So This Is My Why

Ep 150.2: I committed career suicide?! | Jonathan Mildenhall (ex-CMO, Airbnb & ex-SVP, Coca-Cola)


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Jonathan Mildenhall is the former Managing Director of TBWA, SVP of the Coca-Cola Company, first CMO at Airbnb and Independent Board Member at Peloton Interactive, Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and current Chief Marketing Officer at Rocket Companies.

And we are back this week with Part 2 of our interview with Jonathan.

Last week, we dove deep into his childhood growing up & how everything was stacked against him: he was the only black person in his family and community, was working class and grew up in a housing estate, attended a polytechnic, experienced blatant racism and physical abuse and also had zero connections in advertising

The very industry that he rose to the very top in.

In Part 2, we delve deep into his career. 

What it means to join Coca-Cola when it was creatively bankrupt, the stories behind some of his biggest and most successful advertising campaigns including have two ads being featured at the same Superbowl, why he gave it all up for a then unknown startup called Airbnb, what it takes to ‘make it’ in his team and so much more.

And in case you didn’t know, this interview is also available on Youtube. Check it out via the links below.

Now are you ready?

Let’s go!

Highlights:

  • 2:17 Coca-Cola was creatively bankrupt?!
  • 7:31 Being Coca-Cola's poster child for diversity - 2014 Super Bowl [America the Beautiful]
  • 15:35 The only CMO to have 2 Super Bowl ads play at the same time
  • 16:14 How Brian Chesky convinced Jonathan to commit career suicide
  • 22:10 Building an Olympic marketing team
  • 26:08 Why 25% of people don't make it in Jonathan's team
  • 27:17 Who is Jonathan Mildenhall the leader?
  • 29:25 Launching his own company
  • 37:12 A Colourful View from the Top
  • 41:52 Advice to any aspiring CMO before they take the seat?
  • 44:20 Brand marketing or customer marketing?


🙊 Want to support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day? https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/

📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/150 

🍿 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cumagnVOlRQ&t=1s&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ 

💌 Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes): https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/profile

✍🏻 Leave a review on STIMY: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/so-this-is-my-why/id1521191442

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So This Is My WhyBy Ling Yah

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