Marketing Today With Alan Hart

Jenny Rooney is the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Black Glass CMO House, a new membership club for CMOs focused on empowering, inspiring, and supporting the person behind the title. Before starting CMO House, Jenny spent over a decade with the Forbes CMO Network Team, where she managed content and events critical to executive-level marketing decision-makers.In this episode, Alan and Jenny discuss defining your unique skills and purpose. Jenny shares that the CMO role is full of nuance, and, to be successful, you have to embrace the “and” that comes with it.Listen to learn how to uncover your marketing superpowers and harness them for holistic growth. In this episode, you'll learn: The importance of empathy as a CMOThe power of defining your skills and purposeWhat it means to focus on “and” not “or” as a CMOThings to listen for:[01:00] Jenny's career path[04:00] What differentiates CMO House from other organizations[07:35] Welcoming diverse perspectives[09:00] Qualities of great CMOs[11:00] Weatheri

Vinoo Vijay, now CMO of Truist Financial, is back on the show to discuss purpose-driven strategic marketing. During his first episode with us, Vinoo shared his story about coming to the US at age seventeen, eventually leading him to be the CMO at H&R Block, Ally, and now Truist.In this episode, Alan and Vinoo discuss how his team carefully balances technology with touch to create a client experience unlike any other in the banking space. Vinoo shares about developing and positioning the Truist brand, how his team reinforces purpose on a daily basis, and his vision for marketing.Listen in for Vinoo's advice on weaving your purpose into your daily life and making your strategic marketing efforts a success.In this episode, you'll learn: Empower your team to align their personal purpose with your organization's purposeIdentify your problem before attempting a solutionReinforce your purpose on a daily basisThings to listen for:[03:00] Vinoo's career journey and passion for finance[08:00] Making a positive impact a

Pam Forbus is the CMO of Pernod Ricard, where she focuses on building trusted brands through consumer-centric marketing. Pam is the leader behind many recognizable Absolut campaigns, including #VoteResponsibly and #MixResponsibly. Prior to joining the Pernod Ricard team, Pam spent two decades leading teams at Disney, PepsiCo, and Frito-Lay. Throughout her career, Pam has navigated challenging times, from the ‘08 financial crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic, and has come out stronger on the other side. On the show today, Alan and Pam discuss how the pandemic changed the way she approaches marketing and the importance of responsible marketing, especially for a spirits brand. Pam shares how she successfully builds trusted brands through consumer-centric marketing and how her team is approaching consumer trends, including premiumization and in-home consumption.In this episode, you'll learn:Data-driven decisions are consumer-centric decisionsHow a cross-functional marketing team enables you to adapt to changesLean in

Some people see golf as a sport for the elite, but the truth is 75% of golf courses in the U.S. are open to the public. Golf players are more diverse than ever, and brands like PGA TOUR SuperStore are committed to continuing to make the sport inclusive to all.Jill Thomas is PGA TOUR SuperStore's CMO and leads her team in modernizing their marketing strategy as their audience grows. Jill has more than 25 years of senior leadership with a consistent record of growth at some of the world's most admired companies, including The Walt Disney Company, Cinnabon, Yum! Brands, Edible Arrangements, and PepsiCo.In this episode, Jill and Alan talk about the strategies that enable brand growth, Jill's formula for marketing nirvana, and how to reach new audiences. Later on, they discuss what endears brands to us and why you need to lean into evolving technology in your marketing strategy.In this episode, you'll learn:Empathy enables brand growthHow to achieve personalization at scaleRight person + right message + right mome

Lisa Stockmon is the Chief Marketing Officer at Banfield Pet Hospitals. Lisa leads the development and execution of Banfield's innovative integrated marketing strategy, ensuring it supports the organization's strategic vision, aligns with its purpose, and drives revenue.In this episode Alan and Lisa discuss what led to Banfield's recent 400% growth in social followers and 104% increase in content interaction on Instagram. Lisa also shares the role curiosity has played in successfully engaging Gen Z in her marketing strategy.Listen to learn how to adapt to the shifting market and skyrocket your social growth.In this episode, you'll learn:Ways the pandemic has changed brands' customer basesHow to strategically leverage influencer marketing on social mediaThe importance of open-mindedness and curiosity in marketingKey Highlights[01:00] Lisa's career journey and passion project[07:00] Banfield's “b here” marketing strategy[09:00] Reaching new demographics of pet owners[15:00] Strategically leveraging influencers

