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What Makes Brands People Remember | Behind the Brand with Jayanta Jenkins
00:25:30
In this Behind the Brand episode, Michelle sits down with Jayanta Jenkins, Global Creative Executive and Brand Builder, to talk about what really makes brands unforgettable. They dive into creativity, leadership, storytelling, culture, and the strategies behind building brands people actually remember.
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- [00:02]
A
Hello. Hello everyone, and welcome back to Social Media Decoded. I'm your host, Michelle Thames, and today's episode is one I have been truly looking forward to because we are going behind the brand with someone who is helping shape the creative direction of one of the most recognizable brands in the world. And so today I am joined by Jayanta Jenkins, Vice President of Global Creative at Starbucks. And with more than 25 years of experience in advertising and marketing, he's built a career around really creating cultural defining work. Right. Leading high performing creative teams and helping brands connect with people in meaningful ways. And at Starbucks, he oversees global brand and creative strategy, helping to ensure the company's purpose and values are communicated authentically and across platforms, packaging, digital experiences and customer touch points around the world. And if you all did not know, I used to work at Starbucks. So I am loving this conversation that we're going to have today. But he's also the co founder of Saturday Morning, which is a social impact organization that is focused on creating change through storytelling and creativity. And so honestly, today's conversation is going to be so very valuable because we are not just talking about branding from a surface level. Okay, so get your pens and notepads ready because we're talking about creativity, leadership, visibility and storytelling and what it really takes to build a brand that people remember. Jayanta, welcome to the podcast. I am so excited to chat with you today.
- [01:45]
B
Yeah, that was an amazing introduction. I really appreciate it. Michelle. I'm as equally excited to just unpack a few things with you and share and thank you so much for having me.
- [01:56]
A
Yes, thank you for being here. But before we get into Starbucks and all the incredible work that you're doing, I love to start at the beginning because before we got on here, we kind of touched on your journey. So take us back for a moment. What originally pulled you into advertising, marketing and creative work in the first place?
- [02:15]
B
Yeah, so I am a native of Northern Virginia and being from Northern Virginia gave me proximity to Washington D.C. where my father worked. And he still works there actually in D.C. but I spent, no joke about every other weekend at the Smithsonian Mall from the age of about 12 until I went away to school when I was 19. And initially my interest was in science and so I spent a lot of time at the Air and Space Museum. I was into American history, so I was at the Museum, Museum of American History, Anthropology. And I found my way into the National Gallery of Art, the east and West Wings as well, and the Hirshhorn. And so that framing around science, technology, anthropology and Art and art history really were my first portals into storytelling, into culture, into design, into our human experience. And I just loved it. And at the time, I would not have been able to name it as, like, I'm becoming a person that loves storytelling and connecting the dots to culture. But that's what happened organically for me. And I would say the other thing, the byproduct of growing up in Northern Virginia in the 80s was just like, D.C. was just such an interesting place in terms of music and all the things that were happening because it was government. So there was all these different influences of cultures that were always around me, even though technically I grew up in the South. So I think all of these things are my early sort of like, just kind of touch points into seeing the world beyond where I grew up in Virginia, and wanting to be a part of that larger cultural conversation in some way, but I didn't know how it was going to come forth. So here we are today.
- [04:15]
A
I absolutely love that. And I think a lot of people listening are talented creatively. Right. But leadership is a completely different skill set. So at what point did you realize you weren't just creative, that you were becoming a leader?
- [04:31]
B
Maybe about two weeks ago. No, seriously. You know, the beautiful thing about our industry and how we evolve is through failing. You know, And I will say that my learning journey towards leadership has been through getting it wrong a lot over the last 10, 15 years. So that's part one. Part two is I've had some amazing leaders throughout my career and mentors that have helped me calibrate and look inward when things weren't going the way that I hoped they might given a team I was leading or interfacing, cross functioning with other leaders in an organization. So I think I have developed a great deal of acceptance of failing, and I've also developed a great deal of empathy for myself and others around the leadership journey. And, you know, one of the things that I would say have really come to really shape how I lead is listening. You know, I've become a really good listener. The other thing that we don't talk about enough as we're journeying in, toward, into this journey into leadership, is systems and strategy and all the structural things it takes to build teams that can function on the foundation as opposed to, you know, do as I say, not as I do. And I think the systems approach to leadership, along with all the things I just shared, are incredibly important to being able to show up and, you know, do this leadership dance that we, you know, really, really want and when we're new in our careers and then, you know, find ourselves really having to like, you know, take on when we finally get into these leadership positions.
