Category — Chief Marketing Officers

Truly breakthrough ideas are both easier and harder to come by. A roundtable discussion featuring Deborah Conrad of Intel, Tony Post of Vibram USA, Ralph Santana of Samsung, Robert Walcott of Kellogg Innovation Network and Beth Ann Kaminkow of TracyLocke.

How should innovators think about consumers? Deborah Conrad: Innovation is about presenting information in a way that’s easy for consumers. Several years ago, marketers had a push mentality, where we were shouting from the highest building and hoping that consumers would sort it all out themselves.

Digital and social media now give us the ability to offer different solutions to consumers when and where they need them. So, it’s about using that innovative platform and not just relying on things like television ads. There’s a real intersection between the consumer searching for solutions and our opportunity to get them excited about what we have to offer … read >>

Steve Pinetti of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants wants to put a smile on your face. By Tim Manners. Dog biscuits at the front door. A goldfish in your room. Animal-print robes in the bath. If you’ve ever stayed at a Kimpton hotel, it’s all very familiar. The complimentary wine hour at five. The extra-long bed (if you’re 6-foot-8). The level of personal attention that Steve Pinetti, Kimpton’s senior vice-president of inspiration and creativity, says transcends mere “customer service” and provides “genuine, heartfelt care.”

If you think you’ve never stayed at a Kimpton hotel — or the name doesn’t quite ring a bell — it’s probably because there is no hotel called Kimpton: For the most part, each of Kimpton’s 54 boutiques has its own name. Maybe you’re familiar with Hotel Allegro in Chicago, the Muse Hotel in New York City, or Nine Zero in Boston. All of them are Kimptons … read >>

Barry Judge of Best Buy re-imagines retail in 140 characters or less. By Tim Manners. With some 18,000 followers on Twitter and more than 2,000 tweets to his name, few marketing chiefs have embraced emerging media as personally as Best Buy’s Barry Judge.

As music and movies migrate from discs to downloads, and consumer-electronics devices grow ever smaller, the acres of retail that once were so formidable suddenly may not be so desirable anymore. As a big-box retailer, Best Buy has no choice but to figure out how to make digital media part of its solution, and Barry is thoroughly absorbed in that challenge … read >>

After 125 years, Coca-Cola marketing chief Joe Tripodi says the best is yet to come. By Tim Manners. Five score and 25 years ago, John Pemberton devised a sweet, effervescent beverage, an innovative mix of syrup and carbonated water, flavored by coca leaves and kola nuts, which some believe he intended to market as a patent medicine.

The Hub Magazine, Vol. 7, Issue 43. The entire issue of Jul/JAug 2011 edition of The Hub Magazine, centered on brand identity, featuring a cover story interview with Joe Tripodi of The Coca-Cola Company.