Ok! Welcome back to my new podcast: The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman! Presented by Details Interactive. Here, you’ll take away 3 game-winning marketing plays every episode to take back to your team. I’m your host, Mark Friedman, and my career has been focused on direct-to-consumer marketing; direct mail, physical retail, and digital commerce.
This is Episode #5 and today’s guest is Chip Bergh. He’s the President and CEO of Levi’s. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast spots – subscribe and leave a 5-star review if you have your playbook!
What is The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman?
Mark Friedman (that’s me) knows direct-to-consumer marketing. The 30+ year industry veteran has served as the President of eCommerce at Steve Madden, Chief Marketing Officer of Brooks Brothers, mentor to dozens of startups, and even youth sports coach. You’ll take away 3 fundamental tips every episode to help your team knock it out of the park, and draw up strategies for digital marketing, eCommerce, customer monetization, and pivoting with the brightest all-stars in business. Do you have your playbook?
Podcast Episode #5: Chip Bergh – President and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co.
Chip Bergh, the President and CEO of Levi’s, adds his page to the Marketing Playbook. Hear why companies should make a positive impact on society, how to engage your consumer through advertising, why it’s critical to invest in innovation, how to prepare for the worst but hope for the best, and Chip’s journey from the U.S. Army to Procter & Gamble to Levi’s. This episode covers everything from Chip’s rise to well-known CEO to his game-changing thoughts on innovation. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- What impact has Levi’s seen from Coronavirus
- How Swiffer got its name
- Why well-known brands advertise
- Why companies need to have positive social impact
- Levi’s history of social good
- The importance of innovation
- The latest in jeans technology
- Another brand that inspires Chip
Connect with Chip at Levi.com.
Let’s open the playbook. Ready? Break! Check out the episode, show notes, and pictures below for much more detail.
Show Notes
- Intro
- [0:24] The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
- [0:26] Details Interactive
- [0:33] Connect with Mark at Mark@DetailsInteractive.com, on Twitter at @DetailsInteract, and on LinkedIn
- [0:43] Connect with Chip at Levi.com
- [0:59] Thank you as always to Max Branstetter of the Wild Business Growth Podcast at Hippo Direct for producing this podcast. You can reach him at max@hippodirect.com to bring your podcast to life
- Chip’s Page of The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
- [1:53] What impact has Levi’s seen from Coronavirus
- [2:24] Chinese New Year
- [2:59] CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- [3:42] Levi’s Beacon Store, Wuhan, China
- [5:39] Chip’s background
- [6:13] Mad Men, NBC
- [6:31] Lafayette College, ROTC
- [7:06] U.S. Army, West Point
- [7:27] Cold War
- [7:37] El Paso, TX, 3rd Armored Division
- [9:41] P&G (Procter & Gamble), Brand Management
- [10:26] International Affairs
- [10:40] Brand Manager, General Manager
- [11:01] Gillette
- [11:54] Swiffer
- [12:29] How Swiffer got its name, Swif-it
- [13:28] Hard Surface Cleaners, Comet, Spic and Span, Mr. Clean
- [14:20] Denim
- [14:41] Swiffer WetJet
- [14:54] Why well-known brands advertise
- [15:31] People magazine
- [17:37] Harvard Business School
- [18:08] Walgreens, CVS, Walmart
- [18:27] Dollar Shave Club, DTC (Direct-to-consumer)
- [19:06] Market share
- [19:49] How Chip Bergh became President & CEO of Levi’s
- [20:19] Bob McDonald, CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
- [24:13] GAP, American Eagle
- [24:52] Apparel, Retail
- [25:35] At Details Interactive, you can discuss your business with a seasoned direct-to-consumer marketing executive who’s helped launch and grow web businesses and integrate multi-channel marketing initiatives. Learn more at DetailsInteractive.com
- [26:03] Why companies need to have positive social impact
- [27:08] Levi Strauss the founder
- [28:18] Levi’s on desegregation, AIDS, LGBT, Boy Scouts, Immigration
- [30:57] Patagonia
- [32:28] Target, PNC Bank, Delta airlines
- [33:19] Sustainability
- [35:32] Westfield School Board
- [35:46] The importance of innovation
- [36:16] Patented riveted blue jean
- [37:25] Corlu, Turkey, Istanbul, Levi’s Eureka Innovation Lab
- [40:37] Gen Z
- [41:07] Hemp, Burlap, Cottonized Hemp
- [42:37] F.L.X. technology
- [42:47] Design your own Levi’s
- [43:49] Brooks Brothers
- [44:13] ZOZO body scanner
- [44:35] Machine Learning, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Katia Walsh
- 2-Minute Drill
- [45:44] A brand that inspires Chip
- [45:48] The New York Times app
- [45:56] Amazon, Nike, Swoosh.com
- [46:12] Mandarin Chinese
- [46:37] Red Tab Foundation
- This Week’s 3 Game-Winning Plays
- [47:15] Connect with Chip at Levi.com
- [47:49] This week’s 3 Game-Winning Plays are as follows:
- Make a positive impact on society with your company
- Engage your consumer through advertising
- Invest in innovation
- BONUS: Prepare for the worst but hope for the best
- [49:04] If you want to check out more pages of The Marketing Playbook, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts
- [49:13] Connect with Mark at Mark@DetailsInteractive.com, on Twitter at @DetailsInteract, and on LinkedIn
- Theme Song: Jazzy Man Funk Rock – Auditone Music Library – provided by Jamendo
How can I work with Details Interactive?
That’s it! Today’s game ball goes to Chip Bergh. Thank you, Playbook Marketers, for listening. If you want to check out more pages of The Marketing Playbook, make sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast spot and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter at @DetailsInteract and learn more at DetailsInteractive.com. Until next time, The devil is in the details.