The Marketing Optimist

The Chief Parent Officer and CMO at Bark are here to talk about safety in the digital world on #themarketingoptmimist. 

Titania Jordan is a renowned thought leader on digital parenting and has contributed pieces to the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, and Forbes. She published her first book, Parenting in a Tech World. Titania's stories are captivating, but it is not easy. She and her team work tirelessly to find new ways of keeping kids' information safe in this modern era where the internet has become so intertwined with our daily lives.

I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know Titania better and thankful that we've been given a platform in which our conversation can be had with anyone looking for guidance.

Resources:

• Parenting in a TECH WORLD
• CHILDHOOD 2.O
• Child Rescue Coalition

To Summarize: 

• If you’re looking for ways to keep your kids safe, please check out bark.us
• As more people around the world are interacting with your business, it is important to make sure you're thinking about things from a global perspective. You need language that resonates in other countries and partnerships across borders so that not only can different cultures gain interest but they will also feel like an equal partner. 
• A one-liner may be clever enough for some, but a well-thought-out headline can only do so much to stand out. It is no longer enough just to rely on creativity and wordplay alone - analyzing data also plays an important role as a marketer. 
• As the world becomes more connected by data, there is an increasing demand for companies to provide their customers with better experiences that are transparent and respectful. Target smartly through a privacy-compliant way in order to build up customer trust while providing a beautiful user experience.

The Marketing Optimist Podcast is BACK! This week’s guest has spent over a decade focused on making the mobile advertising industry a more creative, transparent, and more enjoyable place for partners of all shapes and sizes.

I am pleased to share with you, this incredible episode where Michael Brooks talks about how to succeed as an advertiser in today's ever-changing digital landscape. He discusses what it means when two brands truly become one; why transparency breeds creativity; and his predictions for future consumer behavior moving forward into the future.

 Episode Summary: 

• You need a variety of skill sets for modern marketing, as it's no longer enough just to have one set of knowledge or expertise, having both hard and soft skills will give you a competitive edge. 
• Get creative, there are many platforms out there, and it can be easy to get stuck with only one. But expanding your horizons is always great.
• The future is exciting between new partnerships, creativity, driving utility, and value for the end-user. This winning combination will result in a more positive outlook on today's world of business that can only lead to an awesome tomorrow!

Today's guest is Jai Ferrell, who is the assistant general manager and head of marketing for the busiest airport in the world, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).  Her responsibilities include oversight of the Airport’s commercial development division comprised of properties/airline affairs, concessions, parking, marketing & brand strategy, commercial real estate development and air service development.  As head of marketing, she leads global marketing & brand strategy and social media engagement for all public-facing programs at ATL. 

While her professional impact is global in reach, her passion is granular serving her community.  She lends her marketing expertise as a board member for the Andrew & Walter Young YMCA.  Her love for youth is vividly illustrated as she is a multiyear principal partner with M.D. Roberts Fine Arts & Magnet Middle School (Clayton County) and Langston Hughes High School (Fulton County).  Ferrell also serves as the marketing lead for ATL’s human trafficking initiative, bringing awareness to the millions of passengers that travel to and through ATL.

Ferrell’s award-winning career includes experience in entertainment and sports television and consumer products for WarnerMedia, CNN, Major League Baseball and Viacom Networks.  She has been acknowledged as Spelman College’s Distinguished Alumna of the Year (Atlanta Chapter / 2019); Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 under 40 class (2019); Atlanta Tribune Magazine’s Woman of Excellence (2019) and Airport Business Magazine’s 40 under 40 class (2017). Ms. Ferrell is a magna cum laude graduate of Spelman College (2005) and has a master’s degree in communication from Georgia State University (2008). She is an esteemed 2017 Lead Atlanta alumni; graduate of the KPMG Executive Women in Leadership program; member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; and a life member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

Connect with Jai on LinkedIn

Today's guest is Mario Faciane, who is the VP of Strategic Partnerships at FreeConferenceCall.com. One of the most recognized conferencing brands in the world. 

He began his digital marketing career in 1997 at AOL and spent over seventeen years there. For the past fifteen years, he has been leading marketing teams working with Fortune 200 companies and their agencies developing and delivering on marketing objectives.

Mario thank you for this amazing and refreshing conversation we had towards the end of 2020. 

Key Takeaways: 

• In building teams, it’s important to really understand your team on a personal & professional level. Expanding on this it can be their motivation, expectations,  and what drives them within the industry. 
• Just because we’re not in an office doesn’t mean we can’t have teamwork, motivate & give recognization. 
• The future is all about TALENT and now more than ever you have access to talent that may be outside of the 30-50mile radius of where the office is, due to the virtual culture. 

