Fueling Brand Connection: Insights from Adrienne Ingoldt, CMO of Pilot

Summary

Marketing Vanguard Podcast Summary
Episode: Fueling Brand Connection: Insights from Adrienne Ingoldt, CMO of Pilot
Release Date: March 10, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jenny Rooney engages in an insightful conversation with Adrienne Ingoldt, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Pilot. Adrienne shares her journey in branding, the strategic shifts at Pilot, and her perspectives on modern marketing dynamics.

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Guest Introduction and Background

Adrienne Ingoldt introduces herself as a brand enthusiast dedicated to understanding the human element behind brands. With a rich background in both agency and client-side roles, Adrienne emphasizes her transition from being a vendor in ad agencies to shaping brands from the inside out.

"I am a brand mind at heart. I love defining brands. My passion for it really stems from wanting to understand the humanity behind them."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [00:35]

She recounts her tenure at Jack in the Box, where she played a pivotal role in revitalizing the brand, and her current position at Pilot, where she is steering a 65-year-old company into a new era of brand authenticity and connection.

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Pilot's Brand Journey

Adrienne delves into Pilot's evolution from a product-centric and B2B-focused company to a brand that prioritizes emotional connections with its customers.

"Pilot is not a product. It's not an offer. It's not a service. It's a feeling. It's a visceral connection that humans have with everything that you say that you do."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [00:35]

She discusses Pilot's expansive footprint with nearly 900 locations serving 1.2 million people daily across the US and Canada. Despite its scale, Pilot historically emphasized products and services over branding, a gap Adrienne is now addressing by redefining the brand's purpose and connection with diverse driver segments.

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Marketing Strategies and Campaigns

Adrienne outlines Pilot's strategic marketing initiatives aimed at building a robust brand narrative. Central to this is their new campaign, "See You Out Here," which focuses on uplifting drivers by connecting with their passion for the road.

"We want to create a powerful brand narrative. Those people are also our 30,000 team members who work shoulder to serve our guests every day."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [06:00]

The campaign shifts Pilot from solely product-focused advertising to a broader brand-building effort that resonates emotionally with drivers, fostering loyalty and repeat patronage.

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Balancing Brand and Performance Marketing

The discussion highlights the importance of balancing art and science in marketing. Adrienne emphasizes that while performance metrics are critical, the emotional and authentic connections formed through brand storytelling are equally essential for long-term success.

"You can't have meaningful impact on the science side if you don't bring the art into it."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [08:33]

She asserts that focusing solely on data and performance can overlook the human connections that drive lasting brand relationships.

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Partnerships and Community Engagement

Adrienne shares Pilot's strategic partnerships, notably the naming rights partnership with Nayland Stadium at the University of Tennessee. This collaboration underscores Pilot's commitment to authenticity and cultural relevance.

"We chose to rename the stadium to the exact name it already had because it is an iconic historical landmark in Knoxville."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [15:19]

Additionally, Pilot engages with musicians and cultural events to connect with travelers' diverse interests, enhancing the brand's presence in meaningful cultural moments.

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Use of AI in Marketing

Addressing technological advancements, Adrienne discusses Pilot's adoption of AI to enhance marketing efforts. AI is leveraged for automating content creation, personalizing customer interactions through the app, and optimizing operational processes like contract writing.

"We are really taking a broad view of it, not just a marketing focused view."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [22:48]

This integration ensures that Pilot remains agile, continuously testing and refining strategies to better serve its customer base.

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Future Objectives and Priorities

Looking ahead, Adrienne outlines Pilot's commitment to enhancing customer experiences through store remodels, food quality improvements, and expanding digital tools. A significant focus is on scaling successful marketing campaigns to drive traffic and loyalty.

"We are definitely doubling down on experiences... our app and the exceptional experiences we can create on a personalized level continue to be a focus for us."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [23:39]

Pilot is also pioneering in catering to emerging segments, such as EV drivers, by installing charging stations and providing comprehensive services that meet modern travel needs.

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Leadership and Team Dynamics

Adrienne reflects on her role as Pilot's first CMO, emphasizing the importance of unifying disparate marketing efforts under a cohesive strategy. The support from Berkshire Hathaway and collaborative leadership has been instrumental in accelerating Pilot's marketing initiatives.

"With the backing of Berkshire, we have really accelerated our growth in this area."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [18:55]

She highlights the integration of various marketing functions and the strategic partnerships with external agencies to refine Pilot's brand positioning.

