Jonathan Mildenhall is the former Managing Director of TBWA, Senior Vice President of the Coca-Cola Company, first CMO at Airbnb and Independent Board Member at Peloton Interactive, Co-Founder of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand and current Chief Marketing Officer at Rocket Companies.

In other words, someone at the very top of the marketing industry.

Who was once treated as an experiment.

Growing up in Leed, Jonathan faced tremendous physical and racial abuse. It got so bad that he once ran to his mum, telling her that he didn’t want to be black!

But his mum responded by saying, “Unfortunately, there are ignorant people who will always be frightened because you look different. And they're going to say hurtful things and sometimes they will do hurtful things.

You can't change your packaging but they can never ever damage what's inside of your packaging.”

Eventually, Jonathan found his calling - in marketing!

Even though the odds were stacked against him: he was from a polytechnic, grew up in a council estate, was black and had no family name to fall back on.

But as it turns out, he had a spark.

And that spark was what drew people to him.

Allowed him to rise to the top of the London marketing scene and dominate the global scene later as he became a Senior Vice President at the Coca-Cola Company and the first CMO at Airbnb.

If ever there was a story of someone who has triumphed against all odds, it would be Jonathan.

So are you ready to learn how he did it?

Let’s go.

Highlights

3:23 The 8-year-old Jonathan
8:08 Keeping a childlike wonder
12:01 Show a bit of leg!
15:51 Protecting his mum’s independence
19:12 Advertising is NOT for you?!
22:03 The awkward “oh my goodness, you’re a black guy”
24:22 The energy of the 80s advertising industry
26:17 You’re an experiment
30:43 Meeting John Hegarty of BBH (Bartle Bogle Hegarty)
35:35 Cindy Gallup dragged him out of the closet!
43:47 Living authentically
45:10 I was shit scared
50:10 Phil Mooney - Director of Heritage Communications for 40+ years at the Coca-Cola Company

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📍Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/150

🍿 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cumagnVOlRQ&t=1s&list=UULFSZlcS5ooyCjj_MkrmH_WhQ

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Ep 150.1: I was the poster child at Coca-Cola... | Jonathan Mildenhall (ex-CMO, Airbnb & ex-SVP, Coca-Cola)

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