Marketing Today with Alan Hart Alan B. Hart

Jessica Padula graduated from Boston University and always knew she wanted to get into brand marketing. However, getting a foot in the door can be difficult, so she took the advertising route to get there. Jessica started her career at Grey Group in New York, where she worked with brands like Downy, Covergirl, and Pantene. By specializing in the emerging space of social media, she was able to move over to the client side in Colorado, first with WhiteWave Foods, and then with Famous Brands. Eventually, she returned to New York as the Integrated Marketing Manager with Swarovski, but soon realized she missed CPG and joined Nespresso as their Social Media Marketing Manager in 2016. In 2018, she was promoted to Director of Brand Communications, and in 2023, she was promoted again to Vice President of Marketing and Interim Vice President of Sustainability with over 7 years at Nespresso and a uniquely perfect combination of luxury, CPG, and F&B experience.
In this episode, Alan and Jessica discuss how a big move at a young age helped break her out of her shell, why “every ‘yes’ is a ‘no’ to something else”, how gamers are breaking stereotypes, and what mass amounts of data with increased fragmentation mean for marketing in general. They also talk about her path to becoming VP of Marketing, her views on leadership as someone relatively new to the space, how Nespresso’s product innovation and marketing strategy are influenced by the next generation of consumers, and the ways they are impacting the community as an at-home solution.
As many leaders come to find, the higher you climb up the ladder, the further you get away from the work. To stay grounded, Jessica bases her leadership approach on empathy. This requires vulnerability and the whole team feels psychological safety and a sense of belonging. This sense of belonging, as well as social justice, inclusivity, and sustainability, are all important factors for Gen Z consumers Nespresso is now considering as they reevaluate their product development, marketing strategies, and experiences. The way Gen Z is introduced to and consumes coffee is largely out of home, all about iced beverages, and concerned with aesthetics and community. Fundamentally, coffee plays an important role in the lives of Nespresso's target consumers. It serves as a connection point, and that connection is part of why Jessica has stayed at the company so long. She is passionate about finding ways their brand can tap into that community experience with their at-home solutions through meaningful partnerships and an understanding of what is important to their consumers.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The importance of empathy-based leadership and psychological safetyWhat Gen Z cares about and how Nespresso is shifting to meet their needsAs an at-home solution, how can Nespresso tap into community connections?
Key Highlights: 
[02:00] One degree from George Clooney[03:30] Started in social, now she’s here.[06:30] Leadership based on empathy[09:30] For Gen Z, it’s all about the iced coffee and social impact.[12:30] The insights around their customer base driving product innovation[15:45] Community connections as an at-home solution[18:05] Working with the Ali Forney Center[21:45] A big move at a young age changed everything.[24:20] “Every ‘yes’ is a ‘no’ to something else.”[25:20] The importance of data analytics and visualization[28:30] What are the gamers all about?[30:55] The threat of fragmentation in marketing
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Geoff Cottrill has been named one of Forbes’ 50 Most Entrepreneurial CMOs, one of Business Insider’s CMOs to Watch, and currently serves as the Chief Brand Officer for Topgolf. In this role, he leads all aspects of their global marketing, experience design, partnerships, consumer insights, communications, charitable giving, and retail and membership programs. He joined Topgolf in 2021 with a passion for building diverse and talented teams and a reputation for innovative thinking and creativity. Before joining Topgolf, he was Group Director of Entertainment Marketing at Coca-Cola, where he led the strategic vision for all marketing channels and sports entertainment properties. Before that, he was the General Manager and CMO for Converse, a division of Nike, and has also served in leadership roles at Starbucks, Procter & Gamble, and the global advertising agency MullenLowe.
In this episode, Alan and Geoff discuss what Topgolf is doing to drive diversity and fun in the sport, how their partnerships with the Special Olympics and their new Come Play Around campaign both serve this mission, and what aspects make up an effective campaign. They also talk about the future and culture of golf, how it's evolving over time, and how they are measuring their impact on the sport with the mission of enabling players to hit 50 billion balls between now and the end of 2025.
