This week I’ll be taking a break from my blog on the Ten Habits of Highly Effective Chief Marketing Officers, to talk about my teaching at UCLA, and some of the amazing interaction between the course’s guest speakers and my MBA students. Next week I will return with Habit #7: Train All The Time.
One of the hallmarks of the MBA class I am teaching with Dr. Sanjay Sood at UCLA Anderson is the weekly flow of guest speakers, each one of them scheduled to address the topic we are discussing that week.
One of our recent guest speakers was Alex Tosolini, a VP at P&G. Alex has worked in the U.K., Hungary, Belgium, the U.S., and several developing markets.
Before Alex came to campus he asked students to send him any questions they have, on any topic. No surprise from students at UCLA Anderson, they flooded Alex with questions. Sixty-eight to be exact. Some very specific to P&G, and many ranging from career advice to curiosity about Alex’s opinions on the state of brand building. The questions are terrific (and a few of them just plain fun), so I thought I would address a few of the funs ones in this blog:
Q. What has been the favorite accident of your career?
A. A really thoughtful and disarming question. I have had many accidents in my career, but perhaps the biggest one, the one that started my career in marketing (and my marriage — more on that later), was my decision to go to Penn State for my MBA. I was working at Time-Life Books as a Picture Editor and really into my work. I applied to several schools to make a career change into business, but I was “on the fence” whether or not to leave Time-Life. Penn State really reached out to me; they offered me a scholarship, which was great as I had very little savings. They also asked me to help them with their publications, leveraging my skills from Time-Life. They made it easy to make the transition. Turns out P&G was a big recruiter at Penn State, and I fell in love with what P&G is about, and that launched my career in brand management. Now on the marriage … I also met my wife, Kathleen, at Penn State. She was a first year MBA and I was a second year student. So choosing Penn State was quite a wonderful accident on many levels.
Q. What is the one brand you are most loyal to?
A. Well, I need to eliminate the P&G brands here as I am a very loyal P&G customer, really! Crest, Gillette, Tide, Dawn, Pantene and on and on.
One brand I am 100% loyal to is Illy espresso. It is fabulously premium priced, but I don’t care. I have it on continuous replenishment, a monthly delivery of four beautiful cans, whole beans, that go right into my Jura espresso machine. When my wife and I have a heavy month of entertaining, and we deplete our supply, I am lost! Nothing else quite does it. Illy understands it is about the entire experience, beginning with a lovely brand ideal. I have other 100% loyalties but I will reveal them some other time.
Q. Which brand from your childhood stands out in your memory?
A. A great question. Great brands never forget their heritage, they cherish it and bring it to life in new ways across generations. Two of my childhood favorite brands certainly respect where they came from, and have kept their relevance. Both are healthy brands in 2010.
The first is a global brand, adidas. I still remember my first pair of adidas basketball sneakers. I was in eighth grade. There were only a few pairs at the local sporting goods store. They cost $32 versus the Converse All-Stars which were $9.99. I saved my money and bought them, and wearing them was a near-mystical experience. I felt faster, sharper, cooler, better. Not a bad brand promise! I still wear adidas for tennis, which has replaced basketball as my sports love.
The second is Tastykakes, a regional brand in the Philadelphia area. It is an iconic packaged baked-goods brand, combining great taste, wholesomeness, freshness, and a bit of quirkiness. It is what Mom puts in lunches when she cannot bake something, it is the tradeoff-busting snack for just about any occasion. I ate Tastykakes every day growing up, and they never disappointed. Still grab one coming in from the airport when I visit my family in Lancaster, PA.
Thanks to Alex for asking the students for any and all questions — there are 65 more waiting to be answered!
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