I’m so excited to introduce my guest today: Michele Floriani, Chief Marketing Officer at Sequoia Consulting Group. And I should note: Zander Media has had the pleasure of working with Sequoia over the last several years to produce a variety of videos about the company. Sequoia started out as a benefits broker 20 years ago, but has morphed into a full service provider, bringing HR tools and services to companies from early stage startups through to enterprise companies. Michele comes from a fine art and business background, and he blends these in his work today leading brand and marketing at Sequoia. That kind of wide-ranging product array could lead to unfocused branding, but in this episode we learn how Michele and his team maintain a strong sense of company identity. Some of the great tips Michele shares include using one logo for all your products and solving the problems you have now, not trying to solve the problems you think you’ll have later. Michele’s wealth of experience and deeply caring approach to his work are a beacon in a rapidly changing world. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!
My guest today is Aaron Beashel, Founder of Attributor and former Head of Marketing at SafetyCulture and Campaign Monitor. Aaron is passionate about getting away from the venture capital funding model and the world-changing moonshot mentality that it mandates. In this conversation, he shares a wealth of ideas for how to build and sustain a company that’s NOT aiming for a billion dollars in annual revenue and a global reach. How do you gradually grow a company that supports your lifestyle goals? Aaron is a master of his craft, and we’re lucky that he’s turned his attention to smaller, simpler projects. His vision for sustainable company culture and work-life balance is inspiring. We’re definitely all about this type of business and growth at Zander Media, and it’s a real pleasure to sit down with such an experienced marketer to hear about how he makes a bootstrapped business work for him.
My guest today is Allison Baum Gates, a General Partner at SemperVirens Venture Capital and a lecturer at the Business School at Columbia University and the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Allison got her start working in finance and investing, but quickly saw that technology was changing everything about her work and our world. So Allison decided to go into tech, and to focus on investing in the technology that would be doing the disrupting in 5 or 10 years. She spends her days talking to startup founders and cultivating SemperVirens’ ecosystem of forward-thinking startups. Allison is making an incredible impact with the companies in her portfolio, and her passion for people and growth is clearly a guiding force in her work. Today Allison shares some razor-sharp insights about brand, culture, and how to effectively build a company. We also dive into the history of venture capital. I hope you enjoy this fascinating conversation as much as I do.
Hello and welcome back to The Marketing Podcast!My guests today are Gia Laudi and Claire Suellentrop, co-founders at Forget the Funnel, which helps software companies dramatically improve performance through customer-led growth. Whether in SaaS - software as a service - companies or beyond, Claire and Gia believe that by prioritizing customers and understanding the customer journey, companies can transform their growth and retention. While leading up marketing at Unbounce, Gia realized that a customer’s entire experience could be mapped and measured, not based on metrics, but instead on the customer’s own sense of success. Similarly, while leading marketing at Calendly, Claire discovered a research process that helps uncover a customer’s motivation for buying. In 2017, Claire and Gia launched Forget the Funnel, and their own methodology for leveraging customer insights to qualify customer value, and then optimize the entire customer experience. There’s a ton to be learned in this conversation about understanding your own customers and their journey. Please enjoy this interview with Gia Laudi and Claire Suellentrop.
Max Thalheimeris is a young entrepreneur building Earnz, which is a platform looking to level the playing field for independent bars and restaurants. This interview was recorded as part of a conversation with Max focused on helping him work on his business marketing and strategy. Max and I were introduced because I have owned and operated an independent restaurant, and Max is building a platform serving just that audience. Earnz is looking to disrupt the traditional model of connecting customers to restaurants. Companies like Yelp scrape new restaurants and add them to the platform, and then customers can review those businesses. Yelp’s revenue comes from companies paying Yelp for their business profiles to be highlighted. Instead, Max and the team at Earnz are trying to build customer loyalty within specific regions - likely beginning in the greater Philadelphia metropolitan area - by connecting those customers to specific, independent companies who are able to offer customer loyalty discounts. The core challenge within any two-sided marketplace - but especially a company like Earnz that is serving small businesses - is building loyalty. We explore Earnz marketing strategy and their path forward through this podcast! If you’re interested in a similar conversation with me for your brand, please contact me at zandermedia.com. Enjoy!
My guest today is Graham North, head of Brand Camp at the iconic ad agency of Goodby, Silverstein, and Partners, the team behind Got Milk and many memorable campaigns. Graham just won “Strategic Planner of the Year,” and Jeff Goodby has said, “Graham is spearheading a new way of thinking and approach to clients’ problems.” Graham North has worked as the CMO of companies, as a strategic consultant, and within agencies - and personally I’ve benefited from his expertise at Zander Media! I have witnessed first hand his ability to distill the essence of an organization into a tangible organizing principle which then determines the path forward. In this interview, we dive into how Brand Camp got started, and the tactics that they use today with many of the biggest well-known consumer-facing companies in the world. But at its heart, Brand Camp helps executives of these companies do brand therapy, and we discuss why this is so important in organizations today. Graham is also the creator of Real Talk, which is both a card game and an application for Slack, which allows that same authenticity of individuals that Brand Camp provides for companies.
