BRAVE COMMERCE

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Chris Rogers, Chief Business Officer of Instacart joins hosts Rachel Tipogaph and Sarah Hoffstetter to talk about how Instacart has grown as a Quick Commerce retailer, even after the pandemic. Chris recalls his work experience with Apple, and how he made the jump to Instacart when it was a much smaller company than it is today. Upon taking this potentially risky...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE Heather Malenshek introduces hosts Rachel and Sarah to the full breadth of what Land O’Lakes offers not only to customers, but also to the farmers who make their products possible. She shares that Land O’Lakes is on a mission to promote the critical role that farmers play in putting food on our tables as part of the full complex story that is the Land O’Lakes bran...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Shelley Zalis,  Founder and CEO of The Female Quotient,  joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss the importance of gender equality and diversity in business. Shelley begins by sharing her personal experiences as one of the two women on a board of 25 men, shedding light on her journey towards founding The Female Quotient. She emphasi...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Sarah and Rachel sit down with Diana Frost, Chief Growth Officer at Kraft Heinz to discuss agile leadership, the importance of learning from failures, and the company's growth strategies.   Diana shares how her commitment to an agile mindset and a "village" approach to team dynamics have shaped the culture at Kraft Heinz. By embracing failures as learn...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE Eduardo Luz, Chief Brand and Concept Officer at Panera discusses AI, generosity, and a member first approach with hosts Sarah and Rachel.   With an exceptional 55 million loyalty members, Panera has identified "generosity" as the defining characteristic of their brand. Eduardo delves into how Panera's dedication to generosity, towards individuals, community,...

  In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Gabi Lewis, Co-Founder of Magic Spoon, joins Rachel and Sarah to share his insights on expanding into the retail space from a DTC perspective with a focus on innovation, acquisition, and brand identity.   Gabi and his co-founder, Greg Sewitz, recognized the need for a fresh perspective and launched Magic Spoon in 2019, with a focus on health...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Sandie Hawkins, GM of US eCommerce at TikTok,  joins Rachel and Sarah to discuss the power of including TikTok in your brand strategy. Sandie emphasizes that TikTok's community commerce approach brings people together to discover products through a new version of word-of-mouth. She highlights that the commerce mindset is already present on the platform since...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Sara Wilson and Michelle Goad, the minds behind The Brand Yearbook , explore the intriguing world of Gen Z and their influence on branding and media. The Brand Yearbook story begins when Michelle, who was then the GM of Gen Z Innovation at Nike, was working on the launch of Nike's NbG and brought on Sara as a consultant for the launch's community & content st...

This episode of BRAVE COMMERCE features the impressive and inspiring Dr. Val Oswalt, CEO & Board Member at Kodiak.  Dr. Oswalt’s career has spanned multiple job functions at both large and small companies. When deciding if a new opportunity is right for her, Dr. Oswalt asks herself two questions. 1. Can I make a difference? 2. Can I learn something? She shares why these questions guide he...

During this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Boris Rütten, Head of Global eCommerce at Henkel, discusses the ever-changing landscape of global eCommerce, emphasizing the need for continuous adaptation and staying attuned to market trends in order to achieve sustainable growth. Boris shares his insights on managing stakeholders, underlining the significance of listening and staying close to global market...

CMO of Heineken USA Jonnie Cahill discusses the importance of maintaining consistent brand values and messaging during times of change. He also talks about the recent blurring of lines between CPG categories, and how your brand can take advantage of this liberating power to become more consumer centric. Lastly, Jonnie advises how to use positioning, content and tone of voice in eCommerce to commun...

During this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Andy Markowitz, VP of Digital Retention and Acquisition Marketing at the New York Mets, highlights the importance of adapting digitally, maintaining strong professional relationships, and continuously building value in the fast-paced marketing landscape. Markowitz delves into his role at the Mets, focusing on the value of thoroughly understanding a company's...

