Designing Demand

About Designing Demand

The world is changing fast. Brands that don’t adapt to the evolving demands of their customers will soon be left behind. Designing Demand is a podcast hosted by founder of Digital Surgeons and creative entrepreneur Pete Sena. We’ll be discussing the future of brands, marketing, and business with the preeminent leaders who are shaping it. Each episode will feature discussions with marketing, business, and design leaders shaping the future of brands and their impact on culture and society. The goal of this podcast is to offer you a fresh perspective on how the marketing industry is evolving and what we can expect in the coming years. Designing Demand is here to bring you stories from the top minds in marketing today. In this podcast series, we’ll cover everything from customer experience to emerging trends in the marketing and brand industry. The goal is to give you an inside look at what’s going on in the world of designing brands while also giving you practical advice for applying these lessons in your own work.

Publisher

Designing Demand

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 Oct 2023

Latest episode

8 Apr 2025

Latest episodes

14 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Apr 2025

   Navigating Private Equity and Building Demand: Josh Silva’s Brand Mindset

   Host Pete interviews Josh Silva, a brand strategist, who discusses transitioning from theology and psychology to building iconic outdoor brands and navigating private equity, emphasizing curiosity and a people-first approach.

2. 

   31 Mar 2025

   Creative Courage, Differentiation, and the Rise to CMO: Inside Ben Stuart’s Playbook

   Host Pete interviews marketing executive Ben Stuart, who shares pivotal career moments and discusses the creative courage required to drive brand reinvention at scale, offering insights for CMOs and creative leaders.

3. 

   24 Mar 2025

   The CMO Who Can Code: Susan Lambert on Creative Grit and Building from Scratch

   Host Pete Sena interviews Susan Lambert, CMO of Remington Family Distillers, who reveals her unique path from coding and technology to brand leadership, emphasizing resilience and human-centered marketing.

4. 

   21 Mar 2025

   From Barbie to Business Suits: Matt Repicky’s Brand Transformation Journey

   Chief Brands Officer Matt Repicky discusses his brand transformation journey, from revitalizing Barbie to engaging millennials at Jos A. Bank, in an interview with Pete Sena.

5. 

   10 Mar 2025

   The Challenger Mindset & Building Trust: Beth Wood’s Approach to Marketing & Leadership

   EVP & CMO Beth Wood shares her marketing journey across diverse industries, emphasizing a challenger mindset and trust-building, in an interview that reveals insights on brand resonance and team empowerment.

6. 

   3 Mar 2025

   Challenger Brands & the Power of Storytelling: Pam Piligian’s Marketing Evolution

   Host Pete Sena interviews Pam Piligian, Chief Marketing Officer of Navy Federal Credit Union, who explores building a challenger brand through storytelling, community, and continuous learning in marketing.

7. 

   18 Jan 2024

   Launching The First Consumer Psilocybin Brand with Dean Harris

   Dean Harris, co-founder and CMO of TabBrands, discusses launching the first consumer psilocybin brand and leveraging past marketing successes to build legitimacy in the emerging health and wellness categories in this interview.

8. 

   4 Jan 2024

   Building Iconic Consumer Brands With Kathy Maurella of Waterloo Sparkling Water

   Chief Marketing Officer Kathy Maurella of Waterloo Sparkling Water shares her expertise in brand building and marketing, emphasizing consumer insights and adapting to the evolving marketing landscape in this interview.

9. 

   21 Dec 2023

   The Challenger Brand Ethos With Cathy Davis of IG Group

   Chief Marketing Officer Cathy Davis of IG Group discusses the challenger brand ethos, unifying brand building with performance marketing, and bouncing back from campaign failures in this interview.

10. 

    7 Dec 2023

    Creativity Through a Consumer Lens with Michelle Peterson Of Kendra Scott

    Senior Vice President Michelle Peterson of Kendra Scott discusses her journey from chemical engineering to marketing, emphasizing consumer-centric strategies and brand innovation in this interview.

11. 

