Why You Win

Element Three
  • 5.0 (6)
  • MANAGEMENT
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

From dealing with complex distribution channels to trying to control a distant customer experience, leaders in mobility manufacturing deal with complexity every day. But then, there are the leaders who are, simply, winning. This is Why You Win, the show hosted by Element Three’s Kyler Mason and John Gough that asks the foremost leaders in the industry to share where they are placing bets and making hard choices that put their businesses in a better position to win.

  1. Leslie Zlotnick and Martino Ruggiero of Yamaha Marine

    1D AGO

    Leslie Zlotnick and Martino Ruggiero of Yamaha Marine

    Bringing a new product to market is hard enough. Creating a new category inside an established dealer network adds a different level of risk. In this episode, Kyler and John are joined by Yamaha Marine’s Leslie Zlotnick, Division Manager WaterCraft Marketing, and Martino Ruggiero, Product Manager, to explore how product and marketing align when launching something entirely new. With nearly two decades of collaboration, Leslie and Martino walk through the development and launch of the CrossWave, a platform designed to meet changing customer behavior on the water. They share how long-range product planning shapes go-to-market strategy, when marketing should enter the conversation, and how to validate demand before committing to a new category. The conversation also unpacks how Yamaha balanced dealer relationships, organic demand, and limited early information to build momentum ahead of launch. For OEM leaders navigating B2B2X distribution, dealer engagement, and product innovation, this episode offers a clear look at how to align teams, test demand, and bring a new category to life without overengineering the launch. Key Takeaways: Start with Real Customer Need: Validate unmet needs through research before committing to new product developmentAlign Product and Marketing Early: Introduce marketing once concepts are viable to shape positioning and launch timingLet Demand Build Before Overinvesting: Use curiosity and scarcity to generate organic momentum before heavy media spend Timestamps: (00:00) Meet Leslie Zlotnick and Martino Ruggiero (02:11) Marketing and product roles inside Yamaha (03:22) Planning product development five years out (05:46) How Yamaha defines winning in long-range strategy (07:41) Identifying unmet customer needs on the water (09:33) When marketing enters product development (11:07) Positioning a product for multiple use cases (12:48) Balancing niche use with broad market appeal (17:04) Managing portfolio risk and category creation (22:00) Rethinking traditional product launch strategy (26:03) Dealer reactions and early demand signals (29:55) Launching without complete information (33:17) Advice for product and marketing alignment

    37 min
  2. Tim Wieland of Bosch USA

    APR 29

    Tim Wieland of Bosch USA

    What do you do when the market wants innovation, but not all at the same pace? In this episode, Kyler and John sit down with Tim Wieland, Director of Corporate Communications at Bosch USA, to explore how one of the world's largest automotive suppliers approaches mobility, market readiness, and long-term innovation. As Bosch helps OEMs navigate electrification, hybrids, software-defined vehicles, and AI, Tim discusses the challenge of communicating a cohesive strategy across a vast portfolio without losing sight of customer needs. He explains Bosch's technology-neutral stance, why the powertrain market will continue fragmenting for years to come, and how consumer demand ultimately determines which technologies win.  For leaders in B2B2X channels managing dealer complexity or weighing decisions on electrification and AI, this episode offers practical perspective on balancing innovation with affordability, long-term vision with near-term pressure, and brand storytelling with business reality. Key Takeaways: Build Around Consumer Readiness: Scale technology based on what customers value, understand, and can affordUse Portfolio Breadth as a Strategic Advantage: Share insights across business units to uncover product, channel, and innovation opportunitiesPair Long-Term Vision with Timely Action: Stay patient on market shifts without losing the urgency needed to win in the momentTimestamps: (00:00) Meet Tim Wieland (01:16) What Bosch Mobility Communications looks like in North America (03:21) Why hybrid technology is gaining ground with US consumers (05:00) Connecting vehicle architecture, software, and system-level thinking (07:28) The challenge of making advanced mobility affordable (09:03) How Bosch aligns strategy, internal buy-in, and market demand (10:40) Why Bosch invests for the future while serving OEM needs today (14:02) Bosch’s technology-neutral view of electrification, hybrids, combustion, and hydrogen (17:20) Why consumer brand awareness still matters in a B2B2X model (20:53) How Bosch built a Super Bowl campaign to grow in the US market (29:20) Balancing patience, profitability, and the pressure to win now (35:20) Why AI will reshape how marketers, agencies, and OEMs operate (42:40) What agency professionals should keep when moving in-house

