Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind – Details, episodes & analysis

In today’s episode of the Soul & Science Podcast, we’re talking to Mark Pollard, brand strategist, CEO of Sweathead, host of the Sweathead Podcast and author of the book Strategy is Your Words. For the past 20 years, Mark has worked with global brands such as The Economist, Meta, and The Wall Street Journal to solve complex marketing challenges and build winning strategies. Throughout his career, he has blended non-traditional ideas, creativity, and analytical data that prove that sometimes it’s best to break the mold. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• Why leveraging low-budget content and experimental ideas can be a winning part of your social media approach
• Which types of nontraditional data and insights can better inform your strategy
• How a diverse career path and experience help build a better skill set to solve complex and novel marketing challenges

Brought to you by Mekanism. 

Is it time to update your company values? In today’s mini episode, we dive into why values matter and we’ll share the six new guiding principles at Mekanism. From embracing bold creativity to fostering teamwork and innovation, these values will help us redefine our company’s future.

Brought to you by Mekanism.

In this episode of the Soul & Science podcast, we are joined by Carrie Hutchison, the Director of Marketing and Brand at Re:wild. Re:wild is an environmental organization that recently partnered with Mekanism’s brand partner, Culturelle Probiotics to bring awareness to an untraditional cause- the endangerment of the human gut microbiome.

Carrie started her career in sustainability and marketing with National Geographic as their Director of Corporate Communications and has worked with universities such as Georgetown. Now, she campaigns for sustainability in brands and the planet around the world. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• The ways that industry could be interacting with the planet to ensure sustainability. 
• Why the protection of our endangered ecosystems- especially the ones within our own bodies- is crucial to a sustainable future for mankind. 
• What we can do on an individual level to promote sustainability in our own lives. 

Brought to you by Mekanism.

This week, we're revisiting our inspiring conversation with David Lester, Co-founder at Olipop. 

There’s an alchemy to relationships, including the ones between co-founders. David Lester, co-founder at good-for-you-soda company, OLIPOP, first heard about his future business partner, Ben Goodwin, while he was quitting his 10-year job at global beverage giant Diageo. His then boss thought they’d work well together. The first meeting between entrepreneurs was memorable as Ben showed up with a bag of home-made soda. The pair went on to run a kefir beverage startup, followed by OLIPOP. Packed with healthy prebiotics and a tenth the sugar of regular, OLIPOP brilliantly markets taste, health and nostalgia while drawing 50% of revenues through online channels, just a few of Lester’s marketing feats.  

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Soda psychology is grounded in our earliest memories.
• Three-quarters of the population is trying to make healthy adjustments. 
• When something seems stupid, that’s your cue to figure out a better way.
• That humility will take you from knowing nothing to expertise.
• Data science surrounds us, but your soul processes the insights

Brought to you by Mekanism.  

This week, we're revisiting our amazing conversation with Julia Perez, CMO at OWYN from May 2023.

Julia is a New York born, Miami-based marketing executive with a deep understanding of high-growth, healthier-for-you food and beverage startups. With more than 10 years of experience working for brands like Red Bull, Hain Celestial, RSP Nutrition, and CORE Water, it’s actually kind of her superpower. Her continued success in the health and wellness space led her to the role of Chief Marketing Officer at OWYN, which stands for Only What You Need, a plant-based nutrition company best known for its ready-to-drink protein shakes. OWYN is currently the #1 best selling plant protein shake in the US.  

In this episode you’ll learn: 

• How OWYN is cleaning up the sports nutrition industry with transparency, education, and empowering messaging
• Where Julia stands on the Ozempic trend and how OWYN fits in 
• Why you shouldn’t forget about the big picture when looking at segmented data
• The value of being an early adopter and in love with your industry

Brought to you by Mekanism.  

In this episode, we look into the Soul & Science of starting a movement. Small actions done consistently can have profound effects on our lives. The real challenge is doing those things every day. Something the majority of us seem to have no issues doing almost everyday is complaining. While complaining about this, that, and whatever comes to mind is easy, the negativity can block your focus, creativity, and productivity. 

This week, we’re talking with Will Bowen, who’s working on unlocking the secrets of positivity with his complaint-free movement. Will started his career as an advertising executive for Yellowpages, but even back then, he felt a passion for speaking and helping people discover a better way to live. In 2006, Will challenged 250 people to break the destructive habit of complaining by going 21 days in a row without speaking a single complaint. Now, almost 20 years later, he’s still traveling the country as a keynote speaker and working to change the lives and minds of thousands of professionals. His International best-selling book “A Complaint Free World” has sold nearly 4 million copies in 40 countries. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• The damage a complaining habit can do to your productivity and workflow 
• How to be more aware of your own complaints and negative thinking 
• What can happens when you step into a more positive mindset, and how to redefine your values with that in mind 

Brought to you by Mekanism. 

Why do some pitches soar while others flop? Today, we talk about the secrets of successful client pitches with the five laws of new business. From strategic selectivity to post-pitch follow-ups, here are some of our best strategies for winning over clients. 

Brought to you by Mekanism. 

It’s easy to get lost in the details of those everyday small inconveniences – what’s for dinner tonight, that looming deadline, whether or not your joke landed in that meeting earlier. It’s also just as easy to switch our brains to autopilot when they get overwhelmed and disappear into social media or TV. And what about that narrator in our heads? The constant critic. The complainer. It really doesn't serve us. 

But the simple practice of mindfulness might offer a solution. And our guest this week believes that everyone can be at least 10% happier if they work mindfulness into their daily life.

Dan Harris spent more than 20 years as a journalist for ABC where he was the co-anchor of Nightline and the weekend editions of Good Morning America. He’s covered wars, natural disasters, and even spent 48 hours in solitary confinement to better understand the criminal justice system. Today, Dan is the best-selling author of the meditation book “10% Happier” and host of the podcast of the same name. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• Not only how but also why you should incorporate a meditation practice into your personal and professional life
• To apply the lessons Dan learned during his path towards mindfulness in your own life
• How to better manage your own thought habits in order to be happier and healthier

Brought to you by Mekanism.

What do you do with a great idea that your client didn't want? Toss it? Or keep it? In today’s mini episode, we tackle the dilemma of rejected concepts. Discover how to transform these creative casualties into proactive initiatives that not only promote your business but also make a positive impact on the world. 

Brought to you by Mekanism.

This week on the Soul & Science podcast, we take a look at the power of culture and consumption. Take the rise of social media marketing as an example of consumption as culture. Companies have piggybacked on viral sounds, trends, and cultural moments from TikTok and Instagram as a way to promote their products. On the flip side, a seemingly clever campaign can flop if it jumps on a trend too late or misses the point entirely. So, if culture ultimately drives everything that people do, how do brands keep pace? 

Today, we’re talking with Dr. Marcus Collins about the effects of culture on human behavior and the undeniable connection between marketing and culture. 

Riding the line between industry and academia, his award-winning book For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be was a best-seller and he currently serves as a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. In the past, he was the Head of Strategy at Wieden+Kennedy and has worked with brands like Apple, Nike, and even Beyoncé. 

In today’s episode, you’ll learn: 

• How culture and marketing intertwine to create some of the most successful campaigns 
• What defines culture and how people choose to interact with it
• How brands can put themselves in the driver’s seat of cultural relevance

Brought to you by Mekanism.