- [06:31]
A
I love that and I think that it's such an important distinction because, you know, creativity can open doors for us. But I absolutely believe that leadership allows you to scale impact, so that's really powerful. And so let's talk about your current role because I think people hear a lot, you know, and they're like, oh, the VP of creative Starbucks. And they may not fully understand what that actually means by day to day. And so what does your role really look like?
- [06:59]
B
Yeah, I will. I'll tell you what the role looked like when I joined Starbucks. It was at a time when operationally there are a lot of, a lot of complexity, complexities operationally. And you could go into a Starbucks location and there were a lot of things that were not in sync in terms of the consumer experience, be it what you're seeing on the menu, what you're seeing in front of you in terms of coffee packaging and what you were seeing on the app. And I think there was a lot of competing forces and strategies that were really, you know, plaguing the comp, the company quite a bit. So as I came into that organization, it was one, understanding the priorities, the jobs to be done, and then two, looking at an amazing creative team that had really been born out of volume and execution and not necessarily aligned more holistically towards strategic partnership. And that opportunity. When you ask me about leadership, ask me about creativity, like those things were all of the, like the ingredients that I needed to really bring together to evolve the creative studio to become the strategic stewards of the global creative expression of the Starbucks brand. And that journey, you know, when I go back to talking about listening, it was all about listening and doing a stop start, continue with that team in my first 30 to 60 days. And I did the exact same thing with the marketing organization as well my marketing peers. So, you know, and I, I'm not a one man band. I'm not, you know, someone that it's about collaboration. Let me just get to the point. So while I came in with that as the mandate, it was a collaborative effort that really helped unlock the potential of the team. I will say that in my time at Starbucks, you know, because maybe I have a hot take here. I have just like you, you'll be the first person I've said this to on a podcast. But I've just signed with a new, I just signed with a new opportunity. So I'm talking about Starbucks in terms of like what I had done. And I'm really excited about what I'm about to do, by the way, but you know, I would say that that work and time with the team was incredibly important and I am so incredibly proud of what they are continuing to do and what I built. And the company's gone through a lot of change. You know, this new, he's not new anymore. But Brian Nichols came in and has really strategically helped reset the company. And you're seeing the output now of a much more collaborative stack, strategically aligned and collaborative organization. But seeing the progress that's being made is incredible. And to have been a part of really orchestrating that, I mean, it's what it's all about. That's why I'm in this, this business. And I will say to you, Michelle, and I don't know if I said this in when we were together last time, but my whole mantra is creativity in service of business results in a nutshell.
- [10:24]
A
I love that and I am so excited about new opportunities. Well, how lucky am I to hear this amazing news here first on the social media decoded podcast. That is amazing. And one thing that I do know is that you've led some amazing teams, 80 person global teams. Right. What are some of the biggest lessons that you've learned like leading teams at that level?
- [10:47]
B
Well, you have to pull it apart. So every organization, what I've learned fundamentally is every organization is different. So an 80 person studio at Starbucks has a very different cultural sort of like, you know, signal than a 600 person organization that I led at Disney. Right. And I would even go back further and say that even the, I would say 75ish person team at Twitter, it was very different. So it took me a minute to actually be able to sit and understand the different cues and signals that each organization has and how to listen for it. For example, at Disney, the creatives team, you know, really had a handle on how they were approaching doing the work for all the various platforms and shows that we would launch. And, and while I wanted to sort of lead from the front and from the back, they wanted me to lead more from the back and I had to sort of really understand that nuance. Right. That signal. And at Starbucks, that 80 person team like Disney were filled with people who had been in their roles for over a decade, minimum, as a minimum, you know, at Disney and Starbucks you had people who'd been there for 25 years. So as a, as a new leader coming into organizations that have tenured teams with an expectation of helping modernize and bring in, you know, ways of looking at the world that have changed. You don't throw out what you don't throw the baby out with the bathwater is the expression. But you also are bringing in new ways of thinking that complement and amplify what's there. And I would say that that's what's exciting about, you know, running and partnering, collaborating and leading the 80 person team. I also, I'm a builder, so I really like that I can reverse engineer a lot of what I've learned from big organizations and bring them into medium, small, medium sized organizations and build from there, you know, to build really great practices.