    42 min
  3. Bradley Adams of Honda Powersports

    APR 15

    Bradley Adams of Honda Powersports

    Launching a product is one challenge, but launching it at the precise moment your dealers are ready to sell it is an entirely different thing.  In this episode, Kyler and John sit down with Bradley Adams, Assistant Manager of Public Relations for Powersports at Honda, to unpack how product launches actually work inside a global OEM. From coordinating media events to aligning with dealership floors, Bradley shares how timing, storytelling, and experience design come together in a mediated sales environment. He explains that Honda builds its launch strategies around the rider, rather than just the product, and why successful launches feel more like shared experiences than mere announcements. Additionally, he elaborates on the increasing influence of YouTube creators, the pressure of competitive product comparisons, and how dealer demonstrations significantly impact the final purchasing decision, often more than marketers realize. For OEM leaders managing B2B2X distribution, dealer support, and product launch strategies, this episode provides valuable insights on integrating engineering, media, and sales into a cohesive moment that drives demand and conversions. Key Takeaways: Build Launch Timing Around Availability: Align media buzz with dealership inventory so demand converts immediately into salesDesign Experiences That Tell the Product Story: Create events that reflect how and where the product is actually usedEquip Dealers As The Final Influencer: Ensure sales teams experience and understand the product to close the gap between interest and purchase Timestamps: (00:00) Meet Bradley Adams (01:45) Inside Honda’s PR and product launch responsibilities (05:37) From racing to media to OEM marketing (12:35) How Honda approaches product launch strategy (13:13) Building launch events around product story and use case (18:42) Why comparison tests influence buying decisions (20:04) The challenge of proving marketing impact on sales (21:28) The role of product materials and messaging in launches (24:39) Dealer influence and the importance of product experience (27:00) Aligning media, dealers, and internal teams (28:12) Constraints that shape real world launch planning (29:56) Teasers, timing, and maintaining audience attention (35:37) Expanding into fleet sales and new channels (38:35) Career advice for succeeding in the powersports industry

    40 min
  4. Carl Blackwell

    MAR 25

    Carl Blackwell

    Industry marketing gets complicated when the product is sold through independent dealers, built by dozens of manufacturers, and unfamiliar to most consumers. In this episode, Kyler and John sit down with Carl Blackwell, longtime Chief Marketing Officer of the National Marine Manufacturers Association and former President of Discover Boating. Over four decades in marketing, Carl worked across restaurants, advertising, the beef industry, and eventually recreational boating. Carl shares the story behind Discover Boating and what it took to build an industry-wide campaign from the ground up. This involved gaining the support of independent manufacturers and dealers, basing decisions on research, and addressing the real barriers that prevent first-time buyers from stepping onto a boat. The conversation also tackles campaigns that have reshaped how boating is marketed, the role of boat clubs as a gateway for new participants, and the challenges the industry faces moving forward. From concerns about affordability to an aging customer base, Carl reflects on how marine manufacturers, dealers, and industry groups can collaborate to increase participation and strengthen the boating sector. Key Takeaways: Earn Credibility With Dealers: Independent dealers respond when marketers respect their expertise and take the time to understand how their businesses actually operate.Use Research To Unlock Category Growth: Discover Boating succeeded because it focused on understanding the barriers that stop first-time buyers from entering the market.Expand The Funnel Before Selling Ownership: Boat clubs, rentals, and shared access models introduce people to the water and create future buyers.Timestamps: (00:00) Meet Carl Blackwell (01:12) Carl’s 40-year marketing career (05:15) Moving from the beef industry to launch Discover Boating (09:00) Building industry buy in for a national boating campaign (11:50) Researching barriers that stop first time boat buyers (14:31) Why dealers must sell boating as a family experience (16:36) Convincing skeptical manufacturers to support Discover Boating (20:25) Boat clubs as a gateway for first time boaters (23:54) Favorite Discover Boating campaigns and creative experiments (27:00) Early adoption of digital, connected TV, and influencer marketing (29:02) Changing the narrative about the “two best days of boat ownership” (33:14) Affordability challenges facing the marine industry (38:00) New models like boat clubs, sharing, and fractional ownership (44:00) The challenge of funding top of funnel marketing