Topgolf has an impact on every aspect of the golf world with three core businesses: venues, mobile games, and tracing technology. They employ over 30,000 playmakers working across their 91 venues, and they are adding 11 to 12 locations every year. Geoff tells us Topgolf is balancing respect for the history of the game while working to remove historical barriers, with the goal of more people falling in love with the sport, resulting in the growth of the game.
“I've built my career on seeing what everybody else is doing and then doing the opposite.”
In this episode, you'll learn:
The three core businesses under the Topgolf umbrella and how they all work togetherHow and why is Topgolf making the game more accessible?The future of golf and what Topgolf is doing to ride the cultural wave
Key Highlights: 
[01:55] A Topgolfer but not a good golfer[02:50] How Geoff got to Topgolf[05:15] The three core businesses[07:05] Who is Topgolf for?[09:05] Becoming an officially sanctioned Special Olympics event[11:30] The new campaign that is bringing more play to the world[12:45] The elements of building a good campaign[14:10] The future of golf[17:40] Skaters are taking over the golf course.[18:50] 50 billion balls?![20:00] Shot euphoria [21:45] Learning creative courage on the job[23:50] Be more curious, less afraid, and nicer to people.[25:00] The AI portion of the show[27:25] QR codes won the pandemic.[28:15] Keeping an eye on creatives and street culture[29:30] The biggest threat? One word. Three Letters… Ego. 
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Mike Sanders is an avid freediving fisherman, self-proclaimed crypto nerd, and Chief Marketing Officer of Kaseya. Mike started his career as the head of IT for a private brokerage firm, but after a few years, he left to start his own business. He quickly learned that being an entrepreneur meant he would have to be able to do a little bit of everything, and he discovered a knack for the sales and marketing side. He followed that passion to a sales job at Kaseya in 2005. He stayed with the company for nearly 10 years before he left and started another new business, Cenersys. Eventually, that company was acquired by Kaseya, and Mike was brought back to launch and run Unitrends for them. After a while, he started to get more involved in the product marketing and sales side and was brought on to his current role as CMO in 2023.
Mike has found that his entrepreneurial background serves him well as CMO at Kaseya, where his responsibilities are broad and reach across demand generation, product and customer marketing, global strategy, new customer acquisition, and helping account managers sell new products to existing customers. Being involved with the different teams allows him to see how things are working together and ensure everything is serving the larger mission as effectively as possible. As the leading provider of unified IT management and security software for managed service providers (MSPs) and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Kaseya is focused on an underserved market as most of their competitors prioritize enterprise-level clients.
In this episode, Alan and Mike discuss the path from entrepreneur to CMO, Kaseya’s go-to-market strategy, and the stadium naming rights deal that led to the Kaseya Center, formerly the FTX Arena, in Miami. By keeping a close eye on the crypto space, Mike and his team at Kaseya were able to jump on the opportunity brought on by FTX's demise. Now they are working to make it work for them as they try to grow their presence in Miami, leverage the name recognition, and fit it into their overall marketing strategy.
In this episode, you'll learn:
The underserved market Kaseya has identified and how they are leaning into their nicheThe business impact of acquiring the Miami Kaseya Center naming rightsHow Kaseya is leveraging this boost in brand recognition
Key Highlights: 
[01:30] Hobbies to clear your mind[04:10] From spearfishing to spearing the target market[07:10] What does Kaseya do, and who do they serve?[09:20] The broad role of CMO at Kaseya[11:15] Kaseya’s go-to-market strategy: who do they sell to?[15:15] The Kaseya Center effect[20:50] After the initial splash, what now?[26:50] College dropout success story[29:45] Advice to his younger self[31:10] How Kaseya is using AI[35:15] Keeping an eye on the economic shifts[37:10] An important turning point: handling shifts with AI and the economy
Looking for more?
Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest!