- [12:58]
A
No, I love that and thank you for sharing that insight. I really think I want to pause here because I think it's important for entrepreneurs listening. Okay, so we have a lot of entrepreneurs, we have career professionals, C suite executives. And I think a lot of people think creativity is just making things look good. But what you really are talking about is using creativity to drive business outcomes. Right. To strengthen alignment and really create emotional connection and ultimately influence how people experience a brand. And now you people are experiencing, they want to experience, they just don't want normal. Right. And I think a lot of brands are stepping up to the plate. Even, you know, Starbucks. I've seen new creations, new things that many brands have never done in the past. So I really think, you know, that is a great point that you made. So I want to talk about how do you personally balance creativity with performance and business goals in this, in this new age of marketing? Like what are your thoughts on that?
- [13:58]
B
I'm going to write that down. So you said performance and what was the other piece? Business goals and business goals. Yeah, you know what, when you think about all the funnel, I mean that term is actually becoming antiquated now. But when you think about the funnel and performance and brand, right now we have an amazing opportunity because of all the social channels that are basically always on and, and each channel, I think necessitates a different type of engagement or a different community that you're connecting with. And where I always start when I think about performance in business is really like what are the core characteristics of the brand? And for Starbucks that would be human, warm, elevated and unexpected. Right. And there's a fifth one there, I always forget. But I with the team really go to the brand characteristics to ensure we have the right architecture of language when we're going into talking about the work. And then what is the business goal? You know, and For Starbucks, it might be launching a new, you know, like Matcha, you know, sort of foam protein, foam drink. And really how are you connecting those five characteristics to the messaging and, and then delivering it in a channel at the appropriate time to connect with a consumer at the top of their day or the afternoon, like whatever occasion you think someone's going to need to be refueled to start today or in the middle of their day. And you know, I, I think the above the line work or the upper funnel work really helps drive sort of like awareness and I think the lower part of that drives conversion. And it's so funny as I hear myself say this to you because I didn't think quite this way when I was in my, the beginnings of my career. I just wanted to do the fun TV commercial, right? That's all I cared about. And I think as I've evolved and sort of, you know, grown throughout my career, it is very much the complete 360, the complete funnel. So, you know, I don't have any friction between performance and business. I actually thrive and get excited when the work that I do on behalf of brands and with teams, converts and drives business results. And we have again access to so much data to understand how to pivot, iterate and know what's working and what's not working. And I often say that when you think about performance and brand, let's say, because those two things really sometimes are at odds. When you talk to CMOs, I think about a brand like Apple, which on a good day, most of their work is performance oriented work that actually builds the brand. It does two things at once. But with someone like, with something like a Starbucks or even Disney, what you're trying to do with Disney specifically is create. If you're launching a show, there's like four sort of stages, there's awareness which kind of, you know, starts to tease out the show and then there is the actual launch of the show and then there's the back end where you're trying to get people to, you know, watch again as three things and you have all these different channels in order to reach these people to ensure that you're driving conversion, perhaps subscription and at least fandom to drive conversation around whatever show. So I gave you a lot there because, and I could keep going. But I think when I think about performance in business, they absolutely are hand in hand. It's not one or the other. And I really aligned those goals towards what's, what we're trying to achieve. And then sort of doing a retro and did we achieve it? And if we didn't, what do we need to do differently?
- [17:59]
A
No, I love all of this because we could nerd out about marketing, consumer psychology, creativity all day long. So you just really gave us a masterclass, and I hope people were taking notes because this was really, really good. And so this has been such a great conversation, and I'm just really enjoying this. And I want to talk quickly about, too, what you feel really separates a brand that is simply visible. Because brands are visible. Right. But what about brands that are culture defining? And you've worked at several and had the opportunity to be behind several brands that have really defined culture. Yeah.
