Marketing Today With Alan Hart

In this episode, Alan and Drew discuss Fiat Growth, Fiat Ventures, and why it makes sense for them to go together. They also talk about the challenges of raising venture capital and the success companies can find by organically leveraging affiliate partnerships to add value for the user while driving revenue to the business. Drew explains total addressable markets, how he thinks about shifting an existing committed user base into a marketplace, and the reasons he sees fintech as the industry that will have the largest impact on generational wealth. Drew emphasizes the importance of taking risks, valuing different experiences, and learning that solutions and problems are not one-to-one. Finally, he notes that podcasts are becoming a force in marketing and that AI is not a competitor but a source of power.Drew Glover is a founding partner of Fiat Growth and a general partner at Fiat Ventures. He has experience leading go-to-market strategies, marketplace development, user acquisition, and growth teams. Drew fur

In this episode, Alan and Amanda discuss Amanda's path to WeightWatchers, how she's working to revitalize a well-known heritage brand by tapping into the roots of the founder, Jean Nidetch, and what she is doing to bring new marketing ideas to life. Amanda tells us her three big focuses at WeightWatchers are rethinking the organizational structure and culture, making data-driven decisions to increase performance, and honing in on their new brand strategy. Amanda also talks about the depth of understanding WeightWatchers has of their target demographic, and Alan learns that he is a Life Craver.Amanda Tolleson is the Chief Marketing Officer of WeightWatchers, where she is responsible for leading the company’s global marketing strategy across performance marketing, branding, and creative. Amanda has over 20 years of experience building customer-centric, purpose-driven brands focused on creating unique value for the consumer. She used to say she never wanted to be a CMO because she loved being able to focus exclu

In this episode, Jon and I discuss System1, how they drive insights for marketers on the brand side, and what works in advertising today. Jon tells us about the differences he experienced from the client side to the agency side and gives an honest look into what it means to be a CMO day to day. He explains why the skills that make a great marketer aren't necessarily the same as those that make a great CMO and how balancing the long-term view of the brand with the daily execution of tasks can make the CMO job very lonely. CMOs, removed from the "doing," must focus on creating the conditions for success and representing the customer in the room where decisions are made. Jon tells us that successful CMOs quickly recognize talent on their team, harness creativity to drive business outcomes and understand that advertising is both an art and a science.Jon Evans is the Chief Customer Officer at System1 Group and host of the 'Uncensored CMO' podcast. For years before that, he was a client-side agency CMO. One of Jon'

In this episode, Alan and Andrew discuss Turo’s mission, how marketing helps them achieve it, and how he views the CMO role today. Andrew outlines the challenges Turo faced early on, how they got around them, and how a shift to focusing on improving the host experience has been one of their most effective marketing assets. They go into the details of Turo’s most recent "Open Doors" brand campaign and how they are riding the web3 craze by subverting it and encouraging new experiences in reality. As a CMO, Andrew feels like his role is more than just advertising and performance marketing. It's about solving a problem for the customers. His approach is rooted in holistic thinking and understanding how you are providing value to the world.Andrew Mok never thought he would be in marketing because he was more left-brained, but in 2012, when analytics became a large part of marketing, he found his path. When Andrew joined Turo in 2012, there were 54,000 users being served in just two cities. In 2017, at age 29, Andr

355: Brand at its Best and Focusing on Fundamentals with Heather Stern, CMO at Lippincott In this episode, Alan and Heather discuss Brand, the role of the CMO, and why focusing on the fundamentals will never go out of style. As an 80-year-old company, Lippincott has a unique perspective on how to balance the cutting edge with longevity. They have seen trends come and go and even shaped some of them along the way. Heather talks in depth about the role Brand has played historically, the huge impact it can have when viewed holistically, and why a siloed CMO is not as effective as it can be if they are given a seat at the table. She also discusses the fundamental shifts happening in the industry as things move from an institutional era of branding to a human era of branding but also stresses that the underlying fundamentals of deeply understanding your consumer and your brand are just as important now as ever before.Heather Stern is the CMO at Lippincott and host of the podcast Icons in the Making. She wears

