“Marketing's most fundamental role is understanding markets and consumers better than anyone else around. This past year has allowed us to pause and realign.” Engelina Jaspers has built her career around inflection points in periods of change. The author of the book Marketing Flexology, Engelina stopped by the On Brand podcast this week to share how we can all future proof both our marketing and our careers. Check it out!

About Engelina Jaspers

Over a rewarding 30-year corporate career, Engelina Jaspers experienced revolving-door CEOs, business course corrections, and lots of reinventions. Across all her VP leadership roles — marketing, brand strategy, environmental sustainability, corporate communications — none escaped disruption. After being tapped to lead multiple company-wide transformations, Engelina became a student and teacher of marketing and career agility.

These experiences led her to develop the MARKETING FLEXOLOGY Management Framework — a mindset and a toolset for future-proofing your career, your team, and your marketing platform. Engelina shares marketing agility know-how in her book Marketing Flexology, presentations, and workshops so you, too, can anticipate and prosper from unplanned change.

Episode Highlights

“A renaissance.” Engelina and I kicked off the conversation with a discussion on the challenges of this past year. “It’s really been a renaissance—a return to marketing fundamentals. This past year has made us pause and realign.”

The art and science of marketing. “People talk about the art and science of marketing all the time—I just Googled it yesterday.” As Engelina notes, this has led to an internal tug of war on brand vs. demand. “Forget that. Focus instead on insight and agility.”

Prioritizing your focus. Engelina noted that too many practice “me-dership” instead of leadership by focusing on their careers instead of their team, their people, and the customers and business. She advises marketers to think first about the business with a customer mindset. From there, look at what it means to your team and then, finally, consider you and your role. And consider the potential of saying “Yes” to the unexpected especially in your career.

What brand has made Engelina smile recently? Prior to the show, Engelina wondered if past guests had brought up her smile-inducing brand, Patagonia, before. While other guests have indeed mentioned Patagonia on the show through the years it’s because this brand is constantly innovating and finding new ways to walk the talk.

For example, this week Engelina shared that they’re no longer adding logos to their “power vests” (a staple of Wall Street and Silicon Valley wardrobes). The reason? They found it decreases the life of the vest as people move from job to job. And Patagonia is all about sustainability and making clothes that last and can be used longer.

To learn more, check out Engelina's Marketing Flexology website.

As We Wrap …

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

On Brand is sponsored by my book Brand Now. Discover the seven dynamics to help your brand stand out in our crowded, distracted world. Order now and get special digital extras. Learn more.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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