- [18:41]
B
You know, thank you for that. I would say I love culture first and foremost, and I have attracted those types of opportunities to me. Right. And I would say the brands that have continuously stepped up into the conversation and showed that they are not holding the mirror up to culture or brands like Nike, brands like Gatorade, brands like Apple. You know, I worked on Beats by Dre, and each time. And I can go on, but I'm gonna stop there for a second with those set of brands, they really celebrated who we are, and they were about inspiration and aspiration, you know, and we have rewarded those brands by buying their products and using them to help us, you know, work out, run faster, have a cleaner, more sort of immersive audio experience. When you think about Beats and, you know, I think at the end of the day, we as consumers can recognize when people are talking with us or at us, you know, And I tend to, like, going back to my time at the museums, I was having a dialogue, emotional, like visual. Like, all of it with all of the artwork that I saw. And there's a lot of stuff I did not like. It just wasn't for me. It doesn't mean it was bad, but I think we are. We live in such a dynamic culture, and it's so wonderful when you find a brand that actually fits into your world and actually helps you do more, see more, achieve more. And here's an important one. Connect to each other and really celebrate our similarities. Like, I think that is the inside of each brand that does culture. Well are the brands that celebrate our similarities and not our differences.
- [20:48]
A
Right. It is still about connection. Right. Connection still matters. So what are your thoughts on that?
- [20:54]
B
So I'm gonna reframe what you. I'm not reframe. I wanna go back to what you said. Said content gets attention and conversation gets connection. Is that what you said?
- [21:02]
A
And conversation gets clients.
- [21:05]
B
Conversation gets clients.
- [21:07]
A
Yeah.
- [21:08]
B
Yeah, you're right. You're right about that. I think at best, you want those things to be operating, like, in tandem and not one or the other. You know what I mean? And I feel like the work that I see out in the world, that does that very well, has the right content and drives conversation. And I'm gonna say it, like, right now because it's fresh. And I'm about to see this movie for the third time tomorrow. I've gone to see Michael and I've been blown away. Now, I think the conversation around that movie from the critics, they were panning it before it came out. And then look at what the world has said about that film. And we understand Michael's dynamics and sort of, you know, the challenges and opportunities of being a child celebrity. But I will tell you that that movie, I saw it for the second time this past weekend, and like I said, I'm gonna see it again in imax. That, to me, is like, content and conversation driving impact like no other. And I think we can hold both things being true about Michael's legacy. It's complicated, but there's also, like, some other sides to this thing as well, you know, so not that a brand needs to be controversial to drive conversation, but I think the Michael movie is just an interesting one because of the context and the history, you know?
- [22:38]
A
No, you are absolutely right. We have seen that all over social media and we have seen the visibility of that movie. So you are right on point with that. And this has been such a great conversation. And before we wrap up, this is my favorite part of the podcast. Right? I wanna do a quick rapid fire round. Okay. You don't have to think too much about the answers. The first thing that comes to mind. Okay, so give me one word to describe great branding.
- [23:06]
B
Prince.
- [23:08]
A
That's a good one. That's a good one. We all love Prince. What's one marketing trend people should stop over Complicating Fear of AI oh, that's a good one. What brand do you think is doing an incredible job right now?
- [23:22]
B
Louis Vuitton.
- [23:24]
A
Ooh, luxury elevated. What's one underrated skill creatives need today?
- [23:30]
B
Humility.
- [23:32]
A
That's a good one. What's something you believe about branding that others may disagree with?
- [23:42]
B
That it's here to save the world.
- [23:45]
A
Oh, and that's good. That's a good closing because I love that this conversation has been so, so incredible. I know that people listening are walking away with so much insight from your years of experience, your perspective and inspiration from your journey and leadership. Which is incredible. Behind some of the most iconic brands that we know today, you all. So before we go, where can people stay connected with you or follow your work?
- [24:15]
B
Yeah, I think LinkedIn is a really great place. So just Jayanta Jenkins at LinkedIn and my portfolio. If anyone wanted to take a look at sort of the history of what I've done, it's Jayanta. Com. Michelle, I just want to say this has been one of the greatest conversations I've had in this format this year, maybe in general. And I really appreciate everything that you've brought. And again, for having me on, thank you so much.
- [24:44]
A
Thank you. Thank you for that. And to everyone listening, if this episode gave you value, make sure you share with a friend, post it to your Instagram stories and tag both of us. These are the conversations that really do help us think bigger about visibility, creativity and leadership and also the impact that our brands can truly make. And so thank you so much for tuning into another episode of Social Media Decoded. Make sure you love like this episode, subscribe and give us a rating and review. Each rating and review helps this podcast to reach more amazing people like you listening here today. So thank you so much for tuning into Social Media Decoded today and I cannot wait to chat with you all in the next one. Peace.