The Growth Pod

Jesper Åström is a growth expert who's spent over 45,000 hours launching hundreds of tactical campaigns for companies around the world. We discuss all things related to growth marketing, including case studies, common mistakes, and underutilized tactics. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesperastrom https://www.youtube.com/@JesperAstrom/videos (0:00) Introduction (1:07) What is growth marketing? (4:45) Jesper’s framework for why and how companies grow (15:03) Types of entrepreneurs and the different marketing mistakes they make (17:55) Is branding just about reach and frequency?  (23:52) Budgeting, meetings, and other things companies need to change if they want growth (33:01) What companies like Voi and Spotify get right about growth (38:35) How to grow in the physical world (43:30) How Jesper comes up with new experiments and tactics

Riikka Söderlund is a SaaS marketing expert and the CMO of Katana, a Tallinn-based startup that has raised over 50m€ in funding. We discuss all things SaaS marketing, from KPIs and attribution to selecting business-appropriate strategies and hiring world-class talent. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/riikkasoderlund https://katanamrp.com (0:00) Introduction (0:51) How Riikka got started with SaaS marketing (2:56) Why do Finnish companies underinvest in marketing? (4:43) Attribution, how it works, and how to use it (9:49) Why marketers must focus on revenue (12:57) SaaS metrics that matter (17:35) The criteria that led her to Katana (20:45) The first things she did as CMO (22:16) Creating internal alignment (28:24) Picking the right strategies (31:45) Budgeting (34:12) Visualizations and managing complexity (36:48) Why you must hire the best talent (41:33) Education and constant learning

Anssi Mäkelä is the CMO of Polar, a leading global player in sports watches, fitness trackers, and heart rate monitors. We sat down with him to discuss their approach to creative and messaging, marketing tactics, and why the traditional agency model is dead. Learn more: https://generogrowth.com https://www.polar.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/anssimakela (0:00) Introduction (0:53) The traditional agency model is dead (4:03) Building in-house competency and why awards don’t matter (8:54) How they produce creatives (14:12) Polar’s messaging and how it’s changed (17:43) Speaking to different audiences (19:36) Building a competitive brand on a worldwide stage (21:33) Brand ambassadors and influencers (24:30) Leveraging their Finnish heritage (26:44) The power of narratives (31:20) Tactics for grabbing attention in a noisy world (37:10) Why buy Polar?

Camillo Eriksson, co-founder and CEO of Twistshake, joins us to talk about building the world's biggest baby brand. We cover topics like expanding to 70 markets, launching a dozen or so innovative products each year, and doing influencer marketing on a massive scale. Learn more: ⁠https://generogrowth.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/twistshakebaby/⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillo-eriksson-770480b8/⁠ (0:00) Introduction (0:52) The baby bottle that started it all (5:14) The early days (9:33) Meaning, hard work and avoiding burnout (13:31) The process for consistently launching innovative new products (20:16) How they succeeded with influencer marketing (25:16) Twistshake’s 3 pillars for growth (28:32) The uncomplicated way to expand internationally (34:00) Focusing on profitability and doubling AOV (38:23) Company culture and focusing on what matters

Björn Thorngren is the CEO and founder of MEDS. We talk about how they became the fastest-growing company in Sweden, the strategies they used to acquire 800,000 customers and raise 50M€ in funding, what the pharmacy markets in Sweden and North Korea have in common, and much more! Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjornthorngren/ https://www.meds.se/ (0:00) Introduction (0:50) The insights that led to MEDS (3:14) The unique online pharmacy market in Sweden (6:49) How to win in a competitive market (10:07) Providing the best customer experience (16:05) The strategies MEDS used to get 800,000 active customers (21:35) Finding, acquiring, and activating the right customers (24:32) Growth and failure during the pandemic (27:44) Geopolitical risks and the pharmacy value chain (30:35) Does it always make sense to grow? (33:22) Raising 50 million euro (37:31) Biggest lessons learned

Saeid Esmaeilzadeh is a scientist and entrepreneur who has co-founded, managed, and invested in over 30 technology companies. (0:00) Introduction (0:57) What got him into the science and chemistry (2:30) Getting started in business (4:00) Failure (6:22) Applying an empirical approach in business (7:52) Saeid's no-bullshit policy (14:16) Creating a culture of critical thinking (18:19) Investment philosophy (22:47) Incentives, deal structure and autonomy (26:57) Building vs investing in companies (30:40) Finding growth opportunities (33:11) Nordic company cultures (36:15) Preparing to sell your company (40:16) Why Saeid's not focusing on trends Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://ehab.group/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/saeid-esmaeilzadeh/

What does it take to build a global brand from scratch at a 90,000-person startup? We discussed this and more with Lisa Gilbert, VP of Global Marketing at Kyndryl. (0:00) Introduction (0:49) Working 20+ years at IBM (3:58) Choosing career paths and knowing who you are (6:25) Joining Kyndryl and lessons learned (12:20) The power and importance of branding (15:00) Balancing brand consistency with localization (17:45) Activating employees to become brand ambassadors (21:07) Scrappy marketing strategies (25:33) Proudest moment at Kyndryl (26:42) Strategy and process for creating content (30:14) Learning new skills as a marketer Learn more: ⁠https://generogrowth.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.kyndryl.com/⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisagilbertcmo/⁠

Byron Sharp is one of the global leaders in marketing research and the author of the best-selling book ‘How Brands Grow’. We discuss the myths and realities of effective marketing, covering topics like customer acquisition, the effect of advertising, and loyalty programs. (0:00) Introduction and 'How Brands Grow' (2:35) Using science to identify law-like patterns in marketing (6:06) Is it more profitable to retain customers than to acquire new ones? (11:00) Do loyalty programs actually work? (16:20) Segmentation, targeting, and the reality of buying personas (19:41) Making smart media choices (21:52) Why price promotions don't work (24:33) Does every brand need a higher purpose? (29:24) McDonald's and differentiation vs. distinctiveness (36:45) How marketing really works (45:17) Crafting the right message Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.marketingscience.info/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/professorbyronsharp/

Thomas Floberg is the COO of Microsoft Sweden and a 17-year veteran at the company. We discuss the past and future of work, productivity, leadership, and artificial intelligence. (0:00) Introduction and why he joined Microsoft (1:55) Hybrid work at Microsoft (6:15) Processes and habits for making hybrid work successful (10:54) Measuring output and the productivity paradox (15:17) Leadership principles at Microsoft (17:35) Artificial Intelligence at work (22:51) How companies can start adopting AI (28:25) The impact of AI on marketing and sales (30:15) Future tech and the human element Learn more: https://generogrowth.com ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasfloberg

How does marketing actually work? What is the key to great advertising and how can we avoid the most common mistakes? We discuss this and much more with Erik Modig, author, speaker, entrepreneur, and professor at Stockholm School of Economics. (0:00) Introduction (0:48) Customers don’t care care (4:02) Marketing metrics (6:44) Explain the benefit in 3-5 words (9:52) Impressions are not created equal (15:25) Small vs big brands (16:38) Effective messaging (18:57) How to create great ad campaigns (22:29) Frequency and consistency (23:40) Understanding how customers think and buy (28:57) Why more data doesn’t solve your problems (33:20) Efficiency vs effectiveness (35:33) Finding the right channels (38:23) Ad budgets and other lessons for Nordic brands Learn more: https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/emodig/ https://www.marketinglevels.com/