Jim's guest on The CMO Podcast for a special Valentine day edition is Michelle Peterson, the Chief Marketing Officer of Kendra Scott, the 23-year-old fashion lifestyle brand founded by Kendra Scott in Austin Texas. This is one unusual brand: it is guided by a three-pronged brand platform: family, fashion, and philanthropy. Its organization is 96% women, with a multigenerational consumer base. Along with organizing up to 25,000 love events a year. It has about 140 stores and is distributed in retailers like Nordstrom and Neiman Markus, and has an estimated value of roughly $1 billion. Michelle has been CMO at Kendra Scott for about three years. She has overseen explosive growth in sales, new customers, and in her organization’s growth. Before Kendra Scott, Michelle spent 16 years in a variety of roles at General Mills, and then worked at LifeSpa, Intercontinental Hotels, and Pressed, the cold-pressed juice and plant-based treats company, where she was CMO. This is your reminder to order a necklace or ring for your love ones, and tune in for our Valentine conversation with the CMO of Kendra Scott!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jennie Weber is the Chief Marketing Officer of Best Buy, boasting over 16 years at the company and a passion for consumer electronics. In this conversation, she shares compelling insights from the Consumer Electronics Show, discussing retail challenges and the importance of human-centric marketing. Jennie highlights Best Buy's evolution in response to changing consumer expectations and the role of retail media networks. She also emphasizes the need for clarity in vision and leadership to foster creativity and prevent burnout in teams.

Jim's guest this week on The CMO Podcast is Victoria Lozano, the EVP of Marketing at Crayola, the 122-year-old brand founded in Easton, Pa. by Edwin Binney and C. Howard Smith. The first Crayola product was a box of eight crayons, and sold for a nickel. Crayola is one of the most well-known brands in the world–brand awareness in the US is 99%.Since the mid-1980s, Crayola has been part of the Hallmark portfolio of brands, which includes Hallmark and Hallmark Media. Today’s Crayola is a very different business than it was even 15 years ago. Its purpose is unchanged–to help parents and educators raise creatively active kids. But it has morphed from a product company to a brand in the entertainment, content and experience spaces. Victoria has been with Crayola 15 years, about three as EVP of Marketing. Before Crayola, Victoria studied Classics at NYU and then earned her MBA there at the Stern school. After stints in CPG with Pfizer and Cadbury, Victoria moved to Crayola, where she has found the perfect fit for her. Tune in for a conversation around creativity, brand building and parenting.--Watch the videos as part of the Campaign for Creativity: https://www.crayola.com/featured/campaign-for-creativityLearn more about Crayola Creativity Week: https://creativity-week.squarespace.com/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Join DeLu Jackson, CMO of ADT, Melissa Hobley from Tinder, and Ulta’s Michelle Crossan-Matos as they reflect on 2024's major marketing themes. DeLu shares insights on the Trusted Neighbor technology, while Melissa discusses the authenticity trends in modern dating campaigns. Michelle talks about the Joy Project, emphasizing joy and connection in marketing. Together, they explore the importance of cultural relevance, human-centric strategies, and personal growth in today’s fast-paced marketing landscape.

Norm Yustin, Customer Activation and Growth Global Practice Leader for Russell Reynolds, shares insights on the evolving CMO role and the balance between internal talent development and external hiring. Colie Edison, the WNBA's first Chief Growth Officer, discusses innovative strategies to enhance the league's brand and engage young female athletes. They delve into the importance of customer-centricity in marketing, the balance of creativity and analytics, and the emotional intelligence required for effective leadership.