In this episode, Alan and David discuss the mission of Restore Hyper Wellness, the relationship between demand generation and brand marketing, and the dangers of marketers confusing being purpose-driven with being cause-driven. David talks about the siloing and diminishing of the CMO role and how concepts like "Team One" and taking a critical look at new growth titles could help remedy this.David Fossas calls himself "The Accidental Marketer," but is actually an accomplished marketer who has worked with over 35 brands, including General Motors, Verizon, HP, Visa, and Philips Health. He is currently serving as the Chief Marketing Officer for Restore Hyper Wellness, where he oversees consumer experience, marketing communications, and revenue operations to drive business growth and brand value. David emphasizes taking an adaptive approach to being a CMO and the importance of acting as a thought partner to the CEO and CFO. He also touches on topics such as the untapped potential of marketing, the true purpose of

In this episode, Alan and John discuss what Narrative Economics is, how it works, and why marketers may need to reevaluate their use of Brand Management theory. John tells us how Boathouse uses data and AI to empower brands to understand their true narrative and evaluate how it aligns with their desired narrative. Boathouse employs strategies like “newsjacking” and “socialjacking” to manage and leverage their client's stories in a way that drives engagement and aligns with their goals and values.John Connors has spent his entire career in the advertising industry and founded Boathouse in 2001 after serving as CEO of Zentropy Partners and being part of the McCann World Group Management team. At Boathouse, John and his team use Narrative Economics to help brands manage and leverage stories by overseeing both the strategy and execution.  In this episode, you'll learn: How narrative economics works in practice What tesla and the catholic church narratives have in commonHow narrative economics

In this episode, Alan and Kristen discuss how she became the Chief Marketing Officer of Homedics, the state of the industry, and the way Homedics markets to the modern consumer through both DTC and traditional Distribution channels. Kristen also outlines the recent brand refresh and the resulting captain that resulted in a rapid 80% D2C sales jump. Kristen credits this success equally to the creative, the media mix, and the improved website. Homedics plans to double its video assessment efforts and is exploring opportunities for influencer partnerships in 2023. Kristen D’Arcy is an agent of change and has intentionally guided her career path to gain the skills she knew she would need to be a CMO. She is driving growth at Homedics by emphasizing the importance of consistency across assets, the perfect mix of brand and performance investments, and the need to maintain that balance even during tough times. Kristen is a huge believer that the right marketing drives growth and Homedics has incredible product

In this episode, Alan and Nick discuss Nick’s thoughts on the future of Brand Experience, how he is approaching e-commerce and digital marketing challenges at a fast-moving consumer goods company, and the importance of physical experiences to the overall brand experience. Nick notes that brands are expected to take a stand on larger social issues and tells how Vanish is purposefully rebuilding a brand experience that encourages conversations and fosters a community around shared values and views.Nick Horan is the Global Brand Experience Lead for Vanish at Reckitt. He is passionate about using design as a tool to drive intentional brand experiences and understanding the consumption habits of consumers to identify the touch point that will have the most impact. Nicks's role is to craft the full brand experience framework from first exposure to becoming an advocate and repurchaser and translate this vision into a cohesive experience across various touchpoints in over 70 countries.  In this episode, you

In this episode, Alan and Terry discuss Terry’s unusual path to marketing, what he learned on his journey through food and restaurants, and the unique challenges and benefits of marketing within a direct sales model, like Pampered Chef. They talk about the history and mission of Pampered Chef, the importance of marketing agility, and the impact Covid had on the company.Terry is CMO and Head of Product at Pampered Chef where he leads a team of 50 across brand, digital, growth, creative, product, and industrial design. Terry has a background in consumer-packaged-good and restaurant marketing but tells us direct sales requires different muscles. Terry approaches marketing with an appreciation of the differences in all business models and a recognition of the foundations that remain the same. By relentlessly focusing on the consumer and delivering a product that solves their problems, Terry creates trust relationships with the Pampered Chef Contractors who ultimately model the brand.  In this episode, y

