Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind

Bonin Bough’s first flare of marketing genius came at the age of 12, when the executive who would later set the pace for big brands entering online and social channels, launched a magazine in the NYC Public Schools. In college, the physics major built websites for brands, and one millennium-era internet party later, he joked, the vodka fountain and shrimp boat steered him into a marketing career. Bonin built internet practices at two global PR firms, then became the client and a prodder of global CPG companies, like PepsiCo, Mondelez and Kraft, to be digital innovators. You might recall him from the CNBC show, Cleveland Hustles, with LeBron James. And, as Founder of Lockstep Ventures he tackles systemic issues by helping Black founders create scalable businesses that also support their communities. Ventures, which tackles systemic issues by helping Black founders create scalable businesses that also support their communities.In this episode you’ll learn: Pack the pipeline, because the ingrained corporate response is to kill what is new, but they can’t kill it all. Babe Ruth called his shots, name your next win, because external pressure will help make it happen. “Marketers are like roaches”, they’ll infiltrate what you thought was a safe space. Jump in early, ride the bull, first runners have a better shot at winning. To learn something new, walk the outer trade-show booths on closing day, talk to everyone at the mixer. Thank you, Bonin, for joining me. Give it a listen, and fast forward your marketing mind in about 20 minutes.Presented by Mekanism

My guest on the pod this week, Josh Taekman is the Founder & CEO of the functional wellness brand, EBOOST. Inspired by hip-hop, Josh’s career started in the mailroom at Bad Boy Entertainment where he learned that you “eat what you kill” and hustled to start his own agency. Eventually, he saw a space for a functional wellness product that spoke to the pop culture audience. EBOOST, was born as a wellness supplement that supports immunity, boosts your energy and gives you essential vitamins. By focusing on building small, close communities, Josh has been able to triple distribution of EBOOST to 12,000 locations in the U.S.In this episode you’ll learn: You have to hustle and can’t take no for an answer. Building community is key for growth. Don’t judge by effort, judge by results. Not everyone is an entrepreneur. Thank you, Josh, for joining me. Give it a listen, and fast forward your marketing mind in about 20 minutes. https://apple.co/3LDwXNuBrought to you by Mekanism.

My guest on the pod this week, Jeff Jenkins, is CMO of Carter’s. He has one of those serendipitous career journeys that started when he was a 16-year-old tennis player coming home from a trip to Europe obsessed with this band, Ace of Base. As a young actor in New York, appearing on “Star Trek '' and in soap operas, he tempted in between at MTV and this sync with popular culture led to a stellar career at Taco Bell, where he learned to love the life of a 16-year-old audience to sell a lot of tacos. Wholly understanding the customer drives what he does at Carter’s, a brand that means everything to new parents, then fades away. Jeff keeps Carter’s present in an era of DTC and influencer brands, walking the tightrope between heritage and current culture.In this episode you’ll learn:• It's often the smarter decision to stay in your core demographic lane• New parents are scrolling through TikTok at 3 a.m.• Partnerships are a great way to keep a classic brand current• Every retailer wants to feel special, so build a bespoke line extension• The formula for career satisfaction: fun + learning + great people.Brought to you by Mekanism

Water with a hint of flavor but not of sugar was the simple but genius concept behind Hint Water. Founder Kara Goldin joins the pod today to tell us about a 17-year entrepreneur’s journey that has had her staring down category captains at retail, telling DTC brand stories and making the correlation between larger bottle openings and sales. Her acumen has brought accolades from Fortune–she’s both a Most Powerful Entrepreneur and Most Innovative Woman in Food and Drink–and a Huffington Post Disruptor in Business. Kara took a career hiatus from big tech to raise her children. During her three children’s toddler years, she noticed how apple juice jacked them up, but there were no flavorful, healthy alternatives in her grocery store. Hence, Hint Water was born in her garage and a classic business success story ensued.In this episode you’ll learn: Once you find your mission, act decisively How to keep scaling mini mountains Why you need to embrace competition to grow Leaders have their outside, clear brand voice and their inside brand debates How complex it is to create and simplify Brought to you by Mekanism

As a former senior executive at Starbucks, Aimee Johnson knows a thing or two about customer experience. While waiting in line was part of the community experience for some, the Starbucks’ app was also a critical timesaver for others. Aimee had to convince leaders at the democratized brand that tech could also have heart. In her most recent role as CMO of the Zillow Group, Aimee juggled how to build an online brand that showcased the dream of real estate with the realities of qualifying for a mortgage. With more than 30 years of high-level marketing experience, including years at Campbell Soup Company, Aimee joins the pod to share insights about product development and digital transformation at Starbucks and brand differentiation at Zillow, when the rest of the industry starts to copy you. Maybe her best advice came from her father: "Don’t listen to anyone’s bullshit."In this episode you’ll learn: That sometimes waiting is part of the community experience How to align internal groups by leaning into customers habits Why this Brené Brown fan agrees that vulnerability and values are your strengths Sustaining a consumer relationship that could take years to actual point of sale Why her mantra on digital transformation comes from Einstein: ”The true science of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.” Brought to you by Mekanism.

