Turning Brands into Fandoms with Maggie Walsh

Everyone has their own favorite brands, but have you ever considered that you’re a “fan” of those products? Maggie Walsh thinks that you should. Having recently wrapped up a social media campaign for Peacock centered around the 2024 Paris Olympics, Maggie is no stranger to working with household names. As the Head of Strategy for the marketing agency GLOW, she’s tasked herself with helping clients and consumers reconsider our relationships with our go-to goods and media. In this episode, you’ll hear how Maggie’s background in the music industry shaped her approach to marketing. Coming from a world where authenticity can be “do or die” for artists, she brings that perspective to our conversation when it comes to working with major brands.

Show Highlights

• (0:00) Intro
• (1:37) What brought Maggie to GLOW?
• (4:10) What does GLOW do?
• (5:50) Music, branding, and authenticity
• (7:58) Identifying fan bases
• (13:32) Relevancy vs. trends
• (16:26) Perceptions of "brand burning"
• (19:31) The problem with Pride Month campaigns
• (24:12) Audience engagement in the social space
• (33:15) The future of brands and "ethical fandom"
• (40:37) What brand is Maggie a fan of?
• (43:06) Where you can learn more about Maggie and GLOW

About Maggie Walsh
Maggie is a marketing strategist with 15 years of experience at ad agencies, TV networks, and record labels. Their career's been built off channeling cultural curiosity into insightful work and effective team-building that’s helped iconic brands earn new places in culture.

Some of Maggie’s many clients have included Captain Morgan, Oreo, and A&E.

Links:

Maggie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monstermaggs/

Maggie’s Twitter: https://x.com/monstermaggs

Maggie’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monstermaggs/
Maggie's Threads: https://www.threads.net/@monstermaggs
Maggie's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@monstermaggs 

GLOW’s website: https://weareglow.com/