BRAVE COMMERCE

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Sharon John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss brand licensing, consumer-centric approaches, and the unique experiences that Build-A-Bear offers its customers.   As the conversation begins, Sharon reflects on her journey in the industry, emphasizing the importance of understanding consume...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Simon Miles, VP of Global Omnichannel Commercial Strategy at The Coca-Cola Company, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to talk about strategies for navigating the complexities of the global marketplace, breaking down silos within organizations, and driving innovation in retail media.   Simon opens the conversation by highlighting the changing...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Gabrielle Wesley, Chief Marketing Officer at Mars Wrigley, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to talk about brand strategy, the importance of Halloween in the candy industry, and the company's commitment to fostering an inclusive internal culture.   Gabrielle delves into how Mars Wrigley ensures its brands remain culturally relevant. She empha...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Andrew Katz, Chief Marketing Officer at Athletic Brewing Company, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to talk about the evolving non-alcoholic beer market and how Athletic Brewing is seizing this opportune moment.   Andrew takes us on a journey into Athletic Brewing's origins, tracing it back to founders Bill Shufelt and John Walker. He also re...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE (recorded live at Adweek in NYC), Jay Picconatto, VP of Advanced Marketing Solutions at General Mills, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss the evolving nature of the consumer goods industry, focusing on adapting to change, leveraging data, and fostering agility.   Jay emphasizes the importance of engaging with industry events, confere...

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Amina Pasha, Chief Marketing Officer at Thrive Market, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss the intricacies of mission-driven marketing and the strategies that have fueled Thrive Market's growth.   Speaking about leadership and brand experience, Amina highlights that being a leader in the marketing field goes beyond understanding just...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Vinny Rinaldi, Head of Media & Analytics at The Hershey Company joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss the significance of holistic understanding, collaboration, data-driven insights, and consumer-centric strategies in marketing.   Vinny's career journey stands out for its diversity and curiosity-driven approach. This unique path ha...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Pierre-Yves Calloc’h, Chief Digital Officer at Pernod Ricard, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss the evolving landscape of the alcohol industry, shifts in consumer behavior, and the impact of digital transformation.   Talking about the dynamic nature of marketing within the alcohol industry, Pierre highlights the expansion of market...

 In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Veeral Shah, Chief Digital & eCommerce Officer at Nestlé, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss strategies for optimizing eCommerce, integrating AI solutions, and adapting to evolving consumer trends and retail dynamics.   In an era where online shopping transcends traditional retail boundaries, Veeral addresses the challenge...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Sucharita Kodali, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester, returns to the podcast to discuss the current state of the consumer economy, the impact of inflation, interest rates, and consumer spending.   Sucharita sheds light on the resilience of the US economy despite challenges like inflation, interest rate hikes, and an inverted yield curve. She e...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Diana Haussling, Senior Vice President - General Manager of Consumer Experience and Growth at Colgate-Palmolive, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to share valuable insights into navigating the corporate world, making brave career choices, and building meaningful relationships that foster professional growth.   Diana's approach to leadership...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Hamid Saify, Senior Vice President of Digital Retail at Liquid Death, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss marketing strategies that disrupt traditional eCommerce markets. Hamid shares that Liquid Death's exceptional success lies in taking a basic product like water and marketing it with the same energetic approach seen in the alcohol...

Founder and CEO of Grove Collaborative, Stu Landesberg, says, “... sometimes people say being early is the same as being wrong, I believe being early is the same as having a head start.” This mantra has been fully embodied by the commendable work of sustainable Home Care brand, Grove Collaborative. From humble beginnings in a 900-square-foot storage facility, the company is now the leader in susta...

According to this week’s Brave Commerce guest Chris Chesebro, Global Chief Digital Officer at Wella, “Beauty changes peoples’ lives every single day.” Products that help people look and feel how they want to look and feel impact those individuals’ sense of self.   The ability to impact people’s lives and livelihoods while building a profitable business makes their work inspiring for Chris and...

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...

As Chief Sustainability and Transformation Officer at Albertsons Suzanne Long has an expansive scope of responsibilities ranging from increasing inclusion to decreasing waste and fostering community. In order to avoid attempting impractical moonshots, Suzanne prioritizes setting a very clear vision of the impact that Albertsons wants to make and then developing a multi-year roadmap to lead the org...

On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Gonzalve Bich, CEO of BIC, joins hosts Rachel Tipogaph and Sarah Hoffstetter to talk about developing a high-quality product.  At the top of the episode, he attributes his success as a business leader to being open to understanding and exposing himself to perspectives other than his own.  In alignment with this principle, he finds it essential to hire e...

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...