Forefront Magazine |
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Jill has been writing for Forefront Magazine for almost two years. She has written 20+ feature articles on high profile, prolific business executives, including: Susie Fogelson of Food Network, Rosemary Haefner of Career Builder, Candace Matthews of Amway (formerly of General Mills and Proctor & Gamble), Jocelyn Wong of Family Dollar (formerly of Proctor & Gamble), John Shea of Gatorade/PepsiCo and many others.
Excerpt from Forefront Magazine January 2015 - See Forefrontmag.com for additional articles.
Food Network SVP of Marketing and Brand Strategy Susie Fogelson on leadership, innovation and the importance of building an emotional connection with consumers The floral-sweet scent of apples and the sharp tingle of cinnamon wafting through the house, comforts and warms; it feeds the soul. Food evokes powerful emotions. In the movie “Like Water for Chocolate,” food brings people to their knees with sadness, but it also causes them to burn with passion.
Like an executive chef who understands and feeds off of people’s intimate connection with food, Susie Fogelson, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy, has connected in a similar way with the core demographic of Food Network. A can-do attitude, effective leadership and a talent-driven marketing strategy across numerous platforms have helped Fogelson revolutionize Food Network into one of the most successful networks and brands in the food and entertainment industry.
When Nail Polish Inspires
Like a chef, Fogelson understands people and what they want. She went to UCLA to study Sociology. That fascination with human interactions, group behavior, social causes and social changes, made a stop at a traffic light life-changing, or at least career-changing. As she sat at that stoplight, Fogelson looked up.
“I saw a billboard for nail polish. But I remember thinking to myself, ‘How did they know I was going to be at this stoplight? That I would see that billboard? That I would be interested in the polish? That I would make a mental note about it, and probably seek it out and buy it?’ Obviously, it was a very broad target; outdoor is very broad. I am fascinated by the idea of targeting and media and creative, and how all of those things come together to create a coherent communication strategy. And having it work is even more impressive.”
Fogelson has taken that lure, that curiosity, and put it to work for herself, her team and Food Network.
An Agency Foundation
Prior to joining Food Network more than 14 years ago, Fogelson gleaned a great deal of marketing and business know-how from TBWA/Chiat/Day, a prolific advertising agency with global offices. She credits her time at the agency as the foundation that she needed.
“The agency experience offered a career foundation—the building blocks [for] how to differentiate and outline a goal, strategize as well as move a project through executing tactics. Executing flawlessly is also something I learned at Chiat. I learned that great ideas and great creative can be game-changing for any brand.”
She also credits being around people and in a company that is so creative, which can be quite “infectious.” “I tell young people all the time,” Fogelson said, “that an agency background is just a great foundation for any career in business.”
Innovating at Every Turn
Like the people at Chiat and the diverse and gifted chefs and culinary talent at Food Network, Fogelson is continually on a creative journey that is comprised of targeting, planning, handling managerial issues, and creatively navigating meeting all of the demands of her busy life, including being a busy parent of two young girls.
“Creative strategy and knowing how and where to phase in different tools to meet different goals remains a macro challenge I thrive from,” Fogelson said. “Creative motivation. A great idea. Landing on a perfect tagline, recognized from a sea of words otherwise commonplace. Fresh, inventive ways to partner with another team and maximize collective results. There are any number of ways to look at something and find inspiration; this is where I feel most comfortable.”
Evolution of Food Network
Even though a television brand’s most powerful tool is on-air time, Fogelson wanted to go a step further in elevating the brand. Her greatest challenge was to find a way to capture Food Network’s culinary variety while highlighting the diversity of entertainment on the network.
“It is about developing a strategy that is more inclusive—one that casts the widest net,” she said.
Fogelson and her team set out to accomplish that goal, and they developed a campaign demonstrating that “Food Network is about way more than cooking. Cooking is at the core of what we do,” she said, “but we’re about so much more. Showcasing a variety of food programming really helped us get to the next level.”
