In this episode, we sit down with Brieane (Brie) Olson, CEO of PacSun, for a conversation that is equal parts brand strategy masterclass and career inspiration. Brie has spent nearly two decades at PacSun — moving from design and product to marketing and digital before stepping into the CEO role three years ago — and has led one of retail's most remarkable transformation stories, taking the brand from bankruptcy to a Harvard Business School case study and a cult following with Gen Z. She opens up about the viral TikTok moment that shaped PacSun's entire philosophy around co-creation, why most brands are fundamentally misunderstanding Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and what it actually looks like to give your customers a real seat at the table — not just a focus group. She also digs into her own leadership journey, why she went back to school at 40, and what she'd tell anyone trying to build something meaningful from wherever they're starting. Her new book, Co-Created, is out now.

Key Takeaways:

// Treat your customers as co-creators, not an audience. The turning point in PacSun's story came when an everyday consumer — not a contracted influencer — filmed a TikTok in her bedroom that sold 11,000 pairs of jeans in under 48 hours. The lesson Brie took from it: when you truly empower customers to love and represent your brand, the results can far outpace anything a paid campaign produces.

// Give Gen Z an actual seat at the table — not just a survey. PacSun's Youth Advisory Council brings together 14 young people aged 12 to 26 who function like a board of directors — weighing in on tech initiatives, marketing campaigns, and strategy. Social listening is a starting point, but the brands that win are the ones creating formal structures to involve their community in real decisions.

// Experiential retail isn't complicated:  the mall is back, and unexpected pop-ups are winning. Gen Z and Gen Alpha want to touch product, hang out with friends, and be surprised. PacSun has seen major success showing up trackside at Formula One in Austin, at Goofball, and in other culturally-relevant spaces. Meeting the customer in moments that matter to them — not just in places convenient to the brand — is the new retail playbook.

// You don't need a title to start leading. Brie's advice for early-career listeners: stay deeply curious, build relationships relentlessly, never stay too rigidly in your lane, and do more than what's expected of you. She also makes the point that identifying what's blocking your growth — and taking action on it — matters more than waiting for the right opportunity. She went back to school at 40. It's never too late to fill the gap.

Connect with Brie: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/brieaneolson/]

Get a Copy of the Book: Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Co-Created-Cultural-Strategy-Redefined-Pacsun/dp/B0GPPB7G4Y]

____

Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠

Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠ [https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective]

Get the latest marketing trends, open jobs and MHH updates, straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Brand Strategy Behind PacSun's Comeback | Brie Olson, CEO of PacSun

In this episode, we sit down with Mady Lanni, Senior PR Strategist at Manychat — the social media automation platform powering those viral "comment to get the link" moments you see across Instagram and TikTok every day. Mady's path to PR wasn't linear (criminal justice degree, anyone?), and that outside perspective has shaped a refreshingly sharp, social-first approach to a field that's rapidly changing. She gets real about the slow death of traditional newsrooms and what it means for brands still relying on press releases, why journalists are migrating from X to LinkedIn and how to meet them there, how to move fast on reactive PR without sacrificing brand integrity, and why your most powerful spokespeople might not be your executives — they might be your creators. If you work in PR, marketing, or communications and want to understand where the industry is actually headed, this episode is your roadmap.

Key Takeaways:

// Social is where the news breaks first — follow it accordingly. Mady starts every morning in her social feed, not her inbox. Trending conversations happen on social before they hit anywhere else, and the PR pros who catch them earliest are the ones who get the reactive coverage. 

// Newsrooms are shrinking, and modern PR has to evolve with them. Traditional media outlets are downsizing. Journalists are building their own Substacks and newsletters. What "media" means is fundamentally shifting.

// LinkedIn is the new Twitter for journalists. Mady sees a clear migration happening: journalists who used to live on X are moving to LinkedIn for connections, relationship-building, and DMs. 

// Always be able to answer "okay, and so what?" Before pitching any story, Mady asks herself whether the news genuinely matters to anyone outside the marketing team. If the only people excited about it are internal, it's a brand moment, not a PR moment. 

// Creators are replacing executives as the most credible spokespeople. Journalists and readers are craving authenticity, and polished executive quotes often fall flat. 

// Press releases are a tool, not a strategy. The future of PR is more creative, more relatable, and more human. 

