Hinge’s Unique Approach to Connecting with Gen Z with Jackie Jantos, CMO

Summary

Marketing Vanguard: Hinge’s Unique Approach to Connecting with Gen Z with Jackie Jantos, CMO

In the October 3, 2024, episode of Marketing Vanguard hosted by Jenny Rooney from Adweek, listeners are treated to an insightful conversation with Jackie Jantos, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Hinge. This episode delves deep into Hinge’s distinctive strategies for engaging Generation Z, the cultural influences shaping the brand, and Jackie’s leadership philosophy. Below is a comprehensive summary of the key discussions, insights, and conclusions drawn from this engaging episode.

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1. Introduction to Hinge and Host Interaction

Jenny Rooney kicks off the episode by introducing Jackie Jantos and setting the stage for an in-depth discussion about Hinge’s marketing strategies aimed at Gen Z. Jackie shares her excitement about being part of the conversation and provides a brief overview of Hinge’s mission.

Notable Quote:

“Hinge is a really quickly growing dating app. Tinder, for example, has a much larger footprint than us. So I think we are founder and CEO led still to this day. And that really does influence the culture at Hinge, the values of the organization of the brand.” (00:30)

2. Hinge’s Focus on Intentional Relationships

Jackie emphasizes that unlike other dating apps that may foster more transactional interactions, Hinge is dedicated to facilitating intentional and meaningful relationships. The app is designed to encourage users to transition from digital interactions to real-life dates efficiently and thoughtfully.

Key Points:

• Intentional Design: Hinge’s onboarding process is deliberately slower to encourage users to share more about themselves.
• Selective Engagement: Users can respond to a limited number of profiles at a time, promoting deeper connections rather than endless swiping.
• Outcome-Oriented Metrics: The app measures success based on the number of users who move from the app to actual dates.

Notable Quote:

“Our app is literally built to help you get off the app and into a great date.” (01:32)

3. Differentiation in a Competitive Market

With a market saturated by numerous dating apps, Hinge differentiates itself through its unique value proposition and strategic marketing approaches. Jackie discusses how Hinge leverages external media spaces to redefine dating norms and encourage in-person interactions.

Key Points:

• Brand Voice: Hinge uses its marketing channels to educate and inspire users to think differently about dating.
• Targeting Gen Z: A strategic pivot to focus on young adults, understanding their unique needs and challenges in the dating landscape.
• Inclusive Marketing: Efforts to engage and support underserved groups, including the LGBTQIA community.

Notable Quote:

“We have an enormous amount of power just in using our voice to help people understand and encourage people to think differently about dating today.” (03:45)

4. Hinge Within the Match Group Ecosystem

Hinge operates under the umbrella of Match Group, which includes other prominent dating apps like Tinder. Jackie explains how Hinge maintains a distinct identity and autonomy within this larger organization, allowing for tailored product development and marketing strategies.

Key Points:

• Autonomy and Culture: Being founder and CEO-led provides Hinge with the flexibility to uphold its unique culture and values.
• Market Footprint: While Tinder has a broader reach, Hinge focuses on niches where it can make significant impacts.

Notable Quote:

“We have a good amount of autonomy in how we continue to build our product and how we go to market for Hinge.” (05:20)

5. Jackie Jantos’ Professional Journey and Leadership Philosophy

Jackie shares her extensive background, including her tenure at Coca-Cola and Spotify, highlighting how her international upbringing in Tokyo has shaped her approach to marketing and leadership. She underscores the importance of integrity and social impact in her role.

Key Points:

• Cultural Influence: Growing up in Tokyo and experiencing diverse cultures fostered adaptability and empathy.
• Career Transition: Moving from agency roles to brand leadership positions, bringing a wealth of creative and strategic expertise.
• Integrity and Purpose: Championing social impact initiatives and ensuring that Hinge’s efforts align with broader societal good.

Notable Quote:

“I have stood up social impact at Hinge and at Spotify and did a lot of work in that space at Coke as well.” (08:02)

6. Building a Purpose-Driven Team

Jackie discusses her strategy for cultivating a team that embodies Hinge’s mission and values. She emphasizes the significance of representation and inclusivity in creating authentic connections with Gen Z.

