Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman

The way Shazi describes it, she had a magical childhood. Living in the motel her family owned and operated, she had no shortage of things to keep her busy-- from hanging out with cooks to watching new customers to adopting a pet duck. But how did someone who always dreamed of being a painter end up founding Happy Baby, the number one organic baby food company in the world? Shazi and Bob discuss ho...

As a kid, Macy's CMO Rich Lennox had two dreams: to be the next Chuck Yeager, or to be a veterinarian. But after a “bizarre series of accidents,” he took a different path: joining J. Walter Thompson before leading a series of incredible brands. Listen to Rich as he discusses why hypnotizing a focus group might be a good idea (spoiler: it helped him crack an entirely new diamond market for De Beers...

All Judy McGrath wanted to do when she grew up was to write for Rolling Stone. Instead, the storied CEO of MTV Networks now sits on the board of Amazon. Discover how the creative giant got seduced by management, why she learned to love a P&L (spoiler: it was to make room for wildly creative programming like Rock the Vote, and South Park), and how she convinced advertisers to get behind The Dai...

From The Breakfast Club to Nickelodeon, Bobbi Brown to CoverGirl, there’s no question these brands and personalities have shaped culture. But how did they get their big breaks? And how did they turn opportunities into success stories? Tune in to learn why Charlamagne tha God’s passion for radio probably saved his life; how Gerry Laybourne transformed Nickelodeon into the top network for tweens --...

BusinessWeek once called him “the James Bond of the media world.” The Columbia Journalism Review declared “No other reporter has covered the news communication business as thoroughly.” And the truth is, there’s a lot about the world that we wouldn’t understand if it wasn’t for journalist Ken Auletta—from his profiles of powerful people to his keen instincts for industry reporting. But how did work...

As a child in Hyderabad, India, Raja Rajamannar   figured he'd study hard and grow up to be a chemical engineer. But when a twist of fate led him to marketing, he realized he'd found his calling. Today, Raja is MasterCard's Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Content Officer, and President of Healthcare Business...and he's used the perch to make some incredibly bold decisions! Listen to Bob and Raja as...

When Bobbi Brown couldn't find a major she wanted, she created her own at Emerson College. When she didn't want to conform to the style of the times, she innovated a more natural make-up look. And when she couldn't find the make-up she wanted to purchase, she created her own. Tune in as Bob and Bobbi chat about what it takes to launch an insanely successful brand, why young entrepreneurs should be...

When Marian Goodell first pulled up to Burning Man in 1995, two men in the desert-- one with a machine gun, and another wrapped in a white sheet holding a plastic flamingo, told her to drive straight toward a mountain peak for 15 miles, then turn right and drive another two. But the experimental community that welcomed her that day, changed her life. As a founding member of Black Rock City, LLC, a...

After 44 years of trading, Paul Tudor Jones has built an enviable career as a hedge fund manager. But the way he uses that success to improve the world is even more admirable. As co-founder of  the Robin Hood Foundation, Paul has helped to curb New York City’s AIDS epidemic, fight poverty and improve the education system. But his charity work extends way beyond New York. Tune in to hear why playin...

Charlamagne tha God is one of the most powerful people in media, reaching millions of ears every week as co-host of the nationally syndicated The Breakfast Club morning show. But he’s also a New York Times bestselling author, an outspoken advocate for mental health, and an unapologetically tough interviewer who has no time (or patience) for celebrity spin. This week, Bob sits down with Charlamagne...

Live from Cincinnati, Bob sits down with Procter & Gamble’s Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard to discuss the company’s unique culture,  how it’s adjusted its marketing strategy in recent years, and why the company has made diversity a priority. Learn why P&G still lives up to its original motto: “pure goods at an honest price.” Also, we dive into how the company has grown to a workforce o...

Known as the "fairy godmother of Nickelodeon," Gerry Laybourne took a channel for pre-schoolers and turned it into a cultural phenomenon. Hear how she led Nickelodeon into tween entertainment; why the channel truly spoke to its audience (it was the first one to take kids' side!), and the real story behind why Nickelodeon started sliming kids. Plus, we get into how Gerry transformed the Disney chan...