Connect with Mady: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/madysonlanni]

____

Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠

Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠ [https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective]

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The Press Release Is Dead — Here's What's Actually Working in PR Right Now | Mady Lanni of Manychat

Five years ago, Marketing Happy Hour was launched from scratch — Canva logo, Google searches, and zero podcasting experience. In this milestone episode, Cassie walks through the full arc of her career: from a self-pitched internship at a Florida restaurant group to a pivotal move to New York City, from leaving a stable agency job to start her own business in 2019, to building MHH into the community it is today. Cassie gets refreshingly honest about the comparison trap of entrepreneurship, why she stopped chasing the "big brand on the resume" and started following what she actually loves, and the one piece of advice she'd give her younger self. 

Key Takeaways:

// Cold pitching with concrete ideas beats cold pitching with just your resume. When Cassie landed her first internship — at a restaurant group with no open listing — she didn't just ask "can I help?" She came with specific ideas and made it easy for the hiring manager to say yes. The lesson: don't make the person on the other end do the work of figuring out how you fit.

// The biggest career accelerator is often the move you're scared to make. For Cassie, that was packing up and moving from Tampa to New York City. It pulled her out of a hospitality bubble and into big brand, agency-level experience that changed everything. You don't have to move across the country — but being open to expanding the type of roles and environments you're in is what unlocks the next level.

// Build a career on what you keep saying yes to. Cassie still doesn't have a singular "dream job" figured out — and she's at peace with that. What she does know is the types of projects that light her up: podcasting, production, storytelling, events. Following that thread, rather than a fixed five-year plan, has shaped her career more than any roadmap would have.

// The comparison trap is real — but it can be reframed. Everyone's timing is different. Everyone's journey has challenges you can't see from the outside. Instead of comparing, Cassie recommends using other people's careers as a research tool: study how they got there, reach out, ask questions, and let it inform your own path rather than measure against it.

// Give yourself grace. The advice Cassie would give younger Cassie — and the one she still needs to hear. You won't be perfect every day. Not everything has to make sense right now. Be patient with the journey, surround yourself with the right people, and trust that the pieces are connecting — even when you can't see how yet.

Connect with Cassie: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassaundrapalmer/]

____

Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠

Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠ [https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective]

Get the latest marketing trends, open jobs and MHH updates, straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our email list!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63e9635c8e06d4dae9493eab]⁠⁠⁠

Follow MHH on Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/marketinghappyhr/]

Career Lessons + 5 Years of Building Marketing Happy Hour 

In this episode, we sit down with Jeff Lee, CEO and co-founder of DIBS Beauty, one of the fastest-growing color cosmetics brands in the country, now carried in over 1,300 Ulta Beauty doors with a product waitlist culture that generated 17K+ sign-ups before their mascara even launched. Jeff's path to beauty CEO is anything but conventional: Yale Law, Wall Street, Stanford MBA, Alex Rodriguez, and a co-founding partnership built entirely over Zoom. He breaks down what DIBS got right in the first six to twelve months, why your product doesn't have to be the most innovative — just the most useful, and how being the "first beauty founder to visit an Ulta in all 50 states" taught him more about selling than anything else. He also gets real about career pivots, the myth of the founder story, burnout as a natural cycle, and why the in-store conversation still produces 10x the order value of anything you can do online.

Key Takeaways:

// Don't design for yourself. One of the most common founder mistakes is assuming you are the customer. Jeff isn't the end user of most of DIBS's products — and leaning into his co-founder Courtney's existing audience was the honest advantage they doubled down on from day one.

// Your advantage tells you your customer, not the other way around. Start with where you have a real edge, then build toward it. Sublimate the ego. The brand that's built for a broader audience will always outperform the brand built for the founder's taste.

// In-store still wins at 10x. For all the magic of influencers, social commerce, and a full digital stack — DIBS's highest order values come the moment a real conversation happens in-store. The customer arrives pre-sold from online; the store is where she converts at scale.

// Your brand needs to be in the conversation before she walks in. A beautiful end cap alone won't do it. Customers now come in with a predisposition — either for or against you. Your digital presence, influencer strategy, and brand awareness work determines what happens before the store visit even begins.

// Burnout is a cycle, not a finish line. Jeff reframes the burnout conversation entirely — it's not something to avoid, it's something to move through. The question isn't how to never burn out; it's whether you reignite on the other side.

