Brian Cooley is the Chief Marketing Officer at PlayVS, a leading scholastic esports platform in North America, where he brings over 25 years of experience in marketing. His marketing career began in the automotive industry with Land Rover North America, where he spent three years focusing on customer relationship marketing and retail operations. Brian then transitioned to the tech industry, spending six years with IBM. He continued his tech-focused trajectory at Blackboard, where he served as Senior Director of Global Marketing Services before advancing to Vice President of Global Demand Generation. Brian spent the next nine years as CMO at EverFi, deepening his role in edtech by leading the company’s marketing strategy. Now, in his first year as CMO of PlayVS, he leverages his rich background in edtech and marketing to drive growth and expand the platform’s reach in the competitive scholastic esports market.

PlayVS was founded in 2018 and is now a leading esports platform in North America, partnering with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to provide and host organized competitive gaming in high schools across all 50 U.S. states and Canada. As of November 2023, PlayVS expanded access by removing enrollment fees for its state and regional leagues, making participation free for high schools. This initiative has likely increased the number of participating schools, which was around 4,000 as of late 2023.

In today’s show, Alan and Brian dive into the booming market for collegiate and scholastic esports, exploring how partnerships with professional sports leagues are creating new opportunities for access and growth. They also discuss PlayVS’s collaboration with the Special Olympics to increase accessibility for students and why esports and gaming are essential areas for marketers to watch closely.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How marketing to the new generations changes the game
• Why marketers should pay attention to esports and gaming
• What to consider when partnering with an influencer

Key Highlights:

• [01:37] How growing up in many different countries has influenced you
• [03:03] The most interesting meal from your travels
• [04:52] Career path to PlayVS
• [08:33] What is PlayVS
• [10:35] How PlayVS got started
• [15:17] The esports that PlayVS focuses on
• [17:42] Partnerships with pro sports
• [20:35] Partnership with the Special Olympics
• [22:17] Why marketers should care about esports and gaming
• [26:02] Experience from your past that defines you
• [28:10] Advice to your younger self
• [30:12] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about
• [32:29] Trends or subcultures others should follow
• [34:45] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers today

Looking for more?

Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest!

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Joe Gaither is the CMO of Feetures, a high-performance sock brand. He joined Feetures in 2009 as a tech rep supporting sales, traveling to 49 states, meeting with thousands of retailers to strengthen Feetures' B2B partnerships and establish it as their preferred sock brand. Joe transitioned into a leadership role, managing the sales force in the Western United States. He later shifted his focus to marketing, where he helped build and grow Feetures' marketing department and expanded its Direct-to-Consumer sales channel. Today, Joe oversees marketing, ecommerce, and customer service, three key components of the customer experience. Under his leadership, direct-to-consumer sales have become the fastest-growing segment of the business.

Feetures is a brand known for producing high-performance socks designed for both athletic and everyday wear. The brand emphasizes comfort, durability, and foot health, using targeted compression, anatomical design, and moisture-wicking fabrics to provide superior support. Their seamless construction makes them a favorite among runners, hikers, and other active individuals. Feetures holds the title of America’s #1 running sock brand by market share in the run specialty industry.

In today’s show, Alan and Joe discuss the evolution of Feetures, which began as a family business launched by Joe’s father. They explore the brand’s future, including the upcoming launch of their first non-sock product in the U.S., marking their expansion beyond their core category. They also dive into the current state of the running industry, strategies for standing out in a crowded market, and the challenges of navigating the landscape as an omni-channel brand.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What it takes to stand out in a crowded market
• The mindset behind navigating as a successful omni-channel brand
• Key considerations when deciding to launch into a new category

Key Highlights:

• [01:45] Sibling CMO’s, is marketing in the DNA
• [03:09] Path to CMO at Feetures
• [07:33] What is the scope of Feetures
• [10:05] Family business and a shift of generations
• [12:08] Current state of the running industry today
• [15:51] Differentiating in cluttered category
• [18:45] Expansion with new product
• [22:03] Being an omni-channel brand
• [26:17] Experience of your past that defines you
• [28:24] Advice to younger self
• [29:17] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about
• [31:11] Trends or subcultures others should follow
• [32:30] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers today

Looking for more?

Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest!

Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sue Hermann is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at BOK Financial. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and began her career in public relations. As Director of Corporate Communications and Content, she led a team responsible for internal and executive communications, public relations, and content development. Later, she became the Senior Vice President and Director of Communications at CoBiz Financial Inc. When BOK Financial acquired CoBiz Financial in 2018, Sue joined BOK Financial, where she had served as Director of Communications since 2000 and CMO since 2022.

BOK Financial Corporation, headquartered in Tulsa, OK, is a top 25 U.S. bank with $50 billion in assets and a wealth division managing over $107 billion in assets under management and administration. While rooted in the Midwest and Southwest, BOK Financial serves clients nationwide. The corporation operates under various names, including Bank of Oklahoma and Bank of Texas, with a diverse range of services. In addition to commercial and consumer banking, BOK Financial offers brokerage, trading, investment services, mortgage origination and servicing, as well as one of the nation's top 10 electronic funds transfer networks.

On today’s show, Alan and Sue discuss her journey to becoming CMO at BOK Financial and the current state of marketing and banking today. They also delve into gender diversity in finance, balancing a career with motherhood/parenthood, and what leaders need to recognize about their teams to foster the right environments and cultures.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The importance of gender diversity in finance
• Marketing trends impacting the banking industry
• Insights and challenges from balancing motherhood and career

Key Highlights:

• [01:15] Wanting to be a coroner
• [02:39] Career path to CMO at BOK Financial
• [05:02] What is BOK Financial
• [07:00] The current state of marketing today
• [08:12] The importance of relationships
• [09:36] Gender diversity
• [14:12] Approach on blending parenthood and career
• [20:20] What insight leaders need to take from parenthood
• [24:34] Experience of your past that defines you
• [25:40] Advice to younger self
• [25:56] A topic that you and other marketers need to learn more about, AI
• [27:45] Trends or subcultures others should follow, Gen Z
• [29:15] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers today, noise

Looking for more?

Visit our website for the full show notes, links to resources mentioned in this episode, and ways to connect with the guest!

Become a member today and listen ad-free, visit https://plus.acast.com/s/marketingtoday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.