Key Points:

• Integrity in Leadership: Leading with a strong sense of integrity ensures that the organization’s values are reflected in its operations and partnerships.
• Representation Matters: Ensuring diverse voices are included in decision-making processes to enhance credibility and effectiveness.
• Collaborative Culture: Fostering an environment where team members feel included and empowered to contribute meaningfully.

Notable Quote:

“The integrity that we hold individually as an organization and as a brand seeps through to the work and people feel it and they know it.” (10:25)

7. Responding to Cultural Shifts and Consumer Insights

Jackie highlights the importance of staying attuned to cultural trends and consumer behaviors, particularly those affecting Gen Z. She shares how Hinge conducts culturally rich research to inform its strategies and product development.

Key Points:

• Cultural Research: Partnering with agencies like Sylvain to understand evolving dating norms and relationship dynamics.
• Proactive Adaptation: Using insights to guide product features and marketing narratives that resonate with users’ current experiences.
• Optimism and Support: Maintaining an optimistic outlook and actively supporting Gen Z through social impact initiatives despite broader societal challenges.

Notable Quote:

“We are really optimistic about the future. We're really optimistic about where young people are going and everything we can learn from them along the way.” (11:01)

8. Personal Influences and Leadership Style

Jackie attributes her effective leadership style to her international experiences and her ability to navigate diverse environments. She emphasizes the importance of inclusion, collaboration, and empowering team members to excel.

Key Points:

• Global Perspective: Navigating different cultures has enhanced her ability to lead diverse teams.
• Inclusive Decision-Making: Valuing the input of team members with relevant experiences to make informed and empathetic decisions.
• Team Empowerment: Focusing on assembling strong teams and facilitating their success through support and collaboration.

Notable Quote:

“I want people to feel included in the conversation and I'm also willing to and often don't make decisions where there is a much stronger member of the team with more relevant experience than I have to make that call.” (14:09)

9. Conclusion and Future Outlook

As the conversation wraps up, Jackie underscores the importance of cultural alignment and strategic research in driving Hinge’s success. She reiterates her commitment to fostering meaningful relationships and supporting Gen Z through thoughtful marketing and product initiatives.

Notable Quote:

“Think of curiosity as almost like a principle for real effective marketing. It's the bridge between what we know, what we have yet to discover that ultimately will lead us to the customer truth.” (26:37)

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Marketing Vanguard offers a comprehensive look into how Hinge strategically positions itself to connect with Gen Z through purposeful design, inclusive marketing, and a strong organizational culture. Jackie Jantos’ insights into leadership, social impact, and cultural engagement provide valuable lessons for marketers aiming to navigate the complexities of today’s dynamic marketplace.

For marketers seeking to understand the nuances of engaging a younger, more discerning audience, Jackie’s conversation on this episode serves as an inspiring blueprint for success.

Transcript

[Jenny Rooney]

Partnerize is the only partnership management solution powering profitable growth for marketers through an end to end software platform and comprehensive service practice. The Partnerize platform delivers a fully integrated, comprehensive suite of discovery, recruitment, optimization, payment, brand safety and fraud prevention capabilities supported by unrivaled service expertise. With Partnerize, you're in control of the entire partnership marketing lifecycle, all on a single platform.

[Jackie Jantos]

Hinge is a really quickly growing dating app. Tinder, for example, has a much larger footprint than us. So I think we are founder and CEO led still to this day. And that really does influence the culture at Hinge, the values of the organization of the brand. And we have a good amount of autonomy in how we continue to build our product and how we go to market for Hinge.

[Jenny Rooney]

Hi everyone and welcome to the Marketing Vanguard Podcast. I'm Jenny Rooney here on site at Brand Week 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm thrilled to be sitting here with Jackie Jantos. She's the CMO of Hinge. Jackie, welcome.

[Jackie Jantos]

Thank you. Thank you for including me.

[Jenny Rooney]

I'm so glad you're here and I'm excited to dive into this conversation about who you are and what you're doing at Hinge. Where is the sort of the element of trying new things or experimenting with new things, or your user base, your consumer, who is that person, what are they looking for? And why do they find Hinge appealing?

