Danone's Linda Bethea on Balancing Purpose and Performance in a Changing CPG World

Summary

BRAVE COMMERCE: Danone's Linda Bethea on Balancing Purpose and Performance in a Changing CPG World

Hosted by Rachel Tippograph, Founder & CEO of MikMak, and Sarah Hofstadter, President of Profitero, BRAVE COMMERCE delves into the dynamics shaping today’s eCommerce landscape. In this episode, released on October 29, 2024, they interview Linda Bethea, Chief Marketing Officer of Danone North America, to explore how large Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies balance mission-driven purpose with business performance amidst a rapidly evolving market.

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1. Introduction of the Episode and Guest [00:00 - 05:11]

The episode kicks off with Rachel and Sarah setting the stage for an in-depth conversation with Linda Bethea. They highlight Linda’s extensive background in the CPG industry, particularly her formative years at PepsiCo, which has been a common breeding ground for C-suite executives.

2. Linda Bethea’s Background and Leadership Training at PepsiCo [05:11 - 08:12]

Linda delves into her career beginnings at PepsiCo, emphasizing the company's role in shaping her leadership skills. She states, “PepsiCo is a fantastic training ground for leaders. I think they are really, really good at identifying and recruiting talent... [05:32]” (05:32). Linda credits her diverse experiences across different categories and functions—from Frito Lay’s potato chips to beverage portfolios—and the rigorous leadership training programs for her development as a business leader.

3. Danone’s Commitment to Purpose and Performance [08:12 - 10:00]

Transitioning to her role at Danone, Linda explains the company’s unique positioning as one of the largest certified B Corporations. “We truly believe that performance and purpose are intertwined and that you can deliver business results while also delivering the right results for people and planet” ([09:19]). This commitment aligns with Danone’s mission to “deliver health through food to as many people as possible,” a driving force that energizes the entire organization.

4. Danone’s Strategies in a Changing CPG Landscape [10:00 - 16:21]

Linda addresses the volatile nature of the CPG sector, marked by declining volume sales, channel disruptions, and frequent acquisitions. She highlights Danone’s strategic initiative, “Renew Danone,” which focuses on constantly evaluating and refining the product portfolio to stay aligned with evolving consumer trends and macroeconomic shifts. “We have a strategy called Renew Danone, where we're constantly looking at our portfolio and rotating it accordingly” ([16:21]). This approach ensures that Danone remains true to its mission while adapting to market changes through selective divestitures and strategic acquisitions.

5. Consumer Insights and Innovation at Danone [16:21 - 20:19]

Linda emphasizes the importance of consumer-centricity in driving innovation. “We really focus on having that ongoing dialogue with consumers, obviously through our insights team we do a lot of foundational consumer research and ongoing consumer research” ([17:51]). She cites the growing trend of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and diabetes management as an area where Danone can offer nutritional support, demonstrating their responsiveness to emerging health trends. Additionally, Linda shares Danone's commitment to sustainability with their Evian brand, achieving 100% circular packaging by end of the year ([19:23]).

6. Challenges in E-commerce and Online Selling [20:19 - 21:36]

Addressing the complexities of eCommerce for perishable products, Linda discusses Danone’s strategies to overcome logistical challenges. “We believe in the future of digital commerce. That is where consumers are shopping today” ([20:19]). Danone segments its portfolio based on product type—ambient, frozen, or refrigerated—to optimize online distribution channels and enhance direct-to-consumer (D2C) capabilities, ensuring timely and efficient delivery of their products.

7. Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) and Retail Partnerships [21:36 - 23:01]

Linda elaborates on the complementary roles of D2C channels and traditional retail partnerships. “I think they're complementary. We segment our channels based on the role that they play for each brand in our portfolio” ([21:41]). By leveraging partnerships, such as with Kellogg’s cereal for the Silk brand, Danone creates synergistic promotions that drive basket size and enhance brand discovery. This integrated approach ensures that Danone can effectively reach consumers both through established retail channels and emerging D2C platforms.