    23 Nov 2023

    Unlocking Inspirational Leadership With  Marla Kaplowitz of the 4A’s

    Marla Kaplowitz is the President and CEO of the 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies). She was previously the CEO of MEC North America, CEO of Wavemaker USA, and held senior leadership positions at other major media and advertising agencies. Kaplowitz has been recognized as one of the most influential women in media and marketing. She was named a "Woman to Watch" by Advertising Age and one of the "Most Powerful Women in Media" by Hollywood Reporter. In this interview, Kaplowitz shares insights from her over 30 years of experience in the advertising industry. She provides advice for young leaders on developing their leadership style, dealing with challenging business situations, and managing teams. Kaplowitz emphasizes the importance of focusing on company culture and people first. She talks about understanding what motivates each individual, having empathy, and helping alleviate stress for employees. Kaplowitz also discusses owning mistakes quickly, bringing in the right talent, and having conviction when turning around struggling businesses. The interview offers an inside look at leading advertising agencies through volatility and change. Kaplowitz's stories and advice are valuable for young marketers, CMOs, entrepreneurs and managers looking to develop leadership abilities, evolve company culture, and navigate business transformations. Her emphasis on people, curiosity and intuition makes this a compelling listen for anyone interested in inspirational leadership. OUTLINE: (00:00:00) Introduction (00:00:46) Kaplowitz's background and entry into advertising (00:03:16) Rising through the ranks at media agencies (00:06:58) Developing a leadership style (00:11:24) Focusing on company culture and people (00:15:55) Turning around struggling businesses (00:20:05) Dealing with challenging situations (00:23:03) Maintaining a positive attitude (00:25:29) Work-life integration and self-care (00:30:44) Making tough talent decisions (00:32:10) Empowering employees (00:34:08) Communication styles and leadership (00:36:58) Parallels between leadership and parenting (00:38:52) Transitioning to leading the 4A's (00:42:19) Inspiring remote teams (00:42:33) Differentiating as a service provider (00:43:06) Attracting talent to the ad industry (00:44:13) Traits of great client service people (00:45:19) Brand building vs. performance marketing EPISODE LINKS: 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies): https://www.aaaa.org/MEC: https://www.mecmarketinggroup.com/GroupM: https://www.groupm.com/Marla’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/meknyc?lang=enOgilvy on Advertising (Book): https://www.amazon.com/Ogilvy-Advertising-David/dp/039472903XFast Company article on Inspiring Happiness course at MEC: https://www.fastcompany.com/1682068/how-one-company-taught-its-employees-how-to-be-happier-and-what-happened-nextExecutive coach Helen Mumford Soul: https://www.mumfordsole.com/ SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeonsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeonsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/

12. 

    8 Nov 2023

    Become The King Of SEO With Mike King of IPullRank

    Mike King is the the founder of iPoRank, an SEO and digital marketing agency, and the CMO of AIPRM, an AI prompt marketplace startup. He has an extensive background in marketing, coding, and rap music. In the interview, Mike discusses his journey from coding as a kid to releasing rap albums and battling MCs, to working at major agencies like Razorfish. He shares how his technical skills enabled him to excel at SEO and content strategy roles at agencies. Frustrated by the agency world, Mike started his own successful agency iPoRank. As a black man in tech, Mike faced challenges like unconscious bias and resisting the trend to 'code switch' to fit in. He discusses how previous generations of black professionals had to assimilate, while he refused to change himself to appease others. Mike aims to instill confidence, curiosity and grit into his daughters so they can achieve anything they desire. Shifting to AI, Mike believes generative AI will make people lazier as knowledge becomes externalized. He thinks entertainment like movies and music will be disrupted as digital humans proliferate. Pete and Mike discuss concerns around AI fueling misinformation, diminishing attention spans, and altering human memory and consciousness. Overall, this was an insightful interview covering personal branding, diversity in tech, parenting, and the societal impacts of AI. Mike provides a unique perspective as both a technical expert and creative marketer. OUTLINE: (00:00:00) Mike's background and journey into marketing/SEO (00:04:50) Starting his own agency after bad agency experiences (00:15:51) Leveraging music skills to become an SEO thought leader (00:19:21) Seeing content creation like a rap cypher (00:23:33) Using brand building to improve SEO performance (00:27:47) Valuing real world authenticity as AI advances (00:34:26) AI shortening attention spans but increasing output (00:36:55) Writing effective prompts for chatbots (00:45:48) Societal impacts of AI and digital consciousness (00:50:29) Ethics of AI development (00:55:04) Democratizing software development with AI (01:02:12) Promoting diversity and inclusion in tech (01:08:11) Dealing with unconscious bias in the workplace (01:21:28) AI disrupting the entertainment industry (01:31:20) Changes in attention span and memory due to internet/AI (01:34:07) Diminishing attention spans but increased output EPISODE LINKS: Razorfish: https://www.razorfish.com/ SEOmatrix:https://seomatrix.com/ IPullRank: https://ipullrank.com/ Mike’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkingphilly/ Mike’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/iPullRank “Lost and Founder” by Rand Fishkin: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Founder-Painfully-Honest-Startup/dp/0735213321 “What's Our Problem?” by Tim Urban: https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Our-Problem-Self-Help-Societies-ebook/dp/B0BTJCTR58 “Drive” by Daniel Pink: https://www.danpink.com/books/drive/ WaitButWhy article on AI existential risk: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artificial-intelligence-revolution-1.html SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/

13. 