Connect with Mario on LinkedIn

Today's guest is Lisa Little. 

Lisa is part of the Search Center of Excellence for Goodway Group, responsible for driving excellence through establishing best practices, providing industry thought leadership, and navigating the complex search landscape. 

Lisa is also a proud winner of the 2020 Search Marketers of the Year Awards for Search Engine Land. 

Her background is in digital marketing with a heavy focus on paid search and e-commerce. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Lisa has held both in house and agency management positions delivering on her commitment to be a Search Sherpa for brands and her peers.

Key Takeaways: 

• The importance of learning & development. Learning isn’t one size fits all and can be fun! 
• Leaning in with a growth mindset, infused with agility, creativity, flexibility & accountability. 
• Search Engine Land is a wonderful resource for organic, paid, e-commerce content and much more. 
• When it comes to an experience for a customer, convenience and experience are everything. 

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

Our next guest is Lauren Nickl.

Lauren is a PR and marketing professional with ample experience working with B2B and B2C brands, including household names like New Balance and JetBlue. She's currently the Marketing Communications Manager at Quick Base, a low code application development platform, where she leads up the brand's PR and social strategy and efforts. Prior to Quick Base, Lauren worked with consumer and B2B brands at various agencies, including MullenLowe, a global ad agency. Lauren is a California native and lives in Boston.

Episode Summary: 

• Work with people that you know will be true partners. 
• The future belongs to the generalist, be agile, adaptable, things change and there is disruption happening all around us.
• It all comes down to the people, when it comes to partners, are they true partners and looking to solve a problem that you have, and are they going to push and challenge you. 
• Have the courage to try something and know that it may fail and that’s ok. 
• Don’t be afraid to reach out and hear what folks have to say. 

Connect with Lauren on Linkedin

Bill Connolly is the director of content and community for Monotype, which provides design assets, technology, and expertise to global brands. He has a decade of experience in digital marketing, serving in various roles across the agency and B2B landscape.

In addition, Connolly is the author of three books on success pathing and creative thinking, and an improvisational comedian who has launched live productions in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. Learn more at his website, TheBillConnolly.com.

Episode Summary: 

• Empathize with your customer, understand their needs. 
• Great marketers truly understand people.
• Customers expect more from brands now more than ever before. 
• Take a collective approach, partnerships are vital.
• Be active on LinkedIn.

Bill Connolly on LinkedIn

In this episode, you'll from Beau Ordemann.

Beau is the Head of Advanced TV Sales and Strategy at Verizon Media.  His focus is on helping marketers capitalize on increasing programmatic efficiencies available to Connected TV and Household Addressable Linear. 

He also serves as an Advisor for U of Digital.  Beau has had proven success growing and leading digital and programmatic sales teams dating back to 2013 across Advertising.com, AOL, Oath, and Verizon Media.  He has a degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and began his adtech career 15 years ago in operations at Advertising.com and Product at Millennial Media.  Beau is a New Orleans native and lives in Baltimore MD. 

Episode Summary: 

• Change is going to push the industry forward. 
• Be proactive and reach out to others across different teams in your organization for key learnings. 
• Change can be tough but commit to learning, there is no better time than the present. 
• Figure out how to drive value for others, be committed to serving others. 

Connect with Beau on LinkedIn

Shiv Gupta is the founder of U of Digital and brings a mission to make digital marketing a better industry through credible, digestible and applicable education.

Prior to founding the U of Digital, Shiv was a marketing executive with extensive experience in technology-driven advertising and sales leadership.

Episode Summary: 

• To be a success in the future as a marketer but really as an individual, adaptable and flexibility are the biggest characteristics needed, which is categorized more as a talent.
• Surround yourself with smart people, be empowered by that, not self-conscious by it.
• Being self-aware & being positive will carry you forward now more than ever. 

Learn more about U of Digital.
Shiv on LinkedIn.

Tom Aronson is an experienced digital marketing leader with a demonstrated history of building teams to deliver valuable consumer-centric marketing programs across the Walt Disney Co. 

In Tom’s 13+ years at Disney Parks, Tom has worked across digital media, strategy, and now is hyper-focused on the amazing world of content, digital media activation, experiences, and consumer products. 

Episode Summary:
- Consumers are humans, who feel & have emotions.
- Bring solutions that are holistic in nature.
- Having a team mentality is essential.
- To succeed you need to lead with empathy.

Keep in touch with Tom on Linkedin