Soul & Science: Fast Forward Your Marketing Mind
Soul & Science is an award-winning podcast where marketing’s brightest minds reveal what it takes to build breakthrough brands. Hosted by Jason Harris, each episode explores the balance between brand building (Soul) and business performance (Science). From legacy brands to emerging disruptors, we delve into the insights, culture, and vision behind the most successful brand stories. Soul & Science is a Mekanism podcast produced by Maggie Boles, Ryan Tillotson, and Lily Jablonski. The show is edited by Daniel Ferreira, with theme music by Kyle Merritt. Brought to you by Mekanism.
Episodes
181 episodes
#131: Bazooka Brands CMO Dave Dreyer | The Pirate Playbook for Category Disruption
Want to compete with the biggest brands? Stop playing by their rules.
#130: Why the Four Ps Still Matter | Amanda Teder, CMO at Generac
How well does your business really understand its customers?
#129: Ruggable Chief Creative & Marketing Officer Lauren Sherman | The Art of Brand Transformation
EPISODE DESCRIPTION: How do you turn a great product into a brand people love?
Crashing Cannes #15: Jason & Lindsay Harris (The Upside Down Interview)
How do you make the trip to Cannes worth it?
Crashing Cannes #14: Chuck McBride, Founder & CCO at Cutwater, & Bill Oberlander, Founder & Creative Chair at Oberland
Why is now the moment for independent agencies?
Crashing Cannes #13: Carlo Cavallone, VP & Head of Global Creative at Our LEGO Agency, & Nils-Petter Lövgren, Co-Founder & CCO at Chaos x Magic
How can a client-agency relationship become a true creative partnership?
Crashing Cannes #12: Matt Miller, President & CEO at AICP, & Kevin Swanepoel, Co-Founder & CEO at The One Club for Creativity
Why is everyone going indie right now?
Crashing Cannes #11: Kai Deveraux Lawson, Co-Founder & CEO at Valerie, and Dr. Charlene Thomas, SVP of Marketing at Def Jam
Most brands that think they’re driving culture are really just borrowing from it.
Crashing Cannes #10: Tom Morrissy, Chief Growth Officer at Noble People, and Matt Weiss, Founder at SoulPurpose Advisory
What gives independent agencies their edge?
Crashing Cannes #9: Asha Shivaji, CEO & Co-Founder at SeeMe Index
Who isn't your brand reaching?
Crashing Cannes #8: Vicki Shapiro, Head of Media at Match Group
The smallest consumer insight can lead to a breakthrough campaign.
Crashing Cannes #7: Jack Westerkamp & Geno Schellenberger, Founders at Breaking & Entering
“Overnight success” is usually years in the making.
Crashing Cannes #6: Brian Bonilla, Senior Reporter at Ad Age
Want a reporter’s attention? Don’t start with a pitch—start with a conversation.
Crashing Cannes #5: Heidi Arthur, Chief Campaign and Program Officer at the Ad Council
Can marketing actually make a difference?
Crashing Cannes #4: Sophie Kelly, SVP of Global Tequila and Mezcal at Diageo
Great marketing doesn’t just capture your attention—it makes you want to do something.
Crashing Cannes #3: Kay Hsu, Head of Global Creative Lab at Spotify
Fandoms aren’t target audiences—they’re dynamic cultural communities.
Crashing Cannes #2: Ruth Mortimer, Global President at Advertising Week
Cannes isn't just about parties and awards—it’s about the people.
Crashing Cannes #1: Jenny Rooney, Chief Brand & Community Officer at Adweek
Jenny Rooney has been coming to Cannes for 13 years, but she’s never seen it this intense.
#128: The Future of Customer Loyalty | Wendy Bergh, CMO at Rakuten Rewards
How do you build customer loyalty when switching brands is easier than ever?
#127: Soul & Science LIVE @ White Castle HQ | Born Again Brands
How does a brand stay relevant for generations?
#126: Klarna CMO David Sandstrom | Consistency in the Age of Over-Personalization
Has marketing become too personalized?
#125: Mastercard EVP and Head of Marketing & Communications Rustom Dastoor | How to Make a Global Brand Feel Local
How does a brand stay culturally relevant across 200 countries?
#124: Building Trust in Marketplace Marketing | Llibert Argerich, CMO of Thumbtack
How do you make a digital marketplace feel human?
#123: Twilio CMO Chris Koehler | Marketing in an AI World
Most marketers see AI as a tool. What if it’s also the audience?
#122: Reimagining an Iconic Brand | Victoria Lozano, C-Suite Marketing Leader & Former CMO at Crayola
What does it take to turn a legacy brand into something bigger?
#121: “André is an Idiot” Director Tony Benna & Producer Lee Einhorn | The Last Laugh
What if your last idea was the one that mattered most?
#120: Major League Soccer SVP & CMO Radhika Duggal | Turning Casual Viewers Into Lifelong Fans
The World Cup will get Americans talking about soccer. Can MLS keep the conversation going?
#119: Ziggy Marley | Changing the World’s Frequency
What does it mean to create something that people don’t just hear, but feel?
#118: Turning Mystery Into Momentum | Ben Whitla, Head of Brand & Marketing at Slate Auto
Big brand breakthroughs don’t come from playing it safe.
