Icons in the Making is a podcast hosted by Lippincott’s Chief Marketing Officer, Heather Stern. In each episode, you’ll hear from the leaders and change agents at today’s most innovative, purpose-driven, and disruptive brands. Tune in every other week for honest and insightful conversations on the brands shaping our world and the people behind them.
Coloring outside the lines with e.l.f. Beauty's Kory Marchisotto
Brands are often taught to color within the lines—but that's never been Kory Marchisotto's MO. So, it was only fitting when she joined e.l.f. Beauty as CMO, a brand with a penchant for disruption and a renegade spirit to match. Five years into her role and she's blown past industry benchmarks, broken records across digital platforms, and brand awareness has doubled. Tune in to this e.l.f.ing fun and inspiring conversation to hear how Kory's drive to disrupt has guided her throughout her career, how e.l.f. has become a billion-dollar brand, and why more women need a seat at the table.
Note this episode was recorded in July 2024.
9/10/2024 • 49 minutes, 12 seconds
Cracking open a healthier tomorrow with OLIPOP's David Lester
Soda and its high-sugar content have long had a bad rap. But OLIPOP is shaking things up with its better-for-you sodas and fun, nostalgic branding. And consumers are taking note; the brand is set to hit $500 million in sales this year and was recently named one of Time's 100 most influential brands. Join us for this refreshingly honest conversation with David Lester, Co-Founder & President of OLIPOP as he shares the inspiration behind the brand, the importance of embracing failure throughout your career and how he leads by example.
7/24/2024 • 43 minutes, 7 seconds
Building a killer brand with Liquid Death's Andy Pearson
Liquid Death isn’t just in the business of beverages. It’s on a mission to get more people to drink healthier beverages while helping kill plastic pollution. Not to mention bring humor and wildly entertaining content into the world. In this episode, we sit down with Andy Pearson—writer, director, ultra-marathon runner and VP of Creative at Liquid Death. Under Andy’s creative direction, the brand has mastered the art of subversive marketing and attracted a cult-like following along the way. This wide-ranging conversation features stories behind the brand’s edgy and out-there marketing campaigns and the importance of finding meaning in your work.
6/25/2024 • 39 minutes, 51 seconds
Propelling business aviation to new heights with Bombardier's Ève Laurier
In the world of business aviation, the Bombardier customer experience exists on a higher plane. Loved by the most influential, the brand has redefined industry standards through relentless innovation, purposeful craft and a passion for precision. But at the heart of this Canadian icon are the people behind it, most notably, Ève Laurier, Vice President of Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs. In this episode, Ève discusses spearheading the brand’s recent transformation and gives us a peek inside the brand’s iconic jets.
5/14/2024 • 41 minutes, 43 seconds
Driving the game of golf forward with Topgolf's Geoff Cottrill
When it comes to golf, country club memberships and strict dress codes are par for the course. But Topgolf is on a mission to change that. As Chief Brand Officer, Geoff Cottrill is pushing the boundaries of marketing innovation and cultural strategy to make golf more accessible—and fun. In this episode, Geoff shares how Topgolf is reinventing the sport as well as lessons from his storied career at Converse, Coca-Cola and Starbucks.
4/23/2024 • 40 minutes, 3 seconds
Supercharging growth and cultural relevance with Crocs' Michelle Poole
Fortune favors the bold—especially when it comes to brands willing to take risks, embrace challenges and lean into culture. Take it from Michelle Poole; as the President of Crocs, she's led the polarizing brand to icon status with record-breaking sales in 2023, global expansion, and a spot on Time's 100 Most Influential Companies list. In this episode, we sit down with Michelle to talk her three decades of experience in brand building for global fashion and lifestyle companies, how she embraced the love-hate for Crocs to supercharge growth, and her approach to building teams that deliver in challenging times.
