Authenticity is a rare trait in today’s business world, but as today’s guest tells it, being authentic is the only way to foster meaningful human connections – which are more valuable than all the money in the world combined! Tim Rea is the Chief Experience, Brand, and Marketing Officer for Edward Jones – a financial services firm with over 15,000 offices and more than 19,000 investment advisors all geared toward serving local communities throughout America – and he joins us today to walk us through the incredible work being done at his company.

Our guest today is Jen Wilson, and she’s the Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing for Lowe’s. The major update from the home improvement retailer revolves around the recent revitalization of the My Lowe’s Loyalty Program. This relaunch features enticing spending rewards and innovative methods to capture consumer preferences even before any purchases are made. Join the conversation as we dive into how they’re thinking about differentiation, how they’re measuring the performance of their loyalty program, the importance of a customer data platform, and Jen unpacks Lowe’s philosophy on ‘local.’

Stretching, as a service, is a growing industry and Stretch Zone is the original brand! Today we are joined by the Vice President of Marketing for Stretch Zone, Lindsey McFadden, who is here to speak about how technology and specifically, SOCi has helped her company scale at its intended rate. We learn about the origins of Stretch Zone, what the company does, how it pioneered professional stretching as a service, and everything that happens in its marketing universe.

Most people aren’t exactly eager to think about investing in products like life insurance, especially since it can bring up uncomfortable feelings about the future. This presents some pretty unique marketing challenges for companies that sell these types of products. So what can you do to connect with audiences and help them realize that getting life insurance is not as difficult or intimidating as it may seem? Joining us today to explore this topic is Keith Clark, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Mutual of Omaha, a leading insurance and financial services company based in Omaha, Nebraska.

A well-loved National brand was recently mentioned by one of the most famous Hollywood actresses on Saturday Night Live. How does this kind of brand placement happen? Did Hooters know about the feature before it went live? Bruce Skala is the Chief Marketing Officer for Hooters, and he joins us today to tell the story behind the skit.

How do you put your most important, valuable asset in front of folks where it’s going to matter? During this episode, Chief Marketing Officer for Tractor Supply Company, Kimberley Gardiner joins us to tell her story. She shares her unique journey of working for major automotive brands, and how she is training Tractor Supply Company employees to create authentic content that connects with their customers in ways that traditional advertising just can’t.

What does B2B marketing look like in financial services? As today’s guest Kirti Naik explains, it’s not that different from the goals and challenges of consumer marketing, and it also offers unique opportunities for innovation in marketing. Kirti is the Head of Brand & Creative at the New York-based financial firm, Neuberger Berman, and she details what the company is currently focused on, what her role entails, how she navigates the challenges of marketing in finances, and how she defines success based on her intended performance outcomes.

With multiple formats including freestanding stores, mall locations, and convenience store co-locations, Vicki Beswick faces a fairly complex marketing challenge as the Vice President of Marketing for iconic pizza brand, Sbarro, especially now that the brand is leaning into e-commerce and delivery. Luckily, Vicki has a ton of pioneering e-commerce experience from her previous roles at Wendy’s, Express, and Bath & Body Works.

The storage space industry has some pretty unique challenges, especially when it comes to marketing. Not only are you trying to set yourself apart in a need-based business, but you also have to manage constant churn and fluctuating occupancy rates. So what does it take to launch and maintain a successful marketing strategy in this kind of environment? And how do you go about doing it? There is perhaps no one better to answer these questions than today’s guest, Dayna Hathaway, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Extra Space Storage, where she has spent 25 years learning what it means to master marketing for storage companies.

Today on Clicks 2 Bricks, we are joined by Alec Hanson, author, host of the Modern Lending Podcast, and Chief Marketing Officer for loanDepot – a California-based company that sells mortgages and other lending products. One of loanDepot’s key channels is its team of lending consultants, each of whom is charged with building their own mortgage lending business in their local area. Not only has Alec done this himself, but he has quite literally written the book on it (you can get your copy of Bypassed wherever books are sold), and that’s what he brings to his role as CMO: a proven playbook for using digital marketing to supercharge the local agent business model.

