The Marketer Exchange

Zach Thompson, PhD
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  • MARKETING

The Marketer Exchange exists to make modern marketing accessible, practical, and inspiring. Our mission is to connect students, practitioners, and industry thinkers through honest conversations that translate real experience into actionable strategy. We explore the ideas, tools, and creative decisions behind effective marketing, empowering listeners to think critically, experiment boldly, and grow as makers of meaningful work.

Episodes

  1. FEB 2

    The Long Game of Marketing: John Carroll on Storytelling, Optimism, and Impact

    What does it really take to build a brand that lasts and a marketing career with purpose? In this episode of The Marketer Exchange, Zach Thompson sits down with John Carroll, Executive Director of City Leadership and the leader behind the “901” campaigns including Choose901, Teach901, Serve901, and Give901. This conversation explores marketing strategy, storytelling, and purpose-driven leadership through the lens of real-world brand building. John shares how the “901” campaigns grew from a simple idea into a recognizable community brand, offering a powerful case study in place branding, content strategy, and authentic storytelling. He explains how City Leadership approaches marketing as a strategic tool, from audience engagement and brand trust to measuring success across multiple campaigns. The episode also delivers practical career advice for marketing students and early-career professionals. John breaks down what actually stands out when hiring marketers, why experience and initiative matter more than credentials, and how aspiring marketers can build skills through reps, projects, and ownership, especially in today’s competitive digital marketing landscape. Beyond tactics, this conversation dives into mindset and purpose. John discusses optimism as a leadership advantage, why “overnight success” is often the result of years of consistent effort, and how students and professionals can discover work that aligns with their values and long-term goals. If you’re interested in marketing strategy, personal branding, careers in marketing, leadership development, or purpose-driven work, this episode offers both practical frameworks and inspiration you can apply immediately. Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and SpotifySubscribe for more conversations on marketing, storytelling, and building meaningful careers. Guest: John Carroll, Executive Director of City LeadershipLearn more about City Leadership: https://cityleadership.org/ Connect with John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johncarroll77/ Timestamps00:00 Introduction to John Carroll and His Journey05:27 The Birth of City Leadership10:14 Navigating Nonprofit Challenges15:13 Building Collaborative Campaigns in Memphis20:36 The Impact of Choose 90125:14 Recruiting and Retaining Talent in Memphis35:37 Building Community Through Recruitment38:47 Measuring Success in Recruitment Campaigns41:13 Adapting Marketing Strategies for Diverse Audiences44:33 Differences Between Nonprofit and For-Profit Marketing49:14 What Makes a Standout Candidate?56:23 Defining Leadership and Purpose01:02:01 The Power of Positivity in Leadership01:06:19 Finding Your Purpose and Making an Impact01:09:38 Future Goals and Community Engagement

    1h 13m

  2. JAN 12

    Spray and Pray Marketing Is Dead: The Case for CRO and Experimentation with Joe Johnston

    In this episode, I sit down with Joe Johnston, Head of Conversion Optimisation & Experimentation at Launch, a UK-based performance marketing agency, to explore what really drives results in digital marketing. We move beyond “spray and pray” tactics and into the discipline of experimentation: forming hypotheses, A/B testing, and building a long-term CRO program that improves performance across the full customer journey. Joe shares real world insights from working across paid media, websites, and full-funnel performance marketing, including: What conversion rate optimization (CRO) actually means in practiceWhy experimentation is not a one-off projectCommon CRO mistakes that even large brands still makeHow headlines, value propositions, and CTAs impact conversionsUsing AI for customer research, review mining, and idea generationThe future of agencies: strategic “think-for-you” vs executional “do-for-you” workWe also discuss careers in marketing, why early generalist experience matters, and how students and early career marketers can think about experimentation as a long term skillset. Note: this was the first episode filmed, so the video is a little rough around the edges; but there’s real substance and insight in what Joe shares. If you’re interested in CRO, experimentation, performance marketing, digital strategy, or applied behavioral science, this episode is for you. Guest: Joe Johnston, Head of Conversion Optimisation & Experimentation at Launch Learn more about Launch: launchonline.co.uk Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-johnston-838bb428/ 00:00 Introduction to Conversion Optimization 09:47 The Journey of a Conversion Specialist 13:49 Insights on Human Behavior 15:56 Successful Projects and Their Impact 21:26 Common Mistakes in Conversion Optimization 25:03 The Process of Conversion Optimization 26:53 The Power of Research in Conversion Optimization 28:53 Psychological Principles in Marketing 33:20 Tools for Conversion Rate Optimization 37:42 AI's Role in Idea Generation 41:33 The Agency's Evolving Role in a Tech-Driven World 43:42 Common Mistakes and Best Practices in CRO 46:58 Career Advice for Aspiring Marketers

    49 min

  3. 12/06/2025

    The Playbook for Landing Your Dream Sports Marketing Job; Lindsey Archer’s Story

    Former Knoxville Smokies social media manager Lindsey Archer (now with the Charleston RiverDogs) joins us to talk about what it really looks like to run social for a Minor League Baseball team, from pulling tarp and shooting content to planning campaigns and measuring impact. Starting as an intern while studying marketing at the University of Tennessee, Lindsey worked her way up to Community Relations and Social Media Manager, and in this conversation she breaks down the career moves, skills, and mindset that helped her get there. In this episode, we cover: How Lindsey went from UT marketing major to intern to full-time social media managerWhat a game day actually looks like behind the scenes: content planning, media coordination, and in-park executionHow the Smokies structure their social content calendar across Instagram, X/Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedInUsing tools like Loomly to schedule posts, label content, and track what’s workingWhy TikTok is more about brand awareness than ticket sales – and how that changes the content strategyThe frustrating reality that effort ≠ results on social… and how she stays focused when a 3-second video outperforms a polished campaignThe marketing skills from UT that actually translated to the job (and what she wishes she’d learned more about, like paid media and targeting)The most important soft skills for landing and thriving in a digital marketing role: teamwork, communication, and saying “yes”Lindsey’s advice for students and early career marketers who want to work in sports, entertainment, or social mediaIf you’re a marketing student, an aspiring social media manager, or just curious how sports teams build their digital presence, this episode gives a very real look at the job, beyond the highlight reels. Connect with Lindsey LinkedIn: Lindsey Archer Knoxville Smokies (at time of recording): @smokiesbaseball on all major platformsNow with Charleston RiverDogs: @chasriverdogs on Instagram and X

    38 min
  • 3 Episodes

About

The Marketer Exchange exists to make modern marketing accessible, practical, and inspiring. Our mission is to connect students, practitioners, and industry thinkers through honest conversations that translate real experience into actionable strategy. We explore the ideas, tools, and creative decisions behind effective marketing, empowering listeners to think critically, experiment boldly, and grow as makers of meaningful work.

Information

  • Creator
    Zach Thompson, PhD
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Zach Thompson, PhD
  • Show Website
    The Marketer Exchange