BRAVE COMMERCE

This episode of BRAVE COMMERCE features the impressive and inspiring Dr. Val Oswalt, CEO & Board Member at Kodiak. 

Dr. Oswalt’s career has spanned multiple job functions at both large and small companies. When deciding if a new opportunity is right for her, Dr. Oswalt asks herself two questions. 1. Can I make a difference? 2. Can I learn something? She shares why these questions guide her choices and how she establishes herself as an effective leader.

As a leader, she focuses on four key agilities:  people, change, results, and mental agility.  These key agilities have allowed her to win in any environment. Above all, being a good listener whether as part of her recent “listening tour” or during Kodiak’s “Thursday Touchpoints” allows her to “get out of the bear den” and build trust with everyone invested in the brand from employees, to customers, to suppliers, to retailers.

Finally, Dr. Oswalt shares what she learned while writing her doctorate dissertation about the lack of female leaders in Fortune 500 companies. She found that the main deterrents to women in the corporate world are that they lack a sense of self-belonging along with the gender stereotypes and biases that they face. In order to improve the representation of women in leadership positions,  they need strong female role models and company support. 

There is no question that Dr. Oswalt truly embodies what it means to approach commerce bravely.

Key Takeaways:

• Staying small can be a strength if you have a team that lives the values of your brand
• When considering new opportunities look for challenges that make you a little bit nervous and offer you transferable skills
• Organizations need to focus on building leadership skills for middle managers in order to create a sense of psychological safety for their employees

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During this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Boris Rütten, Head of Global eCommerce at Henkel, discusses the ever-changing landscape of global eCommerce, emphasizing the need for continuous adaptation and staying attuned to market trends in order to achieve sustainable growth.

Boris shares his insights on managing stakeholders, underlining the significance of listening and staying close to global markets to comprehend consumer pain points. He also highlights the importance of learning from external sources to gain valuable insights into successful eCommerce strategies and applying their suggestions to enhance your business.

Boris emphasizes the importance of understanding market differences and the need for a unified, well-aligned strategy when initiating new business partnerships. He highlights that successful partnerships require a combined approach, a shared plan, and awareness of each other’s priorities.

In addition, Boris explores the potential that AI offers eCommerce, particularly in content creation. He encourages everyone in the industry to stay informed, experiment with new AI technologies, and understand the possible impact AI could have on the industry.

Key Takeaways:

• Establishing successful partnerships in the business requires a collaborative approach
• Staying adaptable and vigilant to market trends is essential for sustained growth
• Customizing strategies according to market-specific needs is key to thriving globally

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CMO of Heineken USA Jonnie Cahill discusses the importance of maintaining consistent brand values and messaging during times of change. He also talks about the recent blurring of lines between CPG categories, and how your brand can take advantage of this liberating power to become more consumer centric. Lastly, Jonnie advises how to use positioning, content and tone of voice in eCommerce to communicate why your brand deserves its premium price point.

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During this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Andy Markowitz, VP of Digital Retention and Acquisition Marketing at the New York Mets, highlights the importance of adapting digitally, maintaining strong professional relationships, and continuously building value in the fast-paced marketing landscape.

Markowitz delves into his role at the Mets, focusing on the value of thoroughly understanding a company's audience, and explains how the Mets utilize strategies like propensity modeling and journey automation to captivate existing fans and attract new ones. By leveraging the Mets' digitally enabled buying experiences and entry points, he explains how this data is employed to gain a deeper understanding of customer behavior.

Markowitz defines the importance of analyzing various digital channels, such as organic search, display, and paid social media placements, to optimize a company's marketing efforts. After landing his new role at the New York Mets, he shares that his secret to securing rewarding future opportunities later in his career was fostering relationships and maintaining adaptability in the face of a constantly evolving digital landscape.

Key takeaways:

●     Revolutionize audience engagement by becoming more approachable, accessible, and relatable

●     Optimize marketing efforts by exploring various channels, including search, paid advertising, display, and paid social media

●     Nurturing relationships is essential for maintaining future professional prospects

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During this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Amanda Baldwin, CEO of Supergoop, shares how she aligns the brand’s mission with a focus on consistent incremental profitability.

Supergoop, founded by Holly Thaggard, began with the question: how to make a product that creates joy and put the talent and strategy behind that idea? Amanda explains the importance of building a well-rounded team that matches the goals of the brand in order to scale effectively.  

She outlines how Supergoop started as a wholesale business, but fostered the customer fanaticism of a direct to consumer brand. According to Amanda, brand success relies on creating “a movement, not a moment.” 