// Going backwards to go forwards is a real strategy. Jeff took a 90% pay cut to pivot into beauty. But he's equally clear-eyed: that choice was made possible by financial stability built first. Solve for what actually matters in your life before romanticizing the leap.

Learn More About DIBS: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dibsbeauty]

____

Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠

Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠ [https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective]

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Stop Designing for Yourself: DIBS Beauty Co-Founder on Customer Clarity and Retail Marketing | Jeff Lee

How do you breathe new life into a legacy brand without losing the clinical authority that made it famous? In this episode, Blair Lancer, CMO of Lancer Skincare, pulls back the curtain on her journey from a fashion-focused career at Saks Fifth Avenue to leading the strategic evolution of her family’s dermatology-backed empire. Blair discusses the nuances of the "multigenerational" approach—balancing her father’s scientific expertise with her own relatable, digitally native voice to reach a younger luxury consumer. We explore the "Practice to Product" philosophy, why she chooses to ignore fleeting industry trends in favor of long-term efficacy, and how the brand is preparing for the future of skincare through AI-driven personalization. Whether you are building a brand from scratch or managing a heritage business, this conversation offers a masterclass in staying authentic while evolving for the modern market.

Key Takeaways:

// The "Practice to Product" Standard: True clinical credibility comes from products that mimic real in-office dermatological procedures, such as "The Polish" mimicking professional microdermabrasion.

// Evolving the Visual Language: To avoid being viewed as "your mother's brand," a legacy business must revamp its digital presence and packaging to feel approachable and lighter while maintaining its core DNA.

// Mindset Over Trends: Chasing buzzwords and "white-labeling" products leads to diluted brand authority; instead, wait for ingredient technology to improve so that products drive repeat purchases through results, not hype.

// The Power of Two Voices: Modernizing a founder-led brand doesn't mean replacing the founder; it means pairing their technical expertise with a relatable, younger voice to broaden the brand's appeal.

// The Career "Dot" Theory: Success often comes from saying "yes" to adjacent roles—like Blair moving from PR to Product Development—which allows you to understand the brand from inception to consumer feedback.

// Hiring for "Zest": In an automated world, hiring should prioritize a candidate’s passion, ambition, and life experiences over a perfect resume alone.

Connect with Blair: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/blair-lancer-596b3ba6/]

Learn More About Lancer Skincare: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/lancerskincare/]

____

Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠

Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠ [https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective]

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Building Marketing Strategies Grounded in Tangible Results (+ Modernizing Legacy) | Blair Lancer of Lancer Skincare

In this episode, we sit down with Elijah Khasabo, co-founder of Vidovo — a UGC and influencer platform connecting brands with creators — who started his entrepreneurial journey at 17, built a Discord community of 30,000 organically, and is now weeks away from graduating college while running a bootstrapped platform with 300+ brand clients and 25,000+ creators. Elijah breaks down why the creator economy has become a volume game, why creative briefs make or break campaign performance, and what brands consistently get wrong when managing creator relationships. He also shares his honest take on AI-generated content (spoiler: consumers are already calling it out), what inspires his strategy approach, and the two pieces of advice he'd give any entrepreneur just getting started.

Key Takeaways:

// The creator economy is now a volume game. Consumer touchpoints have grown from 8–12 to an estimated 21–24+. Brands that are winning understand that performance marketing requires testing multiple hooks, angles, and creators across platforms — not just finding one or two winning ads.

// The brief is the most important variable. A strong brief with creative freedom will outperform a rigid script every time. Give creators guidelines (do's and don'ts), not a teleprompter — and let them deliver in their own voice.

// Creators are businesses now. The best creators understand performance, rate cards, and why ads work. Elijah hired his top-performing creator as his head of strategy — proof that lived creator experience translates directly into better briefs.

// Don't make it transactional. Brands that lead with communication — getting to know creators before the collab happens — consistently build longer-term partnerships and better-performing content. Pay fairly (Elijah recommends $200–$500 for quality UGC), and don't skip the relationship-building step.

// AI content gets views, but real creators convert. Brands that tested AI content are coming back to real creators because consumers notice and call it out. Use AI for strategy and briefing — not for the content itself.