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Conclusion

Adrienne Ingoldt's tenure at Pilot marks a transformative period where the company is redefining its brand to foster genuine connections with a diverse range of drivers. Through strategic marketing, authentic storytelling, and technological integration, Pilot is poised to become an iconic brand that resonates deeply with its customers.

"We want to understand people and connect our brand to a universal human truth that unites them not only with one another as this community that we serve, but also with our company."
— Adrienne Ingoldt [25:17]

Her leadership exemplifies the balance between artistic brand-building and data-driven performance, ensuring Pilot not only meets current market demands but also anticipates and evolves with future customer needs.

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For more insights and episodes, subscribe to the Marketing Vanguard podcast on Adweek's Podcast Network.

Transcript

[Jenny Rooney]

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[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Is not a product. It's not an offer. It's not a service. It's a feeling. It's a visceral connection that humans have with everything that you say that you do, how you show up in every touch point and you want people to have that connection with you that makes it feel like you're one of them, that you're in their club. And that's when they come back to you time and time again and build relationships with you that last a lifetime.

[Jenny Rooney]

Hi everyone and welcome to the Marketing Vanguard Podcast. I'm Jenny Rooney at Adweek and I'm thrilled to be here today with Adrienne Ingoldt. She's the CMO of Pilot. Adrienne, welcome.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Thank you. Thanks for having me.

[Jenny Rooney]

Well, it's a pleasure to meet you and to learn a little bit more about you and also about your business and frankly, the role that marketing plays in what you're doing. For those who don't know you and for our audience, I would love it if you could just introduce yourself and then tell us a little bit about Pilot.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Sure, I'd love to. I am a brand mind at heart. I love defining brands. My passion for it really stems from wanting to understand the humanity behind them. I'm energized by answering the big questions like who are we? Why do we exist? Who are our people? Who are the people that we're bringing to our brand? And I've been lucky to be able to build a successful and rewarding career on that. Spent a lot of time on the ad agency side of the world and while I enjoyed the fast paced environment of ad agencies and the chance to work on a plethora of brands and categories, I always felt like a vendor at the end of the day. So the switch to the client side, as ad folks call it, gave me the opportunity to more deeply understand the business and the people it serves and build a brand from the inside out. Really put my mark on things. So to build something truly authentic to the company at Pilot has really been a really wonderful challenge. Started on the client side at Jack in the Box QSR brand where I spent six years and then now I've been a pilot for almost three years. It's crazy how time flies, but really excited to be here. We are a 65 year old, very strong and established travel center business. We have nearly 900 locations across the US and Canada. We serve 1.2 million people a day. And we have the scale, the size, the infrastructure to really be an iconic brand. But ironically, we were really focused on the products and services that we provide in really a B2B business model, working directly with professional trucking fleets and never really prioritize marketing or branding in its truest sense. So we are just at the beginning of our brand journey and that's really fun. Our team, the people at Pilot today, get to define what the road ahead looks for this great company and how we can better serve all kinds of drivers on the interstate. We not just professional truck drivers. So for the first time we get to answer these big questions like who we are and why we exist. And understanding who those people are and who they are as people helps us authentically identify how Pilot can connect to their world and rise above this commoditized category that we're in. So it's a fun journey so far.

[Jenny Rooney]

That is so interesting. And frankly, it's an area of business that I'm sure a lot of people might not necessarily have a lot of familiarity with. And you mentioned this concept of B2B relationships, so I actually didn't know. I mean, your travel centers, meaning all along interstates, you have what, gas facilities and convenience store options and perhaps even dining options available.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

You have it exactly right. So we are your hotel. Some drivers choose to sleep with us in our parking lots overnight. Whether that's RV or professional drivers. We are your food option. So not only having QSRs on our footprint, but also our own deli, we make our own food as well. We're one of the largest franchisees in the country as well as one of the major restaurant brands. If you look at those 900 locations, our scale is pretty big. We're also a convenience store. You can wire money with us, you can take a shower with us. We really do service folks on the road in a360 sense.

[Jenny Rooney]

But it seems like you mentioned this concept of contracts. So you actually have contracts with trucking companies so that like as their drivers journey through the interstates, there's like a relationship, if you will, between the trucking company and Pilot such that the drivers know where your travel centers are going to be. And that is the preferred stop for them along the journey. Is that correct?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

That's right. Think of it almost as a frequent flyer program. So with the really big trucking fleets that are prevalent across the United States, in particular, that really keep America moving with all of their drivers, we will strike up a deal where they'll get a discount on fuel in exchange for having Pilot be their preferred stop. So drivers are encouraged to stop with us, and then our drivers get really great loyalty benefits through our loyalty program and our app so points to use on things. Free showers, free food, discounts, things like that. So we're really servicing professional drivers in a meaningful way, as that's their job and they're out on the road for much of their time. But then we also are expanding to really provide a meaningful stop and a safe place for auto drivers, EV drivers, RV drivers, those last milers that deliver all of our packages. So really, for anyone who's out on the road, Pilot is a great option.