During this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Amanda Baldwin, CEO of Supergoop, shares how she aligns the brand’s mission with a focus on consistent incremental profitability. Supergoop, founded by Holly Thaggard, began with the question: how to make a product that creates joy and put the talent and strategy behind that idea? Amanda explains the importance of building a well-rounded team that matches the...

Katie Kirkpatrick, VP of Digital Commerce at Bacardi, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph & Sarah Hofstetter to discuss how the digital shelf influences omnichannel consumers. She talks about how employees are inspired to develop an “ownership mentality” and take pride in their work at Bacardi. She then discusses the future of alcohol eCommerce, and last-mile delivery. She explains that the digital s...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Austin Leonard, Head of Sales at Sam's Club Member Access Platform (MAP), highlights the increasing need to offer value to consumers in exchange for their engagement with your brand, especially as we shift to a post-cookie future. The rise in retail media has resulted in fewer and fewer consumers opting into sharing their data; Austin stresses combating this hesi...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Grant Hill, Basketball Hall of Famer, co-owner of Atlanta Hawks, and board member of Campbell Soup Company, shares strategies for fostering trust and vulnerability by identifying and defining your workplace culture. Grant Hill, who spent 19 years in the NBA, has expanded his business portfolio to encompass real estate, executive leadership, sports analysis, board...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Lewis Broadnax, Vice President of Global eCommerce & Digital at Sazerac Company, shares the four major pivot points that have shaped the trajectory of his career: From DTC to multichannel From unregulated to regulated From considered purchase (computer) to unconsidered purchase (alcohol) From a direct discussion with the consumer to a more removed three tier...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Esi Eggleston Bracey, President Unilever USA, CEO Personal Care North America, talks about creating a human-centric brand. From her work at P&G to developing Febreze Esi has found ways to drive profits while helping people. As national demographics shift, brands need to shift and increasingly personalize their messaging to today’s shoppers. Here again, doing...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Denise Woodward, Founder & CEO of Partake Foods, talks about growing and developing a bootstrapped business. Denise opens with the inspiring story of Partake Foods. She wanted to make a product for her daughter, who suffers from food allergies. When discussing it with her husband at the zoo one day, a stranger overheard her and told her about a local small bu...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE Joy Simonson, Head of Global Consumer eCommerce at 3M talks about how the brand’s “maker culture” has contributed to its success in both the B2B and B2C eCommerce world.  She starts by speaking about how leveraging B2B eCommerce provides incremental profits for B2C and how both work hand and hand. Emphasizing the importance of data, Joy stresses how optimizin...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE Cristina Marinucci, Global Head of Shopper Excellence at Mondelez International gets Phygital with hosts Sarah and Rachel.  She starts by defining Phygital - the blending of the digital and physical to create enhanced experiences for all our customers - and then delves into the best practices for rolling out this omnichannel approach to retail both with custo...

On this episode of Brave Commerce, Anouck Gotlib, CEO of Belgian Boys, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss branding and developing products over time.    Gotlib shares the experience of creating and launching Belgian Boys with her husband. She explains how she gave the product “clothes” or rather developed the brand to be exciting and enticing to customers. In de...

On this episode of Brave Commerce, Michal Geller, President of eCommerce & Digital at Newell Brands, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss retail media and eCommerce attribution.  Geller shares his experience using retail media as a productive media platform. He explains how brands can utilize retail media to develop strong relationships with retailers. Once br...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Lisa Mann, Managing Director and CMO of Raines International, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss the state of the current talent ecosystem.  Lisa shares why she came out of retirement in the middle of the pandemic to take a new job outside her experience in CPG. She says she was attracted to creating a true talent ecosystem, and imp...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Jim Mollica, Chief Marketing Officer of Bose, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss several ways brands can communicate and connect with their consumers.  Jim shares his experiences of marketing a product in the entertainment, apparel, and consumer electronics industries. Although very different from one another, he explains how c...