How Liquid Death founder, Mike Cessario, created a billion dollar water brand
Today I'm joined by Mike Cessario, the founder and CEO of Liquid Death, a water brand worth $1.4b. With the use of creative brand marketing and punk aesthetic, Mike was able to break into the biggest beverage category in the US and disrupt market dominated by huge brands such as Coke and Pepsi. This is a truly inspirational story on how you can defy the odds, break convention, disrupt a category and do it all on a shoestring budget. If you're a challenger brand, this is a must listen.Timestamps00:00:00 - Intro00:01:10 - Mike’s background00:06:24 - Mike’s brandy startup00:10:33 - Navigating regulation00:12:46 - The benefits of being an outsider distrupting an industry00:14:57 - Coming up with the idea for Liquid Death00:19:30 - How to create an innovative brand00:23:48 - Selling the Liquid Death concept00:27:08 - Raising money for Liquid Death00:29:50 - Launching on Amazon00:30:52 - Generating demand in the early days00:31:46 - Figuring out distribution networks for the drinks industry00:35:45 - Why limited budgets helped Liquid Death grow00:44:11 - Why D2C was pivotal for Liquid Death00:46:12 - Liquid Death’s unique Super Bowl campaign00:49:54 - The power of the Liquid Death merch00:53:00 - Innovation for the future of Liquid Death00:54:15 - Scaling and exit00:56:02 - Having famous investors00:57:29 - Maintaining the challenger spirit01:01:58 - Mike’s advice to aspiring founders
13 Mar 20241h 4min
Creativity driven performance, CPG lessons for SaaS and the power of distinctive assets - Michelle Taite, Mailchimp
As Chief Marketing Officer, Michelle Taite leads Intuit Mailchimp’s Marketing teams and is responsible for the business’ end-to-end brand, acquisition, performance, product, and lifecycle marketing activities globally in addition to Mailchimp's in-house creative agency Wink. Joining just after Mailchimp's $12b acquisition, Michelle had the task of integrating their marketing into the wider Intuit team.Intro00:00 - Intro00:48 - Starting out desigining sneakers02:39 - From New Balance to Unilever04:13 - Doing purpose work for Dove05:15 - Michelle’s favourite work at Unilever06:27 - From CPG to SaaS09:29 - What is Mailchimp and why is it successful11:06 - Staying close to the customer13:26 - How to market to marketers14:54 - Email is not dead16:15 - Integrating an acquired company20:40 - Performance vs brand marketing25:16 - How AI will enhance creativity29:20 - Mailchimp's distinctive assets33:21 - How marketing influences the product35:56 - How to market to marketers38:35 - Obsessing about the 95% not in market40:45 - Top CMO advice from Michelle
6 Mar 202444min
Amazon’s Chief Creative Officer on the power of emotional advertising, distinctive brand assets and delivering at speed
Jo Shoesmith is the Global Chief Creative Officer at Amazon. She leads lead brand creative, design, production, social, and brand identity functions, as well as agency partnerships, in the largest fixed marketing portfolio investment at Amazon. 00:00 - Intro01:04 - From rural Australia to Los Angeles01:58 - From agency to client side04:44 - That famous Jeff Bezos marketing quote05:50 - What does the Chief Creative Officer at Amazon do07:41 - Creating emotional, brand building advertising09:22 - Using the brand distintive assets10:33 - Creating inclusive advertising13:05 - Advice for writing a really good brief14:43 - Tenets to inform great creative15:45 - Benefits of having in house creative (and working with agencies)17:42 - Managing global creative teams19:36 - What’s it like making a Super Bowl ad22:42 - Innovation within Amazon24:12 - Making things happen in a huge business25:13 - Simplifying complex creative ideas28:23 - Work Jo is most proud of31:39 - How Amazon are using AI33:44 - Advice to a young Jo
28 Feb 202437min
How a new brand character challenged Whisky conventions to help The Woodsman double market share
Today I'm speaking with Whyte and Mackay Marketing Director Janice McIntosh and Mr President (their agency) CCO Jon Gledstone about the launch of their new campaign for The Woodsman brand. The "Well Earned" campaign score a whopping 4.8 stars on the System1 test and saw the launch of a brand character, Barry the Beaver, in a move that defies convention in the traditional Whisky category. From internal battles to hurdles presented by the regulators, both Whyte and Mackay and Mr President had to overcome some barriers to bring this campaign to life.Timestamps00:00 - Intro01:01 - Inventing The Woodsman01:42 - Creating a brand dominated by big players04:00 - Standing out in a product dominated category05:46 - Balancing demand and supply06:31 - Availablity of the brand07:11 - Overcoming perception barriers09:15 - Coming up with the “Well Earned” positioning13:06 - How to sell in breaking convention16:00 - How the agency helped sell the idea18:29 - Creating a new character20:02 - Characters vs Celebrities21:07 - Using humour in a traditional category23:23 - Creating a physical barry the beaver24:18 - The importance of craft in the ad26:07 - Staying on the right side of regulations28:23 - A good client agency relationship30:09 - How important is testing and data to back up creative decisions31:53 - The importance of mental and physical availability33:32 - The results35:01 - What’s next for the brand?
