Shows
A History of MarketingIntroducing The CMO GameI have an unusual update this week: I made a game! It’s called The CMO Game.You have 12 months and $5M to launch your product and climb from Director of Marketing to the C-Suite. But your CEO has aggressive goals and if you don’t meet them, it’s game over.It’s like The Oregon Trail, but for marketing (and with less dysentery).You can play it right now at cmogame.com.Why Make a Marketing Game?One thing I keep coming back to is how hard it is to...
2026-02-1603 min
A History of MarketingTim Calkins: 60 Years Later and 20,000% Pricier... Why Super Bowl Ads Are Still Worth ItA History of Marketing / Episode 47In 1967, a 30-second spot at the very first Super Bowl cost roughly $37,500. This Sunday, for Super Bowl 60, brands are paying upwards of $8 million. That is a price increase of over 20,000%.So… Is it still worth it?For Professor Tim Calkins, who’s spent 22 years studying this exact question, the answer is an emphatic, ‘Yes.’Since 2005, Calkins has led the Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review, where MBA students evaluate every ad that airs during the big game. It’s easy to say which ads are funny. It takes more...
2026-02-0558 min
A History of MarketingDavid Reibstein: Linking Marketing Metrics to Financial ConsequencesA History of Marketing / Episode 46David Reibstein has spent his career straddling disciplines that don’t always talk to each other: quantitative analysis and behavioral science, academic theory and management practice, marketing departments and finance teams. As a Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School of the UPenn and the co-author of Marketing Metrics, Reibstein is a world-renowned expert on how to measure what marketing actually contributes to a business.We discuss what David learned while under the mentorship of Frank Bass, a pioneer of bringing quantitative analysis to marketing and half the na...
2026-01-2958 min
A History of MarketingRory Sutherland: 'Capital M' vs. 'small m' Marketing & the Big Mistake the Industry MadeA History of Marketing / Episode 45 Today marks exactly one year since I hit publish on the very first episode of A History of Marketing. I wanted to do something special for the anniversary, so I’m happy to share my excellent conversation with Rory Sutherland.You may know Rory from his Ted Talks which have been viewed by millions, or his TikToks which have been viewed by tens of millions. He is the Vice Chairman at Ogilvy and the founder of their behavioral science practice.I’m a big fan of his book, Alch...
2026-01-151h 09
A History of MarketingPhilip Kotler: 'The Father of Modern Marketing’ ReturnsA History of Marketing / Episode 44 When I launched A History of Marketing at the start of this year, I had a vision of exploring the origins of our craft. But I never imagined that 2025 would be bookended by “The Father of Modern Marketing.”Dr. Philip Kotler kicked off the podcast as the first guest I interviewed. Now, it is my distinct honor to welcome him back to the show for our final interview of 2025.The Year in Review: 69,523 ThanksThis year has exceeded every expectation I had. To date, this podcast has been downloaded and...
2025-12-2340 min
A History of MarketingKevin Lane Keller: The Blueprint for Brand ResonanceA History of Marketing / Episode 43 If you studied marketing in school, you likely carried Kevin Lane Keller’s work in your backpack.He co-authored Marketing Management, the all-time best-selling marketing textbook, alongside Philip Kotler. And with Strategic Brand Management, Kevin he defined how a generation of marketers understands brand equity. As a Professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, he has spent decades bridging the gap between rigorous academic theory and elite corporate practice. He’s consulted for giants like Disney, Nike, and Ford, but perhaps his most interesting “field research” came from working with the A...
2025-12-1844 min
A History of Marketing5 Rules of Thumb for Early Career MarketersA History of Marketing / Bonus Episode Earlier this year, I spoke with students at Syracuse University taking an “Essentials of Marketing” course. I shared stories from my non-traditional career in marketing that’s spanned filmmaking, virtual reality, robotics, trucking, and technology. I framed these stories into “five rules of thumb” for early career marketers.I’m releasing this as a “bonus” episode. I prefer to let the history and my guests be the star of the show, but regular listeners might be entertained by this personal detour and find some value in these takeaways.I want to give...
