Podcast Summary: Marketing Trends

Episode: GoodRx’s Wild West Brand Marketing Bets Big On Audio
Host: Stephanie Postles (Mission.org)
Guest: Ryan Sullivan, CMO of GoodRx
Date: October 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode offers an in-depth look at how GoodRx, led by CMO Ryan Sullivan, blends classic brand stewardship with bold, contemporary campaigns—especially in audio—to stand out in a crowded healthcare marketing landscape. Sullivan shares his rapid ascent to CMO, his philosophy on measurement and rebranding, and the company’s unique approach to creating resonant, memorable marketing moments that combine data discipline with creative flair.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sullivan’s Journey to CMO (02:04-06:25)

• Organic Growth: Sullivan underscores that his fast rise wasn’t planned—he focused on finding an organization aligned with his skills and philosophy. Deep product understanding and business alignment were keys to gaining trust and growing remit.
  • “Life happens kind of while you’re making plans in some sense... you have to really find a place that, you know, there’s an alignment, there’s a natural rhythm between the way you view the craft and the work, what the organization needs and skills.” (02:34)
• Building Trust: "Trust is something that I continually reinforce with my team is a really important currency inside any organization." (04:27)
• Measurement Focus: Sullivan prioritized establishing a “common yardstick” for evaluating marketing efficacy, acknowledging both the need for data discipline and not letting numbers override creativity.

What is GoodRx? (06:36-07:57)

• Consumer Value Proposition: Launched in 2011, GoodRx helps consumers (insured or not) save on prescription costs by comparing prices at local pharmacies and offering coupons.
• Scale: 85 million users, $85B saved, and about 30 million annual users.

Evolving Marketing Strategy (07:57-10:56)

• Direct to Brand Marketing: Initially reliant on direct marketing and custom measurement for each channel, GoodRx has shifted to a more balanced blend of performance and brand marketing.
• Holistic Measurement: Modern measurement now spans short-term and long-term effects, integrating classic brand metrics (awareness, resonance) with hard returns.
• Creative Campaign Evolution: Early focus was on education and trust-building; recent campaigns emphasize broad, memorable creative concepts.

Inside the Savings Wrangler Campaign (11:04-16:01)

• Origin: Developed largely in-house with handpicked partners, GoodRx’s new centerpiece campaign, “The Savings Wrangler,” is rooted in consumer feedback describing prescription shopping as the “Wild West.”
  • Mascots: Introduces a cowgirl persona and Dusty Pete, the prairie dog, as brand mascots symbolizing a “fearless ally” helping users navigate unpredictable healthcare costs.
  • “We adopted that ecosystem for the campaign…felt it was a really nice backdrop and world to kind of convey this idea that it is the Wild West out there. You need help to navigate it.” (13:04)
• Breakthrough Tactics: By using humor, storytelling, and a mascot in a healthcare setting, GoodRx aims to break the monotony and make advertising memorable.

Measuring Success Across Time Horizons (16:09-21:38)

• Short-term: Creative engagement, response rates, and immediate traffic spikes.
• Mid-term: Sales lift in quarters, econometric modeling performance.
• Long-term: Macro sales, aided/unaided awareness, qualitative indicators (“the feels on a campaign matter over time as well” (19:13)).
• Flexibility: Advocates using a "cornucopia of numbers"—each metric matters differently over different timeframes.

Pitfalls: Metrics to Avoid (21:38-24:12)

• Overreliance on Last-Touch Attribution: This common metric drives “billions and billions of dollars of wasted money.”
  • “It’s at the root of most challenges I’ve seen…really an overreliance on the immediate response of the happy path of a customer.” (21:51)
• Unreliable Traffic Metrics: Traffic as a metric is often compromised by inconsistent historical measurement frameworks.

Navigating AI, LLMs, and Discoverability (24:12-29:51)

• New Search Norms: Shift towards AI-generated overviews and zero-click search is evolutionary, not wholly new, but requires vigilance and adaptation.
  • “Brand discovery is a longer-term process. The reason someone is in market for a product is largely…out of our control.” (24:35)
• Staying Top of Mind: GoodRx focuses on “wearing in a message” so that when prescription needs arise, consumers recall the brand.

B2C vs. B2B: Leveraging Word of Mouth (29:51-31:38)

• Doctors & Pharmacists as Advocates: GoodRx invests in field marketing to HCPs, nurturing their most powerful channel for new user acquisition.

