351: Designing The Brand Experience: From First Exposure to Advocate with Nick Horan, Global Brand Experience Lead for Vanish at Reckitt

02/15/23 • 33 min

In this episode, Alan and Nick discuss Nick’s thoughts on the future of Brand Experience, how he is approaching e-commerce and digital marketing challenges at a fast-moving consumer goods company, and the importance of physical experiences to the overall brand experience. Nick notes that brands are expected to take a stand on larger social issues and tells how Vanish is purposefully rebuilding a brand experience that encourages conversations and fosters a community around shared values and views.

Nick Horan is the Global Brand Experience Lead for Vanish at Reckitt. He is passionate about using design as a tool to drive intentional brand experiences and understanding the consumption habits of consumers to identify the touch point that will have the most impact. Nicks's role is to craft the full brand experience framework from first exposure to becoming an advocate and repurchaser and translate this vision into a cohesive experience across various touchpoints in over 70 countries.

In this episode, you'll learn:

What is Brand Experience
How Nick approaches physical design for brand experience
Why marketers cannot personalize an experience without truly knowing the individual

Key Highlights

[01:30] Nuclear Submarines and Product design
[03:05] Nick's path to Reckitt
[05:20] How product design plays into Nick's role as Global Brand Experience Lead
[05:50] What does it mean to be Global Brand Experience Lead for Vanish at Reckitt
[07:40] How Nick thinks about the function of brand experience overall
[09:55] How does brand experience translate to Fast-Moving Consumer Goods
[11:35] What Vanish is doing to decrease waste in the fashion industry
[12:50] How Nick is helping FMCG catch up with the deconstruction and reconfiguration of the historical business models
[14:00] How is Nick approaching e-commerce and digital marketing with an FMCG brand
[18:50] Examples of how physical experiences play into the overall brand experience
[20:05] Bridging the gap between physical and digital experiences
[20:55] QR codes and how to utilize them effectively
[22:45] The future of brand experience
[24:30] Why personalization doesn't always equate to the richness in engagement
[25:50] Why Nick is so observant of how people interact with the world
[28:15] What advice would Nick give his younger self
[29:15] Marketers need to lean into creativity for the omnichannel world
[30:15] Brands to watch
[31:20] Opportunities and threats facing marketers today

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, you'll learn:

What is Brand Experience
How Nick approaches physical design for brand experience
Why marketers cannot personalize an experience without truly knowing the individual

Key Highlights

[01:30] Nuclear Submarines and Product design
[03:05] Nick's path to Reckitt
[05:20] How product design plays into Nick's role as Global Brand Experience Lead
[05:50] What does it mean to be Global Brand Experience Lead for Vanish at Reckitt
[07:40] How Nick thinks about the function of brand experience overall
[09:55] How does brand experience translate to Fast-Moving Consumer Goods
[11:35] What Vanish is doing to decrease waste in the fashion industry
[12:50] How Nick is helping FMCG catch up with the deconstruction and reconfiguration of the historical business models
[14:00] How is Nick approaching e-commerce and digital marketing with an FMCG brand
[18:50] Examples of how physical experiences play into the overall brand experience
[20:05] Bridging the gap between physical and digital experiences
[20:55] QR codes and how to utilize them effectively
[22:45] The future of brand experience
[24:30] Why personalization doesn't always equate to the richness in engagement
[25:50] Why Nick is so observant of how people interact with the world
[28:15] What advice would Nick give his younger self
[29:15] Marketers need to lean into creativity for the omnichannel world
[30:15] Brands to watch
[31:20] Opportunities and threats facing marketers today

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

350: Marketing Agility and the Secret to Direct Sales with Terry Haley, CMO at Pampered Chef

In this episode, Alan and Terry discuss Terry’s unusual path to marketing, what he learned on his journey through food and restaurants, and the unique challenges and benefits of marketing within a direct sales model, like Pampered Chef. They talk about the history and mission of Pampered Chef, the importance of marketing agility, and the impact Covid had on the company.

Terry is CMO and Head of Product at Pampered Chef where he leads a team of 50 across brand, digital, growth, creative, product, and industrial design. Terry has a background in consumer-packaged-good and restaurant marketing but tells us direct sales requires different muscles. Terry approaches marketing with an appreciation of the differences in all business models and a recognition of the foundations that remain the same. By relentlessly focusing on the consumer and delivering a product that solves their problems, Terry creates trust relationships with the Pampered Chef Contractors who ultimately model the brand.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Challenges Terry went through early in his career and what he learned from them
The similarities and differences of marketing within different business models
How Pampered Chef is maintaining consistency while not diluting the authenticity

Key Highlights

[02:00] The role of athletics and cooking in Terry’s life
[04:20] How a Poli Sci major became a CMO
[12:00] How embracing challenging roles shaped Terry
[13:30 The similarities and differences of marketing within various business models
[17:45] The benefits of coming in with fresh eyes and being willing to learn
[18:50] Pampered Chef business overview
[21:30] The competitive advantage of having brand consultants
[23:20] How Terry is maximizing Pampered Chef’s unique sales model
[27:00] How Pampered Chef’s sales force navigated the shift to digital through Covid
[32:15] Which Covid changes will phase out and which are here to stay?
[35:50] What Terry learned from a misstep early in his career
[42:25] Balancing patience and tenacity
[46:00] Why marketers need to build up broader business acumen
[50:00] Brands to watch
[52:30] Measurement marketing and proving value without losing the art

Resources Mentioned:

Terry Haley
Pampered Chef
Companies and brands he has worked on: AC Nielsen, Henry Weinhard’s, Fosters, Miller Genuine Draft, SAB Miller, P.F. Chang’s, Pei Wei, World of Beer Franchising, Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Pampered Chef
Berkshire Hathaway Company, the holding company of Pampered Chef
Doris Christopher, founder of Pampered Chef
Tim McDougall, an early mentor
Brands mentioned: Yeti, Athletic Brewing

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

352: How to Balance Brand and Performance to Drive Growth with Kristen D’Arcy, CMO at Homedics

In this episode, Alan and Kristen discuss how she became the Chief Marketing Officer of Homedics, the state of the industry, and the way Homedics markets to the modern consumer through both DTC and traditional Distribution channels. Kristen also outlines the recent brand refresh and the resulting captain that resulted in a rapid 80% D2C sales jump. Kristen credits this success equally to the creative, the media mix, and the improved website. Homedics plans to double its video assessment efforts and is exploring opportunities for influencer partnerships in 2023.

Kristen D’Arcy is an agent of change and has intentionally guided her career path to gain the skills she knew she would need to be a CMO. She is driving growth at Homedics by emphasizing the importance of consistency across assets, the perfect mix of brand and performance investments, and the need to maintain that balance even during tough times. Kristen is a huge believer that the right marketing drives growth and Homedics has incredible product lines and a unique family culture that empowers her to make amazing things happen.

In this episode, you'll learn:

The details of Homedics' brand refresh and the campaign that lead to an 80% sales jump
Why marketers need nerves of steel in hard times to ensure long-term brand success
Homedics' plans for the future

Key Highlights