Soul & Science : Episode 109 - Doug Zarkin
SHOW NOTES
Great brands don’t win by being faster or louder—they win by treating every customer as if they’re the only customer.
That philosophy sits at the core of this week’s guest, Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5, an award-winning brand builder known for transforming legacy companies into modern-day leaders.
In this episode, Doug joins Jason to break down his “Thinking Human” approach—the method he’s used to reinvent brands like Victoria’s Secret PINK, Avon, Pearle Vision, and now Take 5. He shares what it really takes to move a brand out of the “friend zone,” build trust through emotional experience, and drive growth without racing to the bottom on price.
Doug also opens up about the realities of leading transformation: overcoming fear-based resistance, elevating customer experience at scale, and why marketers must rally both consumers and employees for change to stick.
Key Takeaways
✅ Treat every customer like they’re the only customer—that’s the root of brand love
✅ Brand reinvention succeeds when emotional experience matches business strategy
✅ The frontline team is your most powerful marketing channel
✅ Small, consistent improvements (“the sum of marginal gains”) outperform big swings
✅ Great CMOs lead by casting the right team—not by being the smartest in the room
Memorable Moments
💡 “It’s not about putting a brand on the brain—it’s putting a brand on the heart.”
💡 “Think of every customer as if they’re the only customer.”
💡 “You can’t lead a brand from a PowerPoint. You have to learn the business from the ground up.”
💡 “Speed is a cost of entry. Experience is the differentiator.”
💡 “If I’m the smartest person in the room, I don’t need to be in the room.”
Brought to you by Mekanism.
That philosophy sits at the core of this week’s guest, Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5, an award-winning brand builder known for transforming legacy companies into modern-day leaders.
In this episode, Doug joins Jason to break down his “Thinking Human” approach—the method he’s used to reinvent brands like Victoria’s Secret PINK, Avon, Pearle Vision, and now Take 5. He shares what it really takes to move a brand out of the “friend zone,” build trust through emotional experience, and drive growth without racing to the bottom on price.
Doug also opens up about the realities of leading transformation: overcoming fear-based resistance, elevating customer experience at scale, and why marketers must rally both consumers and employees for change to stick.
Key Takeaways
✅ Treat every customer like they’re the only customer—that’s the root of brand love
✅ Brand reinvention succeeds when emotional experience matches business strategy
✅ The frontline team is your most powerful marketing channel
✅ Small, consistent improvements (“the sum of marginal gains”) outperform big swings
✅ Great CMOs lead by casting the right team—not by being the smartest in the room
Memorable Moments
💡 “It’s not about putting a brand on the brain—it’s putting a brand on the heart.”
💡 “Think of every customer as if they’re the only customer.”
💡 “You can’t lead a brand from a PowerPoint. You have to learn the business from the ground up.”
💡 “Speed is a cost of entry. Experience is the differentiator.”
💡 “If I’m the smartest person in the room, I don’t need to be in the room.”
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
LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE APP