[Jenny Rooney]

What about consumers?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Yes, absolutely. So whether you're stopping in for your daily cup of coffee on your way to work, or you're out on the road as a sales rep who's driving a couple of hundred miles a day, or you're just looking for a more convenient way to stop on your way to grandma's house, Pilot is for you. So we've really been working hard to define who we are on that journey. And like I said, we are really grounded in our people. Our purpose statement at Pilot is to show people that they matter at every turn. And so using that as our foundation, we're simply putting people at the center of our brand and our marketing to do that. We've been focused on these universal human truths that drivers of all types share. Whether you have 18 wheels or two on a motorcycle, we want to create a powerful brand narrative. Those people are also our 30,000 team members who work shoulder to serve our guests every day. And our guests, those highway travelers who are out on the road on the journey, looking for someone to make that journey just a little bit better. So our new campaign, our new brand positioning, is centered around this idea of see you out here. And it's aimed at just that, like fueling the journey with that upbeat experience of being out on the road. We did some research, and we found that drivers of all types have a passion for the road. They really enjoy wondering what's around the next bend or getting to see our great country. And so we really want to lift them up and fuel them up while they're out there. Doing what they love and it's enables us to shift away from really where Pilot has been, really been a purely product focused and promotional advertising focused kind of brand in the travel center category and move toward a bigger brand building idea that connects not only the function that we provide but to how drivers want to feel behind the wheel because we know they love it. So that CU out here is more than just a tagline. It's really a call to come out here and have those experiences with us.

[Jenny Rooney]

Why is that so important? We're living in a time when there's so much and I'm not going to bring up the whole performance marketing versus brand marketing debate that feels tired by now. But you know what I'm hearing from you is brand narrative matters, right? And building that relationship with your customer against the backdrop of recent Nike news and the headlines, eschewing investment in brand marketing and frankly the things that they were known for. And so many marketers are putting so much more into performance at the risk of losing brand narrative and brand story. Why now? Does it have to do with your category or do you think it has something to do with kind of the moment we're living in right now and what you're seeing more broadly in the marketing world around the fact that you feel as a CMO very strongly that this is so critical for you to drive your business forward.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

I think it's important to have a balance of art and science and absolutely the science, the performance, the impact on business growth, absolutely important. We are focused on that as well and we measure like heck. But you can't have meaningful impact on the science side if you don't bring the art into it. And I think at the end of the day, brand is sometimes misconceived. Today, brand is not a product, it's not an offer, it's not a service, it's a feeling. It's a visceral connection that humans have with everything that you say that you do, how you show up in every touch point and you want people to have that connection with you that makes it feel like you're one of them, that you're in their club. And that's when they come back to you time and time again and build relationships with you that last a lifetime. And so I think it's really important to center on the people, understand those universal human truths. And I think many marketers get away from that. Sometimes we're chasing the latest trend or agonizing over finding the next critical data point, but being inspired by people putting people at the center. Because consumers are humans too. Sometimes we forget. I think it's important to really think about that human connection that you can make. And in our case, that's where we found that these folks out on the road, we call them journeymakers, drive to feel alive. So our job is to connect pilot beyond the pump to fuel those upbeat moments of what we call the great in between point A and point B and make the middle of nowhere feel like, we say, a greatest somewhere. Whether you're hand surfing your hand out the window in the wind or belting epic car ballad or watching a sunset over the horizon while you're chomping on a meat stick. Like, we want to be in those moments with people and help them feel that joy. We want to be that trusty wingman that lifts them up and makes the most of their travel.

[Jenny Rooney]

I love that. And listening to you, I'm reminded the fact that you actually call your customers journeymakers, like, I'm a big fan of words. I think words matter and semantics is not insignificant. And I remember when Jeff Jones, now the CEO of H&R Block, was the CMO of Target. Something that was so culturally foundational to Target was they never called their customers or consumers, they called them guests. And it was such an intentional term to describe the people who choose to walk into their stores day in and day out. And the fact that you call your customers journeymakers, it's a reflection of the fact that to me, you've made it a point to get inside their minds, quite frankly, and really understanding where they're coming from and seeing it through their lens, which then in turn informs how you need to show up for them. In that vein, what are other brands that inspire you that you think have also done a good job of bringing that obsession, if you will, of audience or consumer understanding into the work they're doing, I'm putting you on the spot.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Because you probably don't have them off.

