Marketing Vanguard Podcast Summary

Episode: The Proven Playbook for Cultural Relevance at Georgia-Pacific with Laura Knebusch
Host: Jenny Rooney (Adweek)
Guest: Laura Knebusch, SVP, CPG Marketing and Consumer Experience, Georgia-Pacific
Date: January 15, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode spotlights Laura Knebusch, Senior Vice President of CPG Marketing and Consumer Experience at Georgia-Pacific, exploring her strategic leadership in driving the cultural relevance of heritage brands like Brawny, Dixie, and Angel Soft. The conversation unpacks how Laura and her team balance brand legacy with modern innovation, leverage data and AI, activate powerful brand icons, and build agile, measurement-driven marketing organizations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Georgia-Pacific’s Legacy and Brand Balancing Act

• Georgia-Pacific is approaching its 100th anniversary; celebrations are planned to honor employees and set the stage for the next century. (02:20)
• The company houses well-known consumer brands: Brawny, Sparkle, Quilted Northern, Angel Soft, Dixie, and Vanity Fair, among others.
• Balancing legacy and innovation is core to Georgia-Pacific’s approach. Heritage is leaned into, but always with an eye on contemporary cultural relevance.

  “You should lean in to your heritage and the things that you have stood for over time. But doing that in a fun and new [way] to connect with consumers today is a challenge.”
  — Laura Knebusch (03:45)

Brand Strategy and Differentiation

• Each brand under the Georgia-Pacific umbrella has distinct audiences, objectives, and strategies.
• Annual reviews identify brand-specific investment and activation opportunities; what works for Brawny differs sharply from what drives Dixie or Sparkle. (05:00)
• Insight-driven brand management is central, alongside ongoing experimentation with new tactics.

Iconic Brand Activation: The Brawny Example

• In a major shift, the entire Brawny product line was relaunched as three-ply paper towels, aligning with the brand’s promise of strength and addressing consumer trends post-pandemic. (05:54)
• The “Brawny Man” icon was refreshed to modernize his image and connect with new audiences via digital and social content, influencer collaborations, and reality TV partnerships.

  “We really looked again at how do we make the Brawny Man…relevant and showing up in today's culture in the way that would best connect and resonate with consumers.”
  — Laura Knebusch (01:11, 07:19)

• Maintaining authenticity and performing consumer “pulse checks” ensured changes landed positively.
• Viral moments, such as influencer collaborations and social memes—like the Rachel Kirkconnell (Bachelor alum) campaign—are embraced and amplified when they align with brand values. (25:00)

Internal Marketing Culture and Team Building

• Laura’s leadership extended into internal change, launching the “Living Our Brands” initiative, which instilled organization-wide accountability for consumer experience.
• Marketing analytics and MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling) were brought in-house for timely, actionable performance measurement.

  “Brand isn't a marketing thing. Brand is a business kind of priority.”
  — Laura Knebusch (13:01)

• The 80+ person team now includes all key functions: brand management, insights, creative, media, shopper marketing, analytics, martech, and first-party data specialists. (14:57)
• Internal vs. external agency balance: Strategic platform and creative/media work leverages agency partners, while execution and specialized knowledge stay in-house. (17:19)

The Role of AI and Automation in Modern Marketing

• AI is leveraged for creative tasks (copywriting, image/video generation), media buying and optimization, and insights generation.
• Adoption is evolving quickly—Laura notes organizational experimentation, individual learning, and cross-team exploration.

  “Today could be different, tomorrow will definitely be different in like two weeks. And I think that's part of the journey we're on.”
  — Laura Knebusch (18:20)

• Emphasis on AI as a tool to enhance, not replace, human creativity and decision-making. (19:45)

Navigating Modern Media and Retail Channels

• Retail media investment is growing, moving beyond end-of-funnel conversion to richer audience engagement.
• Media planning is audience-first: From social, influencer, and digital audio, to experimental and emerging platforms, with constant measurement and optimization. (22:14)
• Omnichannel experiences are vital—online and in-store activations both matter post-COVID. New in-store experimentations (TV walls, audio) echo successes found online. (26:58)
• Frictionless commerce, from shoppable ads to AI-generated product suggestions, is a top strategic focus.

Cultural Relevance & Sustainability

• Staying embedded in culture sometimes means giving up control and being ready to respond to viral or emergent moments, particularly with iconic brands like Brawny.
• Sustainability is a table-stakes expectation for consumers, but not usually the primary emotional driver of purchase decisions. Performance and price are still paramount, supported by clear sustainability information as needed. (28:39)

Leadership & Personal Journey

• Laura shares her “classically trained” marketing background at Procter & Gamble and her growth within Georgia-Pacific over 17 years, spanning multiple roles.
• Leadership style is described as “unflappable”—calm, considered, empowering, and focused on moving forward thoughtfully in changing times. (31:29)
• Peer learning, conferences, vendor relationships, and hands-on experimentation are Laura’s approach to staying at the forefront of AI and marketing change.

Looking Ahead

• Super Bowl activation for Angel Soft launched the brand mascot to mass awareness—future campaigns will keep building on that character.
• More brand activations and possibly another high-profile campaign for Brawny; new campaigns for Dixie expected in the second half of the year. (29:52, 31:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Brand isn't a marketing thing. Brand is a business kind of priority.”
  — Laura Knebusch (13:01)

• “You should lean in to your heritage and the things that you have stood for over time. But doing that in a fun and new [way] to connect with consumers today is a challenge.”
  — Laura Knebusch (03:45)

• “He is iconic. But we did want to make sure that he was really relevant and showing up in today's culture in the way that would best connect and resonate with consumers.”
  — Laura Knebusch, on the Brawny Man (07:19)

• “Today could be different, tomorrow will definitely be different in like two weeks. And I think that's part of the journey we're on.”
  — Laura Knebusch, on AI evolution (18:20)

• “I'm not the first to react. I'm not the first one to yell in a room… But I have that kind of calm during the storm that I think helps us navigate both the good times and the rougher times.”
  — Laura Knebusch, on leadership (31:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:11 — Reinventing Brawny: Product and Icon
• 03:45 — Balancing Brand Legacy with Innovation
• 05:54 — Brawny Relaunch: Paper Towels & Cultural Relevance
• 13:01 — "Living Our Brands": Culture of Accountability & Measurement
• 14:57 — Modern Marketing Team Structure at Georgia-Pacific
• 17:19 — Balancing In-House & External Agencies
• 18:20 — AI in Marketing: Uses, Hopes, and Questions
• 22:14 — Retail Media, Emerging Platforms, and Experimentation
• 25:00 — Going Viral: Lessons from Social and Influencer Success
• 29:52 — What's Next: Upcoming Brand Campaigns
• 31:29 — Leadership Philosophy and Team Feedback

Flow & Tone

The conversation is candid, practical, and thoroughly rooted in real-world marketing challenges—balancing a heritage-driven culture with the messiness of modern branding and the promise of data, AI, and omnichannel experimentation. Laura Knebusch’s insights are grounded, forward-looking, and highlight the importance of resilient, empathetic leadership in times of rapid change.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode is packed with actionable wisdom for anyone managing established brands in fast-evolving consumer categories. It’s a practical playbook for honoring history while charging fearlessly into the future—plus honest, hands-on perspectives on organization building, measurement, and leadership from one of the CPG industry’s most respected marketing minds.