Brand Equity vs. Rebranding (31:38-36:37)

• Stewardship Philosophy: Sullivan is strongly against “throwing away brand equity” through unnecessary rebrands.
  • “I am a steward of the GoodRx brand. I didn’t create the brand...To decide to say we're going to get rid of that and replace it with something else...I highly doubt that it's often warranted.” (32:08)
• Strategic Additions, Not Subtractions: Rather than wiping the slate, GoodRx aims to “add elements tastefully,” increasing resonance without losing familiarity.

Contrarian Bets and Channel Innovations (36:37-39:32)

• Betting Big on Audio: GoodRx is intentionally investing in audio—jingles, storytelling ballads (e.g., Dusty Pete’s songs), and traditional radio—citing its underestimated power for recall and nostalgia.
  • “We’re overloaded…with visual stimulus. But with audio, you have one thing, the sound going out of a speaker into your ear.” (40:18)
• Audio Advertising’s Unique Power: Audio carves a lasting place in consumer memory in “in-between moments.” GoodRx’s approach goes beyond discount codes, focusing on storytelling.

Future of Brand Discoverability (41:32-45:02)

• Integrated PR & Content: With AI scraping diverse sources, GoodRx actively distributes content and research in as many channels as possible (news, Reddit, YouTube).
  • “You can’t just do everything from under your brand account…You need to have outside sources saying, hey, GoodRx. This was actually helpful to me.” (44:02)
• Embracing Emergent Order: Sullivan posits the next wave will reward brands that maintain wide “surface area” and messaging consistency as control over channels recedes.

Balancing Art and Science in Marketing (47:44-51:26)

• Measurement Needs Human Intuition: Too much quantification can stifle creativity; Sullivan advocates for using data to confirm intuition and drive logical decisions, but not dictate every move.

Building a Best-in-Class Measurement System (51:26-59:02)

• The "Pulley Trinity" of Measurement:
  1. Econometrics for long-term modeling and investment planning.
  2. Incrementality/Lift Testing for controlled experimentation and model calibration.
  3. Last-Touch/Channel Response metrics for short-term, real-time decision-making.
• Yardstick Alignment: Core measurement frameworks are agreed upon with Finance and Strategy to prevent confusion and promote trust.
  • “If you don’t start having an open air conversation about what yardstick…we’re almost destined to come to different conclusions and have tension.” (59:07)
• Internal Access: Marketing team uses granular data; executives use higher-level dashboards to keep focus clear and minimize distractions.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Brand Stewardship:
  “When you have that responsibility, if you think of yourself as a steward of a brand, you’d have to really think long and hard about getting rid of anything that’s sustained or gotten a brand…to the point it has today.” (32:08)

• On Audio’s Power:
  “Audio is such an interesting way to build nostalgia, recall and bring people to a different place…especially since everything that’s visual is...overloaded.” (39:32)

• On Surrendering Control in Brand Discovery:
  “We’ve been lulled into this idea that…there’s some primrose path…But…there’s a lot of things...that give us the illusion of control, that it’s really luck or timing…” (45:02)

• On the Need for Unified Metrics:
  “If you don’t start having an open air conversation about what yardstick…we’re almost destined to come to different conclusions and have tension.” (59:07)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Ryan’s path to CMO: 02:04–06:25
• Explaining GoodRx: 06:36–07:57
• Marketing strategy evolution: 08:14–10:56
• Savings Wrangler campaign creation: 11:04–13:04
• Campaign measurement timeframes: 16:09–19:13
• Brand rebranding debate: 31:38–36:37
• Audio marketing insights: 36:37–41:32
• Building a measurement system: 51:26–59:02

Lightning Round Highlights (61:05–64:40)

• If given a million dollars, what’s the bet? “I would do more audio. I would do more of these Dusty Pete ballads.” (61:13)
• Buzzword he’d banish: “Learnings. It just hurts my ears… I'd rather people say insights or results.” (62:53)
• Camping skills as a secret hobby.

Conclusion

This episode is a masterclass in blending data-driven rigor with creative risk-taking. Sullivan makes a compelling case against destructive rebranding, advocates for prioritizing audio as a differentiator, and unpacks a sophisticated, collaborative approach to measurement that keeps both the finance and marketing teams aligned. For marketers seeking to balance short-term outcomes with long-term brand equity—and for anyone pondering how to stay top-of-mind in a noisy, evolving landscape—this is an essential listen.