Connect with Elijah: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijah-khasabo/]

____

Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠

Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠ [https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective]

Get the latest marketing trends, open jobs and MHH updates, straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our email list!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://view.flodesk.com/pages/63e9635c8e06d4dae9493eab]⁠⁠⁠

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The 2026 Creator Playbook: UGC Strategy, Relationships & What's Actually Working Right Now | Elijah Khasabo of Vidovo

What happens when a non-tech founder decides to stop "pushing" prompts and starts "pulling" solutions from AI? Kahlea Wade, founder of Alora Society, returns for her record-breaking third appearance to share how she is reinventing her luxury talent agency through the power of Claude and AI agents. Kahlea walks us through her "aha moment"—building a fully functional internal onboarding app from 500 pages of documentation in just a weekend—and explains why she now treats Claude as a strategic teammate. From streamlining soul-crushing admin tasks to navigating the ethical boundaries of generative AI in the creator economy, this episode is an essential guide for any professional ready to move from AI curiosity to AI proficiency.

Key Takeaways:

// The "Teammate" Mindset: Stop treating AI as a search engine or a tool; treat it as a brainstorming partner, market researcher, and strategist to unlock its true potential.

// Pull vs. Push Prompting: Instead of telling AI what to do (push), describe your frustrations and goals and ask the AI to design the solution (pull).

// The Claude Ecosystem Explained: Understand the difference between Claude Chat (ideation), Claude Co-work (agent building and connectors), and Claude Code (efficient, terminal-based execution).

// "Life-Quake" Automation: Use AI to handle the "mental load" of tasks like email categorization, task prioritization in ClickUp, and daily industry news briefings.

// Human Agency & Taste: While AI can take over "workflows," it cannot replace "roles." Humans remain the only ones capable of establishing "taste," sharing lived experiences, and navigating complex emotions.

// The Experimentation Mandate: The only way to overcome AI fear is through "summer shred" style consistency—spending time tinkering with platforms like Lovable and Poppy AI to see what is actually possible.

// Claude (Chat, Co-work, Code): Her primary "teammate" for writing and agency operations.

// Lovable: The "no-code" savior used to build her internal team app.

// Poppy AI: A visual "vision board" interface that houses multiple LLMs (Grok, Gemini, Claude) for content analysis.

// ClickUp & Make: The connective tissue used to turn AI outputs into automated business tasks.

Connect with Kahlea: Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/kahleanicolee/]

____

Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠

Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠ [https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective]

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Using Claude + AI Tools for Content Creation and Organization | Kahlea Wade, April 2026

In this episode, Cassie and Ally dive into the high-level strategies shared by Disney’s top creative and marketing leaders during a standout session at SXSW. They break down the "Disney Blueprint for Brand Relevance," exploring how a century-old icon manages to capture the hearts of Gen Z and Gen Alpha without losing its core "Purist" fans. From the "Disney Flywheel" and the hierarchy of Story > Product > Experience to the concept of leading with an "Emotional Destination," this conversation uncovers the tactical shift from transactional sales to 24/7 fan conversations. Whether you're a brand builder or a marketer, you'll learn why legacy is not a strategy and how authentic, nuanced collaborations—like Disney’s partnership with F1 Academy™—can drive record-breaking engagement.

Key Takeaways:

// Legacy is Not a Strategy: While heritage is powerful, brands cannot rely on it alone; relevance must be earned by focusing on the generations currently shaping culture, like Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

// The Hierarchy of Connection: Engagement is driven through a specific sequence: Story (remixing IP to drive emotion), Product (high-heat drops that express story beats), and Experience (journeys that meet consumers where they are).

// Mindsets of the Fandom Ecosystem: Brands should categorize consumers into three tiers—The Purist (Sub-Culture), The Explorer (Pop Culture), and The Casual (Mass Culture)—with the goal of embracing trend-shaping purists without alienating explorers.

// Leading with "Emotional Destination": Creativity should prioritize how a consumer feels over how a product looks; once the emotional goal is defined, design choices become simple and moments turn into lasting memories.

// Collaborations as a Cultural Mirror: Partnerships are most effective when they reflect the nuances of your own brand; authenticity is key to success, as seen in the F1 x Disney collaboration which achieved the highest engagement in F1 history.

// Sensory and Interactive Resilience: Utilizing senses like scent, which has a direct link to memory, and allowing consumers to be part of the story through collectibility are critical for driving long-term engagement.

