Authentic Avenue

Today my conversation is with someone who I think is one of the better communicators among marketers that I've ever chatted with.

Melissa Hobley is Global CMO of OkCupid (part of Match Group), and shares hers perspective on effective communication on today's show. I found this particularly interesting because a surprising percentage of my guests are...let's say, just OK at having a conversation. Totally fine, but not like "no wonder you're leading this multi-billion org" level. I think Melissa has that X factor.

We also talk briefly about things like how dating is evolving in 2021, public speaking as a skill and (as always) advice on how to carve your own avenues to authenticity.

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LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

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Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

Theme Song: Extreme Energy (Music Today 80)

How do you enhance humanity through non-humans?

My guest today can help with that question. I'm chatting with Leonid Sudakov, the President of Kinship. Kinship is a coalition of brands seeking to bring more to pet care.

Specifically today we explore two pairs of words which have their nuances but within which Leonid sees a strong intersection as part of his work. The first, which titles this show, is humanity and care. Leonid has found that caring for pets enhances one's own humanity, and we delve into that today.

The second is authenticity and meaning. Within that, we explore the intersection in name and then get specific about how certain initiatives within Kinship's four walls like supporting female founders and its broad coalition work) helps to flesh it out in real life.

It turns out Leonid and I have a common connection here, who we chat about briefly. (That's Marc Atiyeh, the founder of Pawp, who has been supported through the Companion Fund which Leonid advises.)

Of course we also cover advice on how to carve your own path to authenticity, through which Leonid shares a personal side to how he found his. Be sure to stay tuned until the end for that.

Enjoy!

Learn more about what Kinship does: https://kinship.co/about/

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

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On today's show, a sweet conversation with one of my personal favorite guests.

I'm learning more from Hershey's today!! A brand which needs no introduction, the chocolate champ is home to Jill Baskin, their Chief Marketing Officer.

And while we talk plenty about our (mostly my) favorite candy (which, right now, is the Mini Robin Egg...link below), we talk even more about Jill's perspective on self-discovery. After all, it is a critical component of one's authentic path -- and one which Jill has focused on through her career.

Additionally, we talk about how CMOs can be engaging their teammates from a distance, and a few of the ways Hershey is showing its authenticity externally as well.

Enjoy!

If you don't know what these Robin Eggs are, I got you covered: https://www.hersheys.com/whoppers/en_us/products/RobinEggs.html

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

Theme Song: Extreme Energy (Music Today 80)

Break out the balloons for today's episode of Authentic Avenue.

My guest is Julie Roehm, the Chief Marketing and Experience Officer of Party City. I was particularly interested in talking with Julie not just because of her rich background across brands (including within auto, which is a current interest of mine), but because of her dual role. While I've interviewed plenty of CMOs, Julie didn't start out as that -- but rather, as CXO.

(She was also Chief Storyteller at SAP. Another role I'd never heard before.)

Today we talk about a number of things, like how Julie joining the team amidst a number of new leadership arrivals impacted her seat at the table, the importance of experience, and how to look for good culture.

It was that last point where most of my interest as the interviewer resided. We talk about what makes a good fit, and how to tell early on that fit simply isn't there.

Enjoy!

CHECK OUT JULIE'S PODCAST: https://www.julieroehm.com/conversational

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

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Today I have a podcast with one of my favorite guests, SOLEly based on how genuine the chat is.

Seriously. You'd be surprised how many times I have conversations on this podcast that are super rehearsed and guardrailed. It's an unfortunate part of the game.

So, consider today a fortunate edition of Authentic Avenue.

My conversation is with Chris Davis, who serves as Chief Marketing Officer of New Balance. Chris has been with the brand for 10 years, and is a familiar voice to those who listened to my podcasts pre-AA. In that time, New Balance has elevated far, far beyond any dad-shoe meme: they're a top-3 global athleticwear powerhouse.

You might be surprised then, to hear Chris talk about being a challenger brand.

It's not the first term you'd sooner hear from a startup which Chris uses to describe the business. Phrases like radically agile or fearlessly independent typically aren't associated with multi-billion dollar businesses. Thankfully for Chris, his team embodies these values -- and have benefited massively from it.

We talk more about that today, as it encapsulates what authenticity is for Chris and New Balance. What I found particularly interesting was the piece of the conversation on elevating their partners' voices and stories rather than speaking, as a brand, through them. I don't hear that take often. I think you'll find it interesting too.

Enjoy!

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

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If you have children, how are they being schooled right now? Are they back in the classroom? Fully remote? A mixture?

Today my guest is Sunil Gunderia. He's the Chief Innovation Officer, and Head of Mastery & Adaptive Product, for Age of Learning. Age of Learning blends education best practices, innovative technology, and insightful creativity to bring learning to life for children across the U.S. and around the world. It is best known for its ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy, made for children 2–8.