[Jackie Jantos]

Right. I mean, I would say at that time technology was beginning to play a better and better role at helping us connect with others near and especially far. I also came into text messaging and a cell phone post high school, so I think it was beginning to play a more important role in how it brought us all together. And for sure, in my international role at Coke, it was beginning to play a really profound role in helping us collaborate around the world and connect with other folks in other markets where we were present. And I think one of the things that we've seen over time is the power in dating apps and helping you explore who you meet and how you meet them and adding that as another way to potentially meet a romantic partner. But I think for us at Hinge, we are very focused on intentional relationships. So the interesting thing about our app is that it is literally built to help you get off the app and into a great date. So we actually measure how people come into the app through a slightly slower onboarding experience to potentially explain more about themselves along the way. We look at how they're connecting with individuals and we focus the product experience so that they can only respond to a number of people at any given time to really engage with someone, or if you're not going to engage with them, to politely say that and move on. And then we look at how many people get out onto great dates, and I think it is interesting to be living in a time where we're creating an app to help you meet someone, but ultimately to help you get off the app and into a date. And that is a really fascinating new use of technology, if you will, where we're more incentivized to help you spend time in person than we are to engage in an ongoing way on the dating app itself. Hmm.

[Jenny Rooney]

So interesting. And yet there are so many other apps, frankly, that are probably the complete opposite. Right. It becomes. It's more transactional, or you're spending more time there. So how do people find you? How do people find Hinge as opposed to all the other opportunities out there? In terms of dating apps, how do you stand out and how do people find you, and what does that core consumer look like?

[Jackie Jantos]

Right. Well, I think if the app experience itself is helping people get out into great dates, the brand also has a role to play in that. So the way that I think about Hinge and our marketing team thinks about Hinge is we have an opportunity to use all of the spaces outside of the app experience to also help people consider how to date differently, how to explore being in person with one another. How would every dater, whether they're on Hinge or not on Hinge or just dating, get better information from us? In all of our media spaces, we have an enormous amount of power just in using our voice to help people understand and encourage people to think differently about dating today. A few years ago, we made a very strategic pivot to focus on young adults, or Gen Z, and think about how we serve the next generation of daters. And so the work we've been doing over the past few years has really been about learning much more about what's holding them back from great dates, what's holding them back from meeting in person, how do we support individuals within the Gen Z subset who maybe don't identify with the way media is portraying them? So how do we go in and engage more deeply with LGBTQIA daters? And really how do we build out underneath all of this marketing organization and a way of doing the work that is actually allowing us to connect with more authenticity and credibility with Gen Z?

[Jenny Rooney]

Okay, so I'm going to come back to that in a minute on this point. I just wanted to finish. So you're part of the Match Group.

[Jackie Jantos]

Yes.

[Jenny Rooney]

And Tinder, and there's other brands. So how do you work within that ecosystem?

[Jackie Jantos]

Right. Match is a portfolio organization with a number of dating apps. Hinge is a really quickly growing dating app. And we are also in a variety of markets where some of the dating apps alongside us sitting. And we are also in markets where not all of the apps are. Or Tinder, for example, has a much larger footprint than us. So I think we are founder and CEO led still to this day.

[Jenny Rooney]

Okay.

[Jackie Jantos]

And that really does influence the culture at Hinge, the values of the organization, of the brand. And we have a good amount of autonomy in how we continue to build our product and how we go to market for Hinge.

[Jenny Rooney]

That's great. So let's go back to you now, and then I'll come back to what you're doing internally to realize those goals. But how long have you been at Hinge?

[Jackie Jantos]

I have been at Hinge now for three years.

[Jenny Rooney]

Three years. Okay. And you were Coca Cola just prior, or was there something in between?

[Jackie Jantos]

Coca Cola? I was also at Spotify, helping Spotify launch in the US and departed that organization shortly after the ipo.

[Jenny Rooney]

Okay, very good. So. So just tell me a little bit about. I'm so curious. I always love to ask people about their educational backgrounds. Where were you coming into the marketing world from?

