Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind

In today’s episode of the Soul & Science Podcast, we’re talking to Mark Pollard, brand strategist, CEO of Sweathead, host of the Sweathead Podcast and author of the book Strategy is Your Words. For the past 20 years, Mark has worked with global brands such as The Economist, Meta, and The Wall Street Journal to solve complex marketing challenges and build winning strategies. Throughout his career, he has blended non-traditional ideas, creativity, and analytical data that prove that sometimes it’s best to break the mold. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why leveraging low-budget content and experimental ideas can be a winning part of your social media approach
• Which types of nontraditional data and insights can better inform your strategy
• How a diverse career path and experience help build a better skill set to solve complex and novel marketing challenges

Brought to you by Mekanism. 

Is it time to update your company values? In today’s mini episode, we dive into why values matter and we’ll share the six new guiding principles at Mekanism. From embracing bold creativity to fostering teamwork and innovation, these values will help us redefine our company’s future.

Brought to you by Mekanism.

In this episode of the Soul & Science Podcast, we explore balancing business results and creative innovation in global brand building with the Global Chief Marketing Officer, GM Direct Commerce at Fortune Brands Innovations, Mark-Hans Richer. With over 30 years of experience, Mark-Hans has built groundbreaking campaigns with companies such as Moen, Masterlock, Harley Davidson, and GMC. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why embracing a start-up mindset is so important to keep your brand fresh
• How to defend out-of-the-box ideas from pushback
• Why changing your strategy isn’t always the best course of action

Brought to you by Mekanism.

In this episode of the Soul & Science Podcast, the founder of JUV Consulting, Ziad Ahmed joins us to teach us how to truly connect with your Gen Z audience. You’re going to learn how to crack the code to speak to this dynamic and elusive audience. 

25-year-old Ziad has been making serious waves in the brand world as the Head of Next Gen at United Talent Agency or UTA. After founding JUV Consulting as a high school student, Ziad has been pushing the boundaries of content, community, and culture and also finding new intersections of the three with his Gen Z-focused conference ZCON.

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• How to not just join cultural conversations, but to lead and shape them
• What it takes to future-proof your brand and foster communities that resonate with Gen Z values
• A few of Ziad's best strategies to help you rethink how you engage with Gen Z and refine the language you use to communicate with them

Brought to you by Mekanism.

Have you ever wondered if Chief Marketing Officers have what it takes to lead as CEOs? In this mini episode, we uncover four powerful reasons why CMOs might be the secret weapon for business growth and customer-centric leadership. Tune in to challenge the traditional executive hierarchy and discover new possibilities!

Brought to you by Mekanism.

Beyond his role as the over-the-top showman and host of Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, George Shea is a seasoned marketing professional with three decades of experience. Together with his brother, Richard, he has elevated the Nathan's Famous hot dog-eating contest into a major brand promotion recognized around the world. Beyond Nathan's, George and company run Major League Eating and also Shea communications doing work in the commercial real estate industry. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• What it takes to create and promote a niche sport like competitive eating
• Why having multiple irons in the fire helps fuel productivity and creativity
• Why controversy is so effective for generating earned media

Brought to you by Mekanism.

Have you been watching the olympics? We certainly have been here at the Mekanism offices, and it’s inspired us to revisit this amazing conversation with New Balance CMO Chris Davis. 

New Balance is not only “the shoe brand of choice for film stars, athletes and supermodels,” according to Urban Journal, it’s the brand for “the biggest, hype-inducing names on the street right now.” As CMO of the hotly resurgent brand, which was born in 1906, Chris Davis applies a risk/innovation model which puts 50% of the marketing budget into proven, demand-creation tactics, 30% into calculated risks (NFTs, for example) and 20% into purely experimental vehicles that may fail spectacularly or succeed later. Davis, who is also SVP Global Merchandising, says the only unacceptable risk is one that comprimes brand values. He tells us how to transform a 116-year-old product company into a world-class brand.

Brought to you by Mekanism. 

Today on the Soul & Science podcast, we’re sitting down with Jacqueline Welch, Chief Human Resource Officer at the New York Times to get the inside scoop on what you as an employer can do to make a strong and effective team. In her role at the Times, she leads the organization's human resources team and oversees all aspects of talent acquisition, career development, organizational development, equitable compensation practices, performance enablement and diversity, equity and inclusion. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• How to build a strong team with a solid mission that moves everyone toward a common goal
• How to operate from a place where both internal and external branding overlap
• The crucial nature of an engaged Human Resources during times of crisis

Brought to you by Mekanism. 

In this episode of the Soul & Science podcast, Carlos Santiago Co-Founder at The Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing or AIMM is joining us to explore how we as marketers can better celebrate diversity and inclusion with a multicultural audience. 

Carlos has been working and developing this space for over 18 years as a leading researcher and market strategist with a heavy focus on growth roadmaps and econometric models to better address the challenges that come with multicultural marketing. He has experience working with brands such as AT&T, AARP, Target, and so many more. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• How we can help our brands actively listen to and engage with various cultures in an authentic way
• Using the same marketing language for everyone doesn’t help and might even harm your marketing efforts
• The majority of people want diverse and inclusive campaigns, and any backlash is coming from a small minority

Brought to you by Mekanism.