Today Sunil I talk about why education is important to him, but also the critical juncture the world of education currently finds itself in. After all, a lack of quality education has been shown again and again to have significant downward pressure on opportunities in life (and health and wealth as a result), and this disproportionately affects the socioeconomically disadvantaged as well as minorities.

We talk about what COVID has done to learning, and how Age of Learning is doing its part to step in -- including an important discussion around sacrificing an enticing bottom line in exchange for doing what the brand felt was right. (In my opinion it's the epitome of authenticity -- so stay tuned for that.

Plus, how 2021's vaccine hopes imply a return to traditional educational avenues, and how Age of Learning intends to remain part of the mix.

So sit back and enjoy this episode Authentic Avenue as I get real with Age of Learning and Sunil Gunderia.

By the way, here is some interesting material on the Shared Value subject:

HBR article (paywalled): https://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value

More on the Shared Value Initiative: https://www.sharedvalue.org/

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

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What if I told you there was a company out there that's basically Google plus Amazon plus Verizon plus Kaiser combined?

Would you be surprised to learn it's right here in the US? Well it is -- just not in that form. Yet.

Let's learn more about it on this Authentic Avenue.

Rakuten. An ecommerce company that pays you cash back to do your usual shopping.

Dana Marineau is the Chief Marketing Officer for Rakuten Rewards. In her first year at the newly rebranded company (it was previously eBates), she's committed her tenure to changing consumer shopping behavior.

The task is a large one: make Rakuten the very first thing consumers think about when they shop for what they love.

Today, we talk about how she plans to do that for the online retailer (with over 3000 stores, by the way! See everything you can get on Rakuten here).

Dana also gives a book recommendation! Here's where you can find your own copy of Radical Candor by Kim Scott: https://www.amazon.com/Radical-Candor-Revised-Kim-Scott/dp/1250235375.

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

Theme Song: Extreme Energy (Music Today 80)

Here's a title I never thought I'd interview: the Chief of PP.

You got that right. And for a toilet paper brand, no less.

Of course, that's just wordplay. (And the guest gave me the green light to use it, so, even better.)

Today my guest is Danny Alexander, the Co-Founder and Chief of Product & Purpose (see what I mean) for Who Gives a Crap (see what I mean!!!), the toilet paper brand which builds toilets rather than break them down.

Our conversation spans the creation of the brand, as well as why Danny finds it so important to donate half of its profits to build toilets all around the world.

You can learn more about everything Danny does here: https://us.whogivesacrap.org/pages/our-impact.

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

Theme Song: Extreme Energy (Music Today 80)

We've talked about "sustainability" from time to time on this podcast. After all, many brands, especially those in consumer goods, are currently prioritizing it as integral to being an authentic provider or product.

Product. That's where I've heard this s-word. I haven't heard it before in terms of media. "Sustainable Media?" What is that? How do you make media more sustainable?

And, by the way, if there is a way to do it...why isn't everyone doing it already? Shouldn't that be the most authentic way to do things?

Well, today I have the pleasure of welcoming Robert Schwartz, Global CMO of Carat (which is within the Dentsu umbrella), and Kris Doerfler. Kris Doerfler serves as a Media & Data Ethicist and Applied Futurist for Carat.

On this episode, we learn all about what sustainable media -- an effort which Carat is spearheading -- is. (Plus, I learn a little more about Kris's title. Have you ever heard of that one?)

Here are some other resources to help you learn about sustainable media:

Media Groups:

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

Theme Song: Extreme Energy (Music Today 80)

Today, for the first time on Authentic Avenue, I feature a brand co-founded with superstar support -- and what a story to start with: Art of Sport, which was built in part by Kobe Bryant.

One of his co-founders, Matthias Metternich, is my featured guest today. After founding brands across the globe, he brought his talents to LA and built this brand with The Black Mamba and Brian Lee (LegalZoom, The Honest Company).

Today, we talk about the brand story, Kobe's impact, and the moments following Kobe's tragic passing. In total, we answer the question: how do you proceed and show resilience as a business after you lose your key talisman?

We also talk about how to tell when your current opportunity is right for you (and when you should look elsewhere), as well as what Matthias is looking forward to for the brand in 2021.

Check out more Art of Sport stories here: https://artofsport.com/blogs/athlete-stories.

FOLLOW AUTHENTIC AVENUE, AND ADAM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

LinkedIn (Authentic Avenue): https://www.linkedin.com/company/68049428/

Email Adam: [email protected]

Learn more at https://authenticavenuemedia.com/.

Theme Song: Extreme Energy (Music Today 80)