Marketing Today With Alan Hart

For this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Cory Treffiletti, CMO of Voicera, a technology company that has created an AI virtual assistant named Eva (Enterprise Voice Assistant). Eva can be invited to meetings and will listen and take notes as well as follow up on identified action items and decisions.Previously in his career, Treffiletti was the head of marketing for the Oracle Data Cloud, SVP and CMO of BlueKai, and was co-founder of numerous startups. Treffiletti also writes a long-running column for MediaPost (every Wednesday for the past 18 years, without fail), one of which, “The Future of AI? Just Watch Your Kids,” he discusses with Alan.During the podcast, Trefffiletti also talks about the importance of building teams that are driven by ideas, not egos. “You can set up any kind of culture, and process and incentives, and organizational structures you want,” says Treffiletti. “But the people that you have and their approach to business, and

This week on “Marketing Today,” Alan talks artificial intelligence, big data, and entrepreneurism with Carlos Mendez, the founder and CEO of Data Gran. After starting his career in advertising at JWT and then reviving an agency that had been owned by his family for 40 years, Mendez made another leap. With the knowledge gained from his career along with his educational background and entrepreneurial spirit, he decided to launch Data Gran, a company that is putting machine learning and AI into the hands of marketers.For Mendez, it's not so much that AI and big data are taking over marketing, it's providing more efficiency and effectiveness with less waste. “We believe in something called AI augmentation,” says Mendez. “It is how we bring AI to work with people…we don't want to replace people, we want to empower people with information so that they make better decisions.” He goes on to add, “We want to provide the tools so that we make people better.” H

This week on “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Adam Pierno, chief strategy officer at Santy and the author of “Under Think It.” Pierno is a living, breathing example of invention and reinvention. He started on the creative side of advertising — where he was an art director and, ultimately, a creative director — before making the leap to strategy. And, when faced with a paucity of solid, comprehensive training materials for his strategy team at Santy, he wrote a book to fill the void.In discussing his approach with the book, Pierno talks about his decision to steer away from what he calls the “jargonization of strategy” in an effort to communicate ideas powerfully and effectively. “Don't use jargon. Use little words,” Pierno says. “People can get their heads around them. People can pick them up and do something else with them on their own…it sets people free. And that's really what ‘Under Think It' is all about, is how to give peop

In this week's “Marketing Today,” Alan talks to Allen Adamson, co-founder and managing partner of the marketing company, Metaforce. Adamson is also the author of four books, the latest of which is “Shift Ahead: How the Best Companies Stay Relevant in a Fast-Changing World.”During his conversation with Alan, Adamson touches on a wide variety of topics. In addition to talking about the issue facing companies today that serves as the title of his book, he addresses the challenge of people's resistance to change — though, intellectually, they know they should embrace it — and how it affects the companies they work for and lead. “The notion is familiar is comfortable,” says Adamson. “Yesterday is more comfortable than tomorrow. You have to go in with the mindset that human nature is resistant to change.”He later weighs in on how a CMO can be an effective change agent for their company, something he refers to as “See and Seize.” In doing so, Ad

This week on “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with David Baldwin, CEO of Baldwin&, an advertising, design and strategy company in Raleigh, North Carolina. Baldwin is also the CMO of Ponysaurus Brewing Company, a film producer and, most recently, an author. His book, “The Belief Economy — How to Give a Damn, Stop Selling, and Create Buy-in,” takes a look at the seismic shift occurring in the marketing landscape and how brands can reach the next generation of influencers.During the course of the podcast, he offers his take on Millennials and iGen, who he sees as the key players in The Belief Economy, “We better figure out what they're about, we better figure out how they're wired, and we better figure out how to change the way we talk to them.” He goes on to add, “If you are being true to who you are, and you're smart about getting aligned with the people out there who love that, I think you can win.”As to why this book and why now, he says, “I'm a ca

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with David Aaker, who is widely recognized as the father of modern branding. He's the vice chairman of Prophet, a global marketing and branding consultancy, and, in 2015, he was inducted into the American Marketing Association's Hall of Fame. He's written 16 books, and the most recent is “Creating Signature Stores: Strategic Messaging that Energizes, Persuades and Inspires.”In explaining his belief in the power of stories as a tool of persuasion, Aaker says, “Stories are so much better at changing perceptions and at changing attitudes and even in gaining attention than are facts.” He goes on to say, “That's how stories persuade, they inhibit counterarguing, they attract attention, and they allow people to deduce their own conclusions.”And, as Aaker explains, the stories companies create and live into provide meaning for their employees, too: “Employees are looking for meaning in their work, and they'r

This week's episode of "Marketing Today," finds Alan talking with Jose Aguilar, global brand management director for Nestlé Nutrition. Aguilar leads Nestlé's billion-dollar super premium infant formula category and also heads up innovation projects, geographic expansion, and renovation of the communications platform for the company. He is a true global executive who has led businesses the world over, from Europe and Asia to the United States and Latin America.In talking about his experience as a global marketer, Aguilar voices his belief in the synergistic importance of a strong understanding of both data and culture. "You need a very deep understanding of the data that you have in front of you. And, actually, one of the key things a global marketer needs to bring to the table is an understanding of the local market."Not surprisingly, coming from someone who places great importance on the emotional intelligence necessary when working with people of different cultures, Aguilar adds, "What I've le