Key takeaways:

• Maximizing all distribution channels, including retail partnerships, is essential for scaling a business effectively.
• Incremental sales play a critical role in maximizing the value of marketing dollars.
• Adapting to changes in marketing channels and distribution methods is crucial to remain competitive

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Katie Kirkpatrick, VP of Digital Commerce at Bacardi, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph & Sarah Hofstetter to discuss how the digital shelf influences omnichannel consumers. She talks about how employees are inspired to develop an “ownership mentality” and take pride in their work at Bacardi. She then discusses the future of alcohol eCommerce, and last-mile delivery. She explains that the digital shelf plays a massive role in influencing all alcohol shoppers, even those who make purchases in-store. This stresses integrating marketing and sales to win and making customer connections across all channels.

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And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at [email protected].

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On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Austin Leonard, Head of Sales at Sam's Club Member Access Platform (MAP), highlights the increasing need to offer value to consumers in exchange for their engagement with your brand, especially as we shift to a post-cookie future.

The rise in retail media has resulted in fewer and fewer consumers opting into sharing their data; Austin stresses combating this hesitancy requires that you offer additional value in exchange for their participation. He explains that Sam's Club's success stems from leveraging first-party deterministic data to benefit consumers and brands as opposed to using it only to further their own ends

Austin talks about the importance of listening to suppliers and brands and identifying areas for improvement while focusing on perfecting the product set. He advises that brands seeking to partner with companies like Sam's Club have a defined business objective, have sponsored products ready to launch, and be able to present a clear value proposition that benefits consumers.  

Sam's Club has adopted a member-first marketing strategy, prioritizing customers by providing tailored high-value products. Every product is evaluated on whether or not it will benefit the consumer, increasing the member's trust in the company. Austin additionally emphasizes the importance of extending retargeting efforts after the initial purchase to ensure members return for that second purchase.

Key Takeaways: 

• Prioritize value exchange for consumers and advertisers
• Focus on driving incrementality and maximizing audience penetration
• Maintain targeting efforts beyond the initial purchase

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On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Grant Hill, Basketball Hall of Famer, co-owner of Atlanta Hawks, and board member of Campbell Soup Company, shares strategies for fostering trust and vulnerability by identifying and defining your workplace culture.

Grant Hill, who spent 19 years in the NBA, has expanded his business portfolio to encompass real estate, executive leadership, sports analysis, board membership, and even art. The obstacles Hill faced when transitioning to remote work highlighted for him the importance of face-to-face interactions. While technology can be helpful, Hill prioritizes connecting in person as much as possible. 

He emphasizes the importance of communicating a clear north star, as well as setting long-term and short-term goals, regardless of whether your company operates virtually or in person. He also explains how vulnerability can be advantageous for leaders, particularly when working remotely. 

Key Takeaways:

• Vulnerability is a sign of strength
• A clear concise message and targets for your team is crucial
• Define the company culture that fits your leadership style

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On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Lewis Broadnax, Vice President of Global eCommerce & Digital at Sazerac Company, shares the four major pivot points that have shaped the trajectory of his career:

• From DTC to multichannel
• From unregulated to regulated
• From considered purchase (computer) to unconsidered purchase (alcohol)
• From a direct discussion with the consumer to a more removed three tier system

These pivots shaped how he approaches the consumer experience. He prioritizes reducing consumer friction both by testing and implementing the right MarTech solutions and by taking a true multichannel approach i.e. being where the consumer wants to shop.

Beyond his work as an eCommerce leader, he makes a point to support DEI initiatives both at Sazerac and across the eCommerce landscape. Experience has taught him that the most effective DEI programs take a micro approach focusing on the individual interactions and development. He sees potential for the creator economy to lead to more opportunities for mentorship and partnership.

Key takeaways:

• Reserve 10 - 15 percent of your budget to test new MarTech solutions
• Platforms and channels that offer more transparency are going to win with the consumer
• Consumers do not care about your internal structure, they care about their shopping experience

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On this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Esi Eggleston Bracey, President Unilever USA, CEO Personal Care North America, talks about creating a human-centric brand. From her work at P&G to developing Febreze Esi has found ways to drive profits while helping people.

As national demographics shift, brands need to shift and increasingly personalize their messaging to today’s shoppers. Here again, doing the right thing - being a more inclusive brand - is also doing the profitable thing.

Esi provides advice for up-and-coming professionals based on her own experience. Her primary piece of advice is to know yourself, once you know yourself be yourself, and then share yourself with others. 

Likewise, she provides similar advice for corporations. Esi says companies should commit to the journey - there is no quick fix. Create a workplace representative of the people you serve. Acknowledge honestly where you are today, where you want to be and develop a plan with milestones, and specific actions to close the gap between the two.

Key Takeaways:

• You can build a business and a great career by helping people first.
• Know yourself, be yourself, and share yourself with others.
• Commit to the journey, set goals, be aware of where you are, and take action.

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