More than seven years after its launch, dog-obsessed brand Bark has gone beyond its direct-to-consumer roots, with its products now found at Target, Amazon, Urban Outfitters and other retailers. And it’s the Bark Box, a monthly subscription service, that started it all. Founded in 2012 by Matt Meeker, Henrik Werdelin and Carly Strife, Bark creates more than 400 toys each year and serves more than 600,000 dogs every month. And much of the marketing comes from customers themselves, through social puppy love. Take a tour of Bark’s office, and meet the many office dogs, to see what makes the brand tick (or bark—you decide).
Adweek Originals: Inside the Purpose-Driven Branding of sweetgreen
You may know Sweetgreen as a go-to lunch spot. But Sweetgreen sees itself as a tech company. The cashless chain of salad spots—there are 75 so far—will soon be using the blockchain as part of its recipe for success. But beyond the tech, Sweetgreen is a values-driven brand. It’s part of a trend both legacy and newer direct-to-consumer companies are embracing for an increasingly values-focused consumer. In this Adweek Original, we take a look at how Sweetgreen’s values and design, as well as its salads, keep customers coming back.
The Story Behind The Bud Light & Game of Thrones Super Bowl Ad
Of the more than 50 national spots that aired during the Super Bowl, one stands out for its creativity, ingenuity and all-around shock value. The bewildering Bud Light and Game of Thrones crossover ad shocked fans during the second quarter of Super Bowl LIII and left viewers wondering how two brands and two agencies could pull something like that off, without a hint of the jolt that was to come. We went in search of answers and sat down with HBO’s agency Droga 5, including group creative director Andrew Fergusson and executive producer Liliana Vega; Bud Light’s agency Wieden + Kennedy and creative directors John Parker and Brandon Henderson; Bud Light’s senior director of marketing Alissa Heinerscheid; and Zach Enterlin, evp of program marketing for HBO.
Adweek Originals: Why Some Subway Ads Are Accepted, and Others Rejected
This past May, women’s sexual wellness company Unbound created an artistic advertising campaign to introduce people to the brand. The idea was to run the campaign on the New York City subway system, but that didn’t quite work out. Unbound submitted its ads to the MTA and Outfront Media, the organization that manages the MTA’s advertising and enforces its guidelines, and heard shortly thereafter that the ads would not be allowed to run as they were. Why? They were deemed by the MTA and Outfront to be “too sexual” and were therefore not approved to run on any NYC subways. Period underwear company Thinx faced a similar problem a few years prior, and both companies had to turn to social media to gain some traction, while other brands like men’s health companies Roman and Hims (famous for those cactus ads used to illustrate erectile dysfunction) had a relatively easier time getting their ads approved. So what gives? Check out Adweek’s video to learn a bit more about the approval process and what Unbound is doing to raise some awareness for the brand and its advertising campaign. Outfront and MTA did not respond to requests for comment
What We Can Learn From the Impact of Streetwear on Retail
Streetwear, a subculture in fashion you may have never even heard of, is the cause of an unprecedented shift taking place in the fashion industry. In the current marketplace, where a hoodie from a brand like Supreme is among the most sought-after pieces, the line defining luxury fashion is beginning to blur. Where traditional luxury thrives on quality, streetwear brands achieve their status through an innovative retail model. As Jeff Carvalho, managing director, N.A., Highsnobiety reveals in this video, the impact of these changes extends far beyond fashion.
How S#it Works
How S#it Works: NewFronts
Like so many things this year, the 2020 Digital Content NewFronts are going to look different. The biggest change: how they’re produced. Instead of four daily in-person presentations that would have ad buyers, content producers and the media running from location to location across Manhattan, the events are now virtual. Second, also due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the events are being held this week, pushed back from their traditional late April timeframe. So this is a good time to take a look at just what the NewFronts are and how they came to be. In this episode of How S#it Works, Mark Book, head of content for North America at Digitas, tells us what the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s NewFronts are and how the event works.