3/5/2024 • 43 minutes, 43 seconds
Designing the future of healthcare with CVS Health’s Michelle Peluso
Michelle Peluso likes a challenge. Throughout her cross-industry career, she’s steered some of the world’s best brands in banking, fashion and travel through successful digital transformations. Now, she’s taking on healthcare at CVS Health where she’s revolutionizing the end-to-end patient experience across all of the company's care delivery and customer service channels. In this episode, Michelle shares what most companies get wrong about customer-centricity, what she’s learned throughout her cross-industry career, how she stays on the cutting edge of technology and the core principles she lives by.
1/23/2024 • 43 minutes, 44 seconds
Live from SXSW Sydney with Zach Kitschke (Canva), Jo Boundy (Commonwealth Bank) and Brent Smart (Telstra)
When SXSW, arguably the world’s most iconic conference, expanded from North America for the first time with a new event in Sydney, it was the perfect opportunity to explore future trends and fundamental truths with the CMOs of the biggest brands in Australia. In this panel discussion, live from SXSW Sydney, we sit down with Zach Kitschke from Canva, Jo Boundy from Commonwealth, and Brent Smart from Telstra for a no-holds-barred conversation on what it takes to build an iconic brand.
11/29/2023 • 48 minutes, 28 seconds
Taking creative risks, the future of AI and staying humble with NotCo’s Fernando Machado
Fernando Machado has never been one for resting on his laurels. From brand guru at Unilever, to global CMO at Burger King, to CMO at Activision Blizzard, Fernando’s career has been built on the desire to never stop learning. Now, this brand genius is taking on his boldest role yet as CMO of NotCo, a Chilean-based startup that uses AI power technology to develop plant-based foods. In this episode, Fernando pulls back the curtain on his most celebrated creative campaigns, and shares why AI isn’t a threat, why more marketers should be the CEO and the importance of staying present.
9/28/2023 • 41 minutes, 33 seconds
Turning Barbie into a state of mind with Mattel’s Lisa McKnight
Barbie’s journey from iconic toy to cultural phenomenon has been a master class in marketing. But this branding triumph started well before there was Barbiecore and Kenergy—in fact, it has been a decade in the making. At the center is Lisa McKnight, Chief Brand Officer of Mattel and a 25-year veteran of the brand. In this episode, Lisa shares the genesis of Barbie’s transformation, how the movie came to be and how Barbie stays top of mind with 165 partnerships and counting.
8/8/2023 • 31 minutes, 52 seconds
Leading by design with Connie Birdsall
With a career that has spanned 35 years, travel to over 54 countries and iconic projects such as Starbucks, Delta and PBS, Global Creative Director Connie Birdsall has left an indelible mark on the design industry. As a leader, she built Lippincott's design practice to be what is it today: a powerhouse of creativity that touches all facets of brand expression, from digital and social media to video and voice. In this live-recorded conversation on the eve of her retirement, Connie reflects on what has and hasn’t changed in the industry and her lessons for the next generation of designers.
6/21/2023 • 32 minutes, 4 seconds
Live from SXSW: Is brand loyalty dead?
There are more brands across more categories than ever before, and a seemingly unlimited supply of reviews, recommendations, likes, aggregators, and now chatbots to help us choose. In a world of endless options, why be loyal when there’s so much to explore? In this panel discussion live from SXSW, Heather Stern unpacks this and more, alongside Ari Levin, Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships at Hyatt Hotels, Jonathan Clarkson, Vice President and Head of Marketing at Southwest Airlines, and Georgie Jeffreys, Director of Marketing for Uber Eats North America.
3/22/2023 • 51 minutes, 6 seconds
Being unapologetic with NYC Pride
Heritage of Pride, a nonprofit born from the events of the Stonewall Uprising, has cemented itself over the last 30+ years as the foremost LGBTQIA+ Pride organization. In this episode, we talk to NYC Pride Co-Chair André Thomas about the significance of this year’s theme ‘Unapologetically Us,’ their new inclusive brand identity, designed by Lippincott, and how brands can authentically show up in June—and beyond.