GE CMO Linda Boff joins the pod this week to tell us about achieving success through reinvention. Through her career, including 18 years at GE, Linda has continually revitalized both career and company through practicing a restart mindset, knowing the difference between being recognized and being relevant and tapping into the innovation and marketing chops of Thomas Edison. Linda has one of the biggest jobs in marketing, overseeing global marketing, brand content, digital and sponsorships. Linda is also GE’s Vice President, Learning and Culture, meaning she manages the company’s legendary GE Crotonville center, and she is President of GE Foundation.In this episode you'll learn: How to climb the corporate career ladder when there’s no ladder in sight The re-start mindset What reinvention looks like at a global corporation The difference between being recognized and being relevant How to combine the fresh with the familiar A new take on Edison’s classic 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration formula How believing in people and living strong values pays off Why to always assume “good intent” Brought to you by Mekanism

World 50 CEO David Wilkie joins the pod this week to share insights on his exclusive company, discuss the power of peer networks, and how alignment of purpose, trust, curiosity, and diversity of thought promote growth. As CEO of World 50, David is responsible for the strategic direction, growth and development of the company. David joined the company 17 years ago, and has been CEO of World 50 for the last 11 years.Founded in 2004, World 50 consists of private peer communities that enable board directors, CEOs and C-level executives at globally respected organizations to discover better ideas, share valuable experiences and build relationships that make a lasting impact. The executive network has grown to incorporate G100, a peer learning, development and networking community for the world’s top-performing companies and their leaders. Working with more than 3,000 leaders globally, World 50 serves more than 1,100 companies across more than 30 countries on six continents. Prior to joining World 50, Wilkie held several roles at Hess Corporation, including president of Hess Microgen and vice president of marketing and business development. He earned his Master in Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida. Brought to you by Mekanism

LendingTree Chief Marketing & Customer Experience Officer Shiv Singh joins Jason this week to discuss how he's harnessing the power of trust in our post-trust world.Shiv joined LendingTree in January 2022 from The Expedia Group, where he served as SVP and General Manager for the world-class travel brand, charged with driving brand loyalty and long-term customer value amid the coronavirus pandemic. Previously, Singh worked as CMO for med-tech startup Eargo, successfully repositioning the brand during a crucial high-growth period for the business. Singh's impressive career also includes senior leadership positions at Visa, PepsiCo and Razorfish. As an entrepreneur Shiv also had his own consultancy as well. Shiv has been inducted into the American Advertising Federation Hall of Achievement. He has been recognized by Forbes as a Forbes Next CMO, Ad Age as a Media Maven, Business Insider as a Payments Industry Game Changer, Adweek as a Top 50 Marketer (twice), and The Internationalist as a Top 100 Influential Leader. He is also the the author of two award-winning social media and marketing books, Savvy - Navigating Fake Companies, Fake Leaders and Fake News and Social Media Marketing for Dummies.Brought to you by Mekanism

Comic Relief CEO Alison Moore joins Jason this week to discuss how she moved from a profession to a purpose, how she effectively markets a mission, and how Comic Relief is using entertainment to make positive change in the world.Alison Moore is a media and tech industry veteran who is bridging the worlds of entertainment, social change, storytelling, and fundraising to break the cycles that perpetuate intergenerational poverty. Alison joined Comic Relief US in 2019 to build upon the organization’s ambitious mission to drive positive change through entertainment. Under Alison’s leadership, Comic Relief US is leveraging its unique blend of humor and entertainment to address complex and entrenched social and economic issues. Since 2015, Comic Relief US has partnered closely with Walgreens, NBC, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on its year-round Red Nose Day campaign to end child poverty. In the past 7 years Red Nose Day has raised over $275 million and positively impacted over 30 million children in the U.S. and around the world.Brought to you by Mekanism.

eos CMO Soyoung Kang joins Jason this week to discuss how taking calculated risks can increase ROI.Soyoung Kang is the Chief Marketing Officer at eos Products, the iconic beauty brand that has sold nearly a billion lip balms worldwide. Since joining eos as CMO, Soyoung has completed a total reboot of the brand identity, from resetting creative and strategic vision, to dramatically expanding the category footprint and product pipeline, to launching experiential marketing initiatives like the influencer collaboration FlavorLab and #eosmicrobatch DTC fashion drops. Under her leadership, eos has garnered dozens of honors, including product awards from Allure, Cosmopolitan, and SELF, and media recognition from the Shortys, Webbys, and Digiday. Before her time at eos, she had a decade-long career in specialty retail, leading brand development of the successful beauty segment at Bath & Body Works. She was also a strategy consultant to Fortune 100 clients at The Boston Consulting Group.Brought to you by Mekanism.