Marketing Today With Alan Hart

Joe Fullman has taken a self-described “eclectic” route to become head of marketing for The Onion and its other properties, including ClickHole and The A.V. Club, and overseeing other enterprises like the Onion Reach Network and Onion Labs. But perhaps most interestingly, it was his failure to get a job selling children's shoes that led to him where he is today.In talking about the success of The Onion, Fullman makes the ironic point that while humor is critical — obviously — there's more to it than that: “I think that humor is definitely the thing that has made The Onion name successful for the past 30 years. But, really, more than humor, even, it's consistency,” says Fullman. He goes on to add, “We can really innovate when it comes to content without having to change the format too quickly. It's essentially a really conservative institution, from a creative standpoint, because there are formats that we've had since the early days of print that are still going strong

When Craig Rowley moved over to REI after 25 years on the agency side at creative shops like Carmichael Lynch, Borders Perrin Norrander, and Saatchi & Saatchi, he was already pretty familiar with them — he credits classes he took at REI with helping him summit Mount Rainier.For him, REI is the perfect fit: a purpose-driven brand that isn't all about the transaction. “Any company that taps into what people are passionate about in a brand: Is there a higher purpose that they stand for? Are they good corporate citizens? Do they treat their employees well? All these things matter,” says Rowley. He goes on to add: “There's a tension in that. You're kind of forcing people to make a choice or take a side. And when you do that sort of thing, I think it gets you noticed and kind of burns you into people's souls.”Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Rowley talks about creating an agency vibe within a client culture. (3:24)Building brands today: &ldq

Phil Clement is the global CMO for Aon, the leading global provider of risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resource solutions. He's a rare breed: he's been CMO at Aon for more than 12 years — a position with an average tenure of only 23 months. He attributes his longevity to utilizing a consultant's approach in getting people to buy in on ideas and projects and understanding that, as CMO, you are a member of the C-suite team — you can't have a strategy that is divorced or disconnected from the company vision and team alignment.One key for Clement in leading branding efforts on a global scale is to let the "local jazz" come through when interpreting the "sheet music" of the brand instead of strictly adhering to brand standards: "The essence of brands translates, but it won't always translate in the same exact manner." He also believes listening is critical in understanding the operational differences among cultures. "You can't spend enough time listening…and

From time to time, we'll be taking a step back to revisit some of our more interesting “Marketing Today” conversations. In this podcast, we hear from Steven Handmaker, CMO for Assurance, one of the largest independent insurance brokerages in the U.S.   Handmaker provides interesting and insightful takes on company culture, technology, and talent. And for him, culture is paramount: “It's all about engaged employees,” he says. He believes engaged employees are immersed and understand their roles, and, more importantly, they understand how their roles lead to company success.An avowed Bruce Springsteen fan (he quotes him on his LinkedIn page, after all), he brings a little bit of rock and roll to Assurance, too.“We do have a certain vibe here,” says Handmaker. ”It's a bit of a modern, pop culture, rock star-oriented vibe, which isn't normal for insurance, but that's how we do it.” He goes on to add, “We behave that way, we look that way…and i

Clay Hausmann is the CMO for Aktana, a San Francisco-based company that uses data-driven insights to support life-science sales and marketing teams in providing physicians with the information they need. Of great interest is Hausmann's marketing approach, which employs screenplay-writing concepts and methodologies to more effectively tell brand stories and develop brand strategies. It's an approach that is almost startling in its organic effectiveness and the impact it can have on a brand. This led him to found Treatment which conducts workshops in the approach.Not surprisingly, Hausmann is convinced he's got the right idea: “I believe in what I'm doing. Personally, I believe in what these tools and this approach can do to make the marketing experience, the marketing profession better and more genuine for everybody involved.” He goes on to add, “The customer or the consumer really want a relationship with the brand, rather than a transaction with the brand. And the way that you build a

Josh London is the chief marketing officer for IDG, the world's largest tech media, data, and marketing services provider. In this podcast, he discusses what it takes to unify the brand for a worldwide company that reaches tech audiences in 97 countries, what he learned at an early internet startup in the ‘90s as well as during his time studying in Italy, and how authenticity is key when building a brand.And he has this to say about marketing in a modern world: “When you're devising a marketing strategy, especially on a global basis, it's very exciting. We're now living in a borderless world where customers travel across brands and across geographic borders. And a marketer wants to reach them wherever they can find them.”Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include: London's career path: How a literature major learned what was possible through technology. (1:12)IDG — From house of brands to a united brand offering: Presenting clarity to the marketplace

It makes all the sense in the world that U.S. Census Bureau CMO Jeff Meisel hails from the American heartland, part of a rural community of ranchers and farmers who count on being counted. More than that, Meisel exhibits a genuine affinity for and attachment to not only our country but data science, too. Which makes him a natural for his role as marketer-in-chief for the Census Bureau.Meisel started his career in the private sector before heading to the government side as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow at the U.S. Census Bureau. That led to a short stint at the U.S. Department of Commerce before he found his way back to the Census Bureau and his current role of CMO. In this podcast, Meisel ranges far and wide, discussing the modern age of the Census Bureau — which will use online gathering of data as a primary channel for the first time in 2020 — while also delivering a mini history lesson on Herman Hollerith's development of early machines that presaged the computer industry an