#117: Dave’s Hot Chicken CMO Brandon Rhoten | The Science Behind Viral Marketing
Big marketing moments rarely happen by accident.
#115: Bloomberg CMO Brenda Tsai | Marketing a Market-Maker
What does reinvention look like when you invented the industry standard?
#115: Andrew Rebhun, Chief Marketing & Experience Officer @ CAVA | Why the Best Brands Lead with Generosity
The hardest part of scaling a brand isn't growing—it's resisting the distractions that pull you away from your core values This week on Soul & Science, Jason
#114: Amazon Senior Global Marketing Executive Winston Warrior | The Dope Professor’s Playbook for Modern Leadership
In a world obsessed with specialization, Winston Warrior has never been interested in fitting neatly on a resume.
#113: Hershey’s CGO Stacy Taffet | Modernizing a Timeless Brand Without Losing the Magic
For legacy brands, the hardest work isn’t necessarily making change—it’s choosing what to protect.
#112: Why Agencies Lose Pitches | Robin & Stephen Boehler, Mercer Island Group
Agencies obsess over the pitch. Clients obsess over whether you actually understand the business.
#111: Carter’s CMO Sarah Crockett | How Purpose, Value, and Trust Build Modern Brands
Purpose can fuel performance—but only when brands truly understand who they serve.
#110: Glassdoor CMO Eric Petitt | Leading With Soul in an AI World
Marketing is being rebuilt by AI—but the most important decisions still can’t be automated.
#109: Building a Brand at 190 MPH | Amber Balcaen, Race Car Driver
Amber Balcaen didn’t just have to prove she could win races. She had to prove she was worth backing.
#108: A New Playbook for Standing Out in Advertising | Jack Westerkamp & Geno Schellenberger, Co-Founders of Breaking & Entering Media
Breaking into advertising can be tough—and standing out once you’re in is even tougher. But two young creatives are showing there’s a new path.
#107: Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone | Doug Zarkin, CMO of Take 5
Great brands don’t win by being faster or louder—they win by treating every customer as if they’re the only customer.
#106: How Champions Think | Dr. Bob Rotella, World-Renowned Sports Psychologist
Exceptional performers aren’t defined by talent alone—they’re defined by how they think.
#105: Keurig Dr Pepper CMO Drew Panayiotou | Challenger Energy Fuels Dr Pepper
When you’re up against giants, speed and creativity become your superpowers.
#104: Building a Brand That Lasts Beyond the Hype | Sara Kear, CMO at Condado Tacos and Tequila
Energy gets attention. Trust builds loyalty. In a world obsessed with virality, longevity still wins.
#103: BetterHelp Chief Growth Officer Sara Brooks | Scaling Empathy
Empathy at scale isn’t easy—but it’s the heart of BetterHelp’s mission.
#102: Redefining Success Through Service | Stinson Parks III, Former Marketing Executive at PepsiCo & Amex
Building a brand takes focus. Building a meaningful career takes range.
#101: When a Movement Becomes a Brand | Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation
How do you turn civic engagement into a brand people actually want to join?
#100: From Viral Content to Retail Scale | Black Rifle Coffee CMO Donny Jensen
How do you build “America’s coffee” without getting lost in politics?
#99: Oura CMO Doug Sweeny | Turning Wellness Into a Movement
How do you scale a wellness brand without losing the mission?
#98: What Makes a Brand Worth Betting On | John Lowe, Managing Director at Amok Consumer Growth
How do you recognize a “super concept” before it goes mainstream?
#97: Meta CMO & VP of Analytics Alex Schultz | Measuring the Unmeasurable
What you can measure drives growth, but what you can’t often drives breakthroughs.
#96: Hinge CMO and President Jackie Jantos | Long-Term Thinking in a Short-Term World
In a world obsessed with instant results, Jackie Jantos makes the case for brand building that lasts.
#95: Why Clients Don’t Want Collaborators | Michael Palma, Founder of The Palma Group
What do basketball, brand reviews, and $400M in agency wins have in common? Michael Palma.
#94: Future-Proofing Your Brand | Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur magazine
Change is inevitable—but the most successful leaders know how to turn it into their greatest advantage.
Mini: Cannes Lions Scandal — When AI Crosses the Line
This year’s Cannes Lions Festival — the world’s biggest celebration of creativity — made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
#93: AI-Native Storytelling Is Already Here | Jason Zada, Founder of Secret Level
AI isn’t just speeding up production—it’s rewriting the rules of storytelling.
Mini: Leading with AI: C-Suite Strategies That Work
If you're in the C-suite, it's no longer enough to delegate AI experimentation to mid-level staff.
#92: When Creative Trust Changes Everything | Kate Torrance, VP of Brand at SickKids & Josh Budd, CCO at Citizen Relations
How do you take a hospital’s 150th birthday and make it feel like a city-wide celebration instead of just a line in a press release?
Mini: Don't Let DEI D-I-E
As brands across the country scale back or scrap their DEI initiatives, it’s time to ask: what happened to the values they claimed to stand for?
#91: Build Bold. Invest Early. Stay Human. | Ben Lerer, Founder of Thrillist & MP at Lerer Hippeau
He built Thrillist. He bet on media. Now Ben Lerer is navigating a world obsessed with AI.
Mini: Launching a Product in Uncertain Times
Launching a new product is never easy. But doing it during economic uncertainty? That’s a whole different challenge.