8. Teaching Marketing and Evolving Curriculum [23:01 - 25:35]

Beyond her corporate role, Linda is also a professor of marketing. She shares insights on balancing core marketing principles with the dynamic nature of the field. “I view it 100% as a two-way street where I'm learning as much from them as they are learning from me” ([24:25]). Linda emphasizes the importance of maintaining foundational marketing concepts while staying adaptable to new trends influenced by younger generations and technological advancements.

9. Bravest Actions and Personal Insights [25:35 - 27:36]

In a reflective segment, Linda shares her perspective on bravery both personally and professionally. “What I try to practice every day is asking for what you want... Always, always ask for what you want. Be brave and ask the question” ([26:15]). She recounts her adventurous past and highlights the courage it takes to advocate for oneself in the workplace, especially for women striving to achieve their career goals.

10. Conclusion [27:36 - End]

Rachel and Sarah wrap up the conversation by acknowledging Linda’s valuable insights and encouraging listeners to explore Danone’s diverse portfolio. They also highlight other PepsiCo alumni featured on the show, reinforcing the narrative of PepsiCo’s influence in cultivating top-tier leaders.

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Notable Quotes:

• “PepsiCo is a fantastic training ground for leaders... [05:32]”
  — Linda Bethea

• “We truly believe that performance and purpose are intertwined...” [09:19]”
  — Linda Bethea

• “I view it 100% as a two-way street where I'm learning as much from them as they are learning from me” [24:25]
  — Linda Bethea

• “Always, always ask for what you want. Be brave and ask the question” [26:15]”
  — Linda Bethea

Key Takeaways:

• Leadership Development: Linda attributes her leadership growth to the comprehensive training and diverse experiences gained at PepsiCo, which equipped her with a holistic understanding of business operations.

• Purpose-Driven Performance: Danone’s identity as a B Corporation underscores its commitment to balancing business success with societal and environmental responsibility.

• Strategic Adaptability: Through initiatives like Renew Danone, the company maintains market relevance by continually assessing and realigning its product offerings with consumer demands and macro trends.

• Consumer-Centric Innovation: Danone leverages in-depth consumer insights and social listening to inform product development and marketing strategies, ensuring alignment with health and wellness trends.

• E-commerce Strategies: Overcoming the challenges of selling perishable goods online, Danone invests in segmented distribution channels and enhances its D2C capabilities to meet consumer shopping behaviors.

• Educational Engagement: Linda’s role as a marketing professor allows her to stay abreast of emerging trends and incorporate real-world experiences into her teaching, fostering a dynamic learning environment.

• Personal Courage: Linda emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy and bravery in both personal and professional contexts, encouraging proactive communication to achieve desired outcomes.

This episode of BRAVE COMMERCE offers a comprehensive exploration of how a leading CPG company like Danone navigates the complexities of modern commerce by steadfastly adhering to its mission while adapting to an ever-changing market landscape.

Transcript

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[Linda Bethia]

Payment equivalent to $15 per month New customers on first three month plan only taxes and fees, extra Speed slower above 40GB Details I think what makes us unique is that we are one of the largest certified B corporations in the world, which means that we are committed to leveraging business as a force for for good. We truly believe that performance and purpose are intertwined and that you can deliver business results while also delivering the right results for people and planet. Everyone at Danone stands behind our mission, which is to deliver health through food to as many people as possible. That's what brings us to work every day and that's what gets us excited. How do we leverage our portfolio of healthier options to make the world a better place?

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Welcome to today's episode of Brave Commerce.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I'm Rachel Tippograph, the founder and CEO of Micmac.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

I'm Sarah Hofstadter, president of Profitero and.

[Rachel Tippograph]

This is a show that talks about what's relevant in E commerce for the world's biggest brands. Sarah we know Rachel Brave Commerce. We get a lot of people across CPG on the show. We're about to have a great leader from CPG on the show. So outside of cpg, and I'm using that term loosely to really represent brands that McMac and Profitero work with every day and we get on the show at Brave Commerce, what would you say is a World class brand that is in a category that we typically don't talk to.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

I am drawing a blank.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I can give you my answer.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

You can give me your answer.

