Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

In Episode 16 of Earned, Conor chats with Reuben Carranza, CEO of influencer-beloved skincare brand Kate Somerville, and former president of cult-favorite haircare brands R+Co and Olaplex. We dive into Reuben’s learnings from his 24-year corporate career at P&G, and hear how and why he transitioned to leading a small, independent brand like R+Co—and the challenges he faced. We gain more insight into the success behind R+Co and the rest of parent company Luxury Brand Partners’ portfolio, before learning why Reuben joined Olaplex’s team and how he helped double the brand’s business in just one year. Reuben then reveals his leadership and marketing philosophies, and shares the four most important questions for DTC brands to keep in mind. Conor and Reuben close the episode by discussing influencer marketing at Kate Somerville, which Reuben deems the “biggest key to [the brand’s] success so far.” We learn about founder Kate Somerville’s active role in fostering relationships with influencers through her clinic, and hear how the brand’s genuine “heart-to-heart connection” with its influencer family has become even more important in the COVID era.

In our fifteenth episode of Earned, Conor sits down with Toto Haba, SVP of global marketing & communications at Benefit Cosmetics. We learn how Benefit’s unconventional marketing approach and “laughter is the best cosmetic” mantra attracted Toto, who previously worked in the technology and consulting and digital advertising industries, to the brand. The two discuss why Benefit is well-positioned in the new, face mask-donning world, and learn more about the brand’s global marketing strategy, including the importance of local teams bringing the brand to life in local markets. Toto explains why he works to cultivate a failure-friendly company culture, and unpacks his 75/25 goal of company failures to successes. We also learn what a typical day in Toto’s role looks like, why he’s fascinated with the Chinese market, and how he believes the influencer space has evolved in recent years. Toto divulges why Benefit is focusing on the rising class of Gen Z content creators, and reveals the brand’s philosophy behind building organic influencer relationships.

In Episode 14 of Earned, Conor chats with Amanda Baldwin, president of influencer-favorite sunscreen brand Supergoop! We learn how Amanda, who won “most likely to become a Fortune 500 CEO” at Wharton, went from being an investor on Wall Street to falling in love with the beauty world—an industry she admires for being driven by evolution and innovation. Amanda emphasizes the importance of an “always be learning” mindset, and reveals what drew her to working at a smaller brand. We dive into mission-driven organizations and how Supergoop!’s mission to educate people about the importance of SPF is powerfully changing consumer behavior. Conor and Amanda also discuss Supergoop!’s marketing strategies and Amanda divulges why she prioritizes the brand’s internal culture as much as external brand operations. We learn a few of Supergoop!’s leading values, and Amanda shares how she aligns building a 100-year brand with short-term investment horizons. Finally, the pair talk influencer marketing, and Amanda shares how Supergoop!’s team values human-to-human relationship building, while also compensating influencers for their work.

In Episode 13 of Earned, Conor sits down with Michael McNeil, VP of Integrated Marketing at Huda Beauty. We learn how Michael, who majored in political science and pre-med at LMU, took a hard left turn after college to get his “PhD in beauty” by joining a then-small cosmetics brand known as Anastasia Beverly Hills. Michael, who eventually became Director of Marketing at ABH, shares insight into the early days at the brand, and divulges the key to its explosive growth: building and nurturing a digital community. We dive into how Michael and ABH “invented what beauty marketing looks like today,” and learn Michael’s philosophy behind fostering a community of genuine, long-term brand fans. Michael emphasizes the power of embracing your competitors and communicating to consumers in “the language they already speak.” We also hear about Michael’s experience transitioning to (and powering growth for) Huda Beauty, working with brand founder and mega-influencer Huda Kattan, and creating a global brand—with influencers at the forefront. Finally, Michael lends his advice on how brands can productively address negativity and controversy, and put their communities first.

In Episode 12 of Earned, Conor sits down with Riccardo Pozzoli, esteemed entrepreneur, investor, and influencer himself, as well as co-founder of the mega-popular fashion blog The Blonde Salad. We learn why Riccardo decided to create The Blonde Salad with Chiara Ferragni at a time before the blogosphere and social media—and of course, influencers—were in style. We hear how the pair grew the site into the powerhouse platform and their learnings from the experience, and Riccardo shares why he eventually left the company in 2017 to pursue his own entrepreneurial endeavors. Riccardo dives into his business philosophies and why he favors the “long-term” strategy, and also divulges his approach to working with brands as an influencer himself. Riccardo then lends advice to brands on how to maximize their influencer strategy, and reveals the key characteristics he looks for in leaders when deciding whether to invest in a company. 

