Question Everything

Jordan Howell's tips on strengthening your brand and facing cultural headwinds.

You can always count on a sweet meetup when Splenda's Sr. Director of Marketing Jordan Howell is in the building. Known for his strong data skills, Jordan is trailblazing a new era of social for Splenda after epic stints as Global Marketing Director for brands like Glade and Ziploc at SC Johnson. Plus, his confidence navigating consumer pushback has led him to notable marketing wins across four continents.

Must-hear moments for this episode include: How to turn cultural headwinds into tailwinds, why data should be the backbone of any brief, and how his team reacted to Nicholas Spark's viral chicken salad recipe. Yes, it contains 16 packets of Splenda.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The challenges of being well-known for one product despite a full portfolio

• Why chemistry is critical in every client agency relationship

• Why data serves as a strong foundation for any brief

• How Jordan's global experience shaped his marketing POV

• How Splenda is navigating the "Make America Healthy Again" movement

• How brands can leverage viral social media mentions

• How Splenda built trust within the diabetic population

• The most iconic campaigns Jordan led at SC Johnson and Crayola

Resources:

• Learn more about Splenda on their website

• See Nicholas Spark's viral chicken salad recipe

• Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn

Christine Olivas has changed the way many agencies think about strategy. Since 2021, her business No Single Individual emphasizes that strategy is no small deal, providing a team of strategists to "team-lance" for agencies and their client projects. She and her team have worked with dozens of agencies – racking up experience working with hundreds of clients.

Must-hear moments from this episode include: why CMO-agency teamwork is essential for a good brief, what goes into an effective strategy presentation, and how to turn your agency ownership dreams into reality.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why improv is the secret ingredient for an effective brief

• Why the presentation is just as important as the brief

• When it's appropriate to break the template

• When to sprint and when to walk for a strategic process

• What defines "good strategy"

• Advice for aspiring women agency owners

• How an American Idol audition made Christine a better leader

Resources:

• Learn more about No Single Individual on their website

• Connect with Christine on LinkedIn

Curiosity owners share their learnings, friendship, and journey after six years of leading an independent creative agency.

Question Everything host Ashley Walters sits down with fellow owners President Trey Harness and Chief Creative Officer Jeff Warman. Besides being long-time partners, they're also long-time friends – and in this episode – they share the most defining moments from their six years of ownership. Plus, they give a sneak peek at what we're cooking up for 2025.

Must-hear moments from this episode include: feedback that changed the trajectory of their careers, why Curiosity views special creative as "Art in Overalls," and what Curiosity is bringing to the table in 2025 – including a brand new office space.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The incredible Curiosity origin story

• Impactful feedback that will propel anyone forward in their career

• Why Curiosity decided to buy and design a new office space

• The most meaningful ways all three have leaned in as owners

• What the Shelf Theory is and where Curiosity sits

• Jeff's creative philosophy: Art in Overalls

• Moments where Curiosity's culture went above and beyond

• What the industry can expect from Curiosity in 2025

Resources:

• See more of what Curiosity is about on our website

• Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn

• Connect with Trey on LinkedIn

• Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn

Dan Jeffries shares how agency and client relationships can get off track and how to get the chemistry back.

Dan Jeffries is a seasoned consultant who has worked with some of the most recognizable brands in the world, including Samsung, PetSmart, Capital One, Sonic, and AutoZone. His consulting firm doesn't stop at matching CMOs with agencies, he offers a comprehensive agency management program to maintain top-notch performance throughout the client-agency relationship.

Must-hear moments from this episode include: How CMOs can repair broken client-agency relationships, why the pitch will never fully be ditched, and how to end a client-agency relationship with grace.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How CMOs can repair a broken client-agency relationship

• The number one reason why clients and agencies butt heads

• Why agencies should never rewrite their own brief

• The difference between agency compensation models

• Dan's POV on the ditch the pitch movement

• How clients can be better clients

• How an agency can end a client relationship with grace

Resources:

• Learn more about Dan and Jeffries Consulting on his website

• Connect with Dan on LinkedIn

Doug Zanger unpacks why the industry is in its indie agency era and the power of asking great questions.

Doug Zanger, or Uncle Advertising, as he likes to call himself, is the founder of Indie Agency News: A global platform for independent agencies to connect, collaborate, and promote their best work. Before founding Indie Agency News, Zanger was a student of the industry, cutting his teeth at Adweek, The Martin Agency, Nike, and more – helping him develop the underrated skill of asking better questions to uncover better insights.