Nissan is the first automotive brand that we’ve had on the show and we are thrilled to be in conversation with the Chief Marketing Officer of Nissan North America, Marisstella Marinkovic! Automotive marketing is different from all the others in many profound ways, and Marisstella is here to highlight those differences and explain why her industry is the best to work in. After a quick review of her first year in her current role, our guest walks us through Nissan’s Heisman House and Big Game campaigns, how the introduction of college athlete sponsorships has changed the dynamics, how Gen Z’s need for authenticity has influenced the marketing landscape, and her summation of automotive marketing theory.

Joining us today is Pat O'Toole, the Chief Marketing Officer of the iconic Burger King. Recorded in person at the Burger King headquarters in sunny Miami, Florida, this episode unveils the highly-anticipated Million Dollar Whopper campaign and insider secrets to Burger King’s “Reclaim the Flame” plan to accelerate growth. Pat is an accomplished marketing executive with a proven track record in elevating iconic brands to new heights. With a deep understanding of global markets and a history of steering some of the most beloved brands, he continues to make a lasting impact on the marketing landscape.

Is parking a commodity, or does LAZ Parking simply offer a differentiated branding experience? Helping us get to the bottom of this is the National Senior Director of Marketing at LAZ Parking, Kim Spagnulo. Kim joins us to explain how LAZ became the biggest and fastest-growing privately-owned parking operator in America, and how she fulfills her role as its National Senior Director of Marketing.

Joe Artime’s journey with Moe’s Southwest Grill began as a student, slinging tacos and burritos. Today, he is the Head of Marketing for the franchise. During this episode, he joins us to discuss the new positioning for Moe’s Southwest Grill, the choice to pivot towards video content for 2024, and how the brand connects with local communities through its franchisees. Tune in as we do a deep dive into the history of the brand and its name, consider the future of the role of CMO, and explore the art of relating to customers through storytelling.

To become a transformational CIO, one must have key characteristics, capabilities, and leadership styles that foster followership and inspire others to embrace their vision. This is the belief of Michael Chachula, Chief Information Officer for FAT Brands, who joins us today to shed some light on what it takes to manage the marketing tech stack for 18 different restaurant brands in a total of 2,300 locations, including Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, and Fazoli’s. With a background in tech, finance, and hospitality, Michael exemplifies the well-rounded expertise needed to run tech for a multi-brand restaurant portfolio, but it’s his focus on inspiring rather than commanding people to follow him that stands out in this interview.

Shifting the relationship their customers have with AI software from a tool to a partner in the business is the main focus of our guest, and his company, today. We are excited to have with us on the show, Afif Khoury, the Founder and CEO of SOCi, the first CoMarketing Platform for Multi-Location Brands. Join the conversation as we learn more about the SOCi marketing platform, what makes their AI unique, and the crawl, walk, and run options of their model.

With some of the strongest franchise opportunities on the market, BELFOR Franchise Group is a dominant brand in the home services category. For more than 10 years, BELFOR Franchise Group has been empowering entrepreneurs to own businesses that are not only designed for growth but also provide profoundly meaningful services to their communities. Today, you’ll hear from Abigail Baker, Senior Vice President of Marketing for BELFOR Franchise Group, a curated portfolio of brands that often serve businesses and consumers in the wake of natural disasters.

Jeanniey Walden is the founder and CEO of Liftoff Enterprises, an award-winning marketing executive, renowned work-life advocate, and host of the nationally syndicated TV show, Liftoff with Jeanniey Walden. Jeanniey attributes her success to AIR: Authentic, Inspirational, and Relatable interactions, and she applies this lens to everything she does, including her new position as CMO of Rite Aid.

We’ve heard many rags-to-riches stories from startups all across the country, but few compare to the near-instant success of the fast-growing food brand, Dave’s Hot Chicken. Its CMO, Brad Haley, joins us once again after his previous appearance on the show as the CMO of IHOP. After finding out an interesting fact about Brad that many didn’t know, our guest then walks us through the story of Dave’s Hot Chicken, what initially attracted him to the brand, Drake and other big-name investors of the company, and how he approaches this role differently compared to his previous jobs.