The C-Suite Snapshot, continued
Stormy D. Simon
SVP of Marketing and Customer Care
Overstock.com
What is the first website you look at in the morning?
Overstock.com. Everyday.
What is the biggest challenge facing marketing today?
The addition of social media. If you do well, you can count on consumers marketing for you. If you make a mistake, you can count on consumers exposing your weak spots. I think both of those circumstances are beneficial to any organization. The tricky part is reaching consumers through those channels without making them feel like you’re invading their space.
What kind of people do you surround yourself with?
I like trustworthy, honest and funny people. I surround myself with folks who don’t take themselves too seriously. I like to hang out with those who don’t mind laughing at themselves and who love life.
When you have a creative block what do you do to overcome it?
I watch a non-cerebral television show. Something like “The Bachelor” or “American Idol.” It’s entertaining enough but there’s not much to think about while you’re watching it. It somehow empties [/column] [column]my mind and then—poof—I have the urge and ability to keep the creative juices flowing. Sometimes when I’m stuck, I just try to go to sleep and then ironically my mind doesn’t turn off.
What is your favorite season and why?
I live in Utah and I don’t ski, so my favorite time of the year is summer. Although I like winter, too, because that’s when I like to travel.
What campaign or idea have you seen that you wish had been yours?
There’s so many. I absolutely love the current Old Spice campaign. It’s hysterical.
Why is marketing important?
It’s any business’ lifeline. Actually, it’s MY lifeline. Without it, my title wouldn’t be nearly as interesting!
Cynthia Mun
Vice President of Marketing
Tropicana Hotel, Las Vegas
What is the first website you look at in the morning?
Google [/column]
What is the biggest challenge facing marketing today?
Being able to truly integrate traditional and non-traditional media opportunities seamlessly and being able to execute them effectively to accurately quantify the total impact.
What kind of people do you surround yourself with? Why?
I surround myself with people who are critical thinkers and experts from fields other than marketing because it helps me innovate better marketing programs and generate new ideas.
What’s on your iPod?
Everything audio from kids’ music to This American Life…
Where was the last place you flew?
NYC
When you have a creative block how do you overcome it?
I go to places where there are lots of people and watch them.
What is your favorite season and why?
All the seasons are great. I live in Las Vegas.
What campaign or idea have you seen that you wish had been yours?
What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas, and most of the iPod campaigns. [/column] [column]
Why is marketing important?
Who else would they be pointing the finger at if marketing weren’t around? Seriously, many think that marketing is about the 4 Ps, but to me marketing is about understanding people and their behaviors and being able to use this information to appropriately meet commercial needs and demands. For those of us in Las Vegas, I think we are trying to offer new and better experiences for our guests/visitors/consumers that’s fun and exciting. And in my opinion, we all need a bit of fun and excitement.
Galahad Clark
Owner
Terra Plana
What is the first website you look at in the morning?
Skysports.com. Following a football team through the season is like reading a Dickens novel. All the sub plots and characters are so rich and well written about.
What do you wish you could change about the marketing profession?
One would hope that the marketing profession could translate the efforts of brands in the world into making the world a better place by really thinking through every idea and how it can improve the fabric [/column]
What kind of people do you surround yourself with? Why?
Need a mixture. Every business is like a table of four legs with the different disciplines, in my case, of: marketing, sales, sourcing, administrative (finance/IT). If one leg is short then the whole table falls over.
And I’m always looking for a balance of creativity and discipline. Ultimately it’s important to surround yourself with people you respect, who are good at what they do (in a small business, they need to have a touch of entrepreneur about them), and you want to go out and have dinner with. Getting the right team together is the biggest challenge and the most important thing. We are still on the quest!
What’s on your iPod?
Some of my golden oldies include: Wu Tang, Philly Soul, Ween and reggae.
How do you manage stress?
I used to watch The West Wing to keep my job in perspective (no lives on the line, etc.) but now that that’s finished, I focus on my life with my Mrs. With a baby due in 10 days, it diverts any stress with my midnight spa services. [/column] [column]
Where do you feel most creative?
By the sea or up in the mountains and in China, where the optimistic buzz and the ability to make things prevails.
Last time you were surprised?
When I just passed my driving license test, with no faults!
What campaign or idea have you seen that you wish had been yours?
Diesel. Be stupid. Being clever takes brains, being stupid takes balls.