How S#it Works: Creative Addressable
Addressable creative takes a number of factors into account, including a person’s demographic data and purchase behavior and variables like time of day and weather to make ads as relevant as possible. In this episode of How S#it Works, Suraj Gandhi, svp and global head of the Addressable Content Engine at UM Studios, helps explain exactly how agencies make this happen for clients
How S#it Works: Cookies
Cookies have been the workhorse of digital media for more than two decades. They form the foundation of the web, helping us stay logged in to sites, and they’ve ushered in the personalized shopping experience as well as tailored advertising. We get recommendations because the cookies that capture our behavior and provide analytics to websites offer personalized experiences. But cookies are crumbling as Chrome will follow the lead of Safari and Firefox by eliminating third-party tracking by 2022. What it means for the industry can be confusing. In the latest video in our How Shit Works series, we talk with Erik Requidan, founder and CEO of Media Tradecraft. Requidan explains how the cookie works, how we got here, and what the world will look like as web browsers eliminate them.
How S#it Works: Facial Recognition
If you got a new smart device over the holidays, there’s a good chance it comes equipped with facial recognition technology. The smart tech unlocks your phone or tablet and allows quick access to a stored credit card, an airline app, bank account and so much more—all based on the unique features of your face. It also leads to questions about privacy and security. But how does a camera-enabled device read your face? What are the most common misnomers? Audrey Wu, vp of strategic partnerships at AI platform Haptik for an explains above.
How S#it Works: Addressable TV
The idea of addressability—that is, customizing what video content appears on your TV—has been around since the late 1980s. But high speed internet, digital distribution and explosive growth in video content are all spurring companies making and selling that content to come up with new ways to tailor commercials just for you. But how does addressable advertising work? What are the pros and cons? Is it beneficial for the consumer? We asked these questions and more of Xandr Media president Rick Welday in this edition of How S#it Works.
How S#it Works: CBD Infused Products
The idea of addressability—that is, customizing what video content appears on your TV—has been around since the late 1980s. But high speed internet, digital distribution and explosive growth in video content are all spurring companies making and selling that content to come up with new ways to tailor commercials just for you. But how does addressable advertising work? What are the pros and cons? Is it beneficial for the consumer? We asked these questions and more of Xandr Media president Rick Welday in this edition of How S#it Works.
How S#it Works: Nielsen Ratings
If you work in the TV or advertising industry, or even if you’re just a TV fan, you likely talk about Nielsen television ratings on a regular basis. After all, the fate of more than a thousand scripted and unscripted TV shows, as well as the country’s $70 billion-plus TV advertising market, is tied to the measurement company’s ratings data. But what happens between the time a TV program first airs or streams and networks and clients receive those metrics from Nielsen? In the latest video in our series How S#it Works, we talk with Brian Fuhrer, Nielsen’s svp of product leadership, about TV ratings. Fuhrer explains how Nielsen creates its national panel; how and what the company measures; and why, as much as some would like, you can’t apply to join the company’s panel.
How S#it Works: Undersea Cables
If you’ve ever wondered how the words you’re reading right now (and the video you’re about to watch) get from here in New York to, say, Sydney, São Paulo, Seville or Singapore, then this is the video for you. There are tens of thousands of miles of sophisticated undersea cables to thank for the content you read and watch every day. In the latest video in our series How S#it Works, we talk with Larry Schwartz, CEO of Seaborn Networks, an owner-operator of submarine fiber optic cable systems. Seaborn finances the systems, works with manufacturers to build them, sells the capacity, then maintains them for their lifespan. But how does it all work? Watch above for the answers.
How S#it Works: Voice Assistants
Using technology for speech recognition has been around for decades, first introduced by IBM in 1961. The Shoebox, as it was called, recognized 16 words and numbers zero through nine. It took another 50 years of technology enhancements, super-fast internet connectivity and the cloud to bring about the massive growth in virtual assistants we see today. Ninety-one million people in the U.S. alone use a voice assistant at least once a month, according to eMarketer. But how exactly do voice assistants work? How does a question get answered quickly and accurately? And how is it that many queries aren’t satisfied? Josef Sperzel, vp director of SEO at MullenLowe Mediahub has the answers in the video above.