My guest today is Jeremy Liew, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Jeremy heads up investments in consumer technology at Lightspeed, a well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and has invested in iconic and culturally relevant companies, including Snap, Giphy, Rothy’s, Affirm, Honest, Cheddar, and many more. Jeremy is willing to embrace the beginner’s mind and practice things he doesn’t know how to do - even when it is uncomfortable. And as we discuss, that trait has paid dividends throughout his personal and professional life. In this interview, Jeremy and I discuss his first experience in sales in his mid-20s. As a business operator and first time investor myself, we dive into how Jeremy recognizes consumer trends and the difference between being a business operator versus an investor. I hope you enjoy this conversation about startups, consumer trends, and learning with my friend, Jeremy Liew.
Hello, and welcome back to The Marketing Podcast. In this conversation, I sit down with Forest Pond, the founder of Never Home Music. Never Home’s tagline is “Never stop moving, never stop making.” They have made sound for some of the biggest brands in the world. If you go to neverhomemusic.com, I guarantee that you will be blown away by the quality of their music and their sound. Forest and I dive deep into sonic branding and how organizations can utilize sound to define their business, connect with their audience, and get results.
Hello and welcome back to The Marketing Podcast. My guest today is Meredith Kendall Maines, Marketing Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Lightspeed is an institution in Silicon Valley venture capital. In today’s conversation, we discuss Meredith’s role in venture capital. She works with Lightspeed's more than 200 portfolio companies and founders to tell compelling stories. She takes us through the nuances of business-to-business versus direct-to-consumer marketing, and strategies for founders to target their time and energy in growing companies. Please enjoy!
Hello and welcome back to the Marketing Podcast! I’m your host Robin Zander, and in each episode I sit down with a marketing leader to understand their unique approach to storytelling the modern day. There’s a method to creating and launching viral content, and Karen Cheng has done it multiple times. I got to know Karen personally when she launched her first big video hit “Girl Learns to Dance in a Year,” which has been viewed more than 12,000,000 times. She now leads the agency Waffle, which has accumulated more than 50M views. In our conversation, Karen shares her tricks of the trade: Start with the headline, and get the word out aggressively. Please enjoy this interview with Karen X. Cheng.
Welcome back to the Marketing Podcast. I’m Robin Zander, and this podcast is about understanding effective tools and approaches for marketing. In each new episode, I sit down for an in-depth conversation with a chief marketing officer, creative director, or founder, and distill the essence of their work and business into tactics you can use. My guest today is Derek Sivers, who came to fame through his company, CDBaby. Derek has given multiple TED Talks and has self-published many best selling books, including his latest, “Hell Yeah or No”. We talk about what it takes to turn an interest into a sustainable passion and how being an entrepreneur might not be the best way to make money, but is a great way to change the world. I hope you enjoy this interview with Derek Sivers!
Welcome to the Marketing Podcast, where each episode consists of a condensed conversation with a luminary from the world of marketing. Today’s guest is the founder and CEO of Culture Amp. Culture Amp’s tagline: the People & Culture platform that makes it easy to collect, understand, and act on employee feedback. This company has spearheaded the importance of people-first companies and was recently valued at more than a million dollars. Prior to founding Culture Amp, Didier was the CEO of Rising Sun Pictures, a boutique media company. In this episode, Didier and Robin discuss leadership, the importance and how to hone the craft of storytelling, and building people-centric companies. Enjoy!
Hello, and welcome back to the Marketing Podcast. I’m your host Robin Zander and this podcast teaches marketing tactics from the best in the world. Today’s guest is my friend Ryan Holiday, the New York Bestselling Author of 10 books, including Trust Me, I’m Lying; The Obstacle Is The Way; and Ego Is The Enemy. Ryan saw early success as the Director of Marketing at American Apparel, and has since gone on to advise companies like Google and Refinery29, and authors including Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, John Grisham, and many more. Ryan has spearheaded the modern rise in popularity of Stoic Philosophy, with leaders from professional sports avidly following his work. He is also among the most successful authors and entrepreneurs I know at separating himself from the noise of business to do creative work. He lives with his family on a ranch outside of Austin, reads dozens of books each month, and while staying in touch with the world. We talk about building a successful email newsletter, and how the only credible marketing advice comes from people working in the field now.