In this episode, Alan and Michelle discuss Mailchimp's acquisition by Intuit, how it aligns with its mission, and how it impacts its customers. Mailchimp is passionate about empowering its customers and they are working to develop relationships with them both online and offline to provide added compounding value. Knowing they market to marketers, Michelle and her team lead by example and show what great marketing looks like at the intersection of culture and conversion.Michelle Taite has a unique perspective on marketing due to her background in government intelligence forces, shoe design, consumer-packaged goods, ice cream, and enterprise software services. Most recently, she became CMO of Mailchimp after their acquisition by Intuit, where she is working to evolve the brand, create a more connected customer journey, and bridge performance with creativity. In this episode, you'll learn: How Michelle's background in intelligence and design helped her transition to a successful career in marketingWhat

In this episode, Alan and Andrea discuss how she came to be the CMO of Ally, her approach to creating the brand, and how Ally is leaning into their role as a disrupter in the category to address pain points in the financial industry. Andrea also outlines how Ally is impacting women's sports, why that investment is so important for the future, and why it’s so important to her specifically. They talk about having courage as a marketer, the importance of being willing to do the right thing, and why companies need to understand the weight of their marketing dollars.Andrea Brimmer is widely recognized as one of the country’s most innovative and effective marketing leaders. According to her, the secrets are collaboration, passion, and openness. At Ally, Andrea has a professional platform that intersects with her personal passion and she is using that unique privilege to make a real difference in the world.  In this episode, you'll learn: How Ally is showing up in authentic ways and changing the

In this episode, Alan and Michelle discuss their mentors and role models, Michelle's priorities as CMO, and why hearing directly from customers helps her ensure Skillsoft is preparing today's workforce for tomorrow's economy. Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek is a big proponent of continual learning and believes development and growth should be accessible to all. She is passionate about making learning fun and gets to do just that as CMO at Skillsoft. As CMO she is responsible for leading the global marketing strategy and increasing demand for Skillsoft’s solutions by understanding people don't want to be marketed to, they want to be communicated with.  In this episode, you'll learn: What jobs will be most in demand in the future and the current skills gapThe importance of marketers also understand the financials of the businessWhy Michelle puts such an emphasis on investing in leadership training  Key Highlights [01:25] Michelle’s Professional and Personal Role Models [06:30] M

Geoff Tanner is a passionate believer in the power of breakthrough creative. That philosophy and his passion for music lead to some of the most iconic campaigns of the past 10 years. Geoff oversees the consumer and customer experience across the commercial funnel. He has a unique perspective on the blending of sales and marketing that helped JM Smucker transform from having a “sleepy” brand portfolio to being named on Fast Company‘s list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. In this episode, Alan and Geoff discuss the key elements JM Smucker targeted to transform the brand portfolio, marketing strategy, and operating model. Geoff tells us what “The Power of One” is, the importance of household penetration and reach, and how improved metrics will impact the future of marketing and creative  In this episode, you'll learn: How diverse the JM Smucker portfolio is and the impact of multiple acquisition How to maintain relevance for a brand that is over 100 years oldIssues with ROI

Jay Livingston is not only a great CMO, but he is also an active angel investor, executive producer, and founding member of Unite America. No matter what he is doing, storytelling is always the underlying theme.In this episode, Alan and Jay discuss the importance of the CMO vibing with the CEO, why he loves working with “passion brands” that have a good origin story, and the unique benefit of overseeing product, pricing, digital experience, and marketing at Shake Shack. Jay tells us how Shake Shacks is living out its mission to “stand for something good” by being an “instinct-led and data-supported” business that partners with local leaders to maintain authenticity while scaling globally. In this episode, you'll learn: How Jay and Shake Shack weave purpose into everything they doWhat makes the CMO role at Shake Shack so unique How Shake Shack is delivering hospitality through digital channels Key Highlights [01:55] The common thread that connects all of Jay's interest[04:15] Jay’s mid