Learn more: Article [https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/sxsw-consumer-products/]

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Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

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The Disney Blueprint: How a 100-Year-Old Brand Stays Relevant 

REWIND EPISODE: What happens when you stop treating marketing as a transaction and start treating it as a 24/7 conversation? Katelynn Ludwig, Director of Brand Strategy at DUDE Wipes, joins the show to break down the "Life Quakes" framework—a strategy for showing up exactly when a consumer needs you most (from potty training to the college dorms). Katelynn shares the raw details of their TikTok Shop success, where top creators are driving six-figure monthly revenues, and explains why they don't look for ROI in the traditional sense when it comes to influencers. Whether you’re curious about social listening, building an irreverent brand voice, or how a "Mini Pooper" stunt landed on TMZ, this episode is a masterclass in staying bold, scrappy, and unapologetically authentic.

Key Takeaways:

// The "Life Quakes" Framework: Identify the 3–4 pivotal transition moments in your consumer's life where your product becomes a necessity, not just a choice.

// Community is a One-Man Show: You don't need a massive team to be "always on." DUDE Wipes’ community engagement is driven by a single person who treats every mention as an opportunity for connection.

// TikTok Shop is a "Test and Learn" Game: Scaling on TikTok Shop requires constant experimentation with affiliate commissions, live shopping agencies, and creator-led content flywheels.

// The "Culture Fit" Influencer Filter: Stop looking at engagement rates. Ask: "Would I hire this person to be my right-hand woman or man?" If they don't fit the brand's soul, they won't drive long-term value.

// Social Listening as Product R&D: Your next big product innovation or PR win is likely sitting in your DMs or a random mention on a show like Hard Knocks. Move fast, trust your gut, and don't wait for "perfect" data.

Connect with Katelynn: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelynnludwig]

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Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

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How to Build a Culture-Driven Brand (Rewind) | Katelynn Ludwig of DUDE Wipes

What happens when you combine a $59 Amazon printer, a vintage 2005 Toyota, and a deep desire to spend more time with your family? You get Untouched Blooms, a handmade flower and pet accessory brand that has found its way into the hands of the Kardashians, Simone Biles, and Alex Earl—all without a single dollar spent on ads or PR agencies. In this episode, founder Max Gayle Summersett breaks down the "scrappy" blueprint that allowed her to retire her father and scale a viral business from a 400-square-foot apartment. We dive into her "Triangle Method" for influencer outreach, the power of TikTok Live shopping, and why "Consumer Fixation" led her to the product ideas that changed her life. If you’ve ever felt like you didn't have enough capital to start, this conversation will prove that creativity is the ultimate currency.

Key Takeaways:

// Max proves that high-end equipment is a distraction. Starting with a $59 printer and a tricycle wasn't a hindrance; it forced the brand to be creative, resourceful, and deeply connected to the community.

// Don’t go for the celebrity; go for their inner circle. Max explains how gifting to a target’s friends, managers, or even their dog trainer creates a "FOMO" effect that eventually leads to organic celebrity orders.

// You don't need a complex content calendar to stay relevant. Max shares how she "rinses and repeats" organic B-roll of her and her 78-year-old father working together, simply by shifting the camera an inch or changing the story angle.

// TikTok Live isn't just for selling; it's for real-time R&D. By showing up every other day, Max gets instant feedback on new designs and builds a "stickiness" that a static post can't replicate.

// Excellence is the best marketing. By bedazzling packages and doing deep-dive research into a customer’s life (like finding a celebrity's husband's team colors), you turn a simple purchase into a "memento" that people are proud to share.

Learn More About Untouched Blooms: Website [https://untouchedblooms.com/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/untouchedblooms/]

____

Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collective

Say hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠

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How to Scale a Brand Organically (Scrappy Marketing, Email, and Gifting) | Max of Untouched Blooms

Are you building your career in marketing? Or confused on how to build a social media strategy for your business? We made the Marketing Happy Hour podcast to take the guessing games out of marketing, social media and PR. Listen each week as we interview some of the world’s top marketers, influencer specialists and strategists from businesses like Taco Bell, FabFitFun, NASA, IL MAKIAGE and more. The podcast will leave you with a better understanding of the industry and how to grow your business/career! Hosted by Erica Spitzley + Cassie Tucker. https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/ Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marketinghappyhour/support

Cassie Tucker

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