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Eric Asche, chief marketing and strategy officer for Truth Initiative, the largest nonprofit public health organization in the United States. Under Asche's stewardship, the nonsmoking initiative “Truth” campaign has taken dead aim at Big Tobacco and was named by Ad Age as one of the Top 15 Ad Campaigns of the 21st Century.During the course of the podcast, Asche touches on the difficulty in taking on the tobacco industry, which has a product that is legal and addictive and spends more on advertising in a day than Truth Initiative spends in a year: “We can't solely rest on the moral high ground,” says Asche, “because that's not the reason why individuals make this type of decision. And so, for us to have an impact on that buy-in behavior, to use a sort of marketing lens, we have to compete and understand how the tobacco industry is positioning themselves in the marketplace and the role the product is playing i

This week's episode of “Marketing Today” finds Alan talking with Laura Paz, regional senior marketing manager for Subway, who is responsible for their Latin American market and its more than 4,000 shops.In the course of her discussion with Alan, Paz made it clear that the future is now in regard to the use of technology, machine learning and, in particular, AI. “I think that right now, with the technology and everything shifting, we have to test everything,” offered Paz. “I think that technology is that opportunity…that could support all of our teams to achieve better performance.”Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Paz learned the value of preparation and perseverance. (1:33)Paz talks about the challenge of balancing motherhood and a family with a career. (2:41)Paz discusses Subway's use of AI, how it works for them, and the success it has enjoyed. (6:15)Paz on the importance of overcomin

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Tom Fishburne, the founder of Marketoonist, a content marketing agency that employs cartoons to make its point, and the author of “Your Ad Ignored Here.” His work reaches several hundred thousand marketers every week, and Seth Godin calls him the David Ogilvy of cartooning.In discussing his work, Fishburne says, “It's fun for me, as someone who comes from both marketing and cartooning, to think about how cartoons can help solve marketing challenges.”He goes on to add, “Cartoons can ultimately bring empathy to a topic that can otherwise be very technical. Use humor as a bit of a Trojan horse — you get people laughing at certain behaviors or pain points — and it opens up a window to then deliver a deeper message.”Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Fishburne's decision to move to Prague on a whim cured his aversion to risk and changed his life. (1:36)Fish

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan sits down with Jennifer Saenz, CMO at Frito-Lay. Saenz has a self-described “pretty meaty role” at Frito-Lay, where she oversees the full-portfolio of Frito-Lay brands, including long-term strategy of all the businesses, oversight of communications planning and creation and all creative work that's done, oversight of the innovation pipeline and insights-capability building, and design and analytics.During the podcast, she underscored the importance of asking the right consumer-centric question to optimize a company's brand-building efforts. “You have to start with the consumer,” says Saenz. “You can't really ask the question, ‘What does my brand want to accomplish?' You actually really need to ask the question, ‘Where is my consumer and what do they need from me right now?' And I think if you go in with that perspective first, you're in a much better place to come up with an idea that adds value to their li

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Augustine Fou, a digital marketing thought leader and cybersecurity and ad fraud researcher. In the course of his conversation with Alan, Fou speaks at great length about the damage rampant fraud is causing in the programmatic arena and how critical it is that industry begins to police itself in earnest to clean things up to provide solutions for a healthy, thriving digital marketing landscape.In talking about ad fraud and programmatic as the culprit, Fou says, “It's way bigger than anyone thinks it is, and that's because the bad guys — who are the bot makers and the hackers — have really good technology. And their bots are able to avoid or basically get by our defenses, and most of our detection.”But Fou does have hope: “If we can solve for fraud, and if we and eliminate fraud, the digital marketing industry is going to look very, very different a year from now — and years from now.”Highlights f

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Alegra O'Hare, vice president of global brand communications for Adidas. O'Hare led the Adidas team in the creation of the “Original Is Never Finished” campaign that took home a Grand Prix at Cannes, and she was honored by Adweek in 2017 as a Brand Genius.In the course of her conversation with Alan, O'Hare talks about the value of courage in leading a brand. “You have to embody and show it,” says O'Hare. “I think you really have to transmit it, be authentic and genuine about it — and be championing it. And be celebrating it when it's successful.”That isn't to say O'Hare endorses a “fools rush in” approach when it comes to courage: “It's not about taking risks for risk's sake,” she adds. “It's got to be part of the strategy, it's got to be close to the values of the brand, it's got to make business sense.”Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today”

This week's episode of “Marketing Today” is a change of pace — a podcaster talking to a podcaster. Alan engages in a lively discussion with Drew Neisser, whose Renegade Thinkers Unite podcast has recently reached the 50-episode milestone. Neisser is also the founder and CEO of Renegade, an agency that focuses on helping CMOs develop their innovative and strategic thinking, and the author of “The CMO's Periodic Table: A Renegade's Guide to Marketing.” At the heart of Neisser's marketing approach is a seemingly simple touchstone: strategy. “If the CMO doesn't spend enough time on strategy, they're not going to win,” says Neisser. “And if a CMO has a solid strategy and a big idea, they have an easier job.”But Neisser also believes a marketer has to possess a certain bravery to succeed, especially at a time when their consumers are seeking brands that take a stand: “I'm in the business of giving CMOs the courage to have their brands mean something.&