...
Fogelson has it figured out: Great ideas, talent, execution and ingredients, along with a great team, equals a delicious meal. “Food brings friends together. It brings families closer. And [it] gives people a great place to talk and gather,” she said. “We have a deep emotional connection to our friends, fans, consumers and users. Food Network is by all means a TV brand, but it has real heart because of the topic we cover.”
Like an executive chef who understands and feeds off of people’s intimate connection with food, Susie Fogelson, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy, has connected in a similar way with the core demographic of Food Network. A can-do attitude, effective leadership and a talent-driven marketing strategy across numerous platforms have helped Fogelson revolutionize Food Network into one of the most successful networks and brands in the food and entertainment industry.
When Nail Polish Inspires
Like a chef, Fogelson understands people and what they want. She went to UCLA to study Sociology. That fascination with human interactions, group behavior, social causes and social changes, made a stop at a traffic light life-changing, or at least career-changing. As she sat at that stoplight, Fogelson looked up.
“I saw a billboard for nail polish. But I remember thinking to myself, ‘How did they know I was going to be at this stoplight? That I would see that billboard? That I would be interested in the polish? That I would make a mental note about it, and probably seek it out and buy it?’ Obviously, it was a very broad target; outdoor is very broad. I am fascinated by the idea of targeting and media and creative, and how all of those things come together to create a coherent communication strategy. And having it work is even more impressive.”
Fogelson has taken that lure, that curiosity, and put it to work for herself, her team and Food Network.
An Agency Foundation
Prior to joining Food Network more than 14 years ago, Fogelson gleaned a great deal of marketing and business know-how from TBWA/Chiat/Day, a prolific advertising agency with global offices. She credits her time at the agency as the foundation that she needed.
“The agency experience offered a career foundation—the building blocks [for] how to differentiate and outline a goal, strategize as well as move a project through executing tactics. Executing flawlessly is also something I learned at Chiat. I learned that great ideas and great creative can be game-changing for any brand.”
She also credits being around people and in a company that is so creative, which can be quite “infectious.” “I tell young people all the time,” Fogelson said, “that an agency background is just a great foundation for any career in business.”
Innovating at Every Turn
Like the people at Chiat and the diverse and gifted chefs and culinary talent at Food Network, Fogelson is continually on a creative journey that is comprised of targeting, planning, handling managerial issues, and creatively navigating meeting all of the demands of her busy life, including being a busy parent of two young girls.
“Creative strategy and knowing how and where to phase in different tools to meet different goals remains a macro challenge I thrive from,” Fogelson said. “Creative motivation. A great idea. Landing on a perfect tagline, recognized from a sea of words otherwise commonplace. Fresh, inventive ways to partner with another team and maximize collective results. There are any number of ways to look at something and find inspiration; this is where I feel most comfortable.”
Evolution of Food Network
Even though a television brand’s most powerful tool is on-air time, Fogelson wanted to go a step further in elevating the brand. Her greatest challenge was to find a way to capture Food Network’s culinary variety while highlighting the diversity of entertainment on the network.
“It is about developing a strategy that is more inclusive—one that casts the widest net,” she said.
Fogelson and her team set out to accomplish that goal, and they developed a campaign demonstrating that “Food Network is about way more than cooking. Cooking is at the core of what we do,” she said, “but we’re about so much more. Showcasing a variety of food programming really helped us get to the next level.”
...
Fogelson has it figured out: Great ideas, talent, execution and ingredients, along with a great team, equals a delicious meal. “Food brings friends together. It brings families closer. And [it] gives people a great place to talk and gather,” she said. “We have a deep emotional connection to our friends, fans, consumers and users. Food Network is by all means a TV brand, but it has real heart because of the topic we cover.”
The following is an excerpt from one of her articles featured in Forefront Magazine
The company’s Head of Global Markets brings his best game to work every single dayGreat businesspeople are often similar to great athletes. How? Just ask John Shea.