In Episode 11 of Earned, Conor chats with David Benayoun and Adam Bohbot, co-founders of fast-growing, carbon neutral jewelry brand Ana Luisa. In the episode, Adam and David reveal their fateful meeting sharing a cab to a nightclub in Shanghai while both attending business school at EMLYON. After pursuing different career paths post-graduation (Adam entered the VC  world before joining an influencer marketing software company, while David dove into e-commerce and jewelry design and manufacturing), we learn why the two decided to leverage their complementary skill sets and create Ana Luisa in 2018. Adam and David discuss the challenges of entering a market they did not grow up in, and share their experience taking outside investments. They then give insight into Ana Luisa’s unique weekly product drop strategy, and divulge their product co-creation process with influencers—a pillar of the brand’s DNA. We learn more about how the brand’s YouTube strategy powered hyper growth, the inventory planning challenges that resulted, and why Adam and David prioritize influencer partners’ “value fit” over follower count.

 In Earned’s 10th episode, Conor sits down with Joe Cloyes, co-founder and CEO of sustainable superfood skincare brand Youth To The People. Inspired by his grandmother, who started her own skincare line as a mother of seven in 1963, Joe and his cousin Greg Gonzalez founded Youth To The People in 2015, and the brand has seen explosive growth since. We dive into YTTP’s impressive growth trajectory and explore the roles that social media, and later a Sephora partnership, played in accelerating the brand’s expansion. We also learn about the challenges of rapid growth, and hear why the brand decided to take on multiple rounds on investments. Joe shares how COVID-19 has shifted the brand’s focus to be “completely digital,” and talks about how YTTP uses its growing social platform to share its voice on all things from skincare to social justice. Finally, we learn how the brand builds long-term relationships with content creators.

In Episode 9 of Earned, Conor chats with Aurelian Lis, CEO of influencer-favorite skincare brand Dermalogica. Aurelian shares the post-COVID pivots that Dermalogica has made, including the brand’s new Clean Touch Certification program. We also learn more about Aurelian’s early days as COO of Commerce at dELiA*s Corp, before he walks us through his journey of building and selling his own customized skincare brand, PRESCRIBEDsolutions. Aurelian then shares his learnings from his time as General Manager of Benefit Cosmetics Americas, and emphasizes the importance of finding and maintaining your “edge” as a brand— especially in the social media era. We then dive into Aurelian’s experience at Dermalogica, and he explains his “iterate relentlessly” philosophy. Aurelian talks about why he believes product along with service leads to consumer loyalty, and finally, we discuss the brand’s education-focused approach to influencer marketing.

Savannah Sachs, CEO of rapidly growing, probiotic-powered skincare line Tula, joins Conor for our eighth episode of Earned. After earning her MBA from Harvard Business School, Savannah stumbled into the beauty industry by joining—and fueling explosive growth for—subscription box Birchbox. She shares some of her learnings from her time at the brand, before explaining how Tula’s differentiated brand positioning (“at the intersection of beauty and wellness”) eventually attracted her to the CEO role. We dive into Savannah’s leadership philosophy, and she reveals why cultivating a “happy, high-performing team” is the key to business success—and her first priority at Tula. We also learn how Tula adapted its marketing and retail strategies in response to COVID-19 to power record sales in April and May. Savannah gives generous insight into Tula’s influencer program, and emphasizes the importance of “high-touch” relationships between brand teams and their influencer partners.

For Episode 7 of Earned, Conor sits down with Jamie Starr, Global Director of Sports Marketing at The North Face. Jamie starts off by sharing where his love of the outdoors originated, growing up in Crested Butte, a small, close-knit community in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Though he seemed destined to become a professional skier, Jamie wanted to pursue higher education at the University of Colorado—where he eventually earned his J.D. Jamie then reveals why he transitioned from attorney to digital brand consultant, back when the media landscape was changing rapidly and the blogosphere and social networks were starting to take off. We learn more about Jamie’s role at The North Face, and how the brand is staying connected with, and supportive of, its team of athlete ambassadors in the face of a pandemic and cultural revolution. To end the episode, Jamie emphasizes how The North Face is using its platform to fight for racial justice and promote more diversity in mountain sports.