how technology has dramatically changed the out-of-home space by helping marketers understand where a particular audience is originating from and where they're going. Chait says, "it all basically starts and ends with audiences and understanding what these folks are doing and how do we tie them back to a physical location." Then we talk about how marketers can leverage th

During this 222nd episode of “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart interviews Scott Finlow, the chief marketing officer of PepsiCo's foodservice business.On the show today, we talk about PepsiCo's push into sustainability, specifically the Beyond the Bottle initiative. We also talk about PepsiCo and their foodservice division's beta testing of SodaStream Professional and many other topics. Finlow begins by talking about his long career with PepsiCo and the always energizing environment there. We then talk about PepsiCo's impressive sustainability initiatives. Finlow says, "we have a vision of a world where plastic will never become waste." Then we talk about SodaStream as part of the PepsiCo portfolio as well as SodaStream Professional. He says, "we did a ton of work to understand the different ways that people are now drinking water." The insights gained from this research led PepsiCo to see the connection between water consumption and big goals consumers have. Finlow tells us about the significant work Pep

During this 221st episode of “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart interviews Burke Morley, the vice president of brand and executive creative director of Purple.On the show today, we talk a lot about content and how content has been vital to Purple's growth. We also discuss Purple's focus on differentiation and innovation in the DTC mattress space, including their “SHIF” (show how it feels) approach.Morley talks about what sets Purple apart from their competitors in the same space. He says, “we're interested in creating a better sleep experience and a better mattress and not just a better purchasing experience." This focus on innovation connects to Purple's content strategy, which is about owning tactility. Trying to create a visceral sensory experience, Morley says, “we want to show how it feels instead of talking about what it is." We discuss how Purple has weathered the COVID-19 pandemic phenomenally by shifting their strategy and the sales flow from wholesale to DTC. We also discuss Purple's future, and Morl

 During this 220th episode of “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart interviews Andrew Hally, the chief marketing officer at Bynder.On the show today, we talk about personalization and whether it's the right move for marketers at this time, whether investing in personalization technology is the right thing to be doing, and what consumers really care about. Hally provides lots of valuable advice to other marketers and CMOs.Hally talks about how we need to bring more balance to the trend of marketing personalization. He predicts that in a few years, “Marketing attention may be beginning to return to our roots in creative and storytelling and the more emotive side of the game.” We discuss the limits and disadvantages of personalization and the potential drawbacks of investing in more personalization capabilities. We come back to the importance of empathizing with your customer and building a long-term relationship. Hally says, “At the end of the day, brands win because of the stories they tell and the way consum

During this 219th episode of “Marketing Today,” host Alan Hart interviews Marc de Swaan Arons, founder of the Institute for Real Growth.Today we talk about what the Institute for Real Growth focuses on and what it hopes to achieve for all stakeholders. We discuss how the Institute for Real Growth is helping marketers and CEOs realize that growth potential.De Swaan Arons begins by describing the journey to founding the Institute for Real Growth, which involved thousands of interviews with brand heads and an initiative to understand the role of marketers in organizations that outperform others in long-term growth. They created an independent organization to meet the needs of CMOs without selling anything. As de Swaan Arons describes it: “We connect those CMOs and other senior growth leaders to benchmarking, research, best practices, experts, but most importantly, other practitioners around the themes of real growth.”We discuss the importance of driving growth for all stakeholders and shifting away from sharehol