Mark Ritson is an adjunct professor at the Melbourne Business School in Australia, a columnist for Marketing Week, and a brand expert who has served as consultant for brands ranging from PepsiCo, Subaru, and Johnson & Johnson to Sephora, De Beers, and Donna Karan.In this podcast, Ritson discusses the decision by Adidas to pursue a digital-only strategy with their advertising, his take on programmatic advertising (not a big fan, at all), and how brand risk and brand safety come into play in today's digital advertising landscape. But perhaps he's at his most incisive and entertaining when he unleashes his mordant wit on marketers. For example: “Marketers are cowards and marketers are herd animals and marketers fundamentally don't know what they're doing.”Don't worry, he says some nice things, too. Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Ritson tells us exactly what he thinks about Adidas' digital-only approach to advertising — Hint: He doesn't li

Ryan Leslie is a Harvard graduate, a Grammy-nominated recording artist, a record producer, entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of SuperPhone. The startup (still in beta development) allows artists, writers, marketers or entrepreneurs — anyone, really — to connect with their friends, followers or fans directly and independently in a completely new way. Leslie discusses just one facet of SuperPhone, using himself as an example: “What we're building at SuperPhone is an…extension of me, and it becomes a brain in my phone, which remembers contexts and can build and measure metrics…and then it can assign a relationship score based on those metrics.”During the podcast, Leslie touches on many aspects of his life and career, where it seems he's always ahead of the curve. After he graduated from Harvard (at the age of 19, no less) he pursued his musical ambition, meeting with great success, including that Grammy nomination. He moved on, though, from his label, seeking independence in

Carolyn Tisch Blodgett began her career working with established brands like American Express, Mountain Dew and the New York Giants before joining category — categories, really — disruptor Peloton, where she is the head of brand marketing. And she is quick to delineate how Peloton's hybrid nature creates an appeal that spans categories. “It's a beautifully designed piece of hardware, but we're not a hardware company. We're a hardware company, a software company, and, really more than anything, a media company.”In addition to discussing her work with Peloton, Blodgett touches on how brands need to connect with people: “People want to have relationships with brands. And they want brands to be real…really having a voice behind the brand and a personality so that people can connect to it. I think that's what really matters.” Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Moving from (very) established brands to an insurgent: Blodgett discu

 Jan-Benedict (J.B.) Steenkamp is the C. Knox Massey Distinguished Professor and Area Chair of Marketing at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. A highly regarded expert in his field, he specializes in global marketing, branding, and emerging markets and strategy. In addition, he is the author of three books, the latest of which is titled “Global Brand Strategy: World-wise Marketing in the Age of Branding.”In this podcast, Steenkamp, while discussing topics and ideas from his most recent book, provides a sort of toolkit for marketers, including four key takeaways: (1) The need for diverse leadership teams in managing a global brand; (2) Clear accountability and quantifiable metrics; (3) The need for local flexibility within a common framework; and, lastly, (4) How Frank Zappa got it right — we're only in it for the money.When asked what draws him to marketing, he says, “Marketing is the interface between the company and the customers. And I'm interested in activities that span b

Richard Socarides has been around the block: A partner with a New York City law firm. A White House special assistant during the Clinton administration, concentrating on civil rights, LGBT rights, criminal justice, and education. Media communications and marketing for Time Warner Inc., including a stint at New Line Cinema. And now, head of public affairs — which includes global marketing, communications, and government affairs — for GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group), a company that Socarides describes as a “learning membership connecting businesspeople trying to solve problems to experts that can solve them.”In the podcast, Socarides expounds upon learning: “We're helping businesses make money, become more profitable, and connect with clients, but…at the core of what we do is learning. If you're a senior professional today, you know that the era of lifelong learning is really upon us. That what you knew last year, or two years or three years ago, about doing your job is obsolete.

Andy Donkin joined Under Armour as CMO in August of 2016 after a five-year stint in brand and mass marketing at Amazon. In this podcast, Donkin touches on authenticity and how important it is for brands and marketers, especially in capturing the hearts and minds of younger consumers: “When you talk to kids who actually wear the brand, there's this belief that they can do anything. And we fuel that belief.” He goes on to say, “I think for younger consumers, they tend to look for something that represents them. And I think what we've been able to do through our authenticity is mean something to those kids and those younger adults.”He also discusses what brands must do to survive and thrive in this modern-day business crucible: “Today, you can burn down a brand in about a week, if you get it wrong. That platform that you're building can be very volatile.” He then adds, “So that means you have to build an organization that's very nimble, very flexible, can learn and adapt