Must-hear moments from this episode include: why CMOs should pay attention to independent agencies, stumping Oprah with a killer question, and some of the best ads from indies in 2024.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why the best creative work is coming from independent agencies

• The power of asking great questions

• The power of a light-up question

• How to embody a top CMO's voice

• The Indie Agency News sister agency program

• What the next generation can teach the industry about marketing

• Some of the best independent agency campaigns from 2024

• What goes into the perfect VO read

Resources:

• Indie Agency News site

• Indie Agency News Top 40 list

• Alzheimer's Research UK "Change The Ending"

• Dude Wipes "Drop Your Drawers"

• Manscaped "The Boys"

Christine Guilfoyle reveals the power of the SHEconomy and how brands can be a force for growth, good, and girls.

President of SeeHer Christine Guilfoyle believes if you see her, you can be her. But how do you convince CMOs that the accurate representation of women in marketing and media isn't just a moral decision, but a savvy business decision? By creating SeeHer's Gender Equality Measure (GEM) tool: the first data-driven methodology for identifying gender bias in media to deliver insights that grow businesses and help push the industry forward.

Must-hear moments from this episode include how CMOs can tap into the SHEconomy, how brands can be a force for growth and good, and why your brand's next big move should be supporting women in sports.

What you will learn in this episode:

• The SHEconomy and how marketers are tapping into it

• Why Marc Pritchard says "Brands must be a force for growth and a force for good."

• The power of GEM, how SeeHer measures it, and what CMOs can learn

• Behind-the-scenes of the SeeHer Award at the Critics Choice Awards

• The Taylor Swift effect on the NFL

• How women sports has grown in popularity

• The brands doing the best job representing women accurately

Resources:

• Read our top 5 takeaways from this episode here

• Learn more about SeeHer

• Connect with Christine on LinkedIn

• See Curiosity's work for SeeHer on Instagram

• P&G "Train like an olympian smell like you didn't"

• Dove "Real women redefine beauty"

Lisa Martinelli discusses retail marketing strategies and how to build brand loyalty. Listen to this podcast with Lisa.

Stop & Shop's Vice President of marketing Lisa Martinelli gives advice on how CMOs can strengthen their brand. Lisa's experience supporting marketing operations for CVS and Stop & Shop makes her very well-versed in marketing strategies for major retailers. Retail marketing is less common than marketing for a consumer good or service, however, there are many strategic parallels.

Must-hear moments from this episode include the two secrets to big marketing moves, why tension is the strategic ingredient to writing a good brief, and why you need to live your brand purpose. This podcast is a mini masterclass on brand building.

What you will learn in this episode with Lisa:

• Brands that are bold and first to market make it

• Why it's important to be purpose-led

• How a brand can get on a major grocer's shelf

• How innovative technology can improve customer experience

• What a review is like from a CMO's perspective

• Why one of the most important audiences for a brand is its employees

• What brand loyalty looks like and how to build it

• The impact of a viral TikTok on a business

• How to live your brand purpose

• How a CMO evaluates strategy

• The benefits of an in-house content studio

Resources:

• Watch the viral Stop & Shop TikTok

• Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

• Learn more about Stop and Shop

Simone and Rachel discuss best practices for agencies to gain new business. Listen to this podcast with Simone and Rachel.

NBZ Co-founders Simone Mandel and Rachel Segall compare agency matchmaking to setting a friend up on a blind date. They tell us about their process with brands looking to work with agencies that will approach their brief with modern solutions. These two are working with the unusual suspects to secure long-term relationships with clients.

Simone brings 18 years of experience driving new business for agencies Ogilvy, VMLYR, and Futurebrand. Rachel is a master brand builder – helping launch iconic brands like Seedlip AND leading global accounts for Colgate, Intel, and General Mills in her 15-year career. Safe to say they know a thing or two about the industry. In today's episode, they drop some knowledge on effective agency branding, how to build a pipeline without cold calling, and how to win with CMOs who choose project-based work.