How S#it Works: 5G
Cell phone companies are on the verge of introducing a new generation of wireless technology, and it could have a huge, far-reaching impact on everyday life. But what exactly does that “G” in 5G mean? And how did we get to where we are today? Adweek breaks down how 5G works and what exactly it will mean for you in the video above.
How S#it Works: Blockchain
Everyone seems to be pitching blockchain these days or trying to explain it. We know you have questions—and plenty of concerns. Instead of doing the same old explainer—to be fair, we did one of those too—we decided to bring the blockchain to life. Well, sort of. Here’s our exclusive first interview with a character who has a thing or two to say about the emerging technology.
How S#it Works: How An Ad Becomes Fraudulent
Perhaps the biggest marketing issue facing brands in the digital age is ad fraud. Brands putting money into a system want to know, quite reasonably, where that money goes—to which site and to which audience. Juniper Research released a report in May that found brands “lose” $51 million per day, or about $19 billion a year, on fraudulent ads. And if nothing is done to curb this, Juniper reports that by 2022, that number will be $44 billion per year. Big spenders, like Procter & Gamble and Unilever, have issued clarion calls to the industry to clean up its act. Platforms that contribute to the messiness—Facebook, Google, YouTube—often find combating ad fraud is easier said than done. It’s a game of Whack-a-mole. Publishers, too, are affected by ad fraud, to the tune of $1.27 billion per year, according to a study conducted by 16 publishers. Often lost in this discussion, however, are the complex questions of what exactly is ad fraud, and how does it happen?
How S#it Works: Ad Fraud
Perhaps the biggest marketing issue facing brands in the digital age is ad fraud. Brands putting money into a system want to know, quite reasonably, where that money goes—to which site and to which audience. Adweek recently spoke with Chad Peplinski, svp of media at Conversant. In the video above, he explains some of the different types of ad fraud.
I’m With the Brand
I’m With the Brand | Doug Jacob, Co-Founder, &Pizza
I’m With The Brand | Cody Levine, Twice
I’m With The Brand | Drew Westervelt, Hex Performance
I’m With The Brand | Ben Witte, Recess
Even before Ben Witte concocted the beverage Recess, he created the brand for the CBD-infused drink. In fact, Witte did more than a few things outside his comfort zone, having never worked in the CPG business. “I didn’t know a single person who worked in beverage or CPG,” he tells Ian Wishingrad in this week’s episode of I’m With the Brand. Watch above for more on why Recess chose PR over influencers at launch, where Witte wants the brand to go, and what keeps him up at night. (Spoiler: It’s all those regulations.)
I’m With the Brand | Maurice Tebele, JAJA Tequila
Taking on Big Alcohol brands like Constellation, Diageo and Pernod Ricard can be formidable for any small-batch liquor brand. And the three-tier system, by which the maker of an internationally produced spirit has to work with an importer (1) which then has to go to a distributor (2) before the product gets to the retailer (3) and finally the customer, works against most alcohol startups. But for Maurice Tebele, co-founder of Jaja Tequila, “differentiation is key.” It also helped that Tebele’s brother, Elliot, is behind the FuckJerry Instagram account and has pushed the product to its 15.5 million followers. In this edition of I’m With the Brand, Tebele tells Ian Wishingrad about Jaja Tequila’s early successes, stumbles and how they came up with that name.
I’m With the Brand | Ian Ginsberg, C.O. Bigelow
Ian Ginsberg had big plans of being a rock star. His parents had another idea for him. Ginsberg, the third-generation owner of the 180-year-old C.O. Bigelow Chemists, dropped the mic and “was forced into pharmacy school,” he tells Ian Wishingrad in this week’s edition of I’m With the Brand. In the years since, Ginsberg has turned the iconic New York City pharmacy into a global brand. He’s also brought the fourth generation—his son—into the business. Watch above for more brand-building insights in this week’s edition of I’m With the Brand.