Vibram five finger shoes. This has a big impact on the barefoot community, even though Terra Plana was the original and authentic barefoot shoes.
Have you ever had one of your ideas stolen? If so, did you do anything about it?
We get shoes copied all the time and we take people to court or send them nasty letters. Also, our last ad campaign, using animal heads, was copied a lot … so we moved on!
Jean Pierre Le Cannellier
Senior Director of America’s Marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices
Motorola
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What do you primarily use your cell phone for?
Almost everything, and that’s what excites me about phones: It’s becoming the one device you can’t live without. Primarily I use mine for checking email, texting, downloading apps, web browsing and—of course—talking.
How do you get to work? If you don’t drive, what do you do on your commute?
I drive and have a long commute. My Bluetooth headset definitely helps me be productive when I’m on the road and not in front of my computer.
Describe your work wardrobe.
Usually jeans and sneakers, we celebrate casual Friday every day.
How do you manage stress?
I jog several times a week and play my guitar at home.
Why are you in marketing?
Because of a conversation that I had with a good friend of mine many years ago. We were both talking about our first job and he convinced me to try marketing. I never regretted it.
What has had the most influence over your career?
Each person I have worked with has influenced me in one way or another. I try to learn from both the good and the bad experiences, since you never get just one or the other. [/column] [column]
Tim Westergren
Chief Strategy Officer
Pandora
Why are you in marketing?
I think any consumer-facing company is in marketing—and I really believe in the value or what I’m promoting.
What is your greatest strength?
A true passion for what I’m doing.
Describe your work wardrobe.
Jeans. T-shirt. Sweatshirt.
What’s on your desk?
CDs, magazines, vitamins, piles of badly organized paper.
What is the first thing you do when you get to the office each day?
Stop and talk to a few employees.
What’s your favorite movie?
“Good Will Hunting”
What campaign or idea have you seen that you wish had been yours?
Apple’s “Think Different” campaign. Absolutely brilliant. [/column]
What kind of people do you surround yourself with? Why?
Smart, hard-working, high-integrity and low ego.
Where do you feel most creative?
In the very early morning. At home.
Last time you were surprised?
I have been continually surprised for the last 10 years. That is the defining feature of being an entrepreneur.
Carol Wentworth
Vice President, Marketing
True Value Company
What is the biggest challenge facing marketing today?
Complexity on all fronts: the growing diversity of customer segments and stakeholders, the explosion of communications and social network channels, the speed of change, 24/7 brand stewardship responsibility and accountability to customers.
What has had the most influence over your career?
The realization that I had a passion for retail marketing has had a profound influence over my career. That personal discovery happened after college through wonderful opportunities that life presented. I feel fortunate I was able to discover that interest and turn it into a rewarding career. [/column] [column]
What campaign or idea have you seen that you wish had been yours?
I appreciate smart marketing that emanates from deep understanding and empathy for the target customer. The long-standing and highly acclaimed Dove campaign for Real Beauty has impressed me. Its well-executed message of appreciating authentic beauty has made the Dove brand synonymous with empowering women to feel comfortable in their skin—a smart message most women will readily embrace, thus engendering positive feelings toward the brand.
What’s on your iPod?
Tunes I love to dance to, like Motown, Jackson 5, and The Temptations. I’m also a fan of current country artists like Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum and Sugarland.
Do you prefer talking on the phone, texting or e-mailing?
For work, I prefer e-mail because typically many people and functions are involved in most everything I do, and e-mail is the one channel that keeps everyone “looped in.” Outside of work I prefer to talk via phone with friends and family.
What’s on your desk?
Pictures of my life partner and my daughter; they inspire, encourage and motivate me. And of course, my York Peppermint Patties, because chocolate is one of my basic food groups. [/column]
What is your favorite season and why?
My favorite season is fall in New England. The cooler nights encourage us to turn inward for warmth and comfort; the warm days and outrageous display of brilliant fall colors give us reason to celebrate our amazing good fortune to be alive in this world to experience it!
Where do you feel most creative?
I love the ocean. Walking on the beach, watching sunsets over the water and smelling the salt air clears my mind of the day-to-day and helps expand my thinking. If there’s not an ocean nearby, I can usually feel creative when I am away from cell phones, e-mail and “to do” lists; most often when I am outdoors and inspired by nature. [/column]
