The Big Impression

REI’s Chief Marketer Vivienne Long breaks down the importance of providing shoppers with an experience in physical stores that they can’t get by solely shopping online, and how the brand’s strong values inspire and drive its marketing strategy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

T-Mobile’s VP of media Kari Marshall explains why marketing in the telecommunications space is like Game of Thrones, how the company went from being nearly bought by another company to becoming the second-largest wireless carrier in the U.S. after acquiring Sprint, and why the brand has its own in-house agency. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information a...

Johnson and Johnson marketing exec Nate Notwell joins hosts Damian Fowler and Ilyse Liffreing to share why the company’s marketing strategy is based on trust, how he is leaning into technologies that make the consumer journey easier, and the company’s “digital-first ambition.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pers...

Dollar General CMO Chad Fox joins The Current Podcast to talk about how growing up in a small town prepared him to lead the Dollar General brand, why it’s customer base largely focused on the rural shopper makes its retail media network special, and how it’s an “83-year-old company in growth mode.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our coll...

On the season four debut of The Current Podcast, Microsoft's Chief Brand Officer Kathleen Hall describes the emotional connection people have with brands, the biggest challenges for the brand since she started 14 years ago, Microsoft's partnership with Netflix and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal da...

Andrea Brimmer is now nearly 15 years into a career change she says she never expected. Brimmer — who made the move from an advertising agency to Ally Financial in 2008 and has spent the last seven years as the company’s chief marketing and PR officer — says her perspective on getting into the financial sector shifted after this realization: “The three most important things in your life are your f...

Once taboo, sports betting is now thriving. The ever-growing list of states legalizing sports betting is a big reason for that shift in perception, with companies like DraftKings gaining popularity over the past decade. As one of DraftKings’ first 15 employees, Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Sherman has seen that transformation happen firsthand. “It has been quite the journey over the last near...

Dating app OkCupid views itself as the feisty underdog that is comfortable causing a stir. The brand did just that last year with its “Every Single Person” campaign, which they doubled down on after it sent waves through the advertising industry, social media, and the New York City subway. The leader behind OkCupid’s overall branding is Melissa Hobley, the company’s first-ever chief marketing offi...

To David Cohen, an industry veteran who now serves as the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s chief executive officer, the media landscape is clear. “The future of video will be streamed,” Cohen says on The Current Podcast. “There is no doubt in my mind that it is going to happen. The main question is how much the industry needs to evolve from now until then.” Cohen breaks down the biggest challenges...

Campbell Soup Company is synonymous with memories of Mom making soup. Nowadays, the 153-year-old company still wants to hold on to that authentic branding, but to do so in the modern age. Campbell has been refining its data-driven strategies with Marci Raible, vice president of integrated marketing, at the helm. “It’s really easy to ask for a lot of data, but having the strategy for the data you n...

U.S. politicians across the aisle, from ultra-Libertarian to extreme Republican, have used digital advertising to fuel their presidential campaigns. With the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential election fast approaching, the time is ripe for new strategies. On the latest episode of The Current Podcast, meet two men who sit — Wizard of Oz style — behind the curtain of political advertising: Billy M...

Fifteen years into his celebrated career as chief creative officer at BBDO, Greg Hahn — like millions of other people — lost his job at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two months later, however, he launched Mischief @ No Fixed Address, which found immediate success and recently was crowned Ad Age’s Agency of the Year. “That’s kind of mind-blowing,” Hahn, who also acts as chief creative officer...

Not too many people can say they’ve gone from working as a chemical engineer to chief marketing officer, though that’s exactly what Discover CMO Kate Manfred has done. In our latest episode of The Current Podcast, Manfred discusses her unconventional career path from working as an engineer and then consultant to her current role as CMO of Discover. “To make good, robust decisions, you really need...

Twelve years into his career, Mike Law took a self-described “sabbatical” from advertising holding company Dentsu when he moved client side to be Director of Media at Pfizer. In the third season of The Current Podcast, Law describes how he’s using the lessons he learned at Pfizer in his second go-around with Dentsu, where he now serves as CEO of the award-winning agency, Carat U.S. Law also touche...

To L’Oréal executive Shenan Reed, advertising is part art and part science. Reed went from working with the beauty brand on the agency side to taking over as L’Oréal’s senior VP and head of media in 2020. During that time, she has emphasized approaching customers as people instead of targets and making sure the consumer experience is the best it can be.  “It’s inspiring to be inside and understand...

Parents with children over ten will likely know Roblox as a gaming platform, which bills itself as the ultimate virtual universe that allows create and share experiences with friends. But as the concept of the metaverse has gone mainstream, Roblox is already positioned as a metaverse — a universe of millions of immersive experiences that attracts over 47 million users a day — half of which are now...

Dubbing itself “the world’s most global bank,” Citi is evolving its approach to be on the frontlines of marketing, as it strives to set the brand apart from others in the competitive financial services category. Leading with a sharp, data-driven digital marketing strategy, Citi relies on its brand efforts to connect with customers and differentiate the banking experience. In this episode, we speak...

Marriott is synonymous with travel. With its extensive portfolio of hotel brands and styles and services that suit every type of traveler, it’s no wonder it is leading the way in reengaging travelers. In this episode, we speak with Nicolette Harper, VP of Media at Marriott to hear how the company planned its global relaunch after more than a year of travel restrictions. As wanderlust builds amongs...

As a top-five automaker, and recently ranked #1 in the U.S. by Reputation, Nissan is no stranger to staying ahead of opportunities around the bend. This is especially true under the leadership of U.S. CMO, Allyson Witherspoon. Whether it’s debuting a new e-commerce platform to meet customer demand during a time when dealership visits were impossible, or reimagining launches for 10 new models this...

At more than 160 years old, Anheuser-Busch — parent company to more than 100 brands including international linchpins like Budweiser, Bud Light and Stella Artois— has a sizable hold on the beer market and yet still innovates, building out its e-commerce initiatives and brand portfolio in recent years into categories like craft beer, seltzer, and canned wines. The company’s adaptability to the ever...

About 450 million people visit Pinterest every month to be inspired by pinners’ boards of images and videos featuring everything from wedding dresses to making quick meals. The 11-year-old visual discovery engine has grown its e-commerce capabilities, brand partnerships and continues to add ad formats and features for its expanding creator community. Pinterest's large female user base and its appr...

There are a lot of water brands on the market. In fact, the market for bottled water in the United States is estimated to be around $20 billion. And yet, the founders of Liquid Death Mountain Water found an innovative way to enter this market with an in-your-face brand — in a can with a skull on it — that blows away all preconceptions about how to market water. In just four short years, the startu...

As one of the world’s largest producers of electronics, it’s no surprise Samsung’s own mobile marketing is setting the bar. Whether it’s launching its new innovative take on the flip phone with bold new creative, or showcasing its products on reality shows, or digging into data to understand how to best speak to consumers, Samsung’s mobile marketing is on the frontlines of creativity. In this epis...

Visible is an all-digital wireless carrier owned by Verizon, marketed to customers who want a more flexible phone plan that won’t break the bank. It was recently named the “Best Telecom Brand” by Adweek. Since the pandemic, the company has cultivated and expanded its younger, tech-savvy customer base thanks to the marketing leadership of Minjae Ormes, the former Visible CMO who is now at LinkedIn....

In this edition of The Current podcast, we hear from Josh Brandau, the CMO at the Los Angeles Times. Brandau, who comes from the agency world, recently took on the title, and he’s tasked with growing the celebrated publication’s digital subscribers from 400,000 to 1 million in a world where newsprint is declining. With publications caught between subscriptions and digital ads, Brandau offers his i...