Ok! Welcome back to my 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 #32 and today’s guest is Brian Berger. He is the Founder & CEO of Mack Weldon. 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!
Podcast Episode #32: Brian Berger – Founder and CEO of Mack Weldon
Brian Berger, the Founder and CEO of Mack Weldon, adds his page to the Marketing Playbook. Hear how to know when to change up your team, fulfill your various roles as CEO, continue to challenge yourself, what Brian learned from working at early Internet companies, and how Mack Weldon pivots while maintaining simple shopping. This episode covers everything from WebMD to La Colombe. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- What did Brian do at WebMD and Comcast
- How did he add to his entrepreneurship toolkit
- How did he handle bootstrapping and fundraising
- What other products are in the future for Mack Weldon
- What is Brian’s job description as CEO
- What mistakes has he made
- What’s Mack Weldon’s approach to building their website
- What is something Brian wishes he were better at
Connect with Brian at MackWeldon.com, on Twitter at @BBerger3, and on Instagram at @BrianBerger_.
Let’s open the playbook. Ready? Break! Check out the episode, show notes, and pictures below for much more detail.
Show Notes
- Intro
- [0:21] The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
- [0:23] Details Interactive
- [0:29] Connect with Mark at Mark@DetailsInteractive.com, on Twitter at @DetailsInteract, and on LinkedIn
- [0:36] Connect with Brian at MackWeldon.com, on Twitter at @BBerger3, and on Instagram at @BrianBerger_
- [0:43] Thank you as always to Max Branstetter of MaxPodcasting and the Wild Business Growth Podcast for producing this podcast. You can reach him at Max@MaxPodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life
- Brian’s Page of The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
- [1:11] CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
- [1:25] How are Brian and his family doing during the pandemic
- [1:52] When will people come back to the office in New York
- [2:07] Remote Work, Productivity, Working From Home (WFH)
- [2:42] What lessons has Brian learned about the business during the pandemic
- [3:41] Customer Service, Call Center
- [3:58] How has creative execution changed during the pandemic
- [4:04] Product Shots, Laydown Photography, Website
- [4:52] TV Advertising (Television), Video Content, Testimonials
- [5:21] What is a remarkable story about Brian’s life
- [5:37] Lawyer, Internet, LSAT (Law School Admission Test)
- [5:52] Excite, Internet Portals, Consumer Internet Businesses
- [6:13] Business Model, Customers, Digital Experience
- [6:33] What did Brian do at WebMD and Comcast
- [6:53] Revenue, Ad Sales (Advertising Sales)
- [7:07] Business Development, Strategy, Impressions, Media Spend
- [7:22] Columbia Business School, First Wave of the Internet
- [7:42] Finance, Accounting, Liberal Arts College, Banking, Consulting
- [8:14] Consumer Digital Media, Content
- [8:38] Strategy & Development
- [9:02] MBA (Masters of Business Administration)
- [9:15] Financing, Venture Capital (VC)
- [9:44] How did Brian add to his entrepreneurship toolkit
- [9:53] Mark Zuckerberg, Harvard University
- [10:24] What is Mack Weldon
- [10:30] Direct-to-Consumer (DTC)
- [10:49] Department Stores, Nike, Lululemon, Under Armour
- [11:31] eCommerce, Innovation
- [11:56] Fashion
- [12:15] How did Brian handle bootstrapping and fundraising
- [12:27] Investor, Angel Investors
- [12:54] Brand Development, Product Line, Assortment, Operations (Ops), Marketing, PR (Public Relations)
- [13:23] Inventory
- [13:30] How has Mack Weldon done over the last year
- [13:49] Product Category, COVID-19
- [14:22] Costco
- [14:26] What other products are in the future for Mack Weldon
- [14:40] Oxford Shirt, Maverick (Chino)
- [15:04] Outerwear, Innerwear
- [15:21] Sweats, Shorts
- [15:41] Do you have a Direct-to-Consumer business? I enjoy connecting with guests on this podcast because it reminds me what I love to do: strategic and tactical consulting for businesses like yours. If you’d like to speak with me and see how you can add a fresh set of eyes to your team, contact me at Mark@DetailsInteractive.com
- [16:18] What is Brian’s job description as CEO
- [17:23] How does entrepreneurship compare to how it looks on TV
- [18:01] Capital, Employees
- [18:14] What mistakes has Brian made
- [19:06] Mack Weldon Store at Hudson Yards
- [19:12] What other stores do they have in the works
- [19:35] Flagship Retail, Pop-Up Store, Neighborhood Goods, Wholesale
- [20:25] How do you control your story when selling through other retailers
- [20:42] Promotions
- [21:00] Black Friday, Cyber Monday
- [21:19] What is the Weldon Blue loyalty program
- [21:39] Re-Buy Rate, Retention Rate, Re-Order Rate, Lifetime Value
- [21:58] First-Time Buyers
- [22:28] Repeat Rate
- [22:41] Shopper
- [22:54] What’s Mack Weldon’s approach to building their website
- [23:34] Savings Meter
- [23:50] Cross-Selling
- [23:55] Businesses, Marketing Engines
- [24:12] How does Mack Weldon measure ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) and ROI (Return on Investment)
- [24:29] Google, Facebook
- [24:43] Bottom-Funnel
- [24:50] Radio, Podcasting, Direct Mail
- [25:13] Attribution Model, First-Party Data
- [25:31] Media Channels
- [26:22] Satellite Radio
- [26:29] How does checkout and payment work at Mack Weldon
- [26:48] Shopify, Apple Pay, Bitcoin, Ethereum
- [26:58] How does Mack Weldon give back to the environment
- 2-Minute Drill
- [28:42] Patagonia
- [28:58] Apple Podcasts
- [29:02] Amazon, La Colombe
- [29:04] What is something Brian wishes he were better at
- [29:21] City Year
- [29:26] What is a superpower he wishes he had
- [29:30] Cervélo Road Bike
- Outro
- [29:40] Connect with Brian at MackWeldon.com, on Twitter at @BBerger3, and on Instagram at @BrianBerger_
- [30:14] This week’s 3 Game-Winning Plays are as follows:
- Know when to change up your team
- Fulfill your various roles as CEO
- Continue to challenge yourself
- [31:17] 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
- [31:29] 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
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?
How can I work with Details Interactive?
That’s it! Today’s game ball goes to Brian Berger. 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.