We’ve got a new host on the Earned podcast! CreatorIQ’s very own CMO Brit Starr’s first episode hosting features Vivienne Walsh, a marketing strategy consultant who previously led at powerhouse brands such as VISA, Meta, and Uber.
To start, we dive into Vivienne's inspiring journey from Ireland to Australia and California, and her strategic roles with industry giants such as McDonald's, Nestlé, and Unilever. Vivienne shares invaluable insights into brand perception and consumer engagement, drawing from her time at Uber during its IPO journey, and her pivotal roles in brand transformation at VISA and Meta. We learn about aligning brand strategies with customer-centric experiences, the critical role of data and insights in driving brand growth, and the art of creator partnerships that breathe life into brand narratives. Vivienne underscores the importance of trust and empowerment for collaborating in the workplace. To close the show, Vivienne shares some of her favorite Irish phrases capturing the essence of personal and professional growth.
Check out highlights from the episode below, or or tune into the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen!
The following interview has been lightly edited for concision.
Brit Starr: This idea of being able to reach the world of consumers is becoming more and more relevant for all brands. We all have our core customers, our core targets, but it is getting harder and harder to be isolated in your approach. Making sure that you are reaching and connecting with your consumers in a way that is distinctly relevant to them—infusing that and creating the opportunity to work through and with creators—really bridges what you are about as a brand. The experience you're bringing to the table with the unique experience of that creator, uniquely resonates with that audience, and that is only possible today with creators.
A brand can't do that on their own. You could never kaleidoscope that out in the same way without creators, and I think it's the challenge. I'm so curious if you faced any challenges internally, but I think sometimes the challenge is you have to let go of control a little bit in that world around enabling and empowering other storytellers to tell stories about your brand. Ultimately it's an exercise in trust and I think that's a really beautiful thing.
Vivienne Walsh: I agree that brands don't have as much control anymore. My point of view is slightly different, in that if you're going to work with creators, you as a brand have an imperative to be very clear on who you are. A lot of brands, when they're going through change they get lost, like humans going through a transformation do. That's always been my philosophy about brand building. The best brands in the world are like the most amazing humans. They know themselves really well, they're comfortable in their own skin, they're vulnerable, but they also surround themselves with people that get them and lift them up. And I think that's what creative marketing and brand marketing should be. You can’t have a great partnership with the creator unless you really truly know yourselves. So the points in time where I feel like it's gone really well, is when we've been really clear on who we are, what we need to say, who we need to say it to, and then we pass over control. When it falls over and it has fallen over is when you're not super clear and you're putting the onus on the creator to help figure it out with you. Then you don't like the output because it doesn't feel like it's quite exactly what you want to say. That's where it gets muddy. So the onus is on brand owners and marketers and strategists. Actually, I think when chief brand officers really own this, it's like who are we? Who are we for? What's our point of view in the world? What value are we adding to our customers? Now find the people that share that with us and then let them go forward.
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