[Jackie Jantos]

So I grew up in Tokyo, which not a ton of people know. I'm a third culture kid. So I grew up in a culture that's different from my my own and different from that of my parents. I grew up in an international school alongside a whole variety of different kids. I think for me, moving and feeling a sense of belonging is something that has profoundly shaped me. Coming back to the US in high school was probably the most challenging experience for me to date. That's a really hard experience for a teenager. I saw and traveled a lot of parts of the world as a kid, and for me, some of the largest global brands were always there, providing a level of comfort. It is probably not surprising that I ended up at an organization like Coca Cola, because Coke played a huge role in my childhood, being the most familiar thing I could reach to when I was in an incredibly unfamiliar part of the world. And so I think for me, I always loved the connection of brands, the role they played in culture, the familiarity of some all over the world, but also the unique they have in different markets. And so I navigated my way towards that intersection of creativity and business and art and found my way to Ogilvy post college and spent Almost eight years there.

[Jenny Rooney]

That's great. I love hearing those stories of folks who went agency side to brand side and frankly, vice versa, because that's happening as well. What do you want to be known for?

[Jackie Jantos]

I really believe in the value of brands creating impact in the world and using their voice and their resources and their creativity to have a better understanding of not just how they serve audiences, but how they do good in society. So that is something that is part of my DNA and has been from my oldie days, through my Coke days, through my Spotify days, and now here at Hinge. I have stood up social impact at Hinge and at Spotify and did a lot of work in that space at Coke as well. So I think for me, being immersed in a brand that has purpose and giving back in some way and using resources towards ways that have more impact is really what feels part of my DNA.

[Jenny Rooney]

So going back to what you were talking about before, the fact that there's an autonomy to Hinge within the organization and you all are able to frankly build an internal culture that supports what your vision is for how you want to show up externally. What you just described is something that, like, you can't make people feel that right. You can't build a team. I mean, you can, but it's harder to have everybody adopt that kind of mindset or that passion that you have, as you just described it. But how do you, as a business leader within your organization really do corral the team around this sort of central focus and purpose focus to accomplish ultimately what you want to do and to ultimately stand out both within the match group, but also stand out for the people that you exist to serve.

[Jackie Jantos]

Yeah, it's a great question. I am reminded of a piece of feedback a senior leader at Koch had given me many moons ago, was that I had a really strong sense of integrity. And that for me is really core to how I lead and who I work with, what partners we work with, and how we bring people into the organization and to the table to think about or talk about a problem that we're trying to solve. And I think Gen Z, you know, this is a group that is so intelligent about media, so intelligent about brands, my two sons who are 8 and 10, so intelligent about what is being marketed toward them. And I just think not only do young adults have a higher expectation of brands, they are willing to spend more on brands that they believe in, but I think the integrity that we hold individually as an organization and as a brand seeps through to the work and people feel it and they know it.

[Jenny Rooney]

That's great. That's great. You are, as a marketing leader, basically the de facto trend tracker within your organization. You're reading the tea leaves, you're seeing what's happening. You watch the news, you read the headlines. What's happening right now that's giving you pause or something that you're paying particular attention to more broadly among consumers or in the economy, et cetera, et cetera, that you wake up in the morning and you're like, oh, that's interesting. I gotta figure out, how do we respond? Or how does that impact us? Or how should we think about acknowledging that, like what in the news today, both more generally in the world, but also specifically in the marketing space, is keeping you focused?

[Jackie Jantos]

I mean, I try not to read the tea leaves through the news. I read the tea leaves through this dynamic group of humans I get to surround myself with every day at Hinge and with the partners that we work with. And I think I have an obsession with fiction and I read a lot and I focus very much on which emerging writers I'm reading. So I'm getting a really diverse set of, of imaginative views on where the future is going. And there is absolutely a layer that is quite dystopian in that mix. And I think in many ways, one of the things that I really hope people see when they see work from Hinge and our teams and our partners is that we are really optimistic about the future. We're really optimistic about where young people are going and everything we can learn from them along the way. And when I think about Gen Z and the work we do in supporting audiences that are underserved by many brands, and I look at brands that are selling to Gen Z, but not doing social impact work in the space to help Gen Z, who are experiencing a whole host of crises that are really important to look into. I just think now is not the time to be pulling back resources, energy or creativity in spaces like DEI or in spaces like how brands can provide social impact. There are enormous opportunities to be doing that work. And more of us need to be standing up and looking around and doing that work.

