BRAVE COMMERCE

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Andrea Zahumensky, President of North America Baby and Child Care Transformation and Canada at Kimberly-Clark. Andrea shares how the company’s long-standing commitment to solving consumer problems through science and innovation continues to guide its growth.

She discusses how leading with care, both internally and externally, becomes more powerful when backed by results, and how challenger brands have helped sharpen Kimberly-Clark’s go-to-market strategies. Andrea also reflects on the importance of authenticity in leadership and the culture shifts required to move with speed at scale.

Key takeaways

• Performance enables care. Delivering results creates the resources to reinvest in solving real consumer problems
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• Challenger brands can expose blind spots. Kimberly-Clark’s response in diapers reshaped its innovation strategy
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• Authenticity builds trust. Leading with emotion has become Andrea’s superpower as an executive

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Arthur Sylvestre, VP of Digital Commerce at Danone North America. Arthur shares how the company’s mission and strategic renewal have positioned it for outsized growth, especially in a category as complex as perishables.

He reflects on Danone’s culture of digital enthusiasm, its collective approach to retail media, and the mindset needed to build long-term, sustainable growth. Arthur also outlines how digital teams can elevate their impact by influencing both online and offline sales and keeping organizations focused on what drives meaningful results.

Key takeaways

• Perishables can succeed in digital. Danone’s double-digit eCommerce growth shows the opportunity is real
• Retail media should be approached as a collective effort across sales, media, and brand teams
• The most effective teams stay focused on the fundamentals, not the noise

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Megan Lindstrand, Vice President of Marketing and Consumer Experience at Combe. Megan shares how the company’s founding principles of empathy, quality, and discretion continue to shape its portfolio strategy for brands like Just For Men, Vagisil, and Astroglide.

With over two decades of experience across various agencies, PE-backed businesses, and family-owned brands, Megan discusses how ownership structure influences marketing, culture, and decision-making. She also explains how her team connects media, insights, and analytics into a unified growth engine that accelerates speed to market and drives real business outcomes.

Key takeaways

• Consumer trust is built through empathy, transparency, and a commitment to product quality
• Ownership models shape how marketing can operate, from budget and risk to brand building
• Real-time data and integrated teams are essential for turning insights into action

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Erin Price, General Manager of Consumer Products at Sargento. Erin shares how Sargento’s identity as a family-owned business has shaped its category leadership, commitment to long-term value, and approach to consumer-driven innovation.

Erin discusses how the company’s newest brand platform, “The Sargento Family Promise,” is rooted in transparency and trust, and how deep consumer insights, rather than fleeting trends, guide the development of new products. She also offers her perspective on recruiting top CPG talent to Wisconsin, managing through change, and developing the next generation of business leaders.

Key takeaways

• A long-term mindset enables more meaningful innovation and stronger retailer relationships
• Consumer trust is earned through consistency, transparency, and product quality
• Data is only powerful when paired with focus, agility, and real-time consumer understanding

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Kathleen Braine, Chief Marketing Officer at 818 Tequila. Kathleen shares what it’s like to work side by side with founder Kendall Jenner to shape 818 into one of the fastest-growing tequila brands in the U.S.

She discusses the importance of honoring Jenner’s creative vision while scaling a business that balances brand storytelling, retail relationships, and digital commerce. From NASCAR partnerships to platform-native content, Kathleen reveals how 818 is growing both brand love and business outcomes simultaneously.

Key takeaways

• Building a lifestyle brand requires close creative alignment between founder and CMO
• Younger consumers want versatility and intentionality in what they drink and how they shop
• Digitally native strategies are essential in regulated industries like alcohol, where compliance and shoppability must go hand in hand

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Description

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstadter speak with Colleen Orani, Vice President of Global Marketing at Energizer Holdings. Colleen shares how Energizer moved from a fragmented media structure to one unified under a single leader, combining national media, shopper marketing, and content development.