2025-12-1443 min
A History of MarketingGeoffrey Colon: Everything is a Remix, From the First Radio Ad to TikTokA History of Marketing / Episode 42 This week, I’m sharing my excellent conversation with Geoffrey Colon, a creative strategist and author of Disruptive Marketing. Geoffrey is a self-described “hybrid” marketer with a career spanning the full spectrum of the industry, from running street teams for Red Bull to leading brand strategy at Microsoft, with stints at Ogilvy, Dentsu and his own agencies in between. He’s won Cannes Lions, Webby’s, and bylined articles in Fast Company and Advertising Age.In our conversation, Geoffrey draws a direct line between the first radio ads of the 1920s and the...
2025-12-1151 min
A History of MarketingTracey Panek: Levi's Corporate Historian on Building a Timeless BrandA History of Marketing / Episode 41 This week, I’m joined by Tracey Panek, the corporate historian for Levi Strauss & Co, a company that embraces its past as an active part of its marketing strategy. Tracey’s role sits directly within the marketing department. Among her many tasks is to mine Levi’s archives for authentic stories. “Authenticity” may be a buzzword we hear often, but Levi’s backs it up with primary sources, including patents, artifacts recovered from shipwrecks, and of course, jeans… lots and lots of jeans.Tracey walks us through the brand’s evolut...
2025-12-0437 min
A History of MarketingMargaret Getchell: How America’s First Female Retail Executive Built the Macy’s BrandA History of Marketing / Episode 40Long before giant balloons floated down Broadway* at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a remarkable young woman with a prosthetic eyeball developed the beginnings of the Macy’s brand in the 1860s.Her name was Margaret Getchell. She was a marketing visionary who gave Macy’s its iconic red star logo, she captured customers’ imaginations with fantastical window displays, and she cemented the brand’s connection to the holiday season.Even though she was the first female executive of Macy’s, Margaret Getchell’s contributions were largely lost to time...
2025-11-2535 min
A History of MarketingJim Spaeth: An Insider’s History of Marketing Mix ModelingA History of Marketing / Episode 39A recurring theme on A History of Marketing is the tension between marketing as an art and marketing as a science.Lately, we’ve explored the former. David Gluckman shared how he invented Baileys Irish Cream in 1973 based on gut instinct and “the benefit of ignorance.” Scott Reames revealed how the team that birthed the Nike brand in 1971 had no formal training as marketers.This week, the pendulum swings in the other direction in my excellent conversation with Jim Spaeth, Ph.D.Jim’s career places him at t...
2025-11-2026 min
A History of MarketingDavid Gluckman: Why the Inventor of Baileys Thinks Market Research is Bullsh*tA History of Marketing / Episode 38“Why should all alcoholic drinks taste punishing and challenging? Why shouldn’t they taste pleasant?”My guest, David Gluckman, asked himself this question in 1973. It led him to develop what became Baileys Irish Cream, a liqueur that’s now sold ~2.5 billion bottles globally.In our conversation, David shares the remarkably haphazard origin story of Baileys along with the contrarian lessons from his career creating alcoholic drink brands like Tanqueray No. Ten, Cîroc, and Smirnoff Black.Listen to the podcast: Spotify / Apple PodcastsWe dive into...
2025-11-1343 min
A History of MarketingScott Reames: Nike's First-ever Historian Shares Secrets Behind the SwooshA History of Marketing / Episode 37This week, I’m sharing a special conversation with Scott Reames. Scott spent three decades at Nike and for 16 years was Nike’s official corporate historian, a role he invented. He even helped Phil Knight with research and fact-checking for Shoe Dog, the only business memoir I’ve read more than once.Nike is the first brand I remember embracing as a kid. I suspect this might be true for a lot of marketers.Growing up in the 1990s, I played basketball, I watched Michael Jordan win six NBA ch...