Greg Dolan has over a decade of experience as a brand marketing executive. He co-founded Keen to give marketers a tool that could “help them make smarter decisions about how to drive their brand forward by using future-focused metrics that are directly tied to financial performance.” In this episode, Alan and Greg discuss how the work Keen is doing impacts marketing performance across the industry, what the data tells us about long help best practices, and why so many companies are working to strengthen first-party data relationships. In this episode, you'll learn: How companies should think about marketing in a downturn or recessionGreg's take on the reach versus targeting debate and what the data tells usThe importance of demonstrating the financial value of a marketing decision  Key Highlights [01:20] Greg's other full-time job[02:50] How Greg became CEO at Keen[04:00] What Keen does [06:50] Why marketers need to look at performance across all channels [10:20] What s

As a world traveler who loves to learn, Stacey Pool embodies the “growth mindset”. With over twenty years of experience in consumer marketing, she has held a variety of leadership roles across multiple industries and has a strong track record of utilizing guest insights to deliver strong business results.  In this episode, Alan and Stacey discuss the brand refresh she is leading at Noodles & Co. with digital initiatives and data components. Stacy knows it is people that fuel it all and has learned that being a balanced leader requires you to be able to adjust quickly to changing needs. In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of broadening your skill set and being an agile leaderThe way digital and physical engagement intersect How Noodles & Co. is using data to improve both the guest experience and profit margins Key Highlights [03:45] Dow did Stacy end up as CMO at Noodles & Co.[07:00] How lateral moves helped Stacy in her current executive roles[09:00] Th

Laura Hutfless operates at the intersection of brands and culture makers. She works with founders who have passion and brands that have a purpose to help them use ad dollars to drive change, understand where their consumers are, and leverage those spaces to change perceptions and earn trust. In this episode, Alan and Laura discuss the difference between creating culture versus chasing culture, integrating versus interrupting, the importance of having a 2-way exchange with consumers, and why marketers need to lean into web3. In this episode, you'll learn: How consumers and pop culture need to guide marketing plansWhy clients come to FlyteVu The importance of building community, not just follower counts Key Highlights [01:40] Becoming a new mom[04:10] Laura’s path to founding FlyteVu[06:30] Why brands need to connect to consumers through pop culture[08:00] Starting with the headline you want to create and work out from there[09:00] Examples of what Flyvu clients are looking for&nbs

Norm Yustin spent the first part of his career as a marketing executive. However, after a particularly impactful recruiting experience and some encouragement from friends and family he made the move into leadership recruitment himself. Norm is widely published on the future of tech-enabled, go-to-market leadership and he brings a unique perspective of developing self-awareness in pursuit of your passion.In this episode, Alan and Norm discuss why CMOs need to be the most dynamic players in the C-suit, the danger of hyper-specialized teams and why risking leadership changes may be the right thing to do, and where the next-gen CMOs are coming from.In this episode, you'll learn: The state of the CMO role todayWhat should job seekers need to know from a recruiter's perspectiveWhat aspiring CMOs should be thinking about in terms of skill developmentKey Highlights [03:30] Norms transition from being an executive to recruiting executives[07:17] How losing out on a job shaped the way Norm thinks about r

With a background in journalism and a career in communications, Stephanie McCarty may not be the typical CMO but that is exactly what makes her perfect for the job. She is leading a marketing revolution in homebuilding by reimagining the marketplace and digital shopping experience at Taylor Morrison. In this episode, Alan and Stephanie discuss how to get your entire organization rowing in the same direction by understanding that culture building is the groundwork for success, and why having a consistent compelling message is essential no matter who you are talking to.In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of pushing for innovations in established industries Benefits of building the brand reputation from the inside out rather than trying to shape external opinionsWhy CMOs need to focus on the employee experience as well as the customer experienceKey Highlights [02:00] How experiencing loss at an early age motivates Stephanie today[05:20] The nontraditional path that led Stephanie to