February 25, 2026

Cracking the Viral Code: Creators As CMOs

Listen Later

49 minutes

Jonathan Cohen, CMO of Onyx Global Group (Pure Daily Care & Aquasonic), joins Phillip and Alicia to trace the arc from Amazon-first launches to TikTok Shop dominance. This week, we unpack the unmeasurable and explore what it actually means to cede your marketing playbook to a creator economy that doesn't need your permission.

Control Is Overrated, Anyway

Key Takeaways

Creators are the new CMOs. Brands don't cascade strategy; creators build their own.

Amazon reviews are still currency. Early investment in social proof compounds over the years.

Sampling is a long game. Expect results two to three months out, not just the week of Black Friday.

TikTok Live provides free focus groups. Real-time customer feedback can greenlight a new product line and unlock new growth opportunities.

You can't dashboard everything. The brands with staying power are building habits, not just conversions.

"The creators are our mini CMOs. They build their own marketing plans, their own talking points, their own strategies to sell our products." — Jonathan Cohen [00:22:08]

"We have cut checks for tens of thousands of dollars to creators we've never spoken to before." — Jonathan Cohen [00:22:07]

"If you brush your teeth, you're an Aquasonic potential customer." — Jonathan Cohen [00:45:28]

"You're building habits. And there's no better investment in brand than that — because those habits stick with them a lot longer than the ad dollar you spent to get them there." — Phillip Jackson [00:47:50]

Associated Links:

Check out Future Commerce on YouTube

Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print

Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world

Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

...more

View all episodes

View all episodes

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

Future Commerce

By Phillip Jackson, Brian Lange

4.9

8383 ratings

February 25, 2026

Cracking the Viral Code: Creators As CMOs

Listen Later

49 minutes

Jonathan Cohen, CMO of Onyx Global Group (Pure Daily Care & Aquasonic), joins Phillip and Alicia to trace the arc from Amazon-first launches to TikTok Shop dominance. This week, we unpack the unmeasurable and explore what it actually means to cede your marketing playbook to a creator economy that doesn't need your permission.

Control Is Overrated, Anyway

Key Takeaways

Creators are the new CMOs. Brands don't cascade strategy; creators build their own.

Amazon reviews are still currency. Early investment in social proof compounds over the years.

Sampling is a long game. Expect results two to three months out, not just the week of Black Friday.

TikTok Live provides free focus groups. Real-time customer feedback can greenlight a new product line and unlock new growth opportunities.

You can't dashboard everything. The brands with staying power are building habits, not just conversions.

"The creators are our mini CMOs. They build their own marketing plans, their own talking points, their own strategies to sell our products." — Jonathan Cohen [00:22:08]

"We have cut checks for tens of thousands of dollars to creators we've never spoken to before." — Jonathan Cohen [00:22:07]

"If you brush your teeth, you're an Aquasonic potential customer." — Jonathan Cohen [00:45:28]

"You're building habits. And there's no better investment in brand than that — because those habits stick with them a lot longer than the ad dollar you spent to get them there." — Phillip Jackson [00:47:50]

Associated Links:

Check out Future Commerce on YouTube

Check out Future Commerce Plus for exclusive content and save on merch and print

Subscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce world

Listen to our other episodes of Future Commerce

Have any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners!

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

...more

More shows like Future Commerce

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch by Harry Stebbings

The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch

539 Listeners

The Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project

2,685 Listeners

Shopify Masters by Shopify

Shopify Masters

381 Listeners

The a16z Show by Andreessen Horowitz

The a16z Show

1,106 Listeners

How I Built This with Guy Raz by Guy Raz | Wondery

How I Built This with Guy Raz

30,210 Listeners

Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

Y Combinator Startup Podcast

233 Listeners

Morning Brew Daily by Morning Brew

Morning Brew Daily

3,046 Listeners

Uncensored CMO by Jon Evans

Uncensored CMO

47 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

10,244 Listeners

Dwarkesh Podcast by Dwarkesh Patel

Dwarkesh Podcast

550 Listeners

The Artificial Intelligence Show by Paul Roetzer and Mike Kaput

The Artificial Intelligence Show

216 Listeners

ACQ2 by Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal

ACQ2 by Acquired

301 Listeners

No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups by Conviction

No Priors: Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Startups

140 Listeners

OPERATORS by OPERATORS

OPERATORS

50 Listeners

Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

Prof G Markets

1,480 Listeners