Craig Brommers on The Marketing Playbook Podcast with Mark Friedman: CMO of American Eagle Outfitters

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 #26 and today’s guest is Craig Brommers. He is the Chief Marketing Officer of American Eagle Outfitters. 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 #26: Craig Brommers – CMO of American Eagle Outfitters

Craig Brommers, the Chief Marketing Officer of American Eagle Outfitters, adds his page to the Marketing Playbook. Hear how to practice kindness, maintain healthy tension between marketing and product teams, use data to make actionable decisions, the lessons Craig has learned in CMO and senior marketing roles throughout the fashion industry, and his once-in-a-lifetime experience at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This episode covers everything from Craig’s childhood lessons to tales from the Olympics. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How did Craig start at Speedo
• How was his experience with Michael Phelps in the Olympics
• How do you deal with negative publicity as a marketer
• How was company culture different at Speedo and Calvin Klein
• How do you get the product and marketing teams to work together in the fashion industry
• How have Craig’s first months been at American Eagle Outfitters
• How do you balance branding initiatives vs. measurable commercial tactics
• What is a charitable organization Craig is passionate about

Connect with Craig on LinkedIn.

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
  • [0:32] Connect with Mark at Mark@DetailsInteractive.com, on Twitter at @DetailsInteract, and on LinkedIn
  • [0:40] Connect with Craig on LinkedIn
  • [0:42] 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
• Craig’s Page of The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
  • [1:11] CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), American Eagle Outfitters, Speedo, Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch, GAP
  • [1:38] How are Craig and his family doing during the pandemic
  • [2:08] What is his first story
  • [2:30] Spokane, WA
  • [4:11] The Warnaco Group, Marketing
  • [4:21] How did Craig start at Speedo
  • [4:41] Networking
  • [4:51] Sports PR (Public Relations) and Marketing, NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), MLB (Major League Baseball)
  • [5:10] 1996 Summer Olympics, Agency, 2000 Summer Olympics
  • [5:32] 2004 Summer Olympics, 2008 Summer Olympics
  • [5:45] Digital Commerce
  • [6:10] Digital Marketing
  • [6:51] eCommerce
  • [7:18] How was Craig’s experience with Michael Phelps in the Olympics
  • [8:23] Paula Schneider on The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
  • [8:57] Peter Carlisle
  • [9:10] How do you deal with negative publicity as a marketer
  • [9:46] Wall Street
  • [10:13] Speedo Swimsuit during Beijing Olympics, Mike Jeffries
  • [10:31] Retail
  • [10:57] PVH (Phillips-Van Heusen)
  • [11:11] How did Craig start working at Calvin Klein
  • [12:54] How was company culture different at Speedo and Calvin Klein
  • [13:14] Nike, Adidas, Swimwear
  • [13:25] Licensors
  • [13:52] Vertical Retail, Wholesale
  • [14:02] How do you control the story of your brand when your products are sold at stores
  • [14:51] Positioning, Marketing Activations
  • [15:04] What was the appeal of working at Abercrombie
  • [15:23] Hollister, Gilly Hicks
  • [15:42] Merchants
  • [15:58] Lifestyle Brand
  • [16:31] Gen Y vs. Gen Z (Generation)
  • [17:01] How does Craig like working with his team
  • [17:07] Linda Wachner
  • [17:50] Jennifer Foyle, Chief Creative Officer (CCO), Aerie
  • [18:42] How do you get the product and marketing teams to work together in the fashion industry
  • [20:37] Was The GAP in challenging times when Craig joined
  • [20:56] CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Fran Horowitz
  • [21:37] Store Traffic, Brand Health Scores
  • [22:32] GAP Collaboration with Kanye West
  • [22:36] Chip Bergh on The Marketing Playbook with Mark Friedman
  • [23:01] Lafayette College
  • [23:02] Denim
  • [23:05] 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
  • [23:32] How have Craig’s first months been at American Eagle Outfitters
  • [24:14] NPD Sales Data
  • [25:20] Social Media, TikTok, Snapchat
  • [25:57] What is the American Eagle and Disney TikTok collaboration with Addison Rae
  • [26:47] Holiday Season 2020
  • [27:24] Influencer Marketing
  • [28:05] How does Craig approach marketing to Gen Z
  • [28:29] Iconic Brands
  • [29:46] Virtual Snap AE Holiday Pop-up Store
  • [30:07] Addison Rae Instagram, Video Shopping
  • [30:18] Chinese Influencers
  • [30:42] How do you balance branding initiatives vs. measurable commercial tactics
  • [31:44] Data, Retention, Acquisition, Loyalty
  • [32:18] Retail Marketing
  • [33:29] How has the CMO role changed over time
  • [33:47] Vogue, Billboard, Houston St, SoHo
  • [34:12] Content Marketing
  • [35:21] How do you decide how you spend your marketing budget
  • [35:31] Attribution
  • [35:49] Media Budget, Creative Production Budget
  • [36:03] Upper Funnel vs. Lower Funnel Tactics
  • [36:57] Performance Marketing
  • [37:24] American Eagle Friendsgiving Sale, Black Friday, Cyber Monday
  • [37:46] Retail CMO
• 2-Minute Drill
  • [38:16] Brand Awareness
  • [38:54] Disney
  • [39:12] Instagram
  • [39:35] Amazon, Four Seasons
  • [40:11] What is something Craig wishes he were better at
  • [40:27] Greenwich, CT
  • [40:41] What is a charitable organization Craig is passionate about
  • [40:54] Dyslexia
  • [41:18] What is a superpower Craig wishes he had
  • [41:22] Rafael Nadal (Rafa)
• Outro
  • [42:04] Connect with Craig on LinkedIn
  • [42:38] This week’s 3 Game-Winning Plays are as follows:
    1. Practice kindness
    2. Maintain healthy tension between marketing and product teams
    3. Use data to make actionable decisions
  • [43:38] 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
  • [43:49] 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 Craig Brommers. 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.