    46 min
  5. Robb and Dante Young of Young Boats

    MAR 18

    Robb and Dante Young of Young Boats

    Selling through dealers can create scale, but it can also create distance between you and your customer. What happens when a manufacturer chooses to own the relationship from day one? In this episode, Kyler and John sit down with Robb Young, Founder of Young Boats, and Dante Young, Vice President, to explore what it looks like to grow a marine manufacturing company without a traditional dealer network. From selling grouper to fund their first prototype to maintaining a two-year backlog during the pandemic, the Youngs share how a factory-direct model shaped their brand, operations, and customer loyalty. Robb and Dante discuss the tradeoffs of bypassing dealers, how direct customer feedback fueled product innovation, and why over 80% of their buyers still own a Young Boat. They also unpack how to manage service across geographies, protect margin in a volatile marine market, and build a team that treats every hull like it has a name on it. For OEM leaders navigating B2B2X distribution, dealer relationships, and channel strategy, this episode offers a clear look at what happens when you design your go-to-market model around trust. Key Takeaways: Design with the End User In The Room: Invite customers into the build process to accelerate product innovation and increase long-term loyalty.Treat Every Unit Like It Has A Name: Connect production teams directly to buyers to drive quality, pride, and repeat purchases.Diversify Services To Weather Circumstances: Expand the business model with service, restoration, and custom lines to stabilize cash flow in volatile OEM markets.Timestamps: (00:00) Meet Robb and Dante Young (04:57) Funding Young Boats through commercial fishing (07:39) Designing a boat that solves real problems for anglers (09:22) Why charter captains became the first true customers (12:08) The advantage of factory-direct customer feedback (13:53) The operational challenges of selling boats factory direct (16:06) The Young 27 and finding an open space in the market (21:05) Surviving the 2008 downturn and protecting the team (26:00) Owner referrals as a substitute for a dealer network (26:55) Building loyalty through the Young Boats owners' tournament (29:10) Reading the market before launching a new model (36:31) Why relationships matter in factory direct manufacturing (41:17) The realities of building boats that survive harsh conditions

    43 min
  6. Steve Tam of ACT Research

    FEB 11

    Steve Tam of ACT Research

    Timing the market is easy in hindsight. Making the right call when the cycle is turning is where most OEMs feel the pressure. In this episode, Kyler Mason and John Gough sit down with Steve Tam, Vice President at ACT Research Co., LLC, to unpack how data, forecasting, and judgment come together in an industry defined by cycles. As a longtime analyst in the commercial vehicle space, Steve explains how ACT collects and synthesizes market data from OEMs, suppliers, and freight markets to help leaders anticipate what's next. Steve shares how macroeconomic forces like consumption, freight demand, regulation, and tariffs shape truck demand, why the industry continues to chase cycles it knows are coming, and how OEMs are thinking about the next inflection points. He also discusses where technologies like alternative fuels and autonomy are making a real impact, where expectations have outpaced reality, and what smart leaders do when the rules keep changing. Listen in for a grounded look at how OEMs and dealers can make better bets when uncertainty is the only constant. Key Takeaways: Use Market Cycles as Signals, Not Surprises: Truck cycles rarely repeat, but they follow familiar patterns that leaders can prepare for if they watch momentum and inflection points closelySeparate Structural Demand from Short-Term Noise: Consumption and freight growth create long-term demand even when short-term shocks distort the marketMake Data a Starting Point, Not the Answer: Strong decisions combine transparent assumptions, good data, and informed judgment rather than blind trust in forecastsTimestamps: (00:00) Meet Steve Tam (01:00) How ACT collects OEM data without crossing antitrust lines (02:48) Turning industry data into forecasts leaders can act on (04:11) What ACT got wrong and right about market shocks like COVID (05:30) Why medium-duty trucks create more stability than Class 8 (06:16) Who really uses truck market data beyond OEMs (08:00) How alternative fuels and freight data changed ACT's strategy (10:30) Why timing matters more than demand in cyclical markets (12:45) What the industry still refuses to learn about overcapacity (15:30) How EPA 2027 regulations drive pre-buy behavior (19:00) Tariffs, uncertainty, and why forecasting is harder than ever (22:48) Making billion-dollar bets with imperfect data (36:07) Which tech trends matter and which ones do not (41:03) The long-term bet Steve Tam would make as a chief strategist

