#118: Turning Mystery Into Momentum | Ben Whitla, Head of Brand & Marketing at Slate Auto

Big brand breakthroughs don’t come from playing it safe.

This week on Soul & Science, Jason Harris sits down with Ben Whitla, Head of Brand and Marketing at Slate Auto, to explore how bold creativity and disciplined measurement come together to build something truly different. From his beginning as a self-taught graphic designer, to helping companies like Great Big Story and launching an EV brand, Ben shares how he’s learned to trust his instinct but not lose sight of his results.

In their conversation, Ben breaks down how Slate Auto carved out its own space in a crowded automotive market with a radically simple, customizable vehicle and an unconventional launch. He also explains why building the right team is the foundation of great marketing, how brands can scale without losing their edge, and why the best marketers operate on “gut with guardrails”—taking risks, then measuring everything that follows.

✅ Why great marketing starts with people, not just ideas

✅ Do things that make you uncomfortable

✅ The smartest marketers engineer buzz instead of hoping for it

✅ Why brand and performance marketing must work hand in hand

✅ How simplicity can become a powerful competitive advantage

💡 “You’ve gotta try some stuff that’s pure gut, but if you don’t learn from it…afterwards, then it wasn’t worth it.”

💡 “Before you make a single creative decision, nothing matters more than the people.”

💡 “The internet loves to solve a mystery, and they figured it out. They figured out that that weird everyday changing vehicle on the curb was slate.”

💡 “How do we break every rule? How do we do something that any other auto brand would say…That's unacceptable.”

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