Marketing Today With Alan Hart

This is the second installment of Alan's back-to-school podcast master class in marketing. He's been providing great insight through his conversations with some of the greatest academic minds in the discipline. Today, his conversation is with Kevin Lane Keller. Keller is the E.B. Osborn professor of marketing at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Considered to be one of the best business school professors today, he's the author of “Strategic Brand Management,” which is referred to by many as the “branding bible,” and he is co-author of the classic textbook, “Marketing Management.”Keller's passion for marketing comes through in many of the observations he makes during the podcast, and two aspects of that passion are empathy and curiosity. Growing up, he developed that empathy, which, for him, boils down to “being able to really understand how other people think.” And his curiosity bleeds through when he talks about marketing itself: “If you love marketing, there's always something happening that

Over the next three weeks, Alan takes us back to school with a podcast master class in marketing. To do this, he'll be talking to some of the greatest academic minds in the discipline. And today his conversation is with Philip Kotler. Considered by many as both “The Marketing Guru” and “The Most Influential Marketer of All Time,” Kotler discusses just a few of the many books he's written on marketing, from “Marketing Management” (now in its 15th edition) to his most recent effort, “Confronting Capitalism.”In speaking about “Confronting Capitalism,” Kotler touches on the danger he foresees in the growing inequality of income that forces many to live paycheck to paycheck and rely on going into debt to purchase the things they need to survive: “There is such high indebtedness of the working class, and that is going to be fatal to the economy.”Highlights from this week's “Marketing Today” podcast include:Kotler talks about why he chose marketing as his profession. (2:26)From a foundational idea to the social impa

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, Alan Hart talks with Bill Blubaugh, senior brand director of sweets and refreshments at The Hershey Company. In this podcast, they discuss the Jolly Rancher brand and its “A New Media Model to Transform a Brand that Sucks” campaign.In his conversation with Hart, Blubaugh talked about how effective marketing is more than hitting your marks and checking off boxes, it has to connect viscerally. “You have to market to consumers in a way that motivates them,” said Blubaugh. “Because just showing up is only part of the game.” The campaign was personal in a lot of ways for Blubaugh, especially in the way it's impacted his career. “Looking back 18 months after the campaign, it was really kind of a career-defining moment,” said Blubaugh. “For me, now, I feel like these brave new channels, this brave new media model is really not that difficult and not that different, it just requi

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, Alan Hart talks with Bill Beck, vice president of brand marketing at Whirlpool. In this podcast, they discuss the “Care Counts” campaign.In his conversation with Hart, Beck touches on the factors that combined to create Whirlpool's successful “Care Counts” campaign, but he also talked about the thrill of working on the well-known brands of the Whirlpool family: “These are iconic brands, and you get to work with them and do really, really neat things…whether it's product innovations or new ways to talk about it in-market, it's a lot of fun.”Beck also analyzed both sides of the coin in talking about what he views as one of the biggest challenges and opportunities for marketers today: big data. “Big data is one of the coolest and scariest things out there,” says Beck. “As our world becomes more connected, there's just a ton of data out there. And we as marketers really hav

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, I spoke with Angela Gusse, marketing director for Pop-Tarts at The Kellogg Company. In this podcast, we discuss the “Pop-Tarts Soda-Mazing” campaign.During the conversation, Gusse talks about her definition of marketing success, which she breaks down quite simply: “For me, marketing is effective when it helps you sell more product, that's fundamentally what we're trying to do.” But, as with most things, there's more to it than that. And, for Gusse, that means a brand also has to overcome barriers prevalent in today's fragmented marketing universe: “Our message has to be interesting and relevant enough to break through the clutter.” In the midst of that clutter, Gusse sees great opportunity, especially in creating ways for consumers to connect with brands they love. “The opportunity for us is to figure out how to advertise in way that breaks through but doesn't feel intrusive,”

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, Alan Hart talks with George Felix, director of brand communications at KFC. In this podcast, they discuss KFC's “The Return of Colonel Sanders” campaign.Felix describes the North Star of the campaign as a return to what the brand stood for when it was great: Finger lickin' good chicken, red-and-white buckets and the Colonel himself — whether it's the Extra Crispy Colonel or the Colonel intent on launching chicken sandwiches into space.Interestingly, this isn't the first time Felix has played a part in the renaissance of a brand. He discusses his work on the Old Spice “Smell Like a Man” campaign and how what he learned there about decision making played a defining role in his career: “You need to have conviction. You need to trust your instincts — trust your gut. There's not always a silver bullet or a number that's going to answer your question.” Highlights from this week's &ld

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, Alan Hart talks with Jeff Wurtzel, senior brand manager at Mars/Wrigley, who oversees the Extra Gum brand. They discuss Extra Gum's “Unwrapping A Love Story” campaign — everything from the key insight, music choice, and the steps and surprises Wurtzel's team faced along the way.In the course of the interview, Wurtzel identifies two elements that are critical to the success of a brand: The ability to entertain and an eye ever-focused on the future. Speaking about brands, Wurtzel says: “There are so many ways they can entertain and reach and inform…and the opportunity to connect is huge. When you do it right, you can be so highly effective.” As for his eye on the future, Wurtzel opines, “I think the marketplace (consumers) will reward the companies that have the smartest vision and mission, and level of transparency…and I think that consumers, with the power that they have, wil

