My guest on the pod this week, Jeff Jenkins, is CMO of Carter’s. He has one of those serendipitous career journeys that started when he was a 16-year-old tennis player coming home from a trip to Europe obsessed with this band, Ace of Base. As a young actor in New York, appearing on “Star Trek '' and in soap operas, he tempted in between at MTV and this sync with popular culture led to a stellar career at Taco Bell, where he learned to love the life of a 16-year-old audience to sell a lot of tacos. Wholly understanding the customer drives what he does at Carter’s, a brand that means everything to new parents, then fades away. Jeff keeps Carter’s present in an era of DTC and influencer brands, walking the tightrope between heritage and current culture.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• It's often the smarter decision to stay in your core demographic lane

• New parents are scrolling through TikTok at 3 a.m.

• Partnerships are a great way to keep a classic brand current

• Every retailer wants to feel special, so build a bespoke line extension

• The formula for career satisfaction: fun + learning + great people.

Brought to you by Mekanism