Watch out documentary on the Future of the CMO from this link 📺: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXBKelmQomM

This week, we sit down with Nicole Parlapiano, CMO of Tubi, the leading free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) with the largest content library on the planet - 250 K+ movies and TV episodes. Nicole unpacks how she’s rewriting the rules of entertainment marketing: brand-first positioning, bottom-up cultural relevance, and creative swings that punch way above their media weight.

One of the key takeaways from this episode is Nicole’s conviction that the monoculture is DEAD - growth now comes from igniting micro-communities at scale. We also dive into how commercial acumen (private-equity roots, P&L obsession) makes a modern CMO indispensable at board level, why most brands misuse social media, and the power of constraints to unlock breakthrough creativity. If you’re building a challenger brand - or simply fighting for standout work - this episode is for you!

Watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube ▶️: https://youtu.be/cBuq9amnM9c

📚 Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Intro 🎙️
• (00:03:29) - Nicole’s background
• (00:14:30) - Favourite challenger brand 🌶️
• (00:17:03) - Challenging Convention 🌐
• (00:26:02) - Rethinking social 📱
• (00:33:55) - Creativity, risk & Super Bowl lessons 🎨
• (00:38:32) - Lightning Round ⚡

🖊️Mentioned in the show:

• JC penny
• Chilis

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Nicole Parlapiano of TUBI in this episode.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com & LinkedIn.

Find Eric on LinkedIn.

Find Nicole on LinkedIn.

Say hi at media@wearerival.com, we’d love to hear from you.

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here 🔗 https://www.wearerival.com/content-hub-articles/cmo-podcasts-you-cannot-afford-to-miss-in-2024

Watch out documentary on the Future of the CMO from this link 📺: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXBKelmQomM

On this week’s episode of Scratch, Jake Karls, the energetic co-founder and Chief Rainmaker of Midday Squares, joins Eric to unpack the reality-show marketing strategy that’s rocketing their functional chocolate bars onto shelves across North America. From filming therapy sessions to smashing Costco road-show records, Jake explains why attention is today’s most valuable currency and how being unapologetically authentic turns casual shoppers into lifelong fans.

If you want a front-row seat to a modern challenger playbook - complete with community gamification, LinkedIn power moves, and a sneak peek at the next growth phase - this episode is for you!

Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: https://youtu.be/3I86AGZQRvY

📚 Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Intro 🎙️
• (00:04:18) - Jake’s favorite challenger brand: Liquid Death 💧
• (00:08:50) - What is Midday Squares? 🍫
• (00:10:45) - The reality-show marketing playbook 🎥
• (00:19:00) - Breaking Costco’s sales record & community gamification 🏬
• (00:24:30) - Scaling a media-first model 📈
• (00:30:30) - LinkedIn: the underrated channel 🔗
• (00:33:45) - Data vs. creativity in marketing 📊
• (00:41:00) - Lightning Round ⚡

🖊️Mentioned in the show:

• Liquid Death
• Patagonia – “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign
• Nike storytelling model
• Whoop wearable

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he’s joined by Jake Karls of Midday Squares in this episode.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com, LinkedIn, Twitter.

Find Eric on LinkedIn.

Find Jake on LinkedIn.

Say hi at media@wearerival.com, we’d love to hear from you.

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here 🔗 https://www.wearerival.com/content-hub-articles/cmo-podcasts-you-cannot-afford-to-miss-in-2024

In this episode, Eric sits down with Åsa Borg, the Chief Marketing & Commercial Operations Officer at Polestar, the Swedish electric performance car brand that's challenging the automotive industry. Since launching in 2017, Polestar has rapidly expanded to 27 markets globally with their lineup of electric vehicles. Åsa brings her wealth of experience from 20 years at Volvo Cars to this challenger brand, offering unique insights on the difference between marketing for an established brand versus building one from scratch.

One of the key takeaways from this conversation is how Polestar approached sustainability—making it core to their brand identity rather than just a marketing message. Åsa shares that transparency is a fundamental value for Polestar, especially in an industry that has historically hidden its environmental impact. We also dive into their decision to bring creative and media capabilities in-house, which has allowed for greater consistency, speed, and control over their brand expression across all 27 markets. Another fascinating aspect of our discussion explores how AI is being integrated into their marketing operations, from improving translation to maintaining brand tonality across markets. If you're interested in automotive marketing, sustainability branding, or building in-house creative capabilities, this episode is packed with valuable insights!

Watch the video version of this podcast on Youtube ▶️: https://youtu.be/fSEW2Vl2Sf8

📚 Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Intro 🎙️
• (00:03:02) - Åsa’s view on challenger brands in the EV space 🏆
• (00:04:29) - What is Polestar?
• (00:09:20) - Sustainability as a core brand value 📊
• (00:13:08) - Creative campaigns and testing approach 🎬
• (00:27:09) - Employer branding 🖨️
• (00:34:50) - Åsa’s commercial responsibilities 💼
• (00:37:03) - Lightning Round ⚡

🖊️Mentioned in the show:

• Polestar’s Own Campaign
• Arctic Circle cars campaign

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Scratch is hosted by Eric Fulwiler, and he's joined by Åsa Borg of Polestar in this episode.

Find Rival online at www.wearerival.com & LinkedIn

Find Eric on LinkedIn

Find Åsa on LinkedIn.

Say hi at media@wearerival.com, we’d love to hear from you.

Scratch is a production of Rival, a marketing innovation consultancy that develops strategies and capabilities that help businesses grow faster. Past guests include CMOs from Mastercard, GE, Shell, Hyperloop, Adobe, PepsiCo, and Papa Johns.

If you’re interested in learning more about marketing from successful CMOs, we compiled a list of the top 5 CMO podcasts to listen to in 2024; check it out here 🔗 https://www.wearerival.com/content-hub-articles/cmo-podcasts-you-cannot-afford-to-miss-in-2024