2025-11-051h 06
A History of MarketingKen Rufo: We Measure Interaction, Not Persuasion (And Why That's A Problem)A History of Marketing / Episode 36This week my guest is Ken Rufo, the owner and principal of Manchester Street, a marketing consultancy focused on B2B differentiation. Prior to this, he ran positioning and strategy at Emphatic Thinking, a consulting firm that’s now owned by Accenture. Ken earned his PhD in communication from the University of Georgia, and I met him back when he was my professor in my master’s program at the University of Washington.One of the things that I like about Ken Rufo is that he brings such a un...
2025-10-2439 min
A History of MarketingJon Miller: Marketo's Cofounder on the Rise & Stagnation of Marketing AutomationA History of Marketing / Episode 35This week, I’m joined by Jon Miller, a Harvard-trained physicist turned marketing tech pioneer. Jon is best known as the cofounder of Marketo, and he helped define the playbook for B2B demand generation over the past 2 decades.A serial entrepreneur, Jon founded Engagio and was CMO of Demandbase. He’s busy building his next venture (which he not-so-subtly hints at during our chat).Jon pulls back the curtain on the rise of marketing automation. He shares the inside story of Marketo’s creation, the explosion of the “M...
2025-10-1640 min
A History of MarketingKerry Cunningham: The MQL Industrial Complex & Where B2B Marketing Went WrongA History of Marketing / Episode 34Today we’re talking about a phenomenon my guest, Kerry Cunningham, calls the “MQL Industrial Complex.”If you’re not in B2B marketing, that term might be new. It refers to the Demand Waterfall, a framework introduced has dominated business-to-business marketing for two decades. It’s shaped how companies organize their teams, spend their budgets, and ultimately, measure success. It introduced the phrase MQL (marketing qualified lead) and standardized SQL (Sales Qualified Lead). Kerry Cunningham is among the world’s foremost experts on this topic. He was a Sen...
2025-10-0257 min
A History of MarketingRussell Belk: The Extended Self and How Marketing Influences IdentityA History of Marketing / Episode 33This week I'm sharing an excellent conversation with Russell W. Belk, Professor and Kraft Foods Chair in Marketing at York University.Professor Belk is recognized as a leading expert on consumption, materialism, collecting, and sharing. In 1988 he published “Possessions and The Extended Self,” one of the most widely cited papers in the field of consumer research. The Extended Self is a simple but compelling idea that, “You are what you own.” That possessions become extensions of our identities. Of course, this has massive implications for marketing.We spend...
2025-09-1836 min
A History of MarketingShelley Zalis: The Birth of Online ResearchA History of Marketing / Episode 32This week we’re diving into early internet history and the digital transformation of Hollywood with the one and only, Shelley Zalis.Zalis is the founder and CEO of The Female Quotient, an organization dedicated to elevating women in the workplace and closing the gender gap for good. With millions of social media followers and tens of thousands of global event attendees, The FQ is the largest global community of women in business. But before she became a leading voice for workplace equality, Zalis was a tech pioneer wh...
2025-09-1050 min
A History of MarketingBob Herbold: Ex-Microsoft COO and Procter & Gamble SVP on Leading Marketing for Two Iconic BrandsA History of Marketing / Episode 31Last time on A History of Marketing, Paul Feldwick celebrated advertising’s roots in entertainment and spectacle. This week, we hear almost the opposite perspective.My guest, Robert J. Herbold, spent decades leading marketing at Procter & Gamble and then served as Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft. From the client side, Bob values discipline and persuasiveness above all else. He even calls advertising creative that strays from strategy “gobbledygook.”The contrast highlights why marketing is such a rich topic to explore, and I think there’s something to be learned...
2025-09-0448 min
A History of Marketing“The only honest case study in the history of marketing”A History of Marketing / Bonus EpisodeThis week’s conversation with Paul Feldwick was so packed with histories and insights that I simply couldn't fit everything into one episode. So, I cut out one of my favorite parts to share with you as a separate “Bonus Episode.” (Even if you’ve heard the main episode, this will be new to you.)Paul shares the behind-the-scenes story of the iconic 1990s Barclaycard ads, starring the comedian Rowan Atkinson. Atkinson used these ads to develop the spy character that would become Johnny English.Listen to the podc...