I’m With The Brand | Roly Nesi, ROAR Organic
Roly Nesi took his successful beverage brand, Roar Organic, and changed the formula, the packaging, the branding and even the social handle. “All the investors invested in the old brand, and I just new it was the right thing to do,” Nesi tells Ian Wishingrad in this week’s episode of I’m With the Brand. Did that risk provide reward? And what did it take to get there? Watch for the answers and more brand-building insights.
I’m With the Brand | Tanya Zuckerbrot, F-Factor
“Dieting feels punitive,” says F-Factor founder Tanya Zuckerbrot. That’s why she calls her brand a lifestyle, not a diet. And even though there is no shortage of weight-loss plans out there, including some billion-dollar brands, Zuckerbrot says F-Factor stands alone and doesn’t have competition. In this week’s edition of I’m With the Brand, host Ian Wishingrad gets to the meat of the F-Factor, the brand’s goals for growth, areas for improvement and Zuckerbrot’s mantra for leading her brand: “When you take care of the needs of others, God takes care of your needs.”
I’m With the Brand | Ben Van Leeuwen, Van Leeuwen
Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream launched with $60,000 and a truck in 2008. Reinventing the ice cream truck was the way founder Ben Van Leeuwen expected his eponymous brand to grow. Twelve years later, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream and its 35 flavors can be found in grocery stores, restaurants, resorts and in its own standalone shops in New York and Los Angeles, some of which have reopened following the lifting of stay-at-home orders. The trucks are still running, too. In this week’s episode of I‘m With the Brand, Van Leeuwen tells Ian Wishingrad how his eponymous ice cream empire came to be, what he wanted it to symbolize and why his original idea for the name, Churn, was shot down by lawyers.
I’m With the Brand | Christine Moseley, Founder, Full Harvest
Christine Moseley was walking through a field of romaine lettuce when she realized the pickers were only harvesting 25% of the plant and letting the other 75% fall to the ground. She quickly learned she could sell the full harvest to food and beverage companies. That’s how Full Harvest came to be. In this week’s episode of I’m With the Brand, Moseley tells Ian Wishingrad what it takes to be a brand builder today. “Be ready to give up every single thing you have: blood, sweat, tears, every dollar you have,” she said.
I’m With The Brand | Rachel Blumenthal, Founder, Rockets of Awesome
With Gap, Old Navy, Zara and H&M as competitors, how does a kidswear brand stand out? For Rockets of Awesome, it’s about design, packaging and gut instinct. In this week’s episode of I’m With the Brand, we catch up with founder Rachel Blumenthal, who shares insight on why she threw out her startup playbook. Plus, she opens up about the hardest part of building this business, her third as a founder.
I’m With the Brand | Emmett Shine, Pattern Brands
With their marketing agency Gin Lane, Emmett Shine and his team helped create the branding for some of the buzziest direct-to-consumer products of the last decade, including Hims and Hers, Harry’s, Sweetgreen and Recess. But not long ago, Shine shuttered Gin Lane, named for a street where he grew up in Southampton, N.Y., and with that existing team he built Pattern Brands, a consumer goods company. His first product, Equal Parts, is a cookware brand. Having grown up near the ocean, Shine has an analogy for his business pivot: “We set up a new home. Like hermit crabs, we saw a new shell, and then we crawled out of our Gin Lane shell and into our Pattern Brands shell,” he tells Ian Wishingrad in this week’s episode of I’m With the Brand.
I’m With the Brand LIVE | Craig Elbert, Care/of
As wellness is top of mind during these stay-at-home months, we have insight about what’s working for supplement suppliers. Craig Elbert co-founder of subscription service Care/of is Ian Wishingrad’s guest on I’m With the Brand LIVE.
I’m With the Brand LIVE | Lindsey Andrews, Minibar Delivery
For the last seven weeks, we’ve been bringing you live editions of our video series I’m With the Brand, where founders and funders give us the scoop on how they built their brands. We’ve focused these live episodes on brands in the health and wellness space. (We’ll return to our regular schedule of produced episodes next month). On today’s show, Ian Wishingrad has some rapid-fire questions for Lindsey Andrews, whose company Minibar Delivery is perfectly poised for the stay-at-home era.