[Rachel Tippograph]

So I still believe that the world's greatest brand in many ways is Nike. I bring this up because Nike is going through really tough times right now and the whole world thought that they would never see this day. And if you analyze why Nike is not doing well right now, it comes back to one simple truth. The employees stopped living out the mission and vision of the company.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Yeah, I hear you. It's so funny because I went through my normal like, oh, you know, Apple, Amazon, Google, Nike, Nike. Basically west coast companies and flawed, flawed, flawed, flawed, flawed. And Nike would be the latest of the flawed. And when you say what is the Achilles heel, which is ironic considering the name of the brand is Nike, you're right. A big part of it is losing sight of their vision. Part of it is also hubris. Part of it is also, I'm sure there were plenty of people that saw something and didn't necessarily say something. And there were plenty of people that joined Nike. I'm sure especially you know, young folks joined and said, I'm so excited to see the machine. And they walk in. The machine is just not what it was. And it goes back to, like you said, the vision and the values.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Nike is one case study example. And then when we start to think about, you know, cpg, fmcg, just high velocity, super competitive in every which way. At the end of the day, why does a consumer choose a product? It has everything to do with brand. And how do brands get built? Through mission and values.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Mission, values and reasons to believe that it is for me. So there is a currency that goes into what makes somebody want to choose a brand. And if you can't articulate why that brand is for you, then you won't be selling as much volume, that's for sure. I think the challenge that CPG faces, which, you know, arguably one would say about Nike or anything else, is when you're selling to Mass, how do you make it for you and how do you stay true? So you need North Star.

[Rachel Tippograph]

So we're about to bring on Linda, who is the CMO of Deneau North America. And she's going to talk a lot about mission and values, not just at her experience at Denome, but her prior professional experiences as well and how it shapes her as a leader and the strategic decisions that, that the business is currently making.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

I have to say, as you say that, I think back to you know, she is yet another one of the Pepsi alum that we have here. And I have to say I don't even know how I've had any professional success without working at Pepsi. It just seems like Pepsi or P and G, if you didn't grow up in those places, like you're shit out of luck, man. I'm glad I found another way to make it, but man, there's something there.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I agree. Well, let's bring Linda onto the show today. We are very excited to have Linda Bethia, the chief marketing officer of Denone North America onto the show. Hey Linda.

[Linda Bethia]

Hey Rachel. Thanks for having me.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Super excited. And we know it's a very busy season because the simple truth is people never stop eating. So I don't know when you get a break.

[Linda Bethia]

Yes, our business is seasonal in some categories, but yes, we have offerings year round to satisfy consumers needs.

[Rachel Tippograph]

You know, before we get into all things Denone, I did notice that you spent the first part of your career at PepsiCo. And we've actually had a bunch of other PepsiCo alum on the show and they've all become CMOs or CEOs. I always feel like there's something in the water at PepsiCo that breeds C suite leaders. What is it about PepsiCo that this is constantly the outcome?

[Linda Bethia]

PepsiCo is a fantastic training ground for leaders. I think they are really, really good at identifying and recru talent. And then they don't just train you as a functional leader, but as a true business leader. So I started my PepsiCo career as an assistant brand manager at Frito Lay on the lay's potato chip portfolio. But throughout the course of my career had the opportunity to work across different categories, different brands, different markets and different functions. And I think that's really what helped me grow as a leader. About five years into my career, I had an opportunity to do a rotation in the field sales organization. And Frito Lay is unique in that they have over 20,000ft on the street that are in the stores every day selling the products, merchandising the products, driving the trucks, delivering the products, et cetera. And being able to understand that side of the business really made me a better marketer. And from there I moved over to the beverage side of the business and was really focused on expanding our portfolios into nascent and growing categories. And so it was a really close partnership with our finance team to truly understand how A, P and L operates, which expanded my knowledge of the business even more. And throughout all of that, I had the opportunity to lead Teams attend leadership training programs. Indra Neue, when she was CEO, would hand select a group of 12 people every year to do a three day off site site led by her where she imparted her wisdom as a leader. So overall, it really expanded my capabilities as both a functional and a leadership expert and enabled me to be the leader I am today.