[Jenny Rooney]

I mean, that is such an important topic. And the extent to which you, within your organization, but also in the industry, can drive that forward and can advance that focus and priority, the better off everybody's going to be. So love that you said you lean on your community, you lean on your peers. Yes. For conversation and also internally. Right. Because that's your biggest source of perspective.

[Jackie Jantos]

So, yeah, I mean, representation is really Important. It's also a shortcut to doing work better and with more credibility. We have this principle at Hinge called with not for. And this is when we're designing work or designing product. If we look around the room and recognize that we don't have enough representation in the room to do the work that we're doing for in air quotes a specific audience, we're making big mistakes and we will absolutely make mistakes along the way. I think acknowledging that each of our lived experiences is only as broad as the experience we've actually lived is really important. I don't see enough leaders doing that. And I think to have the right people in the room when you're having those conversations is really important. And if you don't have them in your organization, bringing them in through partnerships like partnerships we've hosted with Trans Tech Social, bringing in young and emerging insight strategy groups like dcdx. We do this a lot at Hinge and I can see it and feel it in the work. And what I'm learning along the way is also a masterclass in where young people are going and where culture is headed.

[Jenny Rooney]

Yep. Do you think that you're being born in Tokyo and living globally has anything to do with that perspective?

[Jackie Jantos]

Absolutely. I think you could probably drop me in any environment and I'd navigate my way out. I was walking to school in Tokyo alone when I was which is an experience. I can't imagine my 8 year old today finding his way to Quick Check in Montclair. But I do think the experience of being surrounded by so many people from different backgrounds had a huge impact on who I am and traveling and seeing a lot of the world as a child in the 90s had a huge impact on who I am. I also think going to an international school and the way that school cause Tokyo is a quite a transient environment for expats. So coming in and out of that school, the way that they curated the experience for students, seating at a lunch table that is changed every two weeks. So you never need to figure out where you belong. There's always a space for you to feel comfortable is also a huge part of who I am as a leader. I want people to feel included in the conversation and I'm also willing to and often don't make decisions where there is a much stronger member of the team with more relevant experience than I have to make that call. And that's a really important piece too.

[Jenny Rooney]

I love that. What's one decision you've made that you feel you're most proud of but more importantly, sent ripple effects through the organization. Partnerize is the only global partnership management solution powering profitable growth for marketers through an end to end software platform and comprehensive service practice. The Partnerize platform delivers a fully integrated, comprehensive suite of discovery, recruitment, optimization, payment, brand safety and fraud prevention capabilities supported by unrivaled service, including the category's Only in House support program. With partnerise, you're in control of the entire partnership marketing lifecycle all on a single platform. Partnerise gives marketers a better way to.

[Francisco Bram]

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[Jackie Jantos]

We are coming off of some really powerful work that we did recently with the strategy partner Sylvain and his agency. And really that work was all about looking at how dating and relationships have changed in culture and how dating apps have contributed to that, and also where there are opportunities for dating apps to break with some of those steps and create a new way to encourage people to have great relationships. So you'll see this in a lot of the social impact work that we're doing right now. I would say doing culturally rich research has helped the whole organization. Hinge is a small organization, by the way, has helped the whole organization understand just what we're up against in culture.

[Jenny Rooney]

How many employees, by the way?

[Jackie Jantos]

About 300. And orient their work. Whether it's product work, whether it's marketing work, whether it's work in the trust and safety space. But orient their work individually and within their teams in a way that is super connected to where our strategy is going. So I think anytime you can bring knowledge to an organization that helps the whole organization understand the strategy and take ownership of it. It's a group of people that are really connected to the culture and really want to do right. By Daters on Hinge is a really powerful moment.

[Jenny Rooney]

Okay, last couple questions that I always ask people in this podcast. This is a metaphor for your leadership style. So you're a player on a soccer field. Are you the striker trying to score all the goals? Are you midfield trying to be that connective tun between the defensive line and the offensive line? Or are you a defensive player guarding the goal at all costs from the attack of your opponent?

[Jackie Jantos]

Well, I'm glad you describe what all those positions do because I Don't do sports metaphor particularly well. I don't even know that I'm on the field, if I'm honest. I think my skill is bringing people together who I can imagine doing really incredible things together and basically blocking and tackling to let them go ahead and do what they're creating. And so in some ways I think I'm probably, maybe I'm organizing the team, maybe I'm organizing the team, but I'm definitely putting the players together and helping them be successful and helping them feel really good about the work that they're doing as well.