2025-08-2418 min
A History of MarketingPaul Feldwick: Deconstructing the Myths of AdvertisingA History of Marketing / Episode 30What if core concepts like the USP, ad recall, and the sales funnel aren't timeless truths, but just ideas that happened to catch on? What if even the people who invented and promoted these ideas didn’t always follow their own advice?This week, I’m joined by Paul Feldwick, a career ad man who has spent the last two decades analyzing his industry through a historical lens. Feldwick traces where the “eternal truths” of advertising came from to see if they hold up to scrutiny. He also argues that in its q...
2025-08-211h 00
A History of MarketingWaldemar Pförtsch: B2B Marketing & Ingredient BrandingA History of Marketing / Episode 29I’ve made an oversight that needs correcting. For a podcast about marketing history, we've almost exclusively focused on consumer brands. We’ve barely touched on business-to-business marketing, even though B2B makes up a larger sector of the global economy.In marketing textbooks and industry coverage, B2C campaigns tend to grab the headlines while B2B marketers work behind the scenes. It's ironic this podcast would have the same bias, considering I've spent most of my own career in the B2B world.So today, we’re div...
2025-08-1438 min
A History of MarketingProf. Jonathan A.J. Wilson: Beats, Brands, and Belief - Lessons from Music & Islamic MarketingA History of Marketing / Episode 28There are nearly two billion Muslims in the world, members of a faith with more than a thousand years of history, commerce, and culture. Global brands are increasingly vying for their attention and disposable income. So what exactly is Islamic marketing, and how does it differ from simply putting a "Halal" label on a product?To answer that question, there’s no better guide than my guest this week, Professor Jonathan A.J. Wilson. As the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Marketing and author of the book Halal Branding, he...
2025-08-0757 min
A History of MarketingJean Kilbourne: "Killing Us Softly" & Pioneering Feminist Advertising CriticismA History of Marketing / Episode 27This week, I’m excited to share a timely conversation with author, filmmaker, and activist Jean Kilbourne. Kilbourne is recognized as the pioneer of feminist advertising criticism, and is best known for her influential documentary series, Killing Us Softly. Since its release in 1979, Killing Us Softly has been essential viewing in classrooms across the United States, draws attention to the objectification of women’s bodies, the promotion of harmful stereotypes, and the effects of advertising on the self-image of women. In past episodes of this podcast, I’ve mostly...
2025-07-3147 min
A History of MarketingRob Salkowitz: Comic-Con & the Incredible Intersection of Comics and MarketingA History of Marketing / Episode 26 Today marks the first day of San Diego Comic-Con 2025, which feels like a fitting time to explore the incredible intersection of comics and marketing. Comics were once a niche, nerdy subculture but for the past two decades they’ve grown to dominate the global box office and are at the center of pop culture. So how did comics market themselves to the masses? To help us understand this journey, we have the perfect guide: Rob Salkowitz. Rob writes for Forbes and is the author of the book, Comic-Con an...
2025-07-2455 min
A History of MarketingWroe Alderson: The Forgotten Father of Modern Marketing?A History of Marketing / Episode 25I wanted to do something special for the 25th episode of "A History of Marketing." While I love the conversational format of the podcast, I stumbled upon a story so incredible, so important, that it demanded a different approach. This story is told in a documentary format that took 10X the usual effort to produce.That story belongs to Wroe Alderson.Ever heard of him? I hadn't either until I started this podcast. Yet, his short Wikipedia page calls him "the most important marketing theorist of the twentieth...
2025-07-1046 min
A History of MarketingDavid Aaker: "The Father of Modern Branding" ReturnsA History of Marketing / Episode 24What does it take to build a brand that endures? Few people on earth can answer that question better than David Aaker.David Aaker, AKA the "Father of Modern Branding," is back to mark the launch of the 2nd edition Aaker on Branding. This book distills decades of Aaker’s work, covering brand strategy, portfolio management and execution. Our conversation is a great entry point.My last interview with David Aaker is the most popular podcast episode of “A History of Marketing” in terms of downloads and streams. I’ll b...