Don McGuire is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Qualcomm Technologies. Don leads the global marketing organization, supporting Qualcomm's advancement into new and existing markets and growth areas. He's redefining Qualcomm's strategic approach to product marketing, leading to innovative campaigns and collaborative partnerships that are bringing cutting-edge products to market.On the show today, Alan and Don talk about how Qualcomm has increased its total available market by 7X, what that means for their strategies, and how they're managing the organization through growth. They also talk about the brand strategies they use for their B2C brand, Snapdragon, as well as the enterprise brand of Qualcomm itself.Listen in to learn how to elevate your brand and prepare for rapid growth.In this episode, you'll learn:Why partnerships can elevate your brandHow to develop a compelling brand narrativeTips for restructuring your marketing organization and leading through changeKey Highlights[03:00] D

As the Head of Ad Marketing at Roku, Jordan Rost helps marketers understand shifting media behavior, re-imagine storytelling for the Streaming Decade, and make better ads. Prior to joining Roku, Jordan held leadership roles at Google, Nielsen, Adaptly, and Accenture.On the show today, Alan and Jordan discuss why buyers should prioritize streaming in their ad strategy, and why Roku expects this year to be the first truly streaming-first Upfront. They also dive into the ways media is changing and how to tailor ad experiences to your audience.Listen in to learn more.In this episode, you'll learn:How to achieve brand impact and measurability with streaming adsThe future of UpfrontsWays to tailor experiences to your audienceKey Highlights[02:30] Jordan's guiding principle on his journey to Roku[04:30] Orienting to consumers' perspectives[08:30] Opportunities for performance marketing on streaming platforms[14:30] The future of Upfronts[17:00] Delivering better audience experiences[21:00] Incorporating brand storie

David Seigel is the CEO of Meetup, author of Decide and Conquer, Professor of Management at Columbia University, and host of Keep Connected podcast. **He's served as an influential leader at many organizations, including Investopedia, Seeking Alpha, and 1-800-Flowers. David and his team at Meetup are working to cure the loneliness epidemic by connecting people to each other. They've navigated major pivots throughout the pandemic as an in-person-first organization, and David has a lot to share about what he's learned.On the show today, Alan and David talk about how Meetup adjusted their tactics while remaining true to their mission. Later on, they discuss the power of community in our individual lives and at a business level. David also explains how an engaged community can decentralize your marketing for the better by serving as your most valuable brand ambassadors.Listen in to learn more.In this episode, you'll learn:The most important aspect of pivotingHow to decentralize brand marketingThe power of communi

David Temkin is the Director of Product Management, Ads Privacy, and User Trust at Google. He leads the product management team responsible for ads privacy. His team is focused on delivering privacy-first monetization product changes that are driven by the changing regulatory environment. They are also responsible for transparency control for ads all across Google's ad business.On the show today, Alan and David talk about his role and what privacy and the combination of privacy and trust mean. Later, David shares his thoughts on how marketers should be thinking about ads privacy and what we need to do to get consumers on board in understanding its importance. At the end they also discuss the removal of third-party cookies and what it means for effectively deploying ad campaigns.Listen in to learn more.In this episode, you'll learn:What businesses should prioritize when it comes to privacyWhy marketers can convince their organization to prioritize privacyGetting consumers to take privacy seriouslyKey Highlight

Ricky Engelberg is the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Vista.Vista is a marketing partner to millions of small businesses around the world. As CMO, he oversees important functions such as customer experience and digital product.In this episode Alan and Ricky discuss his early career in the entertainment industry in Athens, Georgia, and how that has shaped his career and how he sees the world today. Tune in to hear more about how the experience made him realize the importance of finding your audience and investing in relationships to make them successful.In this episode, you'll learn:The art of finding your audienceCreating a customer relationship across all product offeringsWhat makes a successful partnershipKey Highlights[01:41] Ricky's early entertainment career[04:37] Learning how to find the right audience[09:23] Vista's mission and vision[13:26] Building customer relationships[15:54] The shift to partnerships in creating brand awareness[19:12] Vista's partnership with Humberto Leo