[Jenny Rooney]

That's great. But you need to assemble a strong team.

[Jackie Jantos]

Yes.

[Jenny Rooney]

I mean, at the end of the day, you have to drive business growth for the company, full stop. And so if you don't have the strength, full strength of a great team on the field, then you aren't going to win. So can appreciate that perspective. Last quick question is who's next? Who is somebody that you know really well in the marketing industry or somebody you admire from afar and you look at the work they're doing and you say, wow, that's just incredible. And you haven't met them yet, but you think that I should interview them next?

[Jackie Jantos]

Well, I'm going to kick you to someone who is probably not someone you've already met with. I'll offer up Lorna Somerville. Lorna is the marketing lead and taking on a bigger role right now at Levain the bakery.

[Jenny Rooney]

Love that.

[Jackie Jantos]

And I love the way she's navigated her career and her whole life. And there is something about those cookies that small female founded New York City based bakery that is slowly taking over the world one magical tin at a time.

[Jenny Rooney]

I love that.

[Jackie Jantos]

And she would be a wonderful person for you to chat with.

[Jenny Rooney]

That would be fantastic. So I will reach out to her. And in the meantime, thank you so much for joining me, Jackie, it's been a pleasure. We have so much more to talk about next time we're together, so we will do that. But in the meantime, thanks so much.

[Jackie Jantos]

Thank you so much.

[Francisco Bram]

The most innovative marketers are the ones who dare to ask the questions that matter and encourage a culture of curiosity in their organizations. That's the essence that distinguishes the 10 marketers who are being honored as winners of the inaugural Survey Monkey Curiosity Awards. The premise of the awards is simple. Celebrate extraordinary marketing professionals working at Survey monkey customer companies who are driving innovation and shaping what's next for their businesses, industries and communities. Today we sit down with one of the award winners, Francisco Bram from Albertson's Companies. VP of Marketing for Health, pharmacy and Nutrition, and VP of Business Development and Loyalty Partnerships. Francis. Francisco.

[Jackie Jantos]

Hello.

[Francisco Bram]

And how are you?

[Al Manarino]

Hi there. I'm doing great. Thanks for having me.

[Francisco Bram]

Yeah, that's quite the title. You have a lot to do over there, is that right?

[Al Manarino]

We like to stay busy.

[Francisco Bram]

Yes, that's good. Busy is good. It's a good problem to have. Well, Francisco, congrats again on being one of the award winners here. We've had the pleasure of speaking to most of you and just finding a little bit out about your journey. So let's kick off with that. Can you tell us a little bit about your career trajectory that has led to this moment?

[Al Manarino]

Absolutely. I was born and raised in Portugal. And I remember when I was about nine years old, I did my very first trip to Spain, which is not very far from Portugal. And I was just in awe of the difference in culture, the difference in the language they spoke, the food. And ever since, I was just relentlessly curious about other cultures and being able to experience how other people live outside of my home country. And so I left Portugal very early in my life. I lived in Spain, Russia, England, Germany, and For the last 15 years, I've been in the United States. And I think that sort of helped me build this constant curiosity about what drives people to do what they do and staying curious about understanding their culture, their background, their journey. And that helped me really also transition between multiple industries. So I started in biotech, moved over to medtech, then transportation and tech with Uber, and then finally retail and now E commerce at Albertsons. So, yeah, I think reflecting on my life before joining Albertsons, I'm grateful for the time that I had available to me and experienced different cultures. It allowed me to be adaptable, nimble, empathetic to others. And I decided to join Albertsons because I felt like it was not just a career move. After speaking to the leadership at Albertsons, it was clear that they prioritize customer wellbeing, that they stay curious about customers experience and engagement. And so for me, joining Albertsons was not just an opportunity for me to grow, but it was also an opportunity to align my own values and aspirations to a culture that truly puts customers at the center of their innovation and their experience.