Hello, and welcome back to the Marketing Podcast, a show designed to help you learn the ins and outs of purpose-driven storytelling from today’s most forward-thinking marketers. Today’s guest is Simon Lowden, who has spent more than 20 years at PepsiCo, including the recent roles President and Chief marketing officer of Pepsi Global Snacks, and now Chief Sustainability Officer. When we interviewed Simon Lowden in 2017, he was just starting to work in sustainability at PepsiCo, and his busy day job was managing a team of over 400 marketers on PepsiCo’s US beverage marketing team. We all know Pepsi, but less well known is the efforts Simon has led to help PepsiCo become a more resilient and responsive organization, or to lead the way as an environmentally responsible company. Simon has led marketing efforts throughout his career, but his passion is around sustainability, and he has passionately tackled that issue making significant incremental change from inside one of the world’s largest corporations. Please enjoy this conversation with President and Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo Simon Lowden.
Hello and welcome back to the Marketing Podcast. Each episode I sit down with Chief Executive Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, and many more, to talk about the nuances of the modern world of marketing. My guest today is Zack Morrison, the CEO of Tinuiti, one of North America’s largest independent digital marketing agencies. Tinuiti manages more than 1.5 billion in advertising, spent across the triopoly of Google, Facebook, Amazon. I learned about Tinuiti when their founder spoke at my annual event, Responsive Conference, in 2017. Throughout its history, Tinuti has led the way as an extraordinarily people-centric organization, including winning AdAge’s Best Place to Work for multiple consecutive years. We discuss how Tinuiti has built their business on the idea of “treating people well,” and much more. I hope you enjoy this interview!
Hello, and welcome to the Marketing Podcast! I’m your host Robin Zander, and in each episode of this podcast, I talk with different leaders that are shaping the world of media, advertising, and sales. Our guest is Morgan Chaney, Senior Director of Marketing at Blueboard. Blueboard is an organization that helps companies like Pinterest, Eventbrite, Gopro, and more reward their employees with memorable and meaningful experiences. In this conversation, Morgan and I cover her background, the importance of leadership, and what works in the contemporary ecosystem of marketing to create a lasting impact. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Morgan Chaney, Senior Director of Marketing at Blueboard!
Hello, and welcome to the Marketing Podcast! I am your host Robin Zander, and in each episode of this podcast, I sit down with business leaders at the most progressive companies in the world to understand their unique perspective and the tactics and tools they use to create an impact. Today, I have a conversation with Mitchell Yee, Senior Marketing Manager at 15Five, an HR technology company that helps improve people’s performance. I was particularly eager to hear Mitchell’s perspective, because for years previously, I had always known him as an event marketer. In very 2020 fashion, live events went on pause, and Mitchell and 15Five had to adjust course. In this episode, Mitchell and I discuss the approaches he has taken to learn marketing from the ground up, as someone that did not originally start as a marketer, and what he has done to devise approaches to create a lasting impact for himself and for 15Five. Hope you enjoy this conversation with Mitchell Yee, Senior Marketing Manager at 15Five!
Hello, and welcome to the Marketing Podcast! I’m your host Robin Zander, and each episode, I sit down with marketers, brand directors, and strategists from around the world to talk about the tactics and tools they use to build the best organizations - and stories - in the world. Katie Bisbee is the Chief Marketing Officer of one of the most innovative non-profits in the world - Donors Choose. DonorsChoose.org was one of the very first organizations to use crowdfunding, before that was even a coined term. Donors contribute on the website, and then that money then goes to supporting teachers and school children with the tools needed to have the best public school experience possible. Donors Choose has raised over one billion dollars to schools across America! In this interview, we discuss how Donors Choose has kept ahead and remained one of the most innovative companies in the world! I hope you enjoy this conversation with Katie Bisbee, the CMO and Executive Vice President of Partnerships at Donors Choose.
Hello, and welcome to the inaugural episode of the Marketing Podcast. I’m your host Robin Zander, and each episode I sit down with Chief Marketing Officers, Creative Directors, Brand Executives, and Founders to understand the tactics and tools that make for timeless storytelling and very timely impact. Today, I’m thrilled to sit down with the Chief Marketing Officer of Buffer, Kevan Lee. Buffer leads the way in a variety of “Future of Work” practices. Since 2015, they have been an entirely remote and distributed company and all of their employees’ salaries are public to the world. I’ve followed Buffer for years, as a company spearheading a variety of “Responsive” practices. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Buffer CMO, Kevan Lee.
The Marketing Podcast with Robin Zander Storytelling is the heart and soul of marketing. The Marketing Podcast, hosted by bestselling author and entrepreneur, Robin Zander, explores the tools and tactics marketers employ to bring brand stories to life. Learn the ins and outs of purpose-driven storytelling from today’s most forward-thinking companies. Each new episode features an in-depth conversation with a chief marketing officer, creative director, brand executive, startup founder, marketing technologist, media planner or digital strategist. If you want to discover best-in-class strategies for connecting with your customers, driving them to action, and growing your business, this podcast is for you. Learn more: www.zandermedia.com