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, Alan Hart talks with Kristina Duncan who, as vice president for global marketing communications at Mattel, oversees all global branding, advertising, retail merchandising and digital creative for the Barbie brand.Duncan and Hart discuss the “Imagine the Possibilities” campaign, an effort that aimed to accomplish two objectives for the Barbie brand: Drive business and change perception. In doing this they had to orchestrate a seismic shift to reintroduce and recommunicate the brand to consumers. The campaign lived into its purpose using this succinct statement as a guide: “The brand exists to inspire and nurture the limitless potential in all girls.” You can witness the delight the campaign delivered here.Duncan also identifies and discusses the key trait responsible for her success — she's the ultimate collaborator: “I've always seen myself as someone who loves to be a great partner and loves t

As Adobe's head of travel and hospitality strategy, Julie Hoffmann leaves no stone — and certainly no piece of data — unturned. After spending 18 years in the Las Vegas trenches working for the likes of MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, Hoffmann now spends her time at Adobe elevating brands like Marriott, Southwest and Hyatt.Hoffmann possesses an unswerving belief in the power of data. It's that belief, combined with a journey she took to Texas as an 8-year-old and a thirst for innovation, that informs her unique marketing acumen.In this podcast, she talks about accompanying her father to Austin, Texas, where he was developing rehabilitation programs for the blind, helping them to navigate in a sighted world to improve their life. Their shared journey shaped the way she works today, causing her to filter her actions through this lens: “How do you make someone's life better? How do you make the world better?”And Hoffmann's take on how brands need to evolve also serves

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, Alan Hart talks with Ryan Davis, global marketing communications director for Overwatch, a first-person shooter game developed by Blizzard Entertainment.In this podcast, Davis discusses the thinking behind the launch of Overwatch, the critically acclaimed and commercially successful game that debuted in May of last year. For the main focus of their marketing, Davis and Blizzard went over the top, creating 15-foot-tall action figures, complete with packaging, to promote the game.While thinking big, Davis also believes in the power of the relationships Blizzard builds with their players and fans. After all, they share a mindset: “We're all gamers. Everybody's really enthusiastic about doing stuff that we really think is cool and the players will love.” He goes on to add, “We're building a relationship with our players and with our fans that we want to be long lasting. We want to be really genuine with them, listen

As part of an ongoing series of conversations with 2017 Effie-winning marketers, Alan Hart talks with Pete Carter who, as marketing director at Procter & Gamble, heads up the Pantene business.Carter talks in detail about Pantene's “#DadDo” campaign. The 2016 campaign was unveiled, somewhat unconventionally, leading up to and during Super Bowl 50 (the league eschewed the use of a Roman numerals that year to highlight the game's golden anniversary). The campaign utilized a series of how-to videos and in-store activations before culminating in a 30-second spot that did not air during the game. Carter describes it as a Super Bowl spot without the Super Bowl buy.One aspect of the campaign Carter touches on is that they knew they had a powerful idea but were faced with logistical challenges in getting it in front of people during the advertising industry's highest-profile extravaganza. Ultimately, Carter and Pantene went for it. Carter summed up how they arrived at their decision: “You know wh

Kathleen Dunlop is global marketing director for the Unilever brand, Vaseline. In this week's “Marketing Today” podcast, she talks about “The Vaseline Healing Project,” a social-mission initiative created and developed in collaboration with BBH and the nonprofit organization, Direct Relief. That effort was recognized with a 2017 Effie Award in the Personal Care category. In her discussion with Alan Hart, she also touches on experiences that have shaped her, particularly her mission to Jordan as part of “The Vaseline Healing Project,” and how efforts there were “literally helping people get back on their feet.” And she talks about brands connecting with consumers through purposeful storytelling with a conscience: “The most powerful stories today, the ones that seem to be connecting the most with the people who buy our products, are the ones about purpose, the ones that take a stand…If you don't take a stand, and people can be indifferent to you,

When it comes to CPG, Mike Senackerib's marketing career has literally run the gamut from soup to nuts. After getting his start working on the Cool Whip brand, he worked on numerous soups and snack brands for Kraft General Foods, Campbell's Soup, and Nabisco. Later, he took a spin as CMO at Hertz before returning to Campbell's as their CMO. But now he's made the leap: a startup. He's the co-founder and CEO of Farm&Oven, a maker of bakery bites that are packed with two servings of vegetables and a daily dose of probiotics. Senackerib is counting on his partner, Kay Allison, and his expertise as a marketer and food innovator to spell (healthy) snack success.Senackerib believes it's “a really great time for startups,” especially for foods considered to be healthy, fresh and artisanal. And while he sees “problem solving as fun,” he recognizes that sometimes “the problem is you have to have a solution.” But like all optimistic entrepreneurs, he loves the challenge: &ldq

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