34. Why building an authentic brand pays off in e-commerce with Adore Beauty CMO Dan Ferguson

Adore Beauty CMO reveals how they created a #1 podcast and their data-driven approach to growth.

Responsible for company growth, brand and data, Dan Ferguson has led high and sustained rates of new customer acquisition through enhanced analytics and marketing initiatives including multiple new channels and the launch of Adore Beauty’s podcast Beauty IQ Uncensored which is ranked #1 in Beauty and Fashion on iTunes (as of 26 August 2021). 

In this episode we discuss:

• Dan’s fascinating background and how his first marketing role with Dell Computers paved the way for his career;
• What impact the Adore Beauty IPO has had on Dan’s role and the marketing team;
• How, during the pandemic, they launched a TV ad campaign in about 3 weeks, to reach a wider audience and build brand awareness for Adore Beauty knowing that a spike in e-commerce was on the horizon;
• How Adore Beauty have built a No.1 podcast show, and what CMOs can learn about the ins, outs, pros and cons of launching a podcast; 
• How Dan has built out a modern marketing team, including how he overhauled the data function; and 
• Dan’s take on leadership and some of the lessons he’s learned along the way to build a strong culture and attract great talent.

Dan has over 20 years’ experience in e-commerce and digital marketing. Prior to joining Adore Beauty, Dan had extensive roles growing and leading e-commerce, multi-channel and online retail business in Australia for local & global brands including Vistaprint, Officeworks, Dell with consistent average 2.5x business or portfolio growth across his tenure in these roles.

As always, we have detailed notes available for this episode. To access these, head to our website, look out for this episode and download the PDF summary notes of our conversation with Dan, with all the tips and strategies laid out in an easy-to-read format. 

Now let’s get on with the show!

References

• CMO Australia - State of the CMO 2021. 
• Malcolm Gladwell - Outliers: The Story of Success.
• Michael Dell - Direct From Dell: Strategies That Revolutionized an Industry.
• Patrick Lencioni - The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable.

Contact Dan Ferguson

• Find Dan on LinkedIn and mention you heard him on the podcast. Find out more about Adore Beauty. Check out Adore Beauty’s podcast, Beauty IQ Uncensored, on your preferred streaming platform.

Contact Growth Generators

• Find out how Ty and Growth Generators can help you design and build a modern marketing team that drives growth using our 3-stage framework for marketing team transformation.  Follow or connect with Ty on LinkedIn.

If you enjoy this episode please remember to subscribe so you get each new episode as it drops each week to get more tips and insights to build a high-performance marketing team, tell someone about the podcast who you think may benefit, or leave us a rating and review!

Enjoy the show!

This episode was produced by Dylan Todd and edited by Lewis Hallam.