[Jenny Rooney]

The top of your head. But are there any brands that you point to or think about, especially having been in this business for as long as you have, that you think are great examples of inspiration as well?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

I think anywhere that you can find authenticity, because you can't make that really deep connection with a group of consumers, however you define them, unless you have a truth to refer back to. And I think some of that truth has to be grounded in who you are as a brand, too. And I would say one interesting part of coming to Pilot is that we had not really defined who we are. A lot of brands have is almost an inverse problem where we have a lot of folks that are coming to the brand every day and spending a lot of time with us, particularly in the bottom of the funnel, re engaging in our loyalty program. We have one of the most sophisticated machines there ever. But on the auto side we have an awareness problem. So I think there was a chance to put a stake in the ground and we could be anything we wanted to be. And I think even when marketers sometimes come into a new brand, it's tempting to redefine, throw everything out, start over. And I think if you don't start with what's authentic to the business and the people that are coming to the business, you can't create the stickiness. And I would say I saw some of that when joined Jack in the Box. I came into the brand at a time when it was lost, it was confused. It had been the cult following of the 90s. It was funny, it was edgy, it was counterculture, pretty snarky, everything we loved and hated about the 90s. But then in the early 2000s it became stale and relevant. A brand was truly stuck in the 90s and so leadership at the time had made choices to pivot and in my opinion swung the pendulum too far in the opposite direction. And Jack Box, the mascot, at least as he was depicted in advertising, was out on this like midlife crisis journey searching for new ingredients to inspire his next recipe. And it wasn't very culturally relevant and it wasn't very funny and it wasn't authentic to what consumers knew about Jack in the Box at all. And so when I was in a leadership role there, I was witnessing that at the same time, the business saw its lowest revenue year in decades in 2017 and so discover the future of.

[Jenny Rooney]

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[Adrienne Ingoldt]

While the Temptation was to do something entirely new. We decided not to do that and instead dug into what was authentic about that brand and brought the brand back to its roots, reinstating the funny and a little edginess, but in a way that was much more culturally relevant and appropriate for a contemporary world. And that pivot really helped propel Jack in the Box back into its position as a formidable QSR leader and has continued to excel since then. Probably because I left, but I think there's truth in there. You just have to peel away the layers and get back to why that brand exists.

[Jenny Rooney]

Yeah, no, I love that. So talk a little bit about how you're going about these objectives that you have. I know that, for example, you unveiled a new partnership that you announced at the end of the summer with, I guess it's Nayland Stadium in Knoxville. You're a Knoxville based company, right?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Correct.

[Jenny Rooney]

So tell me about this partnership and tell me what it is and why it was so important, especially as you are seeking to realize your brand goals.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Yeah, absolutely. So we really want to be a brand that understands what people need on the road, whether it's that epic road trip to a game or a concert or a weekend getaway or just a late night snack run. And so as we connect to culture and serve as that wingman who understands their needs, we're really focusing on music and sports. So as you mentioned in a big way this year, we partnered in really a first of its kind naming rights partnership with Nayland Stadium at the University of Tennessee, where we chose to rename the stadium to the exact name it already had because it is an iconic historical landmark in Knoxville in college football in the sec. And we didn't want anybody to mess with that. And so again, driving back to the authenticity of what that facility means for fans and for people in this town, really wanted to protect that. But then going alongside that, really an opportunity for us to leverage that partnership to preserve the name, but then extend into a lot of digital and television coverage, nil partnerships. And then in the same way, partnering with musicians across the country to bring to life these unique cultural moments and needs that consumers have because they travel very long distances for concerts and sporting events. And then when it comes to the non partnership work, like I said, we're in the beginnings of our investment and our growth from a marketing perspective. We're 65 year old, established company, but a very small and nimble marketing organization. And so we have big ambitions, but we're starting small and measurable. So we launched our new summer campaign Last summer that trailed through the rest of 24 and we'll double down on it this year and from an advertising perspective have selected key markets and sells to test work and the results have been small but mighty. Really exciting to see things like a 9 point uptick in awareness in key advertising markets. We drove Gas Transaction Lyft in the summer 1.7 to 2.7% in those key advertising markets As a result of the campaign saw some of our highest loyalty usage on the gas side that we had seen before up 5% over the prior year. A lot more RV drivers and RV app users seeing an uptick there. So really starting to see some early wins. Now we need to figure out how to scale it and get people to stick in the app because there is really good utility in our app once folks know about us and know that there's something there.