[Rachel Tippograph]

We actually had the pleasure of interviewing Indra two years ago and it was like a career highlight. I mean, that woman is incredible. Are there aspects of sort of the learning and development leadership training that you had at PepsiCo that you're bringing over to Danone?

[Linda Bethia]

Yes, and then there are some I'm absolutely not bringing over to Denon. I think, again, it's a wonderful training ground and a lot of the frameworks they leverage are easily lifted and shifted to other companies and cultures. But I think what makes Denone unique is our culture. It's one of the things that attracted me to Denone and it's a reason I've been here for five years. And so I think you do have to tailor things specifically to the type of leaders you want to build within the company you're working in.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

It's got to be very interesting given divestitures, acquisitions. There was the whole white wave thing that happened a few years ago, and there's just so much change that's going on in Danone in general. How do you keep that focus on talent and culture? How would you even define the culture at Danone at the moment? And what impact do you want to have on it as it enhances over your tenure here?

[Linda Bethia]

I think what makes us unique is that we are one of the largest certified B corporations in the world, which means that we are committed to leveraging business as a force for good. We truly believe that performance and purpose are intertwined and that you can deliver business results while also delivering the right results for people and planet. And so everyone at Denone stands behind our mission, which is to deliver health through food to as many people as possible. That's what brings us to work every day and that's what gets us excited. How do we leverage our portfolio of healthier options to make the world a better place?

[Sarah Hofstadter]

So how does that manifest itself in the day to day behaviors of the organization? Because, you know, you said two things that almost sound paradoxical, which you highlighted as unique. You're a B corp and you're humongous. So how does that manifest itself when it comes to coming to work every day? What behaviors do you see as unique to Danone employees that make them Live that be cork mindset.

[Linda Bethia]

So we do have a framework called the Denone Leadership Behaviors that everyone gets trained on and it's something we talk about regularly at Denone. One example, which is my favorite one, is called Put the Fish on the Table. As a leader, you have to be willing to have those difficult conversations in order to drive the business forward, in order to make sure you're not making trade offs that are not aligned with your mission or your true norm forth. And so that's something we've absolutely committed to as a leadership team is we have those difficult conversations and we always make sure that we're balancing that performance with purpose and we drive proven results through that. I'll use the example of our Oikos yogurt brand. Oikos is a protein packed yogurt that's really focused on delivering the strength you need to make you unstoppable every day. And that shows up obviously in the product itself, where we have Oikos Pro with over 20 grams of protein per serving, but it also shows up in our marketing and how we bring that to life as well as the impact that we're having on communities. And so through our insights work, we uncovered that less than 50% of students at historically black colleges and universities have access to nutritious foods. And we had a partnership with Deion Sanders, who at the time was the head coach at Jackson State and hbcu. And so we partnered with him to create the Oikos nutrition sponsorship or actually providing healthier snack options to the athletes at historically black colleges and universities and working with them to share nutrition advice and information and really help those athletes uncover the strength they need to be unstoppable. And so that's an example of how we balance performance with purpose. Delivering a healthier product, bringing it to life at scale through our marketing, but also giving back to the communities we serve.

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[Linda Bethia]

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[Sarah Hofstadter]

I want to go back to your fish on the table. That's something that both Rachel and I have lived in our values at our companies, although I think I originally learned it from Rashad Tobacco Walla and he called it the turd on the table. And so maybe it's just more alliterative. And also it's probably a lot nicer.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Ours is we have a company value called put the McMoose on the table.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

So you have the moose.

[Rachel Tippograph]

The fish, yeah.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

It's interesting. The moose doesn't smell nearly as bad as the fish and the turd.