    26 Oct 2023

    Building Iconic Brands With Danny Mendelbaum of Long Drink

    Danny Mandelbaum is the VP of Marketing at The Long Drink Company. He was previously the Global Brand Director for Ryan Reynolds' Aviation American Gin at Diageo, and held senior marketing roles at Proximo Spirits managing Jose Cuervo tequila, Kraken Rum, and Three Olives Vodka. Over his 20+ year career, Danny has led marketing for iconic CPG and alcohol brands. The interview provides insights into brand building from Danny's experience. He discusses the importance of uncovering emotional connections and cultural truths to build iconic brands. Danny shares how he focuses on defining core brand equity and persona in an authentic way, contrasting this long-term brand building with short-term performance marketing optimization. He advises new brands to start by defining their ideal identity and equity before exploring strategies to achieve that. Currently at The Long Drink Company, Danny aims to drive awareness and penetration for the Finnish long drink cocktail through disruptive marketing and partnerships. The interview offers aspiring marketers wisdom on brand building from Danny's journey leading marketing for global brands like Heineken, Aviation Gin, and now The Long Drink. OUTLINE: (00:01:38) Early interest in marketing and advertising (00:02:57) Understanding consumer motivations and perspectives (00:05:14) Launching Old Spice in Mexico (00:07:18) “Premiumizing” Jose Cuervo tequila (00:08:09) Partnership with Rolling Stones for Jose Cuervo (00:10:00) Shift to marketing roles focused on driving revenue (00:10:53) Working with Ryan Reynolds on Aviation Gin (00:12:13) Joining Long Drink Company and growing awareness (00:15:38) Pursuing marketing for brands you believe in (00:17:31) Emotional connections between consumers and brands (00:19:30) Advice for building emotional brand connections (00:24:15) Keep It Legendary Heineken campaign (00:26:40) Jose Cuervo partnership with the Rolling Stones (00:35:02) Taking on the massive Jose Cuervo brand (00:38:06) Repositioning Jose Cuervo's brand image (00:43:11) Unearthing cultural brand stories through research (00:52:36) Creating fast turnaround creative with Aviation Gin (00:54:34) Entrepreneurial spirit at small vs. big companies (00:57:32) Building trust as a leader (01:00:11) Criteria for choosing influencer partnerships (01:03:20) Brand building vs. performance marketing (01:05:57) Defining brand building EPISODE LINKS: Danny’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannymandelbaum/ Danny’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/danmandel Danny’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannymandelbaum Long Drink Website: https://www.thelongdrink.com/ Long Drink Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/longdrink Long Drink Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelongdrink “Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzS8BQBcAu4 SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/

14. 

    23 Oct 2023

    Designing The Human Side Of Innovation with Mauro Porcini of Pepsi Co

    Mauro Porcini is PepsiCo's Chief Design Officer and author of the new book "The Human Side Of Innovation." Mauro has over two decades of experience leading design for major global brands like PepsiCo, 3M, and Philips. He is considered an influential voice in applying design thinking to business innovation and growth. In this wide-ranging discussion, Mauro covers the inspiration behind his new book on human-centered business leadership. He shares his vision for the future of food/beverages, wearable tech, and holistic design. Mauro provides insights on building a creative "unicorn" culture within large organizations and the ROI of design for CEOs. He reflects on key lessons learned from iconic designers like Alessandro Mendini. The interview offers an inside perspective on Mauro's leadership approach and passion for elevating the role of design in business. OUTLINE: (00:00:00) Introduction and getting to know Mauro Porcini (00:01:15) What inspired Mauro to write his new book (00:04:00) Mauro's dream for what he hopes the book achieves (00:06:40) Mauro's background in wearable technology (00:07:15) The future of food/beverages and wearable tech (00:11:20) Mauro's experience running his own agency vs. working for PepsiCo (00:13:25) The importance of holistic design and learnings from Alessandro Mendini (00:17:55) The business value and ROI of design (00:22:00) Developing innovative "unicorn" DNA in organizations (00:26:40) Where to find more information about Mauro and his new book EPISODE LINKS: The Human Side Of Innovation by Mauro Porcini: https://www.amazon.com/Human-Side-Innovation-Power-People/dp/1523002883 Mauro’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mauroporcini Mauro’s Website: https://www.mauro-porcini.com/ Mauro’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mauroporcini/?hl=en Mauro’s X: https://twitter.com/mauroporcini?lang=en SUPPORT & CONNECT: Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/

Who has been a guest on Designing Demand

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Josh Silva
• Ben Stuart
• Susan Lambert
• Matt Repicky
• Beth Wood

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 14 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

8

Social presence

94

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Designing Demand

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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