I’m With the Brand LIVE | Alex Reed, Truman’s
DTC health and wellness brands are strategically poised to expand their customer base during the pandemic. That’s one of the reasons that, for the last six weeks, we’ve produced live editions, every Tuesday at 4 p.m ET, of our series I’m With the Brand. On today’s show, Ian Wishingrad has some rapid-fire questions for Alex Reed, the co-founder of direct-to-consumer brand Truman’s, on how he built the Kentucky-based cleaning products company, and how the brand is getting through the coronavirus crisis.
I’m With the Brand LIVE | OWYN Beverages
Only What You Need. That pretty much sums up what beverage maker OWYN provides customers. It’s also a memorable acronym for the brand’s name. The makers of the plant-based protein drinks and meal replacements had big plans earlier this year to expand into more retail outlets. What has the Covid-19 pandemic meant to those plans? Mark Olivieri joins Ian Wishingrad for this week’s episode of I’m With the Brand LIVE.
I’m With the Brand LIVE | Gravity Products
As we all continue our work-from-home routines, healthy living is key. So we’ve pivoted our rapid fire Q&A video series I’m With the Brand, which features founders and funders of up-and-coming businesses, to focus on wellness brands. We’ll do it right here on Adweek.com, as well as on our Linkedin, YouTube and Facebook platforms. Joining us today is Mike Grillo, CEO and co-founder of Gravity Products, a sleep and relaxation company that makes the popular Gravity Blanket.
I’m With The Brand LIVE | Hungryroot
As we all continue our work-from-home routines, healthy living is key. So we’ve pivoted our rapid fire Q&A video series I’m With the Brand, which features founders and funders of up-and-coming businesses, to focus on wellness brands. We’ll do it right here on Adweek.com, as well as on our Linkedin, YouTube and Facebook platforms. Joining us today is Ben McKean, founder and CEO of Hungryroot, an online grocery service that delivers healthy food with recipe and meal planning support. Launched in 2015, the company now has more than 100 product offerings, including products from emerging food brands.
I’m With The Brand LIVE | OLIPOP
As we all continue our WFH routines, healthy living is key. So we’ve pivoted our rapid fire Q&A video series I’m With The Brand, which features founders and funders of up and coming business and focusing on wellness brands. Last week, host Ian Wishingrad spoke with Brandin Cohen, CEO of LIV, or Liquid I.V. Today, joining us live, is David Lester, co-founder of OLIPOP, a three-year-old beverage brand that bottles tonics packed with probiotics, botanicals and natural plant fibers.
I’m With The Brand LIVE | Brandin Cohen, Liquid I.V.
Last September, Adweek launched I’m With The Brand, a rapid-fire Q&A video series hosted by Ian Wishingrad, featuring founders and funders and how they built their brands. We’ve produced 10 episodes so far, with many more in the edit process. But given the new work-from-home reality for tens of millions of us, we’ve decided to produce a few episodes focused on the health and wellness space. And we’re doing them live, starting today, and for the next several weeks at 4 p.m. ET Tuesdays. First up is Brandin Cohen, CEO of LIV, or Liquid I.V. Cohen shares how he got his start as an entrepreneur and what motivated him to create the hydration solution.
I’m With The Band | Steven Izen, Founder & CEO, Lokai
Like many entrepreneurs, Steven Izen says that what keeps him up at night is the possibility someone is working harder than he is. Still, the fast-moving founder spent three years finding the right earthly elements—water from Mount Everest, mud from the Dead Sea—as the foundation for his balance brand Lokai. The inspiration came from his grandfather, himself an entrepreneur, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In this week’s episode of I’m With the Brand, Izen tells us how he built Lokai and discusses his top marketing tools and how he plans to make balance an important part of our daily diet.