[Linda Bethia]

Well, that's why the fish analogy works so great because sometimes it's a really stinky fish and people are afraid to put the stinky fish on the table. But you have to be willing to do that if you want to live the denone values.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Your Oikos example is right about that balancing of the performance and the values, which is great. Do you have an example of an instance where you've put that fish on the table and it's created a better outcome, whether that's with talent or whether that's on maybe a go to market or a product launch or something like that.

[Linda Bethia]

Probably have a lot of different examples in this space. Talent is a good one because we talked about that earlier and really being able to identify and recruit the right talent. And I truly believe as a marketer marketer that we need to deliver against our mission, which again is deliver health through food to as many people as possible. To reach as many people as possible, you have to be reaching a diverse set of consumers. In order to do that successfully, you need a diverse workforce and we realized at a point in time that we weren't recruiting and retaining as many diverse, talented employees as we could be. And we really dug into that and discovered that we had stopped recruiting at some key places in that space. And so we had to have the difficult conversations around why did we stop doing that? How do we change our talent recruitment process going forward to make sure that we are getting the most talented, diverse workforce possible?

[Rachel Tippograph]

Now, while business all starts with people and always comes back to people, there's also just sort of the macro backdrop that the company is playing in. And in CPG right now, it seems.

[Linda Bethia]

Like a wild time.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Volume sales are down for a lot of companies. There's channel disruption. We're watching divestitures happen, we're watching acquisitions happen. And with Danone, I think there was a recent acquisition announcement as well. What do you feel it takes today for large CPG companies to stand the test of time?

[Linda Bethia]

Yeah, I mean, you're absolutely right. It is a wild time to be in cpg. I think that also makes it exciting. And what I love about Danone is we do have that true north and it guides everything we do and keeps us focused at a time when other companies may get distracted by what's happening in the macro environment, environment, in the economic environment, in the political climate, what's happening with consumer trends. And so we have a strategy called Renew Denone, where we're constantly looking at our portfolio and rotating it accordingly so that we can stay true to our mission and our vision, but also keep up with evolving external macro trends. And so, as you mentioned, we have divested of businesses over the past few years that didn't necessarily align with where we're going as a company. And we've also made acquisitions to bring in brands that we think are aligned with where we see consumer trends going in the future. We also approach our innovation from that standpoint. We have parts of our portfolio that historically may not have met that definition of delivering health through food to as many people as possible. And so we've worked really hard to reduce sugar levels in our products, to expand our plant based offerings, and really look at our innovation pipeline going forward to making sure we're delivering more protein, more fiber, more medical, nutritional needs, to really deliver against that mission on an ongoing basis.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Where do you look for those insights on where consumers are heading next when it comes to food?

[Linda Bethia]

Yeah, I mean, one of our key values and beliefs is consumer shopper and patient centricity. And so we really focus on having that ongoing dialogue with consumers, obviously through our insights team we do a lot of foundational consumer research and ongoing consumer research. We also do a ton of social listening. What conversations are happening out there that can help us understand what consumers care about, what they're talking about? One big focus right now is what's happening in the space with GLP1 drugs. That's a growing percent of our population that is turning to those for weight loss and for diabetes. And as a healthier portfolio, we can play a role in helping make sure people that are on GLP1 drugs are getting the nutrition they need to be their best every day.

[Rachel Tippograph]

It's fascinating how you're highlighting that as a growth segment. Yeah, I just was with an alcohol customer who talked about that for different reasons.

[Linda Bethia]

So, yeah, absolutely.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

It's an interesting one as we start looking at GLP1s as risk factors or enablers, and it kind of talks to the whole idea of how do you look at your vulnerabilities as strengths? And that is definitely a really good example of that. Do you have any other examples of things that you've looked at, whether that's in your portfolio or. Or even within yourself as a leader of something you might have thought was a vulnerability that you now say, you know what? Actually, that's something that really guides me.

