Frictionless Growth Marketing
Sonia Thompson | Inclusive Growth & Customer Experience Strategist
Brand growth today depends on removing friction from your marketing and customer experience to attract and retain more of the people you want to serve.
Frictionless Growth Marketing is the podcast for marketers, business leaders, and founders who want to grow by eliminating the messaging, experience, and strategy gaps that quietly push customers away every single day.
Hosted by Sonia Thompson, Inclusive Growth and Customer Experience Strategist, the show breaks down how modern brands drive sustainable growth by designing frictionless customer journeys, building trust with identity-rich growth communities, and adapting to changing consumer expectations with clarity and confidence.
Each week, you’ll hear practical insights, real brand examples, and candid conversations with marketing leaders and subject-matter experts on:
Brand strategy that fuels long-term business growth in the age of modern marketing
Customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty in today’s market
How friction shows up across the customer journey — and how to remove it
Identity-driven marketing, cultural relevance, and belonging
What’s actually working now with today’s values-driven consumers
If you want to reach more of the people you’re meant to serve — and convert more of them — without relying on outdated formulas or brute-force tactics, Frictionless Growth Marketing will show you the new rules of modern marketing and growth.
Because when you remove friction, you remove barriers to growth — for your customers and for your business.
Frictionless Growth Marketing is the podcast for marketers, business leaders, and founders who want to grow by eliminating the messaging, experience, and strategy gaps that quietly push customers away every single day.
Hosted by Sonia Thompson, Inclusive Growth and Customer Experience Strategist, the show breaks down how modern brands drive sustainable growth by designing frictionless customer journeys, building trust with identity-rich growth communities, and adapting to changing consumer expectations with clarity and confidence.
Each week, you’ll hear practical insights, real brand examples, and candid conversations with marketing leaders and subject-matter experts on:
Brand strategy that fuels long-term business growth in the age of modern marketing
Customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty in today’s market
How friction shows up across the customer journey — and how to remove it
Identity-driven marketing, cultural relevance, and belonging
What’s actually working now with today’s values-driven consumers
If you want to reach more of the people you’re meant to serve — and convert more of them — without relying on outdated formulas or brute-force tactics, Frictionless Growth Marketing will show you the new rules of modern marketing and growth.
Because when you remove friction, you remove barriers to growth — for your customers and for your business.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 28, 2023 • 24min
91. Understanding diversity-owned and diversity-targeted media with Carlos Santiago
There's lots of ways to reach out and find your ideal customer. A common way brands have always used is paid media. And as targeting improves, paid media is often a proven way to reach people from underrepresented and underserved communities.In this episode, Carlos Santiago, co-founder of AIMM, the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, and I chat about the benefits for brands of engaging in paid media, and the impact is has on the communities.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterAIMM Research we chatted aboutSantiago Solutions Group
Dec 21, 2023 • 38min
90. Inclusive marketers react to new Ralph Lauren and Zara debacle
A lot has happened in the news with regard to inclusive marketing, and there's lots to talk about here. Today, Mariam Shahab and I chat about the new Ralph Lauren X Naiomi Glasses campaign, and all the backlash surrounding Zara, the now-removed campaign, and their, ahem, statement.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterArticle covering best practices of Ralph Lauren X Naiomi Glasses campaignEpisode 21: Cultural appropriation and inappropriate use of a culture not your own: Let's talk about itMariam Shahab on LinkedIn
Dec 14, 2023 • 54min
89. Embedding inclusion into business planning for sustainable growth
Inclusive marketing leads to sustained business growth. But for that to happen, it needs to be embedded into your strategic business planning process. In this episode, I sat down with Christina Griffin, a business planning consultant for billion dollar brands. We also walk through her framework that highlights how to infuse inclusion into the process.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterChristina's business planning framework
Dec 7, 2023 • 33min
88. Managing the change of operating as an inclusive brand, with Nancy Harris
Change has to be managed well for it to be implemented effectively. As you work to build an inclusive brand -- especially if you haven't fully operated that way in the past, managing that change is essential, to ensure you get the sustained results you're after.We talk about ways to do that in this episode with Nancy Harris.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterNancy Harris - Restart Consulting
Nov 30, 2023 • 24min
87. How brands showed these consumers they belonged
Life is about belonging. And because of that, business is about belonging. On this week's episode, you'll hear from real consumers --- who also happen to be previous guests on this show, share their experiences of when brands showed them they belonged, and how they responded.Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter
Nov 24, 2023 • 33min
86. How to make more people feel like they belong with Unni Turrettini
Expert on belonging Unni Turrettini discusses practical ways to create a sense of belonging for both team members and customers. Topics include the connection between loneliness and mass shootings, the impact of not feeling like you belong, creating environments of connection, making customers feel valued, and building customer loyalty.
Nov 16, 2023 • 16min
85. Lessons in Belonging from Beyonce's Renaissance World Tour
Life is about belonging. And because of that, business is about belonging. While belonging can often feel like an elusive term, the truth is that belonging plays an essential role in earning fiercely loyal customers. This episode walks you through 5 lessons in belonging I picked up from attending Beyonce's Renaissance World tour in person.Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter
Nov 9, 2023 • 29min
84. The truth about customer experience
Stories of customer experience (or lack thereof) has been in the news a lot lately. No one wants to have a bad customer experience. No one. And that of course includes people from underrepresented and underserved communities.Here are common ways brands deliver a less than stellar customer experience to those consumers, and what you can do instead.Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter
Nov 2, 2023 • 18min
83. You can't afford to not have this kind of talent on your team
If you want to do a better job of serving the customers you currently have, as well as attracting and retaining more customers from underrepresented and underserved communities, you have to have this kind of person on your team.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterEpisode 22: Common ways brands treat diverse talent like unpaid consultants (and what to do instead)Episode 14: Are you taking more than you give?
Oct 26, 2023 • 14min
82. Should you ask customers for their demographic information?
This is a common question that more and more brands are pondering, about when brands should be requesting demographic data for their customers. There are many benefits to having data, but what is the impact on your customers? And how should you communicate about the use of that data? We get into all of it in this short episode.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterEpisode 45 - Factors influencing your customers' success that you should be aware of