2025-07-0345 min
A History of MarketingBill Moult: The Marketing Science Institute & Connecting Research to ResultsA History of Marketing / Episode 23This week, I'm joined by Bill Moult, an entrepreneur and executive who spent his career at the center of the marketing data revolution. Bill has served as CEO and President of companies central to advertising research, new product forecasting, brand metrics, and media measurement.Bill also served as President of the Marketing Science Institute, an influential non-profit that bridges the gap between marketing academics and practitioners to drive business performance.Listen to the podcast: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / YouTube PodcastsIn this conversation, we explore Bill’s hi...
2025-06-2654 min
A History of MarketingIan Leslie: The Beatles' Marketing GeniusA History of Marketing / Episode 22Today marks Sir Paul McCartney’s 83rd birthday. To celebrate, I’m publishing my excellent interview with Ian Leslie. Ian’s the author of the New York Times bestseller: John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs, published in April.It’s my favorite book I’ve read this year. It tells the story of the creative partnership at the heart of the most influential band in history. I’m pretty familiar with Beatles’ story, but this book tells the story in an intimate way. I laughed, I cried, and I didn’t want to...
2025-06-1853 min
A History of MarketingRachel Kennedy: The Legacy and Impact of The Ehrenberg-Bass InstituteA History of Marketing / Episode 21This week, I'm delighted to be joined by Professor Rachel Kennedy, Associate Director (Product Development) of the renowned Ehrenberg-Bass Institute.The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science is a leading organization in research on how to grow brands. Professor Kennedy herself ranks globally in the top 1% of advertising researchers and is highly regarded for her work in bringing evidence-based research into tangible marketing practice.In our conversation, Professor Kennedy shares fascinating insights into the work of marketing science pioneers like Andrew Ehrenberg and Frank Bass, and the founding principles...
2025-06-1248 min
A History of MarketingRichard S. Tedlow: The Story of Mass Marketing in AmericaA History of Marketing / Episode 20This week, I'm thrilled to be joined by Richard S. Tedlow, the MBA Class of 1949 Professor of Business Administration Emeritus at the Harvard Business School. Professor Tedlow is a renowned specialist in the history of business, an acclaimed author, and a truly engaging storyteller. Tedlow also the author behind the popular Substack, Dystopias and Demagogues.After dedicating over three decades to teaching and research at Harvard, he was recruited by Apple to become a member of Apple University, the company's prestigious executive education arm, further cementing his expertise at the intersection of...
2025-06-0558 min
A History of MarketingLaura Ries: Pioneers of Positioning and the Immutable Laws of BrandingA History of Marketing / Episode 19This week I’m excited to be joined by Laura Ries, a leading marketing strategist, speaker, and bestselling author. Laura is also the daughter of Al Ries (1926-2022), the legendary marketer who's best known for popularizing the concept of positioning, along with his partner and co-author, Jack Trout (1935-2017). Laura and Al Ries co-founded RIES, the global positioning strategy & consulting firm and co-authored several books together including The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR, and The Origin of Brands.We...
2025-05-2954 min
A History of MarketingNino Carvalho: More Marketing, Less GuruA History of Marketing / Episode 18This week, I'm thrilled to welcome Nino Carvalho, a professor, author, and marketing consultant based in Portugal.I actually discovered Carvalho and his work thanks to a podcast listener who brought him to my attention via a YouTube comment. After connecting with Nino and reading translations of his publications (he primarily writes in Portuguese), he has become an inspiration for me and my exploration into marketing history.Nino stands out as one of the few marketing educators I've encountered who passionately emphasizes the importance of marketing history in...