    45 min
  7. Inside Marine’s Retail Ecosystem with Freya Olsen

    JAN 14

    Inside Marine’s Retail Ecosystem with Freya Olsen

    The success of any remarkable boating experience begins not with the engine, but with the dealers who guide the buyer. In this episode, Kyler and John sit down with Freya Olsen, Senior Director of Engagement at the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA), to explore how dealers shape the customer experience long before a buyer steps on a boat. After nearly two decades supporting manufacturers through Discover Boating and NMMA, Freya now works directly with dealers, giving her a rare, full-funnel perspective on what truly moves the marine market. Freya shares how consumer expectations, pricing transparency, and category competition shape today’s buyer. She explains why dealer performance has become a defining factor in OEM growth, and how education, certification, and AI tools like Amy are helping retailers serve customers in unpredictable conditions. You’ll hear how MRAA gathers honest dealer feedback, where the ecosystem still experiences friction, and what it takes to create a seamless handoff from awareness to retail. For anyone operating in an OEM, dealer, or B2B2X environment, this conversation surfaces the signals that matter when the market is shifting fast. Key Takeaways: Understand Roles in the Funnel: Knowing when awareness hands off to brand consideration and then to retail improves the customer journeySupport Dealer Education: Practical training for sales, service, and leadership helps new hires transition into the marine industry quicklyTrack Real Dealer Needs: Frequent outreach anchors decisions in actual pain points around staffing, service, and customer retentionTimestamps: (00:00) Meet Freya Olsen (00:54) Why passion keeps people in the marine industry (05:15) Pros and cons of newcomers entering the category (05:57) How pricing transparency builds consumer trust (07:39) Freya's career path across associations and OEMs (09:52) The impact of Discover Boating on market demand (12:35) Competing for attention in a crowded outdoor market (14:50) What Freya learned by shifting focus to retailers (17:13) Why retention starts with the dealer experience (17:25) How MRAA supports dealers with education and tools (19:14) Certification programs that help teams level up (21:31) How advocacy protects access and dealer operations (22:35) What to expect at Dealer Week and why it matters (25:35) Market uncertainty and preparing for unpredictable demand (27:05) Freya's next six months: engaging and supporting members (28:58) The role of AI and how dealers are using Amy (34:01) What Freya is excited about for next year

    42 min
  8. How Great Dane Built a Network Lasting Generations with Noah Thomas

    11/12/2025

    How Great Dane Built a Network Lasting Generations with Noah Thomas

    What does it take to build a dealer network that lasts generations? In this episode, Kyler and John talk with Noah Thomas, Director of Marketing at Great Dane, about how the 125-year-old trailer manufacturer continues to strengthen relationships across its dealer community and grow in a shifting market. Noah explains how Great Dane’s heritage of quality and resilience continues to shape its strategy today, from restoring a 1953 trailer to celebrating the brand’s long-standing partnerships. He shares how his team supports dealers through programs like buygreatdane.com, new digital enablement tools, and initiatives that maintain open and consistent communication across the network. This is a look inside a brand that wins by standing behind the people who represent it every day. Key Takeaways: Dealer Relationships Fuel Growth: Great Dane strengthens loyalty through long-term partnerships, open communication, and shared success across its national network.Heritage Shapes Strategy: A 125-year foundation of quality and resilience continues to guide innovation, brand consistency, and market confidence through every cycle.Digital Enablement Elevates Dealers: Programs like buygreatdane.com and Champ’s Spot connect data, marketing, and training to drive measurable results at the local level.Timestamps: (00:00) Meet Noah Thomas (01:42) Inside Great Dane’s 125-year legacy of resilience (02:58) Navigating freight market shifts and customer confidence (04:54) Celebrating 125 years with a 1953 trailer revival (06:23) Why small product details create lifetime brand value (09:21) Turning customer stories into marketing proof points (10:24) How Great Dane supports its exclusive dealer network (12:57) Listening to dealers to guide marketing priorities (14:55) Building buygreatdane.com to drive digital sales leads (16:56) Empowering dealers with Champ’s Spot sales tools (18:54) Expanding into last-mile delivery with truck bodies (19:44) FleetPulse telematics and data-driven product insights (21:58) Cross-selling strategies with fleets and truck dealers (26:16) Rebranding Great Dane and protecting an iconic logo (30:57) Lessons from Noah’s Peace Corps experience in Vanuatu

    34 min
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From dealing with complex distribution channels to trying to control a distant customer experience, leaders in mobility manufacturing deal with complexity every day. But then, there are the leaders who are, simply, winning. This is Why You Win, the show hosted by Element Three’s Kyler Mason and John Gough that asks the foremost leaders in the industry to share where they are placing bets and making hard choices that put their businesses in a better position to win.

Information

  • Channel
    Element Three
  • Creator
    Element Three
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
  • Show Website
    Why You Win

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