The TrustMakers

Follow behind the scenes as Edelman’s Smita Reddy talks with Klondike’s Tracy Shepard-Rashkin about the ice cream discontinuation that shook the internet, and how the brand decided to respond. “Brands like Klondike have to discontinue products all the time. Flavors come and flavors go usually without much muss and fuss. We knew Choco Taco would be different… But we certainly had no idea of the caliber of the public outcry that was about to come our way,” Tracy says. 

Hillary Hoffower, Success Editor at Fortune, joins Edelman’s Jackie Cooper to talk about the defining differences between Gen Z and Millennials, why there’s more to Gen Z than Tik Tok, and how younger generations are shaking up the workplace. “At the end of the day, Gen Z wants a personalized career experience. They want to work on their terms, and that can be hard for managers to reckon with because it can create a power struggle. They want freedom and flexibility, but also need structure. And they want to feel seen and heard as humans, rather than robots making profit for a company. The days of the traditional boss are on their way out – they want more of a guide or a coach,” she says.

The Edelman Trust Institute’s Justin Blake sits down for a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Stephanie Creary, Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School and Visiting Faculty Fellow at Harvard’s Institute for Business in Global Society, on the latest 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust in the Workplace. Justin and Stephanie discuss corporate action on social movements, best practices for having civil conversations on difficult topics in the workplace, and what Stephanie’s students expect from today’s employers. “Young people, even ones who have no rank in companies, will expect to participate and be asked to give input on how the company can be better at addressing social issues or DE&I issues more broadly,” she says.  

Justin Blake, Executive Director of the Edelman Trust Institute, is joined by Franz Paasche, Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at PayPal. Justin talks to Franz about PayPal’s approach to stakeholder engagement, its history of taking a stand on societal issues, and how the company acts upon values. “When we prioritize stakeholders, we always start with our employees. We’ve learned that’s the strongest place to start if you’re thinking about all of your stakeholders and what they expect from the company. It’s all about your employees. That’s the competitive advantage, the special sauce of any company” he says.

Smita Reddy, Edelman’s US Brand Chair, sits down with Anisha Raghavan, CMO of No7 Beauty Company at Walgreens Boots Alliance, for a wide-ranging interview to talk about the changing role of the CMO, No7’s legacy of supporting female empowerment, the broad influence of Gen Z, and representation in corporate leadership. “It used to be that women use the brands their moms introduce them to. Today it’s the complete opposite – I have women in their 50s telling me they discovered our brands because their Gen Z or Millennial child raved about it. The sphere of influence has done a complete 180.” she says.

Andrea Hagelgans, Managing Director of U.S. Social Issues Engagement, is joined by Erika Soto Lamb, Vice President of Social Impact Strategy at MTV Entertainment Group and former founding CCO of Everytown for Gun Safety. Andrea talks to Erika about how she became involved in corporate social impact, why businesses should get involved in social issues, and her work on the national campaign, Power the Polls. “Everyone has a role to play, whether you’re working at a non-profit or a company, in engaging people to do better for the world that we all share,” she says.

Jackie Cooper, Edelman’s Chief Brand Officer, is joined by Phil Thomas, Chairman of Cannes Lions, at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. Jackie and Phil talk about highlights from this year’s festival, some of the best campaigns of the year, and the findings from the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: The New Cascade of Influence. “We are about applied creativity – by which I mean the creativity at Cannes Lions has to achieve something,” he says.

Jackie Cooper, Edelman’s Chief Brand Officer, sits down with Aline Santos, Chief Brand Officer and Chief DE&I Officer at Unilever, at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. Jackie and Aline talk about the power of representation in marketing, how brands can successfully execute purpose, and the findings from the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: The New Cascade of Influence. “We want our brands to have success, but success with significance – with relevance to the world and relevance to our consumers,” she says.  

Jackie Cooper, Chief Brand Officer, sits down with Edelman’s CEO, Richard Edelman, at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. Jackie and Richard talk about Edelman’s history at Cannes Lions and delve into the findings from the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: The New Cascade of Influence. “The confluence between corporate reputation and brand marketing has never been more obvious,” says Richard.

Jackeline Stewart-Hawkins, EVP and Head of Multicultural Communications at Edelman, sits down with Janet Murguía, President and CEO of UnidosUS, to explore the findings from the latest 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Business and Racial Justice in America. Janet and Jackeline talk about why Americans’ fears over racism surged, the importance of discussing systematic racism, and how companies can build a more inclusive workforce.