2025-05-221h 13
A History of MarketingReflections and Lessons from the first months of ‘A History of Marketing’A History of Marketing / Episode 17This week we're mixing up the usual format. I've been publishing this podcast for a few months now, so I thought this would be a good time to reflect on the conversations I've had so far, talk about what I've learned, and share a behind-the-scenes look at how the podcast is going. Spoiler alert: I think it's going great.I recruited my friend Scott Morris, Creative Director at Waka Seattle to interview me about the podcast.Scott is an incredibly talented documentary filmmaker who always asks...
2025-05-0837 min
A History of MarketingT. Bettina Cornwell: The World of Sports Endorsements and Sponsorship-Linked MarketingA History of Marketing / Episode 16Tune into any major sporting event, and corporate sponsorship saturate the screen. Colossal logos sprawl across stadium rooftops. They adorn the smallest patch on a player's jersey. From pre-game shows to post-game analysis, from breakfast cereal to beer cans, from charitable causes to gambling apps, sponsorships are inseparable from sports.Sports and sponsorship are so interwoven, it’s easy to think it was always this way. But it’s a relatively new phenomenon. It doesn’t happen naturally either. Behind the scenes marketers, brands, teams, and athletes navigate complex sponsorship-linked market...
2025-05-0131 min
A History of MarketingGabriele Carboni: The Marketing Book Endorsed by Pope Francis, Italian History, and Impact MarketingA History of Marketing / Episode 15This is not a current events podcast, but this episode is more timely than usual.I’m joined by Gabriele Carboni, a marketer, author, consultant based in Italy. I met Carboni through Philip Kotler. Together they co-authored the book, “Enlightened Management” which is about how Impact Marketing can have a positive impact for people and the planet.Gabriele Carboni is probably the only marketer to have a book endorsed by the late Pope Francis. The Vatican issued this comment on Carboni’s book, “Civil Economy.” (Translated from Italian) “His H...
2025-04-2441 min
A History of MarketingMark Tadajewski: Myth Busting, Mind Reading, and Rethinking Marketing's Origin StoryA History of Marketing / Episode 14If you listened to my first podcast with Philip Kotler, you heard Phil discuss marketing emerging in the early 1900s as a form of “applied economics.” This week, my guest Mark Tadajewski shares research that casts doubt on that version of events, revealing a narrative of early marketing history that is much more complex than the traditional story and veers into surprising, supernatural territory.Mark Tadajewski is Professor of Marketing at The Open University and Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Marketing Management. He’s a marketing historian that I admi...
2025-04-171h 09
A History of MarketingLouis Stern: Marketing Channels, Power, and ConflictA History of Marketing / Episode 13"Place" might be the most often overlooked of the four P’s in the marketing mix, but it encompasses channels and distribution. Power dynamics and conflicts between companies (and sometimes within them) shape how products reach their customers. Few have influenced our understanding of marketing channels more than Louis Stern. Lou is the John D. Gray Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Northwestern's Kellogg School and the namesake of the American Marketing Association's Louis W. Stern Award, which recognizes contributions to marketing and channels of distribution.Lou is also the author of bo...
2025-04-1026 min
A History of MarketingGeorge Day: Market Driven Strategies, “Where to Play and How to Win.”A History of Marketing / Episode 12“My philosophy about the marketing function is that it's the interface between the organization and its markets.” - George DayThis week, we’re joined by Professor George Day, a renowned author, educator, and researcher. Day is the Geoffrey T. Boise Emeritus Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he founded the Mack Institute for Innovation Management. Day co-authored Marketing Research with David Aaker and V. Kumar, who were previous podcast guests. However, Day perhaps best known for his work on strategy. We spe...
2025-04-0323 min
A History of MarketingGiana Eckhardt: The Origins of Branding in Imperial ChinaA History of Marketing / Episode 11When and where did modern branding really begin? The usual narrative suggests it started during the Industrial Revolution, when the UK and the US began mass producing goods.This week, we’re challenging that story with my guest Giana Eckhardt, Professor of Marketing at King's College London, whose research reveals sophisticated branding practices thrived in Imperial China centuries before the Industrial Revolution.Early examples of Chinese brands like the "White Rabbit" show how sophisticated targeted marketing and brand symbolism are much older than originally thought. ...