[Jenny Rooney]

So are you the company's first cmo?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

I am, yeah.

[Jenny Rooney]

Oh boy. So okay, you've been there almost three years. When you came in there was no marketing organization really to speak of.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

We had marketing tucked in pockets, so had folks that made signage in the stores that were working within our operations and merchandising team. We have this incredible loyalty program which really is a best in class innovative machine delivering both global and personalized offers to professional drivers. But these groups weren't sitting together and so really pulling together the capability that we had today under one umbrella, one mission, one brand positioning that we work together to define has been new for us but so much fun.

[Jenny Rooney]

The burning question I'm sure that's on a lot of our CMO listeners minds is did you have to convince the CEO or did the CEO already come to the conclusion themselves that the company needed to more greatly invest in marketing?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Yeah, it's a great question. I am very blessed in the sense that during the time I've been here we actually went through an ownership change as well. So I was hired under prior ownership because they saw a market need to start having these conversations and thinking about marketing in a bigger way. But we last year became fully owned by Berkshire Hathaway and with the backing of Berkshire have really accelerated our growth in this area. We have an amazing CEO, great partner to me, Adam Wright, as well as my other peers at the table, Brad Anderson, our Chief Operations officer, Andy Lupo, our chief Technology officer have really come together to talk about these consumer experiences for the first time in a bigger way for Pilot and that leadership change and ownership change has absolutely accelerated the interest here. So it hasn't been as tough As a sell as it might be, or you would think it would be for a 65 year old company. We know we need to do it. We just want to be smart about how we go about it.

[Jenny Rooney]

Are you working with any external agencies, creative agencies, digital otherwise?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

We do. We have quite a roster at the moment actually. Yeah, we've brought in some partners, aces in their places, if you will. So we have experts in social and digital and creative and strategy as we try to define who we are and really tighten that up. We've brought a lot of folks to the table, but we're starting to think through what the future looks like and tightening down on the key family that'll be at the table with us.

[Jenny Rooney]

Yeah, no, that's great. Look, it's so exciting. It does put you into, frankly, I would imagine, a more competitive space. Right. Because there's the long haul trucker population, then there's also consumers, which is obviously as you think about growing your remit and making sure that the awareness build happens in additional circles, that gets you into certainly more direct competitors, but also more adjacent competitors. Right. So me speaking from consumer mind, I'm and I live in New Jersey. I think of everything from a quick check to a Wawa and then having lived in Houston myself and having family in Texas, I think of Buc EE's and Stuckies and like even cracker like, do you know what I'm saying? So it creates a broader competitive set for you. Obviously with growth comes challenge. So how are you thinking about that?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Yes, we absolutely get credit in a traditional travel center space for being the largest and the most reliable, which is a great foundation from which to build for a marketer. Very thankful for that. And yes, the category is changing a lot. So there were traditionally travel centers that were really focused on professional drivers only that auto drivers did not frequent. That is changing. And then similarly you go to a Buc EE's and there's a big sign that says no trucks allowed. And I think what's really interesting is as that cross pollination continues to happen, there's an opportunity for pilot to be known as that reliable stop and a meaningful stop that can serve all kinds of drivers for everything that they need. So you don't have to stop at a gas station and then go across the street to get a coffee or a meal. We really can have high quality options for you in everything. And then I think also as we continue to expand, being a partner to road travelers, even outside of that stop, when you're planning ahead for your journey or when you get home and you're resting after a journey, really giving some digital tools that help folks along. The entire experience I think is very different for where our category has been. I would say the category has been behind other retail advances. So lots of low hanging fruit, lots of opportunity for us to punch ahead.

[Jenny Rooney]

I just came back from Las Vegas last week and so CES is on my mind and all the buzz was AI. How are you thinking about that as a CMO and how you implement that? You mentioned you partner with your cto, but from a technology and AI perspective, how do you think about working that into your organization frankly? But also having it manifest on the front end with your consumer interactions.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

It is a buzzword for sure, a strategic initiative for us across the business, frankly, not only in marketing and how we can automate some things like copy and content and delivery through the app, but also in terms of things like contract writing and the organization of our work. There's a ton of opportunities, so we're really taking a broad view of it, not just a marketing focused view. And I think there's some wins and learnings in that as we go, which is exactly how we like to do it. Put some things out there, test it, learn from it, pivot, move forward. And I think it's going to continue to be a balance of really relying on the technology but having human insight to balance it and make sure that it's right.