I’m With The Brand | Amanda Zuckerman, Co-Founder, Dormify
There is Spotify, Changify and Accredify—and then there is Amanda Zuckerman’s startup, Dormify. But Zuckerman is proud to point out that her online housewares retailer came before the ify-ification of the web. Dormify, which produces and sells products meant for college students, was conceived in the aisles of one of its biggest competitors, Bed Bath & Beyond, in 2012. In the years since, Zuckerman has built her brand while creating a product line that is 90% made in-house. In this week’s edition of I’m With the Brand, Dormify’s co-founder and creative director tells us about taking on big box stores one dorm room at a time.
I’m With the Brand | Rus Yusupov, Co-Founder, HQ Trivia
While it has cooled off from its super hot early days, HQ Trivia still draws hundreds of thousands of players each day for its live games. What makes the mobile video experience so hot? And what keeps bringing people back? Co-founder Rus Yusupov says it’s what you hear that he’s most proud of. “We spend a lot of time on the sound design and the music,” he tells us in this episode of I’m With the Brand.
I’m With the Brand | Helena Hambrecht, Co-Founder, Haus
Not to be confused with Lada Gaga’s cosmetics line of the same name, aperitif maker Haus is building its own brand around ritual and tradition. “Haus exists because a Silicon Valley founder married a wine and spirits guy,” says co-founder Helena Hambrecht about working with her husband, Woody, on the concoctions and their marketing.
I’m With the Brand | Miki Agrawal – Founder and CCO, Tushy
Miki Agrawal’s first start-up, Thinx, hit PR gold when New York’s transit authority banned its ads. That was back in 2015; the MTA eventually relented. Agrawal’s latest venture, Tushy, also ran afoul of the MTA guidelines. But like any start-up founder, she quickly realized that all press is good press. Chief creative officer and founder Agrawal tells us in this edition of I’m With the Brand that after a skit on SNL’s Weekend Update about the ad prohibition, Tushy sales quadrupled.
I’m With the Brand Ep. 5 – Adam Lowry, Ripple Foods
Adam Lowry has already been part of the successful launch of one startup: Method, which revolutionized household cleaning with environmentally friendly products. For his second act, Lowry decided to head to the dairy aisle. But rather than nuts or oats, Lowry discovered the healthy science behind pea milk.
I’m With the Brand Ep. 4 – Dani Beckerman, JARS by Dani
Dani Beckerman always had an entrepreneurial streak. It started when she was a teenager, launching her own swim business to teach kids from the neighborhood. Fast forward to 2019 and Beckerman’s latest pursuit, Jars by Dani, creates deliciously sweet, tastefully designed, Instagram-inspired treats for corporate or private events. In this episode of I’m With the Brand, hear from Beckerman about where she plans to take her treats next.
I’m With the Brand | Jane Prior, Vita Coco
What do you do when people think your healthy beverage tastes like “dirty sock water?” That was the challenge Jane Prior had when trying to market Vita Coco to the masses—a $400 million category.
I’m With the Brand Ep. 2 – Ilir Sela, Slice
Ilir Sela was born into a pizza-making family in New York City, so it was natural that he’d go into the family business. But instead of spending his days slinging dough and sliding pies into wood-fired ovens, Sela decided to build his pizza brand one slice at a time—with tech, not flour. His delivery app Slice is meant for mom-and-pop shops rather than the pizza buyer. So how did he convince rigid and resolute small-business owners to buy in? In this episode of I’m With the Brand, Ilir Sela shares the growing pains of building a fully baked brand and what he learned from his customers along the way.
I’m With the Brand Ep. 1 – Alex Fine, Dame
Alex Fine, co-founder of sex toy maker Dame Products, talks about tackling challenges ranging from bad packaging to a fight with Facebook.
Top of Mind
Top of Mind | Emily Culp, FX Skincare
Culp sat down with us at the CMO Moves Summit in New York this winter to talk about her best advice for leaders who want to innovate.
Top of Mind | Singleton Beato, McCann Worldgroup
Singleton Beato has spent years thinking deeply about how to drive business and innovation through implementing diversity and inclusion policies as McCann Worldgroup‘s chief diversity and engagement officer since 2017. She joined us for an episode of Top of Mind to talk about solutions to one of the agency world’s (and wider world’s) toughest problems. Watch to the end of this episode to hear the scary advice Beato’s mom gave her when she was up for her first C-suite job, then check out more episodes of Top of Mind.