This episode Bob sits down with Norm de Greve, the Chief Marketing Officer of CVS, to learn how having a Dutch father gave him a unique perspective as a marketer; why being from Rhode Island gives CVS such a unique identity, and the bold steps the brand took to stop selling tobacco products. Plus, we hear why Norm thinks podcasts are such a great way to reach employees and strengthen the culture! ...

To kick off Season 2, Bob sits down with CEO and Founder of Horizon Media Bill Koenigsberg and discovers how Bill pulled off the ultimate trick: convincing his bosses to sell him the company that would become Horizon... and loaning him the money to do it! Plus, learn why Bill only hires smart people who "make him uncomfortable," how investing in a stunning office has changed Horizon's culture, and...

Leading up to the Season 2 launch, Bob revisits some of the incredible ways his guests have embraced audio. Walter Isaacson discusses why podcasts will save story-telling; Steve Stoute recalls how he reimagined the power of a jingle; Olivier Francois reveals why he creates a playlist for every brand he handles, and Julie Rieger discusses an incredible radio stunt and the lift it had on movie ticke...

Bob recounts a few of his favorite stories from Season 1-- from the real origin story behind Olivier Francois' "Imported from Detroit" tagline (it's way more spontaneous than you might think!), to Gayle Troberman's best tips for launching a guerilla campaign (it may involve a bag of cash.) Plus, Wendy Clark and Tim Castree discuss how to break through the clutter. And Fred Seibert reminisces with...

Join Bob Pittman for more stories from the frontiers of marketing starting December 5th. And in the meantime, we'll be keeping the feed warm with a few bonus episodes.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From starting a poinsettia business as a kid, to making and selling her own greeting cards, Casa Dragones CEO and co-founder Bertha Gonzalez knew she was an entrepreneur from the start. But when she fell in love with the agave fields on a tour through Tequila, that's when she found her passion. In this episode, hear how Bob and Bertha decided to launch a tequila company together, why Bertha decide...

You might know Walter Isaacson as a legendary biographer, or as the former Editor of Time , or as the Chairman and CEO of CNN ... but did you know he was a high school crime reporter for the Times-Picayune ? Or that he was recruited to be in the CIA? Or that he actually invented the cable news ticker? This episode, Bob sits down with Walter to discuss why Ben Franklin and Steve Jobs aren't that di...

In this week’s episode, Bob sits down with David Zaslav to learn how the Discovery CEO and President grew a network of just three channels (Discovery, Animal Planet and TLC) to become an international media powerhouse. Learn why David believes brands shouldn’t cater to everyone, how he’s been strategizing for a future when “people can watch anything on any platform,” and what high school tennis ta...

Few people can charm and foster connections the way MediaLink Founder, Chairman and CEO Michael Kassan does. Learn how Michael changed the media buying business by treating it like a mutual fund; why audio is finding its way into more media mixes these days; and why he thinks more businesses and agencies need to go to therapy before breaking up. Plus, Michael reveals the savviest business advice y...

Scott Hagedorn is CEO of Omnicom Media Group, but don’t let his C-suite title fool you. From why he started a snake wrangling business as a kid, to his stint fabricating Flying Barricudas, to  why a Wall Street guerilla artist is his greatest creative inspiration, Scott has a media story like no others. This episode, listen in as Bob and Scott chat about why more auto manufacturers could benefit f...

Bob sits down with UTA co-founder and CEO Jeremy Zimmer to discuss how fixing a chair got him his first real gig in Hollywood; why the best storytelling is rooted in empathy, and why UTA's podcasting division got such a jump on the rest of the industry (spoiler: it all comes down to company culture.)  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/liste...

David Solomon never thought he was a shoe-in to become Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs. In fact, as a young man, he’d twice applied for jobs at the firm… and was rejected! Hear how Solomon has used his perch to change the culture of the company and make it demonstrably more inclusive, how he gets 38,000 global employees to row in the same direction and why he believes his summers as a camp couns...

Tom Freston has a rare skill: the ability to pair raw, creative visionaries with the establishment to create bigger and bolder ventures than either could dream up on their own. From his work at MTV and Viacom— creating a “hothouse” for nurturing talent and spreading TV networks  across the globe, to nudging Vice from a street magazine to an Emmy-winning news service and multimedia behemoth, learn...