“Working at Gatorade, we have the great fortune to work with elite athletes,” he said. “How impressive they are: their level of dedication, their attention to detail, the amount of work that goes into being who they are. Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, Serena Williams, Usain Bolt—you look at the amount of work they put in when no one else is watching; that is the piece that is most impressive.”
When you look at the accomplishments of Gatorade’s Head of Global Markets, he, too, is by all rights elite. Shea is responsible for the brand’s global business efforts, including strategic vision, brand management, consumer engagement and sports partnerships, as it looks to increase its footprint abroad.
What advice does he give to young professionals to help them get where he is today? “Go big!” he said. It’s pretty solid advice from a guy who did just that and landed in the big leagues.
Go Big or Go HomeShea’s advice to “go big” comes from experience. While obtaining his Marketing degree from Boston College, he interned with an advertising agency. Upon graduation, he landed a job with a marketing consulting firm, where he was able to gain insight into numerous industries, including consumer products, financial services and health care.
“It was a great opportunity to learn quickly right out of the gate, get broad exposure and work on a number of projects with a bunch of smart people,” Shea said.
He went big with his next move as well, into a mergers and acquisitions role at Liberty Mutual. There he was part of a team that built a $2-billion insurance business through eight acquisitions in less than two years.
Shea then earned an MBA from Michigan Business School and interned at PepsiCo in New York. After graduate school, he took on a full-time role at PepsiCo, working on the Mountain Dew brand.
“It was great working on a cool millennial-focused brand that was doing big-time pop culture-focused marketing,” he said, referring to his work with the X Games, And1 basketball tour and NASCAR racing, for example. “It was my first chance to get into big-time brand marketing. I had a chance to lead new product launches, develop advertising campaigns, create retail programs and manage sports partnerships.”
After two years working on the Mountain Dew brand, he advanced to a job managing Pepsi’s national partnerships with the NFL and MLB, developing and executing programs focused on building brand equity and activating retail leveraging these properties.
“It was a great chance to build on all of my experiences prior to that,” Shea said. “I was handling all the strategy development, negotiations and marketing activations with the NFL and MLB and delivering marketing platforms, including the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show and MLB All-Star balloting at Walmart.”
The company’s Head of Global Markets brings his best game to work every single dayGreat businesspeople are often similar to great athletes. How? Just ask John Shea.
“Working at Gatorade, we have the great fortune to work with elite athletes,” he said. “How impressive they are: their level of dedication, their attention to detail, the amount of work that goes into being who they are. Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Derek Jeter, Serena Williams, Usain Bolt—you look at the amount of work they put in when no one else is watching; that is the piece that is most impressive.”
When you look at the accomplishments of Gatorade’s Head of Global Markets, he, too, is by all rights elite. Shea is responsible for the brand’s global business efforts, including strategic vision, brand management, consumer engagement and sports partnerships, as it looks to increase its footprint abroad.
What advice does he give to young professionals to help them get where he is today? “Go big!” he said. It’s pretty solid advice from a guy who did just that and landed in the big leagues.
Go Big or Go HomeShea’s advice to “go big” comes from experience. While obtaining his Marketing degree from Boston College, he interned with an advertising agency. Upon graduation, he landed a job with a marketing consulting firm, where he was able to gain insight into numerous industries, including consumer products, financial services and health care.
“It was a great opportunity to learn quickly right out of the gate, get broad exposure and work on a number of projects with a bunch of smart people,” Shea said.
He went big with his next move as well, into a mergers and acquisitions role at Liberty Mutual. There he was part of a team that built a $2-billion insurance business through eight acquisitions in less than two years.
Shea then earned an MBA from Michigan Business School and interned at PepsiCo in New York. After graduate school, he took on a full-time role at PepsiCo, working on the Mountain Dew brand.