She discusses the realities of leading marketing across brands with very different consumer behaviors, from impulse buys like batteries to more considered purchases like auto care. Colleen offers a transparent look into how Energizer is balancing long-term strategy with rapid fire execution, all while managing evolving retailer relationships and media investments.

Key takeaways

• A unified approach to national and retail media enables stronger consumer engagement across all stages of the purchase journey
• Categories require tailored media strategies – impulse brands are “clicky,” while others demand deeper “scrolly” content
• Driving shared accountability across marketing, sales, and content teams ensures adaptability in a volatile market

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Alison Levin, President of Advertising and Partnerships at NBCUniversal. With more than a decade of experience shaping the connected TV landscape, Alison shares how NBCUniversal is combining premium content, retail data partnerships, and shoppable formats to deliver results for today’s commerce-driven marketers.

Alison discusses what advertisers should expect from their CTV investments, how NBCUniversal is partnering with platforms like Instacart and Walmart Connect to prove incrementality, and why streaming environments must be evaluated beyond reach alone.

Key takeaways:

• Not all streaming is created equal – evaluating content environments is critical for effective media planning
• Commerce activations tied to premium content are already driving seven-figure product sales
• Real-time attribution and optimization are reshaping how TV advertising is bought, measured, and scaled

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Randi Jachino, Vice President of Marketing (US & Canada) at Prestige Consumer Healthcare. With a portfolio spanning over 25 brands across categories like oral care, motion sickness, and women’s health, Randi shares how she applies both analytical and creative thinking to manage diverse consumer needs and business goals.

From starting her career as a CPA to leading marketing for powerhouse brands like Dramamine, DenTek, and Summer’s Eve, Randi discusses how to build brand equity without losing sight of immediate performance. She unpacks how Prestige strategically prioritizes brands within the portfolio, adapts to the realities of tariffs, retail pressure, and social virality, and ensures that upper-funnel and lower-funnel tactics work hand in hand.

Key takeaways:

• There is no one-size-fits-all marketing strategy across a portfolio – each brand requires a tailored approach based on its role, category, and consumer mindset
• Brand equity and short-term sales are not mutually exclusive – strong awareness drives stronger conversion
• Retail search and social content must align with the shopper’s intent and category behavior, from product education to conversion readiness

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Podcast Description:

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Sylvia Buxton, President and CEO of Perfetti Van Melle Americas, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to explore how impulse brands like Airheads and Mentos are thriving in a digitally transformed retail landscape.

Sylvia shares how her team is reimagining impulse marketing for both eCommerce and brick-and-mortar environments, adapting traditional trade spend strategies, and maintaining brand relevance in a world of evolving consumer behaviors. With a forward-thinking approach to media diversification, retail media integration, and category innovation, Sylvia offers a masterclass in leading through change while staying true to brand fundamentals.

Key Takeaways:

• Impulse marketing must evolve – Digital shopping behaviors demand new approaches to staying top-of-mind at the point of purchase.
• Retail media blurs lines between trade and marketing – Collaborative ownership and clear accountability are key to navigating investments across the funnel.
• Consumer shifts present new opportunities – Changing health trends and digital habits require brands to innovate both products and engagement strategies.

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In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, Laura Knebusch, SVP of CPG Marketing and Consumer Experience at Georgia-Pacific, joins hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter to discuss how she’s evolving the role of marketing inside a legacy CPG organization.

Laura shares how her team has shifted from traditional brand marketing to a full-funnel strategy that integrates national media, retail media, and shopper marketing. She talks about the benefits of housing retail media within marketing, the power of consistent measurement through in-house MMM, and the importance of building modern marketing talent with agility, curiosity, and resourcefulness.

Key Takeaways

• Marketing must do more than storytelling – it must deliver consistent experiences across every consumer touchpoint
• Retail media belongs within marketing when collaboration and shared metrics guide investment decisions
• Measurement and MarTech only work when paired with strong change management and hands-on training across the organization

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