Lindsay McCormick is the Founder and CEO of Bite, which stands for “Because it's the earth.” They are makers of plastic-free and cruelty-free products on a mission to become the world's most sustainable personal care company.Lindsay has built Bite into a multi-million dollar company, aiming to remove plastic from our everyday routines. Her first product, toothpaste tablets went viral in 2018, and since then they've added several other products to the Bite brand umbrella.In this episode Alan and Lindsay discuss her path to founding the company, as well as the moment she turned down a six-figure deal from both Mark Cuban and Kevin O'Leary on Shark Tank.Listen to the full episode to learn more about filling a market gap and always having an innovative mindset.In this episode, you'll learn:Leaning into “filling the gap”Sticking to what's importantHaving a “we can always be better” mindsetKey Highlights[01:44] Lindsay's favorite outdoor activities[02:42] The path to founding Bite[03:55] From TV to toothpaste[05:52

Did you know that 60% of counties in the US do not have an orthodontist within the county? So, what do those people do when they find themselves needing orthodontic care?This is the question that John Sheldon set out to answer. John is the Chief Marketing Officer at SmileDirectClub where they are leading the charge with accessibility, increased convenience, and at a lower cost than competitors of orthodontic care.In this episode, Alan and John discuss how the company started out as a disruptor and is moving towards becoming a challenger against their primary competitor. Listen to the full episode to learn more about the benefits of challenging the market and how the customer experience plays a key role.In this episode, you'll learn:The benefits of challenging the marketWhy you should center innovation around the customer experienceWhere data plays a role in your brandKey Highlights[01:18] How John is responsible for many marriages and divorces[02:15] John's path to CMO at SmileDirectClub[05:01] Who is SmileDi

Smita Wadhawan is the CMO at Simple Practice, a company that provides technology to private practice therapists and other practitioners. They've been around for 10 years and serve over 100 thousand practitioners.In this episode, Alan and Smita discuss her journey from India to the US and her career path from companies like PayPal and GoDaddy to Simple Practice. During her early years, Smita shares how she learned to embrace a growth mindset and find her own voice—both traits that have served her well as CMO.Later in the conversation, Smita also shares her view about moving from product marketing to a go-to-market strategy, how to plan that launch, and how good leadership plays a key role. Listen to the full episode to learn more.In this episode, you'll learn:Why you should embrace a growth mindset and find your voiceHow to see product marketing as the foundation for strong marketingWhen to move from product marketing to a go-to-market strategyKey Highlights [01:24] Growing up in India[02:58] Smita's career jo

Fabio Baracho, VP of Marketing, and Alejandro Gershberg, Marketing Director at Grupo Modelo, part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest brewery in Mexico.In this episode, Alan, Fabio, and Alex discuss Grupo Modelo's response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico. A huge part of this response was envisioning “The Match of the Ages” which occurred when the world felt most isolated and cultural gatherings came to a halt.Soccer is a Mexican cultural icon. Despite any division the country faces, soccer is the great unifier. But during the pandemic, all games were canceled for more than 60 days. As a way to reunite the country and give back to the people, Grupo Modelo created a brand new 90-minute soccer game from scratch with the country's two biggest rivals using 70 years' worth of historical footage.The game, which aired at zero cost on all major networks, became the highest earned media in the history of the brand. The initiative, El Classico de la Historia, became the first Mexican brand to win a Titanium Lion in

Jennifer Veenstra is the Executive Leader of the Deloitte Global CMO program.In this episode, Alan and Jennifer discuss the Global CMO program, what it includes, as well as the other types of programs Deloitte offers to up-and-coming CMOs. As a part of her role, Jennifer helped conduct Deloitte's 2022 Global Marketing Trends Report where they discovered seven key trends marketers should pay attention to going into the new year. During the conversation, Jennifer helps describe their findings and how each of the seven trends can impact marketers' strategies today.Later in the episode, Alan and Jennifer dig deep into three of them: building the intelligent creative engine, designing a human-first data experience, and elevating the hybrid experience. Listen to the full episode to learn why they are so important.In this episode, you'll learn:What global marketing trends you should pay attention toBalancing human-first with data miningCreating a cohesive customer experienceKey Highlights[01:40] Jennifer was a profe