2025-03-2733 min
A History of MarketingSergio Zyman, Part 2: New Coke and "The End of Marketing as We Know It"A History of Marketing / Episode 10 (Part 2)“Some critics will say Coca-Cola has made a marketing mistake, and some cynics say that we planned the whole thing. The truth is we're not that dumb, and we're not that smart.” - Don Keough, Former President of Coca-Cola in 1985We go beyond the headlines of New Coke and hear Zyman’s first-hand account of:The Internal Battles: How resistance to changing Coca-Cola's iconic (but stale) advertising led to the fateful decision to change the product itself.The Research Blind Spot: Why focusing solely on taste...
2025-03-2036 min
A History of MarketingSergio Zyman, Part 1: “The First Chief Marketing Officer”A History of Marketing / Episode 10 (Part 1)“Marketing is about selling more stuff to more people more often for more money more efficiently. That's what marketing is.” - Sergio ZymanThis week, I’m joined by a marketing iconoclast: Sergio Zyman. Wikipedia describes Zyman as being “best known as the marketer behind the failed launch of New Coke and the success of Diet Coke, Fruitopia, Surge, and ad campaigns such as "Coke Is It."Zyman rarely gives interviews, and the few that are available tend to focus on the New Coke saga, which is frequently described as one of t...
2025-03-1340 min
A History of MarketingDr. Robert Cialdini: “The Godfather of Influence” on the Seven Principles of Persuasion in MarketingA History of Marketing / Episode 9This week, I sit down with Dr. Robert Cialdini, a NYT bestselling author and Regents Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University. Cialdini is regarded as “The Godfather of Influence” and The Harvard Business Review describes him as “the foremost expert on effective persuasion.”This is a special conversation for me. Cialdini’s 1984 book “Influence: Science and Practice” is a book I’ve revisited over my career, and I’ve recommended it to several marketing colleagues. Speaking directly with Cialdini was a true honor. He’s given a handful of...
2025-03-0652 min
A History of MarketingDr. V. Kumar: Marketing Research and the Data RevolutionA History of Marketing / Episode 8“Anytime there was a budget cut, marketing was cut first. So I took it personally to make executives believe marketing is an investment, not an expense. The only way you can prove that is to show the ROI of marketing.” - V. KumarThis week, we have a marketing titan joining us: Dr. V. Kumar, also known as “VK.” He's among the most cited and influential scholars in the field of marketing. He has published over 300 scholarly articles and 35 books. VK’s has been recognized with over 20 Lifetime Achievemen...
2025-02-2740 min
A History of MarketingDr. Jagdish Sheth: Buyer Behavior and the Evolution of Marketing TheoryA History of Marketing / Episode 7“Consumers don't make choices. They reduce choices.” - Jag ShethThis week my guest is a marketing legend, Dr. Jagdish Sheth. Dr. Sheth is a renowned scholar and has published more than 300 research papers and over 30 books. He’s the namesake of the Jagdish Sheth School of Management and recipient of the Padma Bhushan—the third-highest civilian honor awarded by the Government of India.In our conversation, we dive into the influence of psychology on marketing, Jag’s contributions to consumer behavior, and Sheth’s incredible life and career. ...
2025-02-2028 min
A History of MarketingShelley Spector: Early Public Relations & Pioneers Who Shaped the FieldA History of Marketing / Episode 6This week we are joined by Shelley Spector, founder and director of the Museum of Public Relations. Shelley's journey into PR history began with an unlikely friendship with the legendary Edward Bernays, the "father of public relations" and nephew of Sigmund Freud.In our conversation, Shelley shares personal stories of Bernays in his later years, and we use the Museum of Public Relations as a lens to explore PR's early history.I'm releasing this episode right after last week’s conversation with Larry Tye on the historic life of...
