Family First

Julian has some of the most diverse career experiences you might find from a marketer including starting in sports with a 7 year run at the Toronto Blue Jays.  This was followed by time running sponsorships at Weston Foods out of Canada that included his leadership as a sponsor of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.  He then spent an accomplished 10 year career at Kraft Heinz including stints running shopper teams, consumer engagement, and as the portfolio lead on sports & entertainment partnerships, negotiations, and retail activations including the NHL, MLS, Stephen Curry, WWE, USA Hockey, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, among others.  Julian spent 2 years as Managing Director of Geometry Global in Toronto. He also started his own marketing company, Franklin Management, and served as President for over 3 years, prior to taking on his current role as VP of Partnership Development & Strategy for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.  Julian somehow finds time to be a family man who takes great pride in his kids and family.    

Matt has led marketing and managed brands including Whirlpool, Slim Jim during his time at ConAgra Foods, Bel Group, and is currently the Director of Marketing at Plum Organics, recently acquired by Sun-Maid.  In this episode Matt talks about the unique challenges for marketing to new Moms, what it means to be a "digital-first" brand, and how Plum positions itself as a trusted resource that supports parents mental health journey. 

Tiffany's infectious spirit has attracted the attention of media such as Dr. Oz, Fox Business, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and most recently the Today Show. She was even touted in The Huffington Post as a modern day Mary Poppins. Tiffany cruised from nanny to inventor to entrepreneur on a wave of uncanny creativity, cunning business strategies, and substantive causes that tugged at her giving heart.  A respected inventor, iHeartRadio host, motivational speaker, successful entrepreneur, and mother of four, Tiffany now leads all of her ventures with a daily intention that business success and personal fulfillment are not mutually exclusive.

Katherine is the founder and CEO of The Mom Complex, where she helps some of the largest companies in the world, such as Walmart, Johnson and Johnson, Pinterest and Chobani develop better products and services for mothers.  She is also author of the popular book, Slay Like A Mother, which Parade Magazine named one of the top 10 life-changing self-help books of the year.

Jenna has spent the better part of the last decade working in FMCG marketing with some of the country's most well-known brands including Lysol, Coca-Cola, Honest Tea & Resolve.  She is currently the category manager for the Airwick Equity team at Reckitt Benckiser.  In this episode, Jenna talks about how some of the brands she leads think about advertising to parents including the value of using simplicity to craft marketing messages while prioritizing the link to emotional benefits by being a purpose-led brand. 

In this episode, Miguel shares his thoughts on the unique challenges that come with marketing to parents.  Miguel offers several examples from his time leading Butterfinger, and now Kinder Joy, including examples for how they leverage partnerships across sports, movies, gaming, and the value of influencer marketing to amplify brand fandom.  Miguel also talks about how to approach reaching the new family environment reaching beyond Mom & Dad, while also staying grounded in research and insights from a core group of their primary consumers using a panel they call the Kinder Community of Moms.  He also shares what they prioritize when it comes to measuring specific brand campaigns.  

Lesa Ukman is widely regarded as the Godmother of Sponsorship. In this episode, Lesa shares her work as a pioneer in measuring the fair market value of sports, arts, entertainment and nonprofit sponsorships. Lesa offers several illustrative examples of best in class sponsorships and highlights why primary research should be the starting point. 

"MK" Woltz shares her thoughts on the rise of retail media networks including the value for the data and insights these channels offer.  MK talks about how being a parent has influenced her perspective as a marketer and how having less time has made her more efficient at her job.  In our discussion, we also dive into new sponsorship opportunities for marketing to parents and kids, the value of licensing, how Danone approaches ESG, sponsorship ROI, and how to strike the right balance of digital and experiential partnerships.  

Welcome to Family First: The Wild World of Marketing to Parents. My name is Mark Giovino, CEO and founder at the Allionce Group. We'll be learning from some impressive marketers who will share their challenges, successes and advice for how they've approached marketing to parents.