[Francisco Bram]

Yeah, for sure. And I mean, just your trajectory in life is very fascinating. You've been exposed to a lot of different cultures and different lived experiences. So that ties in naturally with the theme of curiosity here, like you mentioned. So now you've told us about Albertsons and tell us about the work that you did and how you got nominated for this award.

[Al Manarino]

So Albertsons, at its core, it's a grocery and pharmacy retailer. We offer services from grocery shopping to pharmacy nutrition and a lot of digital experiences to add convenience to everyday life. We know that there's a lot of options available to customers today when it comes to grocery shopping or even pharmacy services. So to really fulfill our purpose, which was to inspire well being in the communities and the customers we serve, we had to put in a program in place that really actively listened to customers and prioritize initiatives that could establish a trusted relationship with customers and ultimately improve lives. So for 12 months, we built and maintained an active customer panel from customers from different walks of life, different demographics. And we've learned that throughout these conversations, more and more customers kept bringing back the topic of well being. And as a food provider and also pharmacy provider, we could be a partner in that journey. And so we continue to listen. We tested new concepts, new digital experiences, we even co created a new brand and the marketing narrative and an entire digital platform which was then launched in 2013. And by the time we launched, we had collective insights from 10,000 different customers. And we tested not only the experience of the app, but also the way we communicate, the nudges we need to create and also the tone of voice and the brand visual style. So we launched Sincerely Health. And with Sincerely Health now, customers can stay connected to Albertsons across their food, nutrition, activity, mental wellbeing. They can connect a device and they can now track how many steps they're taking and whether or not they're taking the right steps to lead a more fulfilling life. And we built in reward systems so that if they decide to take the right proactive steps to stay more active, eat better, even stay adherent to their medication, we offer rewards, we reward them for that behavior that at the end of the day inspires them to lead healthier lives. So yeah, this is something that I'm extremely proud of. I work mostly with an entire team from customer insights to marketing to product. But the best thing is that it was always the customer who helped us get to where we are by asking the right questions. The customers helped us co create Sincerely Health.

[Francisco Bram]

That sounds like incredible and so fulfilling too. You're really like helping people get a jumpstart on bettering their health. So in the spirit of the theme here, a curiosity. You spoke about this a little bit before, but it's a twofold question. What does curiosity mean to you and what advice do you have for marketers on how to really prioritize curiosity, like how they can apply this kind of mindset to their own work.

[Jackie Jantos]

Yeah.

[Al Manarino]

From a marketing standpoint, curiosity means a relentless pursuit of the customer truth. It is the understanding that customers needs are ever changing, ever evolving. And so if we're not committed to asking questions and remain open to unexpected answers, we will never be able to align our product roadmaps, our marketing strategies through the true customer journey. So it is our curiosity, in my perspective, that drives us to explore ideas, experiment, continuously improve our strategies. And it's also this mindset that helps us turn challenges into opportunities. So for me, for any marketing out there, I think you should look at curiosity as almost like a principle for real effective marketing. It's the bridge between what we know, what we have yet to discover that ultimately will lead us to the customer truth.

[Jenny Rooney]

I love that.

[Francisco Bram]

Have you considered doing TED talks on this? Because just the way you speak about curiosity is very profound. And you're right, it's such a crucial element of our work.

[Al Manarino]

Absolutely.

[Francisco Bram]

I would recommend you for a TED Talk any day. Well, Francisco, thank you so much for joining us. It's been so interesting to hear your story. And for our listeners, be sure to check out the SurveyMonkey page on Adweek, the portraits and Curiosity Award. You can can find out more information about Francisco there. And be sure to tune into past episodes where we sat down with other winners of the Curiosity Awards that are celebrating extraordinary marketing professionals working at the survey monkey customer companies who are driving innovation and shaping what's next for their businesses. So Francisco, thank you for joining and listeners, thanks for tuning in.

[Al Manarino]

Thank you for listening to Marketing Vanguard, part of the Ad Week Podcast Network and Acast Creator Network. This podcast was produced by Jordan Praetano.

[Jackie Jantos]

Executive produced by Al Manarino and John.

[Al Manarino]

Heil, and edited by Lane McGibney. At Boutwell Studios, you can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek's podcasts by visiting adweek.com podcasts stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter at Adweek Podcasts. And if you have a question or suggestion for the show, send us an [e-mail] thanks for listening.