Marketing Today with Alan Hart

In this episode, Alan and David discuss the mission of Restore Hyper Wellness, the relationship between demand generation and brand marketing, and the dangers of marketers confusing being purpose-driven with being cause-driven. David talks about the siloing and diminishing of the CMO role and how concepts like "Team One" and taking a critical look at new growth titles could help remedy this. David...

In this episode, Alan and John discuss what Narrative Economics is, how it works, and why marketers may need to reevaluate their use of Brand Management theory. John tells us how Boathouse uses data and AI to empower brands to understand their true narrative and evaluate how it aligns with their desired narrative. Boathouse employs strategies like “newsjacking” and “socialjacking” to manage and le...

In this episode, Alan and Kristen discuss how she became the Chief Marketing Officer of Homedics, the state of the industry, and the way Homedics markets to the modern consumer through both DTC and traditional Distribution channels. Kristen also outlines the recent brand refresh and the resulting captain that resulted in a rapid 80% D2C sales jump. Kristen credits this success equally to the creat...

In this episode, Alan and Nick discuss Nick’s thoughts on the future of Brand Experience, how he is approaching e-commerce and digital marketing challenges at a fast-moving consumer goods company, and the importance of physical experiences to the overall brand experience. Nick notes that brands are expected to take a stand on larger social issues and tells how Vanish is purposefully rebuilding a b...

In this episode, Alan and Terry discuss Terry’s unusual path to marketing, what he learned on his journey through food and restaurants, and the unique challenges and benefits of marketing within a direct sales model, like Pampered Chef. They talk about the history and mission of Pampered Chef, the importance of marketing agility, and the impact Covid had on the company. Terry is CMO and Head of Pr...

In this episode, Alan and Michelle discuss Mailchimp's acquisition by Intuit, how it aligns with its mission, and how it impacts its customers. Mailchimp is passionate about empowering its customers and they are working to develop relationships with them both online and offline to provide added compounding value. Knowing they market to marketers, Michelle and her team lead by example and show what...

In this episode, Alan and Andrea discuss how she came to be the CMO of Ally, her approach to creating the brand, and how Ally is leaning into their role as a disrupter in the category to address pain points in the financial industry. Andrea also outlines how Ally is impacting women's sports, why that investment is so important for the future, and why it’s so important to her specifically. The...

In this episode, Alan and Michelle discuss their mentors and role models, Michelle's priorities as CMO, and why hearing directly from customers helps her ensure Skillsoft is preparing today's workforce for tomorrow's economy.  Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek is a big proponent of continual learning and believes development and growth should be accessible to all. She is passionate about making learni...

Geoff Tanner is a passionate believer in the power of breakthrough creative. That philosophy and his passion for music lead to some of the most iconic campaigns of the past 10 years. Geoff oversees the consumer and customer experience across the commercial funnel. He has a unique perspective on the blending of sales and marketing that helped JM Smucker transform from having a “sleepy” brand portfo...

Jay Livingston is not only a great CMO, but he is also an active angel investor, executive producer, and founding member of Unite America. No matter what he is doing, storytelling is always the underlying theme. In this episode, Alan and Jay discuss the importance of the CMO vibing with the CEO, why he loves working with “passion brands” that have a good origin story, and the unique benefit of ove...

Greg Dolan has over a decade of experience as a brand marketing executive. He co-founded Keen to give marketers a tool that could “help them make smarter decisions about how to drive their brand forward by using future-focused metrics that are directly tied to financial performance.”  In this episode, Alan and Greg discuss how the work Keen is doing impacts marketing performance across the in...

As a world traveler who loves to learn, Stacey Pool embodies the “growth mindset”. With over twenty years of experience in consumer marketing, she has held a variety of leadership roles across multiple industries and has a strong track record of utilizing guest insights to deliver strong business results.   In this episode, Alan and Stacey discuss the brand refresh she is leading at Nood...