Aaron Wollner is the CMO at Quontic Bank where he is helping lead the charge of becoming the first digital bank in the metaverse.On the show today, Alan and Aaron discuss his path to becoming CMO, where he got his start, and how multi-variate testing and other analytical approaches led to his belief around how to be data-led in a responsible way. Later, they discuss how Quantic Bank is an adaptive digital bank and how they are pursuing banking in the metaverse.In this episode, you'll learn:How to innovate when you're already digital-firstThe importance of investing in people, not technologyWhat's worth measuring and what's notKey Highlights[01:30] Aaron's take on being data-driven[04:00] Aaron's path to becoming CMO[06:47] What it means to be an adaptive digital bank[08:02] How Quontic was born[10:03] How to innovate a digital bank[11:37] Scaling and growing the market[14:01] Building brand guidelines[15:40] Investing in people versus technology[17:44] Balancing what's worth measuring with what's not[21:42] A

Ed Dandridge is the Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer at the Boeing Company. In this role, he serves on the executive council and oversees all aspects of Boeing's communications.In this episode, Alan and Ed discuss the many executive roles he has had in the past. They also discuss what attracts him to challenging the assignments like AIG after the financial crisis, or Boeing after the CEO transitions, as well as the max airplane challenges that the company has gone through.Listen to the full conversation to learn more about how Ed tackles complex business problems and how empathy is a key characteristic of diplomacy.In this episode, you'll learn:Where diplomacy and business intersectHow to tackle complex business problemsWhy empathy is a key characteristic of diplomacyKey Highlights[02:50] Ed's favorite memories living abroad[05:25] How Ed got into Tufts[09:13] Hired on at ABC[11:30] The intersection of diplomacy and business in Ed's career[17:09] How Ed finds his next challenge[19:29] Wh

Jeremy King is the CEO and founder of Attest. It's a fast scaling SaaS technology business focused on the market research industry, based in London and New York. Prior to Attest, Jeremy spent nine years with McKinsey & Company. Undoubtedly, research is in his blood.In this episode, Alan and Jeremy discuss his love of Marine life and how it spurred him to found Attest. Later on, they also talk about some research they jointly executed about purpose. Jeremy observes that “Purpose is the Tesla of marketing”, meaning everyone wants to talk about it, but is it really where marketers should focus?Listen to the full interview as Alan and Jeremy “get under the hood” on how consumers actually perceive purpose and how marketers should be thinking about it in their strategies.In this episode, you'll learn:How “purpose is the Tesla of marketing”Why having different brand differentiators is keyHow to use research to understand your focusKey Highlights[01:58] Why Jeremy loves the Peacock Mantis Shrimp[06:16] How Jeremy end

Mark Kilens is the VP of Content and Community at Drift where he oversees content, creative projects, events, teams, and much more. He also oversees the Drift community and Drift Insider–which has about 45,000 members today–as well as their two biggest events, Rev Growth and Hyper Growth.In this episode, Alan and Mark break down Drift's 2021 State of Conversational Marketing report. They also talk about what conversational marketing is, how Drift approaches it, and how marketers need to think about conversation as they build their marketing and sales enablement functions.Later in the interview, Alan and Mark discuss how Drift is a unique brand and also how Mark sees content service and education actually helping to drive their marketing efforts. Listen to the full conversation to hear more about how to implement a holistic conversational strategy for marketing and sales. What's part of the secret sauce? The buyer should be at the center of everything you do.In this episode, you'll learn:The state of conversat

Biljana Cvetanovski is a partner at McKinsey & Company and leads their marketing and sales practice in the UK, Ireland, and Israel.In this episode, Alan and Biljana discuss a recent report that McKinsey shared called “The Growth Triple Play—Creativity, Analytics, and Purpose.” During their conversation, they break down the report and discuss how, when combined, those three core elements create extensive results for companies.Biljana says she has an “impatience for impact and growth” and shares how others can pave the path for growth in their organization.In this episode, you'll learn:The types of investments and capabilities needed to deliver on growthWhy companies should focus on the growth triple playHow purpose is defining a lot of what marketers implementKey Highlights[01:20] Getting her start in trades[03:50] A “random walk” through academia[08:56] McKinsey's research on growth, creativity, analytics, and purpose[13:15] Combining all aspects for marketing success