[Linda Bethia]

I'll use a product example first. Evian. We play in the bottled water category, right? Plastic bottled water is not exactly something that people would point to, you know, something that's good for you or the planet. We believe that healthy hydration is an important component of nutrition. And so we had to take a hard look at ourselves and say, okay, how can we improve this portfolio to make it better for people and the planet? And we committed to delivering 100% circular package on Evian by 2025. And I'm proud to say we actually beat that. And by the end of this year, all of Evian bottles in the US will be 100% circular. And what that essentially means is all components can be recycled or made from recycled materials. So making sure that as we continue to innovate and grow our portfolio, that we're doing so in a way that makes sure we're good stewards of the planet.

[Rachel Tippograph]

So you talked about Evian water's not easy to ship online. You have a lot of products in the portfolio that are perishable. So given that a big area of focus on this show is E commerce, how does Denone overcome some of these challenges that are just natural to the portfolio when it comes to online selling?

[Linda Bethia]

You're absolutely right in that it's a challenge. The majority of our portfolio is refrigerated or frozen, which definitely poses a challenge. But we believe in the future of digital commerce. That is where consumers are shopping today. I myself am a very loyal E comm shopper. I shop via Ecom multiple times per week through various platforms, whether they are pure plays or delivery networks. And so we have built that up as an internal capability where we want to make sure that we are staying ahead of consumer and shopper trends and meeting shoppers where they are. And so we do segment our portfolio based on what platforms make sense, whether it is an ambient, frozen or refrigerated product. And then we're also looking at building out some D2C capabilities for parts of our portfolio. We think that is a growing opportunity area for us as we get into different segments.

[Rachel Tippograph]

How do you think about D2C alongside your big retail partner channels?

[Linda Bethia]

I think they're complementary. We segment our channels based on the role that they play for each brand in our portfolio. And some channels are going to better discovery channels as we launch new brands and products. And then other channels will be better to drive that ongoing loyalty, whether it's a subscribe and save through Amazon or through a D2C offering. And then you also have to look at the consumption habits. Some of the products in our portfolio are daily consumption. And that makes sense to sell through different channels versus something that may be more infrequent.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

I think that makes sense. I mean, especially as you look at, like you said, subscribe and save or something like yogurt, which is just a. If you're a habitual yogurt eater, you're going to want to buy a lot. I have noticed, as also a heavy duty Omni shopper myself, that you guys run a lot of promotions that are portfolio wide, which is kind of interesting. So when you look at that, I noticed one actually this week on Instacart with Walmart. If I buy certain products, get $10 off or whatever it was, and it was across the portfolio. I know what Denome products are, but generally speaking, they're sold in, you know, different areas of the store. Is that a different way that you guys think about the way you approach scale? How do you think about that differently and how is your relationship almost with the sales team manifesting itself in how you go to market on promo?

[Linda Bethia]

Yeah, consumers don't buy companies, they buy brands. So to your point, they may not know that Evian silk and Oikos are all manufactured by Denone, but that is one of the benefits of a large company is that we can leverage our scale to drive growth at key customers. Right. We can drive that Basket Ring up, leveraging shopper insights to understand what categories are purchased or consumed together. We can also do that in partnership with others. We have a partnership right now on Silk with Kellogg's cereal because we know that cereal is a huge breakfast occasion in the US And a huge, a huge portion of cereal users are looking for a plant based option in their cereal. And so that's an example of where we're partnering together to drive that scale. We also do that across the total breakfast occasion across our portfolio. We have coffee creamers, we have plant based milks, we have yogurts. And so we can bundle those together to deliver a total solution to the shopper that then drives Basket Ring for the customer.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Turning to you, if you don't mind for a second. So beyond being the CMO of Danone, you also are a professor of marketing, which I love by the way. It's a bucket list for me. And so selfishly, I'm curious, how do you build a curriculum for marketing today when things change at light speed?