Laura Hutfless operates at the intersection of brands and culture makers. She works with founders who have passion and brands that have a purpose to help them use ad dollars to drive change, understand where their consumers are, and leverage those spaces to change perceptions and earn trust.  In this episode, Alan and Laura discuss the difference between creating culture versus chasing cultur...

Norm Yustin spent the first part of his career as a marketing executive. However, after a particularly impactful recruiting experience and some encouragement from friends and family he made the move into leadership recruitment himself. Norm is widely published on the future of tech-enabled, go-to-market leadership and he brings a unique perspective of developing self-awareness in pursuit of y...

With a background in journalism and a career in communications, Stephanie McCarty may not be the typical CMO but that is exactly what makes her perfect for the job. She is leading a marketing revolution in homebuilding by reimagining the marketplace and digital shopping experience at Taylor Morrison.  In this episode, Alan and Stephanie discuss how to get your entire organization rowing in th...

Todd Smith developed a deep respect for brands and brand managers early in his career. After years of working across several different industries, Todd has been CMO at Traeger for the past 3 years where he spends most of his time working with the sales, product, and technology teams to drive innovation in every step of the customer journey In this episode, Alan and Todd discuss how no matter what...

Ana Villegas knew early on that she wanted to be a CMO and achieved that goal by staying focused on gaining the skills necessary to do so. As the CMO at NI , she oversaw everything from “brand to demand” including corporate communication, ESG strategy, and ensuring NI’s values manifested in the marketplace. In this episode, Alan and Ana talk about how her experience as a successful female business...

As CMO during a time of hyper-growth and record-breaking acquisitions, John Taylor is constantly evolving AMD’s marketing approach and working to advance the company’s identity. By moving from a “product first” to an “audience first” method, AMD has been able to navigate rapid changes and foster a high level of confidence in the future by directly engaging with customers and being intentional...

DeNora’s experiences as a teenager quickly shaped how she viewed the world and her role in it. With a passion for civic engagement and empowering young people, DeNora found a home at DoSomething.org where she uses social understanding and data to inspire action. In this episode, Alan and DeNora discuss why brands should care about their social impact, how Gen Z is forcing companies to evolve, and...

The state of diversity, equity, and inclusion has changed rapidly since the pandemic. Thankfully, Celeste Warren is here to help us understand how to navigate it. No matter if you're a C-Suit executive, a middle manager, or an individual employee she takes us through the important steps you can take to become a D&I ambassador and how it impacts the bottom line.  In this episode, Alan and...

James Whitemore joins us with an update on the work and results he's been driving at NetApp since he joined us last on Episode 234. By leveraging data and training his team on how to use their diverse viewpoints in analyzing it, James is reinvigorating a 35-year-old company with a little more swagger   In this episode, Alan and James discuss how the ideas outlined in their last interview...

After surviving her battle with cancer, Brittany Driscoll puts a lot of consideration into what really matters to her. That care translates into the customer experience she is creating at Squeeze. She embraces who she is and utilizes the strengths of the team she surrounds herself with to revolutionize what it means to win customer loyalty.  In this episode, Alan and Brittany discuss how bein...

Rob Willey started his career working with big brands in the advertising industry and quickly understood that path was not for him. He wanted to work on the company side and build brands. So Rob went to business school and then dove into the world of startups. He put in the work and made his way to the C-Suite before landing where he is now as—Operating Partner at Emil Capital and CMO for Cheribun...

The task of revitalizing a 135-year-old brand for today’s market is daunting, but for Avon’s Global CMO Kristof Neirynck , that’s just the challenge he wanted to tackle. Moving from Walgreens Boots Alliance (when we last spoke with him in episode 208), Kristof saw the overwhelming opportunity to bring his keen eye for storytelling and passion for data into a company that has been on the decline. H...

Tim Hackbardt ’s professional journey has included ventures into consulting, advertising, and even broadcasting, but his path repeatedly brought him back to Del Taco, where he is now CMO. Del Taco is one of many restaurant chains Tim’s worked at, but he says it’s his favorite because the business model offers countless opportunities to increase sales. In this episode, Alan and Tim discuss how he’s...