A quiet heritage brand leans into storytelling

Adweek’s Speed of Culture pod hosted Jim Mollica, the very first CMO of Bose.

Worth a listen (wearing classic Bose QCs in my case) if you are working with a historically product-driven brand that is being drowned out by story-driven challengers.

Highlights:

  • Building credibility in a product-led co

  • UX-driven. New forms like open-ear follow new behaviors

  • Leaning into diverse content. Inhouse, agency and creator. Not competing with other ads but other media

  • 7-10,000 content pieces a month, helped by AI for material and segmentation

  • AI not a “race to the bottom.” Can personalize content and interactions

  • Psychographic over demographic data: “Demographics do not matter to me. It’s behaviorial.”

  • Long-tail collabs b/c “that’s what a music-obsessed brand would do”; honor heritage artists

  • Hone your craft. “Fall in love with the process.”

  • Stresses adopting the language and measures of business outcomes

  • Failures as part of a diverse portfolio that delivers outsized returns

➔ Jim Mollica’s Linkedin profile

➔ Episode on Apple / Spotify

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