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Doug Zarkin is an avid tennis player, retail and brand marketing expert, and author of “Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone: A Modern Day Guide to Strengthening Your Brand’s Value Equation”. He went straight from undergrad at George Washington University to graduate school at American University and knew from the start that he wanted to run a business and lead a brand. After graduation, he started his career in the agency world with the Youth, Entertainment, and Lifestyle Marketing Division at Grey Advertising, where he had the opportunity to work on brands like Harry Potter, W Hotels, and Reebok. After that, he became an “Avon Lady'' for a few years, then moved on to Victoria Secret and the fashion world for many years, and most recently served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Pearle Vision for EssilorLuxottica. In May 2023, he decided to step away from Pearle to pursue authorship and serve as an Executive Advisory Board member.
Doug tells us he decided to leave the front lines and write his book in order to provide a degree of mentorship to a wide audience. He is passionate about taking the complexity of marketing and making it simple and easy enough for everyone to process while empowering them to understand there is no “right” way.
In this episode, Alan and Doug discuss who the book is for, why he decided now was the time to write it, and what his writing process looked like. They also discuss many topics in the book, including what the friend zone is and why it is a bad place for your brand to be, what it means to “think human”, and Doug’s advice on reputation management for service brands.
In this episode, you'll learn:
What is the friend zone, and why do you need to get your brand out of it?What is “thinking human”?Reputation management for service brands dealing with bad reviews
Key Highlights: 
[01:30] A love for tennis and a metaphor for business[03:10] The impressive lineup of brands Doug has worked on[07:28] Why write a book, and why now?[09:40] Who this book is for[11:05] What is the friend zone, and why do you need to get your brand out of it?[13:00] Evaluating where your brand falls on the Trust and Passion chart[14:10] What is thinking human?[18:05] Reputation management for service brands[20:30] Dealing with bad reviews[22:15] There is not a right way or a wrong way. There is your way.[24:30] Lessons learned from a bad boss[25:50] Stop worrying about being perfect and start worrying about getting better.[26:40] TikTok and IG are hitting maturity, and TV is evolving.[28:25] Learning leadership[29:40] Data (alone) does not make decisions for modern-day marketers.
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In this episode, Alan speaks with fractional CXO Nicholas “Z” Zeisler and fractional CMO Muriel Lotto about how they met, what they have learned by combining their expertise, and how those lessons can help you rethink the way your marketing, brand promise, and consumer experience factor into your business decisions.
Nicholas “Z” Zeisler uses his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and Process Engineering expertise to help brands improve their customer experience as a fractional Chief Customer Officer. He’s on a mission to help organizations better align their CX with their brand promises by figuring out where they’re falling short, taking decisive and deliberate action to improve how they do business, and finding efficiency in the process to drive brand alignment. Z served in the US Air Force and Reserves for nearly 30 years and is currently a professor of statistics at the US Air Force Academy. He is also a Professor of Practice at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad School of Business, focused on customer experience management.
Muriel Lotto uses her marketing expertise to solve business problems and deliver sustainable growth for both DTC and B2B companies. Most recently, Muriel was the CMO of Sightline Payments, a top US payments provider to the rapidly expanding online gaming, sports betting, and casino marketplaces. Prior to that, she spent 7 years at Western Union as the Global Head of Brand and Marketing, where she was responsible for transforming the impact of marketing across $200 million of investment. During those 7 years, the digital business grew from $300 million to over $1 billion in revenue. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles for two of Europe's biggest insurance companies and also had experience working for CPG giants Unilever and Nestle. Muriel has triple citizenship in France, Italy, and the UK, but now resides in the USA. In 2019, she was named one of the world’s boldest CMOs, and today she works as a senior marketing executive, thought leader, and fractional CMO with The CMO Syndicate.