21 Feb 202438min
Rising from the ashes: the inspirational story of overcoming tragedy with Bozoma Saint John (former Netflix CMO)
Bozoma Saint John is a Hall of Fame Inducted Marketing Executive, Entrepreneur and Author of her memoir, The Urgent Life. Her career has included roles as the Global CMO of Netflix, CMO of Endeavor, CBO of Uber, Head of Marketing of Apple Music & iTunes and Head of Music and Entertainment Marketing at PepsiCo.Follow BozInstagramLinkedInTwitter/XHer book - This Urgent LifeFollow JonJon's LinkedInJon's TwitterWatch the Uncensored CMO on YouTubeTimestamps00:00 - Start01:34 - Why Boz wrote such an emotional book05:02 - The reception to the book08:32 - Encountering Spike Lee13:32 - Making decisions based on intuition16:05 - Working for founder led brands20:36 - Leading marketing at large organisations23:55 - Managing the relationship with the CEO and CFO28:42 - Hire Boz, Get Boz - how to have confidence in yourself31:57 - Why you shouldn’t “play the game”33:06 - Dawn always comes; dealing with grief41:09 - Making the choice to change your life45:11 - From corporate jobs to entrepreneur48:24 - What’s next for Boz?
14 Feb 202454min
The secrets to Super Bowl success with Michelob ULTRA's Ricardo Marques
Today we’re diving deep into the high-stakes world of Super Bowl advertising with a very special guest—Ricardo Marques, the VP of Marketing for Michelob ULTRA. Ricardo, a veteran with 19 years at AB Inbev and the marketing maestro behind Michelob ULTRA's growth. He is here to share his playbook on how to score big during the most anticipated advertising event on American television.In this episode we get an exclusive look at how Michelob ULTRA prepares for the Super Bowl. Ricardo breaks down the importance of the Super Bowl as a platform, not just for audience reach but for creating conversations and excitement around the brand.But is Super Bowl advertising really worth the investment? Ricardo weighs in on the multifaceted approach to this question, assessing the creative, the conversion, and the long game of brand relevance. Key performance indicators, the intricate balance of novelty versus authenticity, and the seismic impact of this year's Super Bowl on Michelob ULTRA's growth trajectory are all on the table.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:55 - Why the Super Bowl is such a landmark event for advertisers03:07 - Ricardo’s background03:56 - The best advertisers in Super Bowl history05:05 - Michelob’s Super Bowl history06:03 - Launch before game day, or on the day?07:23 - Michelob’s Ad for 202410:04 - Is a Super Bowl ad worth $7m?11:09 - KPIs for a successful Super Bowl Ad11:48 - How involved are distributors in the process12:50 - The 2024 Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl Ad with Leo Messi16:14 - The briefing process for a Super Bowl ad17:25 - Brand positioning for a more premium beer18:39 - The core ingredients for a successful ad21:02 - The impact of celebrities in ads22:46 - Advice for people making their first big budget campaign27:26 - Selling in the campaign internally28:52 - Tying campaigns into global events31:25 - Using AI in activations33:57 - McEnroe vs McEnroe36:35 - Lap Against the Legends38:14 - Blind man commentating on NBA game41:45 - How has the brand performed from the campaigns42:38 - The secret to sustained success as a marketer47:29 - Who is Ricardo supporting for the Super Bowl?
7 Feb 202449min
The flamingo effect: how Very made their retail brand sparkle - Jessica Myers Very CMO
Today we're joined by Jessica Myers, CMO of The Very Group. Previously Jess was CMO at Metro Bank and has since made the transition to the highly competitive retail market. At Very, she has overseen the launch of a brand new fluent device; the pink flamingoes. The campaign featuring the new characters scored a whopping 5.7 stars on the System1 scoring platform, Test Your Ad, amongst the very best ads made this year.Timestamps00:00 - Intro00:52 - Jess’ background06:11 - Marketing academy fellowship07:13 - From big brand to challenger brand10:46 - The modern marketer11:57 - From finance to retail15:31 - Dealing with the challenges of joining a new business18:03 - Nailing positioning22:09 - Doing long term marketing in retail23:39 - Agency selection process for Very27:22 - Understanding your customer31:50 - The power of testing creative36:36 - The increasing standard of advertising38:28 - Creating a new fluent device - The Flamingoes43:20 - The future of the brand46:08 - Jess’ advice to aspiring marketers
31 Jan 202449min
Creating the Metaverse, lessons from Google Glass and the Whitehouse - Dave Kaufman, Meta
Dave Kaufman is responsible for the marketing for one of the biggest tech bets of all time; the Metaverse. As Director of Global Marketing for VR and the Metaverse for Meta (formerly Facebook), it's fair to say Dave has a pretty sizeable task on his hands. He's no stranger to large marketing bets, having been on the marketing team for Google Glass, which ultimately failed. But sandwiched in-between working for Google and Meta, Dave worked for Obama's Whitehouse for the United States Digital Service.In this episode we discuss if the US is behind the UK in terms of marketing thinkers, why marketing education is overlooked, why Google Glass failed and what the future holds in terms of the Metaverse.LinksDave's LinkedInDave's viral LinkedIn articleJon's LinkedInJon's TwitterWatch the Uncensored CMO on YouTubeTimestamps00:00 - Intro00:58 - Dave’s favourite episodes of Uncensored CMO01:50 - Elon vs Mark in a fight02:31 - US vs UK marketing03:57 - How to not be full of sh*t in marketing09:16 - Was Google Glass a failure?15:50 - Launching the Meta X Rayban Sunglasses20:28 - Explaining the metaverse24:02 - How to quantify the success of the metaverse26:29 - When will the metaverse become mainstream?30:58 - Making virtual reality more familiar32:28 - Does tech have a marketing problem?38:20 - Working for founders46:39 - Working at President Obama’s Whitehouse53:35 - Working with low budgets56:47 - Dave’s bets for 2024
24 Jan 202459min