[Linda Bethia]

So I love teaching. It's actually when I was younger, that's what I wanted to be when I grew up, was a teacher. So this is a way to fulfill my childhood dream as my side hustle. And I love connecting with students because it also gives me fresh perspective. To your point, marketing is changing at the speed of light and a lot of it is driven by younger generations. And so I view it 100% as a two way street where I'm learning as much from them as they are learning from me. And I keep certain parts of the curriculum consistent in terms of marketing fundamentals and beliefs around how brands grow, how you reach consumers at the right place, the right time, with the right message. But everything else changes from year to year. And if you think about when I started as an assistant brand manager at Frito Lay, social media didn't exist. Right. I was still doing direct marketing and then email marketing became a big thing.

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Right?

[Linda Bethia]

I mean, if I just look over the course of my career, it has changed drastically in terms of how I bring our brands to life and engage with consumers. But again, that's what keeps it exciting. And so that makes teaching really fun because every semester it's something new.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Are kids on TikTok in your class while you're teaching?

[Linda Bethia]

Not during class, but yes, that's what you think. I have a 14 year old daughter and so she absolutely keeps me up to speed. On social media trends and usage. Her generation just no longer uses Google as a search engine. They search for everything on TikTok, recipes, clothes to buy, whatever it is. TikTok is the first stop up for a search.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Is Chachi BT her second?

[Linda Bethia]

No, actually, she is not leveraging that as much as I would have expected.

[Rachel Tippograph]

Fascinating. Well, Linda, we gotta ask you our famous last question, which is, what's the bravest thing you've ever done?

[Linda Bethia]

It's funny because I actually asked my daughter that this morning. I was like, hey, I'm gonna go on a podcast. It's called Brave Commerce. Like, what do you think I do that's brave? And she, as a typical 14 year old, scoffed and said, mom, you're not brave at all. And so we got into a great conversation because her definition of brave was much more in the adventurous sense of things. Things I actually did in my youth that I no longer do as a mom, where, you know, I used to go scuba diving with sharks. I was attacked by a stingray. You know, I have some great stories. But what I think about in my current role as a marketer and a mom, what I think is really brave, that I try to practice every day is asking for what you want. Whether that's a certain project to work on in the office or the promotion you think you deserve, or emotional support you need in your personal life. I think it's really hard sometimes for women to be direct and ask for what they want. What I always say is the worst the person can do is say no. And then you're just right back to where you started. You're no worse off. And they may say yes. And so always, always ask for what you want. Be brave and ask the question.

[Rachel Tippograph]

I love that and I totally agree. The worst is they could say no. Well, Linda, thank you for your time. Time everyone go shop the Denone portfolio if you're not already. We look forward to continuing to pick your brain in the future.

[Sarah Hofstadter]

Great.

[Linda Bethia]

Thanks so much.

[Rachel Tippograph]

If you enjoyed hearing from Linda and you want to hear other PepsiCo alum, we actually have many and I'm not going to even rattle off all of them on the show. But you can go check out Lauren Hobart, an early episode. She's the CEO of Dick's Sporting Goods. You can check out Seth Kaufman, who at the time when we recorded the episode, he was the CEO of Moet Hennessy in North America. You can also check out our friend Todd Kaplan, who when we recorded the episode, he was the CMO Blue Pepsi. Now he's the CMO of Kraft Heinz. As you can see, there's a trend here. Pepsi breeds C Suite executives. If you like what you heard, tell a friend. Write a review. Thanks for listening.

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[Jackie Cooper]

Hi, I'm Jackie Cooper, Global Chief Brand Officer at Edelman and the host of Touch of Truth, a new podcast launching on the Adweek Podcast Network. My dad gave me this incredibly smart piece of advice. Meet everyone once. As a result, I've met some of the most fascinating and inspiring people on the planet. Now on Touch of Truth, we're coming centre stage and sharing the mic to experience stories of truth, insights and visions for the future that will challenge your way of thinking. Touch of Truth is available wherever you listen to podcasts. New episodes come out every Tuesday. I do hope to see you there.