Happy New Year! Last year Jim had over 50 thoughtful conversations on The CMO Podcast, and he's kicking off 2025 with a doozy. The business of entertainment is increasingly the business of brand building, so Jim is beginning this year with a woman who really gets entertainment. His guest this week on The CMO Podcast is Dea Lawrence, the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of Variety, the number-one source of entertainment business news. Variety was founded 120 years ago–amazing–and it has evolved into a multi-platform content company. Its iconic publication is available in 84 countries, but Variety in 2025 is so much more: 90 plus live events, podcasts, television specials, a content studio, and on and on. Variety is privately owned by Penske Media, which also owns Rolling Stone and Deadline Hollywood. Dea is not just a COO and CMO, she is also an actor, which has helped build a foundation for her experience rising to become an executive. Dea has been CMO at Variety since 2015; in the last three years she has also been the Chief Operating Officer. Join Jim and Dea as they ring in the new year with a conversation full of predictions and resolutions!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It is no surprise to any of you that the more meaningful your brand is to people, or customers, the more successful it will be. Well the good news is there is a company–Havas–who has been researching what makes a brand meaningful every year for the past 15 years. And this week Jim will talk with two leaders at Havas who oversee this annual research.Jim's guests on The CMO Podcast are Mark Sinnock, the Global Chief Strategy, Data and Innovation Officer at the Havas Group, and Joanna Lawrence, the global chief strategy officer at the Havas Media Network. Havas is one of the oldest and largest global communications companies. Founded in 1835 in Paris by Charles Louis Havas, today the group does business in 100 plus countries, with roughly 23,000 people; annual revenues approach $3 billion Euros.Each year since 2009 the Havas group has designed and fielded a massive research project called Meaningful Brands. The intent is to provide insights and guidance on how to build a brand that has deep meaning for its customers, thereby driving sustained growth and profitability. The scope is impressive: more than 1.5 million interviews, in 24 countries, with 41 categories and 2600 brands analyzed. Tune in as Jim chats with Mark and Joanna about learning from the latest Meaningful brands study.Havas’ 2024 Meaningful Brands™ Global Report: https://meaningful-brands.com/reports/2024report/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this engaging conversation, Michael Lacorazza, CMO of U.S. Bank and a veteran of brands like Lexus and Marriott, discusses innovative marketing strategies that lean heavily on AI. He shares insights on modernizing banking experiences to feel more welcoming, akin to coffee shops. Michael also reflects on his career journey from CEO to CMO, emphasizing the role of storytelling alongside data in leadership. He highlights the importance of early team involvement in campaign launches and the evolving nature of marketing to focus more on customer experiences.

The holiday season is in full swing, so this week Jim is paying a visit to one of the most loved retailers in the world. The guest this week on The CMO Podcast is Joe Cano, the Chief Marketing, Merchandising and Growth Officer for Zappos, the e-commerce company famous for its customer-obsessed culture. Zappos was founded in 1999 by Tony Hsieh, and sold to Amazon in 2009 for about $1.2 billion in an all-stock deal. Today, Zappos sells shoes of course, but also handbags, clothing, and accessories.Joe has deep experience in fashion and retailing. He spent seven years at Saks Fifth Avenue, and four years at Walmart.com. Earlier in his career, he worked for a variety of youth fashion retailers, including Forever 21, Wet Seal, and Hot Topic. Joe joined Zappos in June 2022, and was promoted to Chief Marketing, Merchandising and growth Officer about 18 months ago. Tune in for a conversation celebrating 25 years of a successful brand with a guest who loves the holiday season.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many of you listeners here in the US are right now planning your Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and the centerpiece for most of you is a beautiful turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Thursday. Well today–to get you in the spirit–Jim welcomes two special guests on The CMO Podcast: Kyle Lock, the VP of Marketing for the Butterball Company, and Christa Leupen, the Director of Purpose and Consumer Communication for Butterball. Butterball is of course the best known and most loved turkey brand in the US. Their purpose is pure and simple–to help people pass love on. Four years ago Jim welcomed Butterball's Head of Marketing and Sales, Al Jansen, on this show. It was that conversation that helped spark a fire in Al and his fellow team at Butterball to find a path to purpose. A path that Kyle and Christa share with Jim. Kyle Lock is the Vice President of Retail Marketing for Butterball, and has has served in marketing leadership roles since joining the company in 2006. In his current role, Kyle oversees the Retail Marketing function, responsible for strategic planning, product management, innovation, insights, consumer communications, consumer affairs and the historic Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. Prior to Butterball, Kyle served in marketing roles for Tyson’s retail division and before then at Hillshire Farm and Kahn’s, a division of what was the Sara Lee Corporation.  Christa Leupen is the Director of Purpose and Consumer Communications for Butterball. She came to Butterball with 15 years of public relations and communications expertise, spanning agency and in-house roles, with specialty in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. At Butterball, Christa plays a pivotal role in shaping the company's purpose-driven strategy, developing initiatives that create positive change inside and outside the organization, and delivering impactful results that align with the company’s purpose and values. As we all look to moments of gratitude and kindness this holiday season, tune in for a conversation around a company that looks to share that ideal inside and beyond.Listen to Jim's previous episode with Butterball's EVP of Sales & Marketing, Al Jansen: https://tinyurl.com/bde22wtpSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.