Callan Harrington sits down with Brad Barnett, former VP of Enterprise Marketing at Nationwide and current independent consultant, to break down one of insurance marketing's most successful campaigns. Brad managed over $300 million in annual media spend and a $50 million portfolio of sports and entertainment partnerships during his 20-year tenure at Nationwide. He was instrumental in developing the iconic NFL partnership featuring Peyton Manning and the return of the famous "Nationwide is on your side" jingle that became a cultural phenomenon.

Brad shares the strategic thinking behind Nationwide's entry into NFL sponsorship, from competing against Geico and Progressive's massive advertising budgets to creating unique B2B experiences for distribution partners. He reveals how the campaign achieved the highest brand awareness scores in Nationwide's 100-year history and explains the behind-the-scenes process of talent selection, Q-score analysis, and managing reputation challenges. The conversation covers everything from negotiating category sponsorships to measuring ROI on major sports partnerships.

Key topics covered:

[00:00 ] Intro
[03:04 ] Crowd Pleasers and Karaoke Strategy
[06:37 ] Product Experience Drives Marketing Success
[09:52 ] Nationwide Career Path to CMO
[12:52 ] NFL Partnership Origins and Strategy
[16:55 ] Official NFL Sponsorship Benefits
[19:09 ] Peyton Manning Selection Process
[21:22 ] Bringing Back the Jingle
[25:29 ] Strategic Bet and Executive Buy-in
[28:21 ] Distribution Partner Experiences
[34:24 ] Brand Awareness vs Direct Consumer
[36:31 ] Managing Reputation Challenges
[39:40 ] Entrepreneurial Leap Decision
[41:12 ] Outworking Competition Early Career
[42:14 ] Natural Curiosity as Differentiator
[43:18 ] Intentional Relationship Building

Connect with Brad Barnett on LinkedIn for more marketing insights and strategies: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradbarnett05/

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