What you will learn in this episode with Simone Mandel & Rachel Segall:

• How agency branding can fill your pipeline

• Why showing up as yourself is vital for a successful pitch

• How to activate your network

• What happens in the exclusive NBZ Slack Channel

• How modern technology is changing the BD space

• How to have an engaging meeting in the shortest amount of time

• How an agency can find its superpower

• Why there are fewer AOR gigs and more project-based work in the industry

Resources:

• Read our top 5 takeaways from this episode here

• Learn more about NBZ by visiting their website

• Connect with Simone Mandel on Linkedin

• Connect with Rachel Segall on Linkedin

• Checkout Waldo a new AI tool that is helping BD

Pete Carter shares his top P&G marketing campaigns and what catches a CMO's attention. Listen to this podcast with Pete Carter.

If you have pitch fatigue, you're not alone. This week, we're sitting down with one of the original "ditch the pitch" advocates, Pete Carter of Creative Haystack. With an impressive 41-year tenure at P&G, Pete knows all about memorable marketing campaigns and what really catches the attention of a CMO.

For over four decades, Pete had a role in creating some of the most iconic campaigns of all time and reshaped how P&G thinks about its relationships with agencies. Today, we talk about gems like the heart-warming Pampers "Peace on Earth" spot and the Pantene "Strong is Beautiful" anthem that made the Top 3 best Super Bowl ads...without even airing nationally.

After we unpack P&G's best moments, Pete shares his battle-tested wisdom for CMOs and marketers. He emphasizes nailing your brand positioning before anything else, the importance of finding agency partners who are a culture fit, and why he believes agencies need to "ditch the pitch" — which is easier said than done.

Pete Carter gives great advice for agencies and CMOs on how to work better together to create impactful campaigns with staying power—from perfecting selling lines to bringing impressive case studies to brands that really show them what you're capable of.

What you will learn in this episode with Pete Carter:

• How to last more than 18 months as a CMO

• How P&G accidentally earned Super Bowl coverage

• The best work P&G has ever created, according to Pete Carter

• Why agencies and brands should consider ditching the pitch

• The best and worst elevator pitches Pete has seen

• Why CMOs should consider implementing a fixed and flow process

• How to write a selling line that sticks with people for years

Resources:

• Read our top 5 takeaways from this episode here

• Learn more about Pete Carter by visiting his website

• Email: [email protected]

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-carter-9509404/

• Watch the Tide Talking Stain Super Bowl ad

• Watch the Pantene Super Bowl ad

• Watch the Pampers Peace on Earth Commercial

• Read this interview with Pete Carter on advertising FMCGs

Author and Founder of Daily Creative Todd Henry, shares inspiration for marketing leaders and creative leadership.

You'll get inspiration, insights, and more from our conversation with Todd Henry the "arms dealer for the creative revolution." Arms dealer for the creative revolution is a fitting title for Todd as he spent two decades researching the best practices talented people can undergo to get the most out of themselves. Lucky for us, we got a sliver of his extensive knowledge in this episode. You can find more of what he has to say on his podcast, the Daily Creative, or in the many books he has written.

In this episode, Todd shares his how-to's for several topics ranging from courageous leadership to curing imposter syndrome. Our conversation gives you the tools needed to navigate different conflicts in your career. You'll take away important lessons like why it is better to lead by influence, not control, and how morning routines disrupt the status quo. Tune in.

What you will learn in this episode is about capturing the attention of big brands as a small agency from Mercer Island Group:

• Why the future and the present belong to the curious

• The danger of wanting to always be liked vs being effective as a leader

• Why a lack of conflict is often a sign of a tremendous lack of health in an organization

• Why leading by fear is not sustainable in the long term

• How to lead teams by influence, not control

• The difference between self-awareness and imposter syndrome

• The key to overcoming imposter syndrome

• The two things talented people need from their leaders to avoid creative burnout

• Why managing teams and agencies through bounded autonomy sets you up for success

• How morning routines disrupt the status quo and carve out space for your life

• Todd's journey from country singer to the creative leader he is today

Resources:

• Find Todd's newest book on what it takes to be an exceptional leader, The Brave Habit here

• Read Herding Tigers for more tips that'll help those leading creatives

• Creatives can learn how to avoid burnout in Todd's Accidental Creative book

• Listen to more of Todd's thoughts on the Daily Creative podcast on Spotify

• A More Beautiful Question by Warren Burger

• Visit toddhenry.com to see more of his books and podcast

Connect with Todd on LinkedIn