2025-02-1348 min
A History of MarketingLarry Tye on Edward Bernays: "The Father of Public Relations"A History of Marketing / Episode 5This week, my guest is author Larry Tye, who is best known for his biographies of iconic figures of American history. Tye's book "The Father of Spin" is the definitive biography of Edward L. Bernays, who is often called "The Father of Public Relations."This excerpt from The Father of Spin provides a glimpse at the historic life of Bernays:”Edward Bernays almost single-handedly fashioned the craft that has come to be called public relations. Bernays was the man who, more than any other, got women to smoke ci...
2025-02-0647 min
A History of MarketingDavid Aaker: "The Father of Modern Branding"A History of Marketing / Episode 4 This week, my guest is David Aaker, the "Father of Modern Branding," a renowned marketing professor, author, and consultant who has revolutionized the way we think about brands. Aaker's work on brand equity helped elevate the role of marketing to serve a more strategic function in organizations.Aaker is the author of several seminal books, including "Managing Brand Equity" (1991) and "Building Strong Brands" (1996), which introduced the influential Aaker Model. He's also Vice Chairman of Prophet, a global brand consultancy, where he's advised some of the world's most recognizable brands.Listen...
2025-01-3028 min
A History of MarketingMark Tungate: Advertising History from Ancient Pompeii to TodayToday, my guest is journalist and author Mark Tungate. Mark has spent over 30 years covering the advertising, branding, and luxury industries.Mark’s book Adland: A Global History of Advertising tells the story of the most influential people and iconic advertising campaigns from around the world. Mark is also the editorial director of the Epica Awards, a global creative competition judged by journalists.Listen to the Podcast: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / YouTube PodcastsIn this episode, we cover the ancient origins of advertising, the emergence of ad agencies, the creative revolution of the 1950s an...
2025-01-2343 min
A History of MarketingGuy Kawasaki: The Remarkable Rise of Evangelism MarketingListen to the Podcast: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / YouTube PodcastsWelcome to episode two of A History of Marketing. I'm Andrew Mitrak, and today my guest is Guy Kawasaki. Guy shaped the field of marketing by popularizing the idea of evangelism marketing. Today, there are more than 10,000 technology, brand, and product evangelists on LinkedIn, and that wouldn't have happened without Guy.Guy worked at Apple during some of their most iconic marketing moments, so he shares an insider's perspective on the launch of the Macintosh, the 1984 Super Bowl ad, and the "Think Different" campaign. Guy is...
2025-01-2134 min
A History of MarketingDr. Philip Kotler: 'The Father of Modern Marketing'Welcome to the first episode of A History of Marketing. This podcast is a quest to understand how marketing evolved and today, we kick off this quest with an absolute legend: Dr. Philip Kotler, also known as the 'father of modern marketing.'When I originally had the idea for this podcast, Phil was the very first person I reached out to, and meeting him has already made this project worthwhile.Phil Kotler has authored over 90 books, including Marketing Management, which was my textbook when I studied marketing in school. To prep for this interview...
2025-01-1531 min
A History of MarketingIntroducing: A History of MarketingA podcast exploring the untold stories of how marketing evolved through conversations with marketing leaders, professors, authors, and historians - including Philip Kotler, David Aaker, Guy Kawasaki, Jagdish Sheth, V. Kumar, Shelley Spector, and more.Hosted by Andrew Mitrakmarketinghistory.orgTranscript:Imagine this. The year is 1900. You pick up a copy of the Webster’s English dictionary. You search for the word "marketing."You don’t find it. That’s because it’s not there yet.Flash forward to 2025 and you log in to LinkedIn...
2025-01-1303 min
The Lawyer Who RocksHaptX: Putting the REAL in Virtual RealityVirtual reality you can feel! That's what the badasses, at HaptX are working on. And that's what Joleen is talking about on this episode with Joe Michaels and Andrew Mitrak. They chat up their very cool emerging haptic technology which they say is 50% science and 50% magic, how it is ground breaking across industries and changing the way things like cars are designed and manufactured. HaptX will be in be in Austin, Texas March 8-11 for SXSW, where they are a finalist for the SXSW Interactive Innovation Award. To learn more visit: https://haptx.com/
2019-03-0637 min