Diana O'Brien is the first-ever CMO at Deloitte. In that role, she believes she's lucky because she's been given responsibility for everything from traditional brand elements to clients, markets, sales, thought leadership, policy, and corporate citizenship, among other things. Basically, everything she “…needs to be successful.”She touches on many topics in the conversation, but, for her, thought leadership for marketers is key: “We all need great thought leadership. We all need to be looking toward the future, helping and sharing insights that are meaningful to the marketplace.” She goes on to add, “But what I do think can be different and what can help people is understanding how to capture the hearts and minds of people, because that's what marketers need to do.”She also touches on sense of purpose and the big picture. “I think it's aligning around your purpose. What is it that you're all there to do. For us, that's to make an impact that matters. That's our

Bob Hoffman is an “Ad Contrarian,” which is also the name of his popular and influential blog, and he's a best-selling author, advisor and sought-after speaker on advertising and marketing. Earlier in his career, he was CEO of two independent advertising agencies. So, needless to say, he knows his way around the block.In this podcast, Hoffman discusses his perspective on all things advertising, from the watering down of creative to the changing role of account management to the rise of media.For him, one of the things present-day advertising gets wrong is its lack of focus on creativity: “Advertising isn't as effective as it used to be, and…advertising isn't as creative as it used to be. And I have a very hard time believing that these two things are not related.” He also says, “One of the problems is that it (advertising) has become corporate-tized. And they're investing in everything but creativity. They're investing technology, data and metrics, but they're not investin

Rand Harbert is CMO of State Farm at a time when the company has reinvented, or at least reimagined, the way insurance is viewed. That is, instead of being there when things go wrong, they want to be a company that is there when things go right. And, in the process, make it clear that they offer a breadth of services that improves the quality of their customers' lives by providing proactive resources.Harbert also touches upon his attendance at the recent World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, discussing topics that were at the forefront there: the recent U.S. presidential election as perceived by international leaders, the impact of digital and data, and the importance of clean energy and the environment.There is fascinating insight here in this wide-ranging, informative and entertaining podcast with Rand Harbert. Check it out. Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Insurance as a proactive — not reactive — resource. (1:15)Customer relationships acros

Linda Boff is the CMO of GE, a behemoth company with over 300,000 employees worldwide. While certainly an established brand, it's a company in transition, and Boff has been leading that charge, not only to evolve but to make things better for people they serve. As she says, “We're five years into what is a huge transformation for the company into what is the world's leading industrial digital company. A company that makes things … but also connects things.” She goes on to add: “What I mean by that is, how can GE, using data, analytics and insights, help our customers be more productive.”In this podcast, she discusses change, storytelling and her desire to find ways to things that haven't been done before.Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Getting out of your bubble and listening. (2:41)Thinking horizontally and vertically: Challenge and opportunity in dealing with multiple stakeholders. (4:20)  From industrial mega corp to world's larg

In this podcast, Esurance CMO Alan Gellman discusses a wide range of marketing topics. But as seems to be the case for so many top marketers, tools and platforms are important, but to drive growth, it all comes down to trying to understand the people you want to reach: “We always — always — hang into that center of ‘Who are these people and how do we deliver for them?' Because as we deliver for the consumer, we deliver for our companies.”He also says, “Let's never lose sight that, as marketers, our primary charge is to drive growth — but how? It's through insight and depth of understanding of our customers and would-be customers, and that's not just about data … ‘It's what's the humanity that the data brings forward?'”Finally, Gellman reminds us it's important to find some joy. “If you're not laughing, if you're not having fun, then it's just not worth it.“Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Storytel

Elizabeth Windram, director of Brand and Advertising at JetBlue, arrived at her destination in marketing after stops in finance and MBA school. For her, it's not just coming up with the big idea so much as it is to trust your instincts and follow through; believing in what your gut is telling you while listening to other viewpoints and making the work better.“As long as you don't mess with the core insight, you're probably still OK,” says Windram. “Where I won't make changes is if something is fundamentally changing the thing that made it right and that made it work to begin with.”In addressing the collaboration and differing opinions inherent in bringing an idea to market, she goes on to add, “It's also knowing when you don't have to take someone's opinion. Sometimes it's enough to say, ‘OK, I've heard you and I'm not doing that. And here's why.' But, I think listening, at least, goes a long way.“ Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast

Lisa Baird was named CMO of the United States Olympic Committee in 2009. Prior to that, she served in brand and marketing roles for Proctor & Gamble, GM, IBM and the NFL, among others. With the Olympic Games occurring years apart, Lisa touches on how she maintains focus on long-term marketing goals: “The better and more articulate and more precise your mission and your purpose is — that needs to act as your long-term guide, says Baird. “You should measure everything you do against ‘Are you fulfilling that mission and purpose?' … Putting the right measurements in place for the long term help you to keep that true north on your compass.”But even though her goals invariably seem to reside on a distant horizon, she avoids the predictive, instead focusing on something she believes will remain constant: “Marketers who always focus on their customers' or their stakeholders' problems — and listen to them and solve their problems — will always win.”