Top of Mind | Julian Duncan, Jacksonville Jaguars
How do you get sports fans into the game without them physically being there? That question was already on Julian Duncan’s mind before fears about the coronavirus prompted athletic leagues to suspend games and play in empty arenas. The CMO of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars joined us for an episode of Top of Mind at Adweek’s CMO Moves Summit in New York last month, and his call for teams to innovate feels even more relevant today.
Top of Mind | Judy Lee, Pinterest
After two years at Pinterest, Judy Lee pitched her CMO on a new role: head of global experiences, a job that would blend her love of brand marketing with an expertise in creating surprising experiences for all Pinterest users. She got the gig, and sat down with Adweek for an episode of Top of Mind to share some exciting innovations happening on the platform and the career advice that’s propelled her to new heights.
Top of Mind | Rick Gomez, Target
Target’s Rick Gomez says making the shopping experience easier and more personalized is his No. 1 goal in 2020. Just elevated to the position of chief marketing, digital and strategy officer, Gomez is taking what he knows about marketing a $75 billion retailer and applying it to making the guest experience second to none. It starts with Target Circle, the brand’s new loyalty program. Watch above for more insights on how the Minnesota-based retailer differentiates itself from other big box stores and how it is leveraging Roundel, its in-house agency, as a new revenue stream.
Top of Mind | Bozoma Saint John, Endeavor
Bozoma Saint John may be the most confident person in marketing—and she has a track record to back it up as CMO of major entertainment agency Endeavor, with previous gigs at Uber, Apple and Pepsi. A sought after speaker for her exuberance and original thinking, she hosted a conversation about the future of sports at Adweek’s CMO Moves Summit in New York last week. We sat down with Saint John for an intimate discussion about what’s holding back women of color in the C-suite, why the Super Bowl halftime show was a monumental moment for the Latinx community, how she stays open to innovation and what sparks her 1,000-watt confidence.
Top of Mind | Danielle Lee, Spotify
Spotify turned heads when it announced Wednesday that it acquired The Ringer, Bill Simmons’ popular podcast network for sports and culture fans. We sat down with Danielle Lee, Spotify’s global vp of partner solutions, within hours of the news to talk about why the streaming service is pushing far beyond music. In this episode of Top of Mind, Lee shares her thoughts about innovative podcast ads, teaching marketers audio storytelling and a simple piece of advice that simplified the way she works.
Top of Mind | What Innovation You’re Most Excited About
Tune in to hear CMOs and brand execs from companies like Verizon, Google, Hilton, General Mills, Pinterest and Diageo dish on the markers transforming our industry as we know it.
Top of Mind | End of Year Advice
What’s one great piece of career advice? We asked that question across an impressive group of top leaders from companies like GE, NFL, Citi, General Mills, Verizon, Pinterest, Puma and Playboy. Get ready to take plenty of notes.
Top of Mind | Adam Petrick, Puma
We recently sat down with Adam Petrick to find out what’s top of mind in the highly competitive world of sportswear, and how Puma is stepping out—and up—in memorable ways. Watch for his insights and thoughts on customization.
Top of Mind | Brad Hiranaga, General Mills
General Mills has been around for more than a century, but its relatively new mission is still less than a year old. At the annual Brandweek summit, we caught up with Brad Hiranaga, the company’s chief brand officer of North America to find out what’s top of mind for him as he takes on turning this 150-year-old brand into “a force for good.”
Top of Mind | Rodney Williams, President/CEO, Belvedere Vodka
As liquor goes, vodka sales typically peak in the autumn. It’s the perfect time of year for Rodney Williams, global president and CEO of Belvedere Vodka, to start planning for next year’s batch. One of the things that has him most spirited about the LVMH brand is the launch of two new single estate vodkas, each of which includes rye planted in different parts of the brand’s native Poland. That, says Williams, gives Belvedere a distinct terroir-influenced taste, much like an estate wine. But there’s much more we learned when we sat down for this edition of Top of Mind at Brandweek.
