Soul & Science : #90: What Marketers Can Learn from StockX (and Its Sneakerhead Hype Machine) | StockX CMO Nicholas Karrat
SHOW NOTES
Not every brand explodes. Some rise slowly, and win big.
In this episode, Jason talks with Nicholas Karrat, CMO of StockX, about the Soul & Science of marketplace models—and what it takes to build brand trust, cultural relevance, and business performance at the same time. A veteran marketer with experience across Fortune 100 companies and DTC startups, Nick has held leadership roles at AT&T, Citibank, Plated, Boll & Branch, and Tommy John. Now at the helm of marketing for StockX, he’s focused on staying true to the brand’s core while expanding its reach.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Every channel is both brand and performance—the only difference is timing.
✅ Scarcity still drives urgency, but discovery starts earlier than ever.
✅ Trust and authentic storytelling beat polish when you’re building for the culture.
✅ For trend-driven products, TikTok fuels demand in real time.
✅ Great CMOs trust their instincts and adapt with the people on their team.
Memorable Moments:
💡 “Everything we do is brand and everything we do is performance, whether you like it or not.”
💡 “Now you know” isn’t just a tagline. It’s how culture spreads.
💡 “People and vision beat category and paycheck. Every time.”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
In this episode, Jason talks with Nicholas Karrat, CMO of StockX, about the Soul & Science of marketplace models—and what it takes to build brand trust, cultural relevance, and business performance at the same time. A veteran marketer with experience across Fortune 100 companies and DTC startups, Nick has held leadership roles at AT&T, Citibank, Plated, Boll & Branch, and Tommy John. Now at the helm of marketing for StockX, he’s focused on staying true to the brand’s core while expanding its reach.
Key Takeaways:
✅ Every channel is both brand and performance—the only difference is timing.
✅ Scarcity still drives urgency, but discovery starts earlier than ever.
✅ Trust and authentic storytelling beat polish when you’re building for the culture.
✅ For trend-driven products, TikTok fuels demand in real time.
✅ Great CMOs trust their instincts and adapt with the people on their team.
Memorable Moments:
💡 “Everything we do is brand and everything we do is performance, whether you like it or not.”
💡 “Now you know” isn’t just a tagline. It’s how culture spreads.
💡 “People and vision beat category and paycheck. Every time.”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
Soul & Science
Does marketing live in the heart, or in the head? Should you trust your instinct, or your integers? If the answer is both, should you lead with one more than the other? As a creative agency, Mekanism has been asking these questions of ourselves and our clients for over 10 years. Join co-founder and CEO of award-winning creative agency Mekanism, Jason Harris, on his quest to answer these questions with the world’s leading marketers from the brands we’ve all come to love. Named CEO of the Year by The Drum Magazine, Jason will draw from his experience during these easily digestible 20-minute episodes to explore the Soul of these famous brands and the Science of staying relevant, exploring how they’ve become culture defining emblems in our modern world.
Brought to you by Mekanism
Brought to you by Mekanism
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