“It was great working on a cool millennial-focused brand that was doing big-time pop culture-focused marketing,” he said, referring to his work with the X Games, And1 basketball tour and NASCAR racing, for example. “It was my first chance to get into big-time brand marketing. I had a chance to lead new product launches, develop advertising campaigns, create retail programs and manage sports partnerships.”
After two years working on the Mountain Dew brand, he advanced to a job managing Pepsi’s national partnerships with the NFL and MLB, developing and executing programs focused on building brand equity and activating retail leveraging these properties.
“It was a great chance to build on all of my experiences prior to that,” Shea said. “I was handling all the strategy development, negotiations and marketing activations with the NFL and MLB and delivering marketing platforms, including the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show and MLB All-Star balloting at Walmart.”
The following is an excerpt from one of her articles featured in Forefront Magazine
Colors have meaning and can evoke emotions. They have a personality and character, and can inspire, rejuvenate and provoke. The color blue is characterized by reservation, quietness and idealism. On the other end of the spectrum, there is orange—a color symbolic of warmth, social communication, optimism, enthusiasm and an ability to think outside the box. While some may not believe in this color theory, it is spot on in describing what has been dubbed the “Orange Culture” at ExactTarget and the working style of Executive Vice President (EVP) of Administration Todd Richardson.
The Orange Culture is what steered Richardson to his current employer. “I joined ExactTarget mainly because of the culture that I had heard about and seen and the leadership that was at the heart of that culture. The Orange Culture represents a unique passion for serving our customers, and a unique passion for serving one another. The level of teamwork, the level of excitement, the level of flexibility that we show in our day-to-day work, it is a rarity in most professional settings.”As the company culture is standout, so is the “hybrid” position that Richardson fills. He is responsible for recruiting the best and brightest as part of his strategic human resources role, while at the same time overseeing all the legal functions necessary to run a company, “including contract management, risk management and real estate.” His greatest challenge in this role is “to grow and scale at a meteoric pace.”
The company that had a home office in Indianapolis and a few operations across the U.S. now has operations on four continents and has grown from 300 employees to more than 2,000. “We are operating on a much bigger scale,” Richardson said, “and to manage the hiring and coaching and development of employees on four continents while conducting legal oversight and legal guidance in numerous countries is quite challenging.”
Clearly, Richardson is finding his way. He and his team were just awarded the Stevie Award. “The team’s ability to partner with the business to grow ExactTarget at a rapid pace on multiple continents as we prepared for and successfully went public, all the while maintaining the unique culture, was an accomplishment we are all very proud of.”
How does Richardson manage multiple teams with a diverse spectrum of responsibilities, and win awards along the way? Other than the fact that he “loves it,” he makes sure that he hires the “best of the best” for his internal teams. He recruits individuals who are candid, passionate and hard workers. He also ensures that he has brilliant external partners. And again, it comes down to that Orange Culture.“We talk a great deal about culture and why it is important as it relates to attracting and retaining employees,” Richardson conveyed. “I take it a step further to ensure that our external employees are also a culture fit with our workforce.”
External people like Bryan Brenner of First Person; Michael Kim of Hall Render, who is external immigration counsel; and Jenna Barnett of Newmark Knight Frank Halakar, help Richardson to “check the boxes” when it comes to benefit offerings, immigration issues and real estate needs. Richardson manages these “best of the best” through effective communication. “I over communicate every chance I can get,” he said. Richardson’s reports know what he is thinking, what he wants, what he is excited about and what is bothering him. The effect? The teams are all on the same page as they are “fighting for the same cause and in lock-step toward the pursuit of their joint goals.”
Richardson chalks much of ExactTarget’s success to its culture. It not only has helped the company develop a large customer base, but also has served Richardson well in his recruiting efforts. “Being able to recruit the best and the brightest is the most important factor in determining how we are going to serve our customers in the future” he said. “You want the A+ players on your team to ensure you are able to create and produce the most effective products for your customers. Culture is a big piece of that.
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