In this interview, Alan, Z, and Muriel discuss how their partnership works and the ways they are bridging the gap between their two specialties. They also give advice to business leaders on how to find opportunities for improvement in the right places, focus on the real issues, and avoid being lulled into a false sense of security by green dots on the dashboard.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How the efficiency of Lean Six Sigma can be used to improve the customer experienceThe relationship between brand promise and customer experienceExamples of marketing and CX partnering wellFocus on the red dots, not the green ones.
Key Highlights: 
[02:55] Who is Muriel Lotto?[03:35] Who is Z?[04:10] How did everyone meet?[06:20] Z’s background with CX[08:15] The relationship between brand promise and CX[09:55] CX partnering with the CMO[12:15] What do you have left if you can’t deliver on a promise?[14:25] Misalignment between what you say and what you do[15:20] Muriel's example of marketing and CX partnering well[19:30] It’s about listening and understanding that you may not have the answers.[22:40] Unifying the company through understanding CX[24:50] Jeff Bezoz dialed up customer care. You should too.[26:10] Why Z wrote a book and what you can learn from it[28:15] Focus on the red dots.[32:15] Muriel’s advice to her younger self[35:00] Z’s advice to his younger self
Looking for more?
Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest!
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Kristin Pagano started her career as a media planner with Starcom Worldwide, where she had the opportunity to move back to LA and take on their Walt Disney account. She shifted to the client side at 20th Century Fox but felt a need to broaden her view of the overall marketing mix. After returning to school and graduating with her MBA, she started at Intel and then transferred to Activision. At that point, she had a 6-month-old and was presented with the opportunity to work for Munchkin. Starting as a senior brand manager in 2012, she worked her way up and became VP of Marketing in 2018.
As the Vice President of Marketing, Kristin oversees all strategies and tactics designed to grow the Munchkin business. Munchkin was founded in Los Angeles in 1990. Last year, they sold 47 million products in the US, which translates to almost 13 products for every baby born, showing just how massive the brand is today. Operating in over 50 countries with six offices and almost 400 employees worldwide, Munchkin was named #8 on Fortune's list of America’s Most Innovative Companies among brands like Alphabet, IBM, and Apple. Recently, they expanded their portfolio by launching Curio, a premium home lifestyle brand. Kristin tells us this is just the beginning of their diversification.
In this episode, Alan and Kristin discuss the size and scope of Munchkin, their commitment to CSR and sustainability, and how they are overcoming the challenges of shrinking audience size and shifting distribution channels through innovation. One of the largest challenges Munchkin faces is having a very narrow audience with a limited lifetime value. This causes them to focus on the functionality and innovation of their products to delight their customers and win over a larger portion of this smaller group. With a small consumer base, it doesn't make sense for the brand to spend large amounts of money on traditional marketing. Instead, they make these emotional connections through platforms like podcasts and CTV. With the loss of major distribution partners like Bye Bye Baby and Babies R Us, Kristin and her team are also reworking the way they get their products to consumers and ensuring a better buying experience all around.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How Munchkin is dealing with a shrinking audience through innovation and alternative marketingHow a commitment to CSR and sustainability factor into Munchkin's business strategyHow Munchkin is innovating their distribution and shifting the way they work with partners to make the buying process better for their consumers
Key Highlights: 
[01:30] A working mom aspiring to be more like her own[03:45] From media planner to marketing VP[06:05] What is Munchkin up to today?[07:50] What does marketing look like at Munchkin?[10:30] How does Munchkin approach product strategy and innovation?[14:10] How does a commitment to CSR and sustainability factor into Munchkin's business strategy?[17:10] Discontinuation of any product under 4 stars[19:25] Working with distribution partners to grow the business[22:30] Looking at new categories and pivoting where it makes sense[23:00] Insights from working at Intel[26:25] Advice to her younger self: Don’t be afraid to try new things.[27:15] Staying on track with a rapidly evolving digital landscape: AI and Influencers[30:40] Watching the impending generational shift: Where do your customers fall?[32:40] Anticipating growth in a changing retail landscape
Looking for more?
Visit our website for links to resources mentioned in this episode and ways to connect with the guest!
Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday.



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