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If you want to reach more of the people you’re meant to serve — and convert more of them — without relying on outdated formulas or brute-force tactics, Frictionless Growth Marketing will show you the new rules of modern marketing and growth.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
Jul 18, 2024 • 32min
120. How to use data to deliver customer experiences that convert with Jess Cervellon
Customer experience is an integral part of ensuring that the people you serve feel like they belong with you.But knowing what actually creates a better customer experience can often feel like a guessing game. That's why using data as a marker to help you identify what works and what doesn't is a smart approach.In this episode, I sat down with Jess Cervellon, founder of Open Late Collective, a consultancy focused on brand strategy, retention and lifecycle marketing, and customer experience. Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter👇🏾 Work With MeInclusive Marketing Assessments: https://inclusionandmarketing.com/assessments/Consulting & Custom Training: https://inclusionandmarketing.com/consulting/Open Late CollectiveJess on LinkedIn
Jul 11, 2024 • 31min
119. How to build an SEO strategy that reaches a broader diversity of consumers with Dale Bertrand
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a common strategy brands use to attract their ideal customers. But a lot of times when engaging in SEO, marketers don't take the time to think through the different identities of the people they want to reach.And as a result, the brand loses out on a lot of their would be customers, because they didn't take a more inclusive approach to their SEO strategy.In this episode, I sat down with Dale Bertrand, Founder and CEO of Fire & Spark, an SEO agency to chat more about smart ways brands can be more inclusive with their SEO strategies.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterFire & Spark SEO agency Dale Bertrand on LinkedIn 👇🏾 Work With MeInclusive Marketing Brand Audits: https://inclusionandmarketing.com/assessments/ Consulting & Custom Training: https://inclusionandmarketing.com/consulting/
Jul 4, 2024 • 14min
118. The right (and wrong) way to use pop culture references for your brand
Many brands use pop culture brands in their messaging and content. It is a way for brands to relate to consumers and connect to them at a more emotional level that goes beyond a product offering.But there are definitely times where brands should not be using pop culture references, because it has the opposite of the intended impact by pushing some of your ideal customers away from you.This episode walks through 3 reasons why you should reconsider using pop culture references for your brand, and how to ensure any references you do use draw more of the people you want to serve to you.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterVisuals mentioned in this episode👇🏾 Work With MeInclusive Marketing Brand Audits: https://inclusionandmarketing.com/assessments/ Consulting & Custom Training: https://inclusionandmarketing.com/consulting/
Jun 27, 2024 • 14min
117. Power dynamics in brand imagery
Brands hold a lot of power. The imagery brands choose to use communicates in ways that influence consumers more than they realize. Brand imagery not only plays a role in how people view others but also in how they view themselves. Multiple factors play into the subconscious messages brand imagery communicates to consumers, including power dynamics.This episode highlights for marketers the vital role they have in choosing visual imagery for their brand, and gives critical guidelines for how to represent people in a manner that produces positive outcomes.Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter: www.inclusionandmarketing.com/newsletterVisuals mentioned in the episodeUnderstanding PhotojournalismWork With Me:Inclusive Marketing Brand Audits: https://inclusionandmarketing.com/assessments/ Consulting & Custom Training: https://inclusionandmarketing.com/consulting/
Jun 20, 2024 • 40min
116. How to authentically engage Hispanic consumers with Federico Gagliardone
When you look at the ethnic group that is the largest in the U.S., by far, it is the Hispanic population. As of the 2020 Census, 18% of the population was of Hispanic/Latino descent. And this number is growing.Another analysis from the U.S. Census showed that 1 in 4 children in the U.S. are Latino.As a brand, particularly if you are marketing to consumers in the U.S., know that having a sound understanding of how to market to the Latino population is increasingly becoming more important.To help you navigate how to market to this growing customer base, I sat down with Federico Gagliardone, COO at MECENAS, a minority-owned publishing and full-stack media company that connects brands with U.S. Hispanic and multicultural communities. And if you’re not in the U.S. or not marketing to consumers in the U.S., this episode is still totally worth the listen, because many of the principles are applicable to underrepresented and underserved communities.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterMECENASWeAreCocina.comStarPicks
Jun 13, 2024 • 28min
115. How to create a brand customers love with Lydia Michael
I spend a lot of time talking about belonging and how important it is for you as a brand to ensure you’re making the people you serve feel like they belong with you.But how do you go about doing that exactly?My guest today, Lydia Michael, author of Brand Love, has ideas for you. Lydia has created a framework for you that will not only help more people love your brand, but feel like they belong with you in the process.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterLydia's book - Brand LoveLydia's consulting agency - Blended Collective
Jun 6, 2024 • 22min
114. What is "normal" anyway?
People from underrepresented and underserved communities are often viewed as not being "normal" or very different from everyone else -- which is why the don't get the attention and support they should.But what does it mean to be "normal"? Who gets to decide what "normal" is? And is "normal" even a real thing, or is it a construct we should all reject?I cover all these important questions, and ways to think about it for your brand in today's episode.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterThe Canary Code bookUnilever ditches the world "normal"Inclusive marketing ethicsInclusive marketing spectrum
May 30, 2024 • 23min
113. How Lysol drives brand growth with inclusive marketing with CMO Gary Osifchin
Recently, rankings for the Most Culturally Inclusive Brands were announced. The rankings come from the Association for National Advertisers’ (ANA) Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM), in partnership with the Cultural Inclusion Accelerator (CIA). For the second year in a row, the Lysol brand has been awarded “Best in Ad Effectiveness” by more than 80,000 consumers with a broad diversity of identities. I wanted to find more about Lysol's approach to inclusive marketing, and how they've gone about becoming so effective in their efforts. So I sat down with Gary Osifchin, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and General Manager at Reckitt U.S. Hygiene, the makers of Lysol. Gary had a TON to share, and there's a lot to learn from he and the team's approach. Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterLysol
May 23, 2024 • 36min
112. How to make your email marketing inclusive with Samar Owais
Most business engage in email marketing to some degree. And because email marketing is such a commonly used tool that reaches a broad diversity of consumers, it is important to understand how to ensure the emails you send are inclusive, and make the people you serve feel like they belong with you, rather than pushing them away from you.So in this episode, I sat down with email conversion strategist Samar Owais, founder of Emails Done Right, to chat through the ins and outs of inclusive email marketing.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterSamar Owais
May 16, 2024 • 33min
111. How to deliver inclusive brand messaging with Diane Wiredu
Brand messaging is a critical component of the marketing strategy for any brand. And when it comes to ensuring that your brand messaging speaks to all the people you want to serve, including those from underrepresented and underserved communities, it takes intentional effort to ensure your brand messaging will resonate. In today's episode, I sat down with Diane Wiredu, a brand messaging strategist and founder of Lion Words, to talk about how you can ensure you're delivering brand messaging that will clearly show the people you serve that you see them, get them, and that they belong with you.Get the Inclusion & Marketing NewsletterLion Words Diane Wiredu on LinkedIn
