Cult Brand Secrets Evergreen Podcasts | The Gathering

The NFL is the most popular sports league in America. The Super Bowl is among the biggest club sporting events in the world, with the individual games occupying all 5 of Nielsen's all-time most watched Top 5 US television broadcasts. The NFL is also the wealthiest professional sports league by revenue. Dealing with such a massive brand with such broad reach is crazy hard and Tim Ellis has to cater to die hard fans who want everything to stay the same, and attract new audiences who want some things to change.

Needless to say, Tim is more than qualified to provide a Master Class on marketing. Ad Age ranked the NFL as #1 on their 2021 Marketers of the Year list. In this episode, Tim shares the framework he uses to ensure professional football continues to thrive on and off the field.

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In this episode, Morgan Flatley; Global Chief Marketing Officer at McDonalds, is joined by Alyssa Beutifkofer; who is the CMO of McDonalds Canada. Their presentation was Q&A style, and anyone listening who wants to improve how they can connect with customers and employees would do well to follow their advice and to mirror their character.

It’s probably best to consume this episode as a four course meal that takes place over 40 minutes. Course #1 is personal and gives us a glimpse at the women behind the brand. Both Morgan and Alyssa are working moms and thriving despite pandemics and the daily pressures of growing a cult brand. Course #2 sheds light into how McDonalds navigated Covid 19 and learned to make adjustments that allowed them to keep stores open, employees employed, and the world fed. Course #3 dives into details about one of their most successful campaigns of all time called Famous Orders. This was a gutsy call that spiked McDonalds relevance and reenergized the brand in meaningful ways. And Course #4 is advice. Morgan and Alyssa were kind enough to end their remarks with some practical tips for other marketers and brand builders who are keen to try and mimic a fraction of McDonald’s success.

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Herschel has primarily been a manufacturer and wholesaler selling through other retail outlets in over 40 countries, but in 2018 they opened their first store in Vancouver and have become a formidable retailer themselves. They now have locations in Hong Kong and Dubai and Paris and Slate magazine described the brand as "a global phenomenon, glimpsed wherever hipsters dare to tread.”

Co-founder Lyndon Cormack’s remarks should give every aspiring entrepreneur hope. While he and his brother had some relevant experience, they mostly had a dream and an unwavering ability to overcome obstacles and lack of information to eventually create a massive success story in under a decade. Theirs is a story of hope, and stick-to-it-ness and a reminder that most successful people aren’t born, they are made through daily decisions and courage and determination.

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DoorDash’s noble brand purpose is providing access and empowering local communities. This company is so much more than a delivery business. They are diving head first into social issues, and leading by example that neutrality is no longer a safe haven for brands. Brands need demonstrable points of view on a variety of topics and issues affecting their products, services, employees, customers and communities.

Our front line workers like nurses and doctors got a lot of credit - rightfully so - during the pandemic, but delivery drivers and DoorDash did so much to keep people fed, and the economy on course. The DoorDash leadership team had to make tough choices and big bets over the past 24 months when the pandemic and varying regulations kept fluctuating, and Kofi Amoo-Gottfried's grace under pressure was instrumental in helping so many millions of families, business owners and drivers enjoy a meal and earn some money.

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Chobani is a remarkable company. They started in 2005 and by 2010 were over a $1Billion in sales and the #1 seller of greek yogurt in North America. Their success bred a bunch of copycats, but this company continues to evolve and grow and lead by example of what a purpose driven, culture-first company can accomplish.

Chief Marketing and Category Officer Meredith Madden shares Chobani’s evolution from being a yogurt company to becoming a food company; and describes the fine line between being entrepreneurial and exploring new opportunities; and being too aggressive, diluting vital resources, and failing because you tried to do too much too soon. It’s tricky, but Chobani threads that needle brilliantly.

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Call of Duty is more than a great game, it's also a genre. It’s a pioneer for e-sports. It’s a movement in mobile gaming. It’s pushing so many boundaries, and redefining what it even means to be a game. The best players in the space are now considered athletes, and entertainers, and celebrities, not just gamers.
Johanna Ferris is the GM of Call of Duty at Activision. Her presentation from the 2022 Gathering is so engaging. So immersive. So interactive. So action packed. She refuses to settle for safe or the status quo, and reminds us we are truly fortunate to be able to work in a free country, to pursue our professional dreams, and to be paid to do work that we love.

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