Top of Mind | Ronalee Zarate-Bayani, Los Angeles Rams
In our latest episode of Top of Mind, Zarate-Bayani talks about how she’s reimagining what the Rams brand experience will look like beginning in 2020, including creating the new uniforms and logo that will represent the NFL franchise for decades to come.
Top of Mind | Rachel Webber, Playboy
Now about a year into her role as chief marketing officer of Playboy, Rachel Webber is forging a new image for the classic men’s magazine: creating products and services “where all people can pursue pleasure.” In our latest episode of Top of Mind, we caught up with Webber at Adweek’s annual Brandweek summit, where she spoke about how the iconic publication’s past is guiding its future. Hint: They’re keeping the Playboy bunny, but, Webber adds, “the role of the bunny is one that we’re working on.”
Top of Mind | Kellyn Smith Kenny, Hilton
Kellyn Smith Kenny is comfortable with disruption. It’s that disruption, she told us when we chatted at Brandweek in Palm Springs, Calif., that inspires marketers to “innovate in service of the customer.” So what’s top of mind for the global CMO of Hilton? All the ways in which its brands can build an emotional bond with consumers—and using data and tools like machine learning to do it.
Top of Mind | Monique Nelson, UniWorld
Now enjoying the top job at a full-service multicultural advertising agency, Monique Nelson has learned throughout her career to do things she doesn’t like. In fact, that’s a piece of advice she gives out all the time to those she meets inside and outside Uniworld Group, where she is chairman and CEO. “Learn what you don’t like,” Nelson told us for this episode of Top of Mind. “You want to stay in a place that makes you happy and makes you fulfilled.”
Top of Mind | Andréa Mallard, CMO, Pinterest
We had a chance to talk with CMO Andréa Mallard to find out what’s top of mind at Pinterest, which includes branching out from its main user base of crafters and creatives to businesses and organizations.
Top of Mind | Shelley Zalis, CEO, The Female Quotient
Based on her career journey and pivotal “heartbeat moments,” Shelley Zalis, founder and CEO of The Female Quotient, provides tips for following your heart.
Top of Mind | Jennifer Breithaupt, Citi
Voice is on the mind of many marketing executives as more devices enable customers to find brands, products and services more easily. For Citi global consumer CMO Jennifer Breithaupt, voice will be instrumental in the big bank’s concert series as well as other consumer-facing services. In this edition of Top of Mind, Breithaupt also shares the best advice she’s ever gotten—which came from her mom.
Top of Mind | Nuno Teles, Diageo Beer Company
In the latest episode of Top of Mind, we sat down with Teles to find out what’s brewing (and distilling) at the global beverage powerhouse, as well as his advice for future CMOs and brand leaders.
Top of Mind | Linda Boff, GE
On the latest episode of Top of Mind, Boff told Adweek about that approach, managing her nearly 2,000-strong marketing team and what’s new at the 127-year-old company.
Top of Mind | Victoria Russell, Papa John’s
Victoria Russell, a 13-year Papa John’s veteran, stepped up and into a new role putting issues of diversity and inclusion front and center. We sat down with Russell following a recent Adweek D&I Council meeting to find out what’s Top of Mind at Papa John’s.
Top of Mind | Marie Gulin-Merle, Calvin Klein
On this episode of Top of Mind, Gulin-Merle explains why she merged the teams and works behind the scenes.
Top of Mind | Tim Ellis, NFL
Tim Ellis lets us know what his marketing team is working on—on and off the field—how the league is incorporating players into its social strategy and the best marketing advice he’s ever gotten.
Top of Mind | Diego Scotti, Verizon
Diego Scotti, chief marketing officer of Verizon, talks about the upcoming 20th anniversary of the brand and the promise of 5G.
Adweek’s Top of Mind (Promo Reel)
What’s top of mind for the top brand marketers? How are they transforming what it means to be a CMO? What are the challenges, and what’s the best advice they’ve gotten from their mentors? Adweek sits down with these global marketing leaders to ask, “What’s ‘Top of Mind?’”