[Jenny Rooney]

So what's next for you from a news horizon standpoint? As you know, we just kicked off 25 kind of. What do you want to accomplish this year and what's priority for you and what are you frankly deprioritizing as well?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Yeah, we are definitely doubling down on experiences. A few years ago we initiated a New Horizons initiative to spend a billion dollars plus in remodeling our stores. So that continues. We've remodeled more than 150 stores. We continue to double down on food. I believe food is really an opportunity for us to differentiate. And so lots of new exciting things happening from our culinary team and our food team. Our app and the exceptional experiences we can create on a personalized level continue to be a focus for us. And then I think as we continue to scale our marketing impact, it's really about driving business growth and tying some of this foundational test work to larger scale impact in driving traffic and transactions and repeat visits. And that's again for all types of drivers. I'll give you one example. I don't think there's a lot of EV drivers that would Put a truck stop or a travel center on the top of their list of places to stop. We actually have 65 travel centers across the country that have EV charging stations where you can get a great meal, a hot piece of pizza, an iced cold coffee, and that's not the experience that you would come to expect. So lots of opportunity for us to show the impact that we're having on the business in a real way.

[Jenny Rooney]

That's awesome. I have two additional questions that are just fun questions I ask. Marketing Vanguard is all about every day in, day out, CMOs and equivalent titles. By the way. It all comes down to the key decisions you're making at every minute of every hour of every day. And you are always faced with forks in the road. I can do this or I can do that. Is there a recent decision you've made that you feel like, in retrospect, really changed the trajectory for the brand or business?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Yeah, I would say it really comes back to that universal human truth. I am not here to make a lovely commercial or a great digital ad or a cute social meme. We really want to understand people and connect our brand to a universal human truth that unites them not only with one another as this community that we serve, but also with our company. And that is very different thinking for Pilot and for our category. And I think that is starting to show the impact we can have more broadly across the company, where the food that we design, the in store experiences that we design, the brands that we partner with are really stemming from this truth that we know about who we're serving and it's the beginning of the propelling of the flywheel right now. But I see so much opportunity to continue to leverage that at the core.

[Jenny Rooney]

Love that. As a leader. I use the metaphor of being a team on a soccer field. I played soccer. I love that metaphor. As a business leader, are you a striker trying to score those goals and rack up points? Are you a midfielder trying to be that connective tissue between your offense and defense? Or are you at the back protecting the goal from competitive onslaught?

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Yeah, I would say I was a Center forward for 10 years as a child, but I would say I'm a striker at heart. I always have been. Sometimes that gets me in trouble. But I think in this role, I've had to actually first spend time, like learning the game. What business are we in? We're incredibly complex and I really needed to understand that so I could strategically map the plays. But now I'm excited to start acting as the striker in a real way.

[Jenny Rooney]

I love that. I love that because so much of soccer is anticipation and if you don't know the game and you don't know where that ball's going, then you're never gonna win. Last question, who's next? Who is somebody who is a C level marketer or somebody who's a big name in this industry or frankly not yet a household name in this industry that you think is doing pretty extraordinary things in the marketing practice and you think I should have. On the podcast a couple names come.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

To mind, but I will say just down the road from us, outside of Nashville at Tracker Supply, Eric Jackson is the VP of Creative and he and I check in with each other once in a while. He has really reshaped the creative and agency model at Tractor Supply and helped the brand navigate cancel culture and expansion into other businesses. And he's such a fan of branding and smart consumer experiences. He's like always willing to chat through things and be a sounding board. So overall a good dude. Sorry Eric, I called you out. I love that.

[Jenny Rooney]

I'm going to reach out to him. Eric, if you're listening, I'll be emailing you soon. In the meantime, Adrian, this has been a pleasure, truly. It's been wonderful getting to know you and hearing your story and hearing the pilot story and excited to have more conversations with you. Hopefully next time in person. So good luck to you. We'll talk soon. And thank you.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Thank you, Jenny. I appreciate it. Thank you for listening to Marketing Vanguard, part of the Adweek Podcast Network and Acast Creator Network.

[Jenny Rooney]

You can listen and subscribe to all.

[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Of Adweek's podcasts by visiting Adweek.com podcasts. Stay updated on all things Ad Week.

[Jenny Rooney]

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[Adrienne Ingoldt]

Or suggestion for the show, send us.

[Jenny Rooney]

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