This week's episode of “Marketing Today” is déjà vu all over again. Alan talks with Bob Hoffman, the first-ever return guest on the “Marketing Today” podcast. Hoffman, famously known as the Ad Contrarian, is an advertising veteran, best-selling author, and sought-after speaker and advisor. His latest book, “BadMen: How Advertising Went from a Minor Annoyance to a Major Menace,” provides Hoffman's view on the state of online advertising.Hoffman casts an unflinching eye on today's marketers, and he doesn't mince words in discussing what he sees as the inherent evil in today's online marketing and the changes that are necessary: “We have to find a new model of online advertising that's not based on tracking, that's not based on surveillance and does not subvert our right to privacy.” He goes on to add, “We've turned the web into a nonstop marketing machine. And advertising used to be about imparting information, but now it's equally about collec

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Davis Smith, the founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, and outdoor gear company with a humanitarian mission at its core. It was his experience growing up and later serving missions in countries like the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Bolivia — where he witnessed extreme poverty firsthand — that planted the seeds for his career path, and the eventual founding of Cotopaxi.In describing Cotopaxi, Smith says, “We're a brand. We're a brand that is about inspiring people to go out and do good. We're a brand that believes that capitalism can be a force for good in the world. A brand that believes that businesses need to look beyond their bottom lines to try find ways they can impact their communities and people around the world.”About his values-driven approach, Smith adds, “I'm still learning…but I think if all of us start making these efforts, man, what a wonderful world we'll live in.”Highlights from this wee

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Douglas Zarkin, who's been vice president and CMO at Pearle Vision since 2012. Under Zarkin's leadership, Pearle won Effies in the Health Care Services category in 2015 and 2016. And in 2017, Zarkin and his team took home a Silver Clio for Pearle's “Small Moments” equity campaign.During his conversation with Alan, Zarkin touches on his drive to make an impact on the trajectory of the companies he works for, the difference between the “need to haves” and the “nice to haves,” and that while he admires the transformative power of Apple, he wonders if they've started to drink their own Kool-Aid (there's a marketing metaphor for you).And despite the fact Amazon has a lot of retailers shaking in their boots, according to Zarkin, it's the marketers willing to face that acid test who will succeed. “Amazon is not a retail killer,” says Zarkin. “What Amazon is, is basically a mirror that any br

In this week's episode of “Marketing Today,” Alan talks with Horst Stipp. Presently, Stipp is the Executive Vice President of Research and Innovation: Global and Ad Effectiveness at the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF). Prior to his time at ARF, Stipp enjoyed a 40-year career in consumer research for NBC, where his insatiable curiosity found him doing everything from finding ways to optimize the Smurfs to helping the network understand the broad appeal of the Olympics.His years of experience have helped Stipp glean many insights from today's fragmented media landscape, not the least of which is particularly pertinent in the way consumers today enjoy entertainment programming: “On the one hand, it makes it harder to reach a mass audience. But on the other hand, it also makes it easier to target specific audiences because now there are programs directed at smaller segments of the audience, and they can be targeted better.”Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” pod

For his “Marketing Today” podcast, Alan has interviewed people from across the country and around the world. In this episode, though, he talks with someone who works in the same building — McKinney Chief Creative Officer Jonathan Cude.Cude got his start in advertising as a secretary at an Atlanta ad agency. Then, after a stop at portfolio school, he made his way to Portland and Wieden+Kennedy before arriving at McKinney. He's been awarded just about every industry accolade while working on clients such as Nike, Diet Coke, Audi, and Samsung. In 2015, Adweek named him one of the 50 Vital Leaders in Tech, Media and Marketing.For Cude, the two most important qualities for creatives to possess in advertising are fearlessness and resiliency. Talking about fearlessness, Cude says, “I do believe that the creative people in our industry are artists. But we don't so much get paid for the artistry as we do the ability to withstand the critiquing and pulling apart of ‘our babies.'” As

Lincoln Bjorkman is the global chief creative officer for Wunderman — a network that has more than 170 offices in over 60 countries. During the course of his conversation with Alan Hart, he discusses the challenges, opportunities and constant change inherent in leading over 2,000 creatives worldwide. And he talks at length about the impact of the digital transformation on the creative role: “It's now the air we breathe,” says Bjorkman. “If you want to be a successful creative…you have to change and grow and learn all the time. You cannot ever be set in your ways — you have to master new tools and new disciplines.”And he believes the future of marketing is about creatives constantly challenging themselves and raising the bar. “The changes are going to be profound…I don't want marketing to go away. And I want agencies to add a lot of value. It (marketing) will only do that if we have someone saying, ‘That's great. What's next? Let's do more. Let's ma