Michelle Peterson is currently serving as the Senior Vice President (SVP) at Kendra Scott, a prominent fashion and jewelry company. Before joining Kendra Scott, Michelle has had an extensive and diverse career journey. She studied chemical engineering, which is quite an unconventional path for someone in a marketing role. Her educational background includes attending Cornell early in her high school career, indicating a strong aptitude in math and science. Despite this technical background, Michelle always harbored a passion for marketing, stemming from an early interest in critiquing advertisements and understanding consumer behavior.

Peterson's tenure at General Mills was transformative, marked by her leadership in repositioning the Nature Valley brand through consumer-centric insights and innovation. She emphasizes the importance of adapting to market trends, a skill she further honed in smaller, founder-led companies like Pressed, a plant-based snack firm. Here, she undertook a complete brand overhaul, showcasing her versatility and ability to thrive in diverse marketing environments. Peterson's approach to marketing is notably creative, viewing it as an opportunity to disruptively address consumer insights, productivity, and efficiency.

This interview is a valuable resource for marketers, CMOs, founders, MBA students, and managers, offering insights into Peterson's adaptive marketing strategies and leadership style across corporate and startup settings. Her experiences underscore the necessity of balancing creative insight with analytical rigor, understanding different organizational cultures, and evolving marketing roles in various business contexts. This makes the interview a significant listen for those looking to navigate modern marketing's challenges and opportunities.

OUTLINE:

(00:00:00 ) Introduction

(00:00:57 ) Michelle's background and journey into marketing

(00:02:32 ) Michelle's definition of creativity 

(00:03:04 ) Following your passion in your career

(00:05:49 ) Transitioning careers from engineering to marketing

(00:08:36 ) Nature Valley product innovations 

(00:10:50 ) Turning around legacy brands 

(00:14:50 ) Launching new Nature Valley products based on consumer insights

(00:17:42 ) Adapting innovation process to be more agile and iterative

(00:19:40 ) Nature Valley protein bar innovations

(00:21:02 ) Pivoting lagging brands to drive growth

(00:24:41 ) Taking a holistic approach to transforming brands 

(00:26:30 ) Moving to smaller, faster-paced companies

(00:28:09 ) Leading multi-unit retail businesses

(00:29:42 ) Hospitality industry changes during COVID

(00:32:26 ) Becoming Chief Marketing Officer at Press

(00:33:48 ) Following your passions in your career

(00:35:33 ) The role of company culture 

(00:36:16 ) Differences working at founder-led companies 

(00:38:47 ) Responsibility working for founder-led brands  

(00:41:11 ) Process for rebranding Press

(00:44:22 ) Criteria for selecting agency partners

(00:45:49 ) Leading the Press rebrand

(00:47:24 ) Joining Kendra Scott as CMO

(00:48:44 ) Interviewing with founder-led companies

(00:50:26 ) Short CMO tenures 

(00:52:33 ) Adapting leadership style to business needs

(00:54:47 ) Metrics focused on as CMO 

(00:59:20 ) Current marketing challenge

(01:00:59 ) Exploring web3 opportunities

EPISODE LINKS:

Michelle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellepetersoncmo/

Kendra Scott: https://www.kendrascott.com/

Kendra Scott Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kendrascott/

Kendra Scott X: https://twitter.com/KendraScott

Kendra Scott TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kendrascott

SUPPORT & CONNECT:

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/