The Big Impression

On the season four debut of The Current Podcast, Microsoft's Chief Brand Officer Kathleen Hall describes the emotional connection people have with brands, the biggest challenges for the brand since she started 14 years ago, Microsoft's partnership with Netflix and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Andrea Brimmer is now nearly 15 years into a career change she says she never expected. Brimmer — who made the move from an advertising agency to Ally Financial in 2008 and has spent the last seven years as the company’s chief marketing and PR officer — says her perspective on getting into the financial sector shifted after this realization: “The three most important things in your life are your family, your health, and your money,” Brimmer says on The Current Podcast. “And we all work so hard for our money, so if you could be a brand in this space that really puts the customer at the center of everything you do, and really finds ways to get people to think about saving their money in ways that are meaningful to them, that is a really cool opportunity. It’s been more rewarding for me on a personal level than I ever thought it would be.” Brimmer shares how important it was for Ally Financial to recast the brand with a digital mindset just as the first iPhone launched, how the company differentiates itself from the competition, and the creativity it takes to compete with brands that have more ad dollars to spend. “When you’re going up against Goliaths from a spend standpoint, and you’re a David, you’ve got to really figure out how to be differentiated. And I think our point of differentiation has come by leaning into the name and the promise of the brand, which is to do it right,” Brimmer says. “We have always adopted this idea of kind of ‘outwit, outlast, outplay,’ and find creative ways to get people to interact with their money.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Once taboo, sports betting is now thriving. The ever-growing list of states legalizing sports betting is a big reason for that shift in perception, with companies like DraftKings gaining popularity over the past decade. As one of DraftKings’ first 15 employees, Chief Marketing Officer Stephanie Sherman has seen that transformation happen firsthand. “It has been quite the journey over the last nearly 10 years,” Sherman says on The Current Podcast. “I have been doing a lot of reflecting in general on our journey as an organization — where we’ve been and where we aspire to go over the coming years. From those early days certainly a lot of things have remained the same, but as we’ve scaled over the years there’s new, fun marketing challenges to solve.” Sherman breaks down DraftKings’ marketing strategy, as betting legislation is being drafted on both a state and federal level; why its core business is tech, analytics, and data; as well as the main messaging it wants to send its potential players. “What we think about in our marketing campaigns and what we really want to show up with and bring to life for our players is that fun,” Sherman says, “and that excitement [of] putting something on the line, of having skin in the game.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dating app OkCupid views itself as the feisty underdog that is comfortable causing a stir. The brand did just that last year with its “Every Single Person” campaign, which they doubled down on after it sent waves through the advertising industry, social media, and the New York City subway. The leader behind OkCupid’s overall branding is Melissa Hobley, the company’s first-ever chief marketing officer. Hobley left OkCupid in August to step in as the CMO of Tinder, both of which are owned by parent company Match Group. Before she moved roles, Hobley went on The Current Podcast to talk about why OkCupid is so at ease taking big swings with its branding. “We have to do this in an interesting, provocative way. Partly because it’s real,” she says, “and partly because when you don’t have those giant budgets and you don’t have tons of star power but your product is better and you really believe that, you feel like you have the permission to be aggressive and loud and make people uncomfortable.” Jason Harris, president and CEO of Mekanism, the brand’s agency of record, also joined Hobley to discuss creation of the “Every Single Person” campaign, standing out through the crowd in the dating app space, and why they worked so well as partners. “When you don’t have that core or the soul of the brand and what it stands for, you’re kind of inventing things to make the brand create hits,” Harris says. “I think what’s great about OkCupid is they have a real platform that you can run with for a while.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To David Cohen, an industry veteran who now serves as the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s chief executive officer, the media landscape is clear. “The future of video will be streamed,” Cohen says on The Current Podcast. “There is no doubt in my mind that it is going to happen. The main question is how much the industry needs to evolve from now until then.” Cohen breaks down the biggest challenges around being at the center of the digital advertising industry, Netflix starting up an ad-supported tier, the Great Resignation, and why he believes the upfronts and NewFronts will merge in this episode. “This is going to be one video market,” he says. “There is no need for the time and effort of separating them. It is a fallacy today and it will certainly be a fallacy in the future.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Campbell Soup Company is synonymous with memories of Mom making soup. Nowadays, the 153-year-old company still wants to hold on to that authentic branding, but to do so in the modern age. Campbell has been refining its data-driven strategies with Marci Raible, vice president of integrated marketing, at the helm. “It’s really easy to ask for a lot of data, but having the strategy for the data you need and how you are going to execute is critically important,” Raible says on The Current Podcast. “Otherwise, you can get paralyzed.” Retail media is also a key data driver for Campbell. On the podcast, Raible discusses how retail media has become a catch-all umbrella term, the innovations she would like to see with advertising on streaming platforms, and how to find new ways to connect with consumers who have been surrounded by the Campbell’s brand since they were kids. “How are we evolving with them as their lifestyle has changed? It’s really easy to just say, ‘We want to change. We’re going to be whatever, you know, is happening today.’ And to me, that just doesn't work,” she says. “We must be authentically Campbell. It’s understanding who we are as a brand, but then doing it with a modern twist. That is really the difference.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.