Allison Varone (Campari America) | From Spritz to Strategy: Building Culture-First Brands

Summary

The CMO Podcast — Allison Barone (Campari America) | From Spritz to Strategy: Building Culture-First Brands

Date: April 22, 2026
Host: Jim Stengel
Guest: Allison Barone, Head of Marketing, Campari America

---

Episode Overview

In this conversation, Jim Stengel sits down with Allison Barone, Head of Marketing for Campari America, to discuss how Campari is leveraging its Italian heritage and cultural relevance to build iconic brands and transform cocktail culture in the U.S. and globally. They delve into Campari’s disciplined approach to brand storytelling, activation, and customer engagement, as well as Allison's journey from LVMH to Campari and her personal passion for Italian culture. The episode offers insights into navigating changing consumer behaviors, the importance of team and culture, and how a global spirits company stays on trend while remaining true to its roots.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Campari’s Cultural & Strategic Brand Building

The Rise of Spritz Culture in the U.S.

• Aperol and Campari's U.S. Growth: Originally European icons, these brands have become ubiquitous in American cocktail culture—at summer parties, music festivals, and in social rituals like the "Aperitivo Hour."
• Allison’s Take:

  "Spritz, thankfully, has just been such an amazing phenomenon in the US and we see it only continuing...We see more of the same, of people being out and about, being social, enjoying the weather... having some social moments together." (03:44)

Staying on the Pulse: Marketing Agility

• Defining Success in Spirits Marketing: Constantly monitoring shifts in consumer behavior and culture; leveraging the team to keep the brand relevant.
• Advice for Aspiring CMOs:

  "To be an agile and flexible marketer... to stay ahead of what is changing, what is emotionally connecting with consumers." (05:12)

Introducing Non-Alcoholic Innovation: Crodino

• What is Crodino?: An Italian-born non-alcoholic aperitif being expanded in the U.S. market, designed for mindful occasions.
• Flavor Profile: Bitter yet sweet, botanical, and distinctive from Aperol or Campari.
• Zebra Striping: Alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as a new consumer behavior.
• Allison on Crodino:

  "It's a beautiful brand made of multiple botanicals... it actually has a very complex flavor profile that was created by herbalists." (06:30)

---

2. Building Culture-First Brands

The Role of "Camparistas" and Company Culture

• Embracing Italian Spirit: Employees are affectionately called “Camparistas.”
• Company Rituals: Integration of Italian culture through language (“spirito Italiano”) and social rituals.

• "We lean really hard into our, you know, Italian spirit, as we say, 'speed Italiano'...we have a really great culture here." (08:30)

Brand Activation Teams

• The 'Brand Activators' Initiative:
  • Twenty-one individuals recruited to champion Spritz culture, focusing on bar and restaurant partnerships nationwide.
  • Objective: Expand the reach and resonance of Italian-style Aperitivo in untapped U.S. markets.

  • "We need more people driving the mantra of Spritz in our, mostly our on premise universe, which is restaurants and bars across the US." (09:07)

The Power of Consistency & Simplicity

• Aperol’s "3-2-1" Recipe:

  "Three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda on top, right. ... We drive that recipe again and again day after day." (15:33)

• Orange Wave: The visual and cultural tactic of saturating spaces with the Aperol Spritz signature color.

Balancing Global Brand & Local Relevance

• Synchronized Global Execution:
  • Collaboration between global and U.S. teams, with flexibility for local insights.
  • Role of the Campari Academy: Educational platform for bartenders globally, cementing consistent brand standards.

  • "The bartenders of the world are the gatekeepers into keeping the brand on strategy and delivering it to the consumer." (17:06)

  • Academy Origin & Impact:
    • Founded on bartender mentorship and industry education; now a 22,000-member U.S. trade community.
    • Used for onboarding all employees and ongoing innovation research.

    • "Every Camparista that comes to Campari does an in-depth training with the Academy." (20:31)

---

3. Brand Expansion, Prioritization & Challenges

Managing a 50+ Brand Portfolio

• Prioritization: Focus on largest impact opportunities; “Does this effort materially impact company growth?”
• Hidden Gems:
  • Appleton Estates (Jamaican rum), Monte Lobos, and Ancho Reyes (agave-based) are highlighted as “darlings” of the portfolio.

  • "Appleton Estates... has, you know, a brand that's over 275 years old, female master blender, Joyce Spence. ... People are always surprised that we have some of those brands." (28:13)

Experiential Marketing at Scale

• Event Ecosystem: Over 7,000+ annual activations with the help of top-tier agency partners.
• Pride in Execution:
  • Bringing brands into social moments that people remember (Coachella, Spritz Square NYC).

  • "My most [memorable activations] are where people are getting an experience that they remember..." (38:06)

Ongoing Market Challenges

• Trends & Consumer Mindfulness: Navigating conflicting trends (drinking less, drinking mindfully, seeking premium experiences).
• Team Morale:

  "We celebrate what we're good at... being true to what you're good at, I think that even if consumers are changing drinking habits, they also... want to actually drink better when they do decide to drink." (31:14)

The Role of Advertising and Media

• Integrated Approach: Robust advertising plans support experiential work and broaden reach with digital/social storytelling.

---

4. Personal & Professional Reflections

Transition from LVMH to Campari

• Motivation: Attracted by Campari's culture, Italian-American heritage, and lifelong love of Aperol.
• Parallels with LVMH:
  • Both emphasize long-term brand equity and emotional connections with consumers.

  • "Luxury is really about emotionally connecting with consumers for them to pay... high amounts of money for... products." (24:09)

Leadership Philosophy

• Key Lessons:
  • Brand stewardship—your role is temporary, brands endure.
  • Adaptability and agility in leadership.
  • "Do right by the brand and know that the consumer will be with you for a very long time." (34:15)

Embracing Italian Roots

• Personal Connection: Studied Italian, spent a year in Florence, has Italian-American family.
• Favorite Italian Cities: Florence, Venice area (Padova, Treviso), and Milan for business and history.
• Memorable Italian Moments:

  "You never forget [your first Negroni in Italy]." (36:43)

Curiosities & Looking Ahead

• Emerging Trends: The shift from late-night to daytime and nostalgic consumer behaviors among Gen Z.
• AI Use: Focus now on operational efficiency; cautious use in content for legacy brands.
• Looking Forward: Major Spritz innovations, more Espolon Tequila growth, and Friendsgiving campaigns for Wild Turkey and American Whiskey.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brand Discipline:

  "We're stewards of the brand that's going to live beyond us, but our job is to take care of it while we have it." (17:06)

• On Spritz Culture:

  "We want to be the first shared drink." (12:59)

• On the Campari Academy:

  "We have a real foothold in brand advocates within the bartending community. That also helps us maintain the simplicity and the consistency of the brand strategy." (17:06)

• On Events:

  "We have wonderful partners... it's a hospitality business. It's fun, it's never dull. It's social." (29:33)

• On Her Career Transition:

  "I loved Aperol. And it was not in the States. ... I have a real emotional connection to, to the Aperitivo brands which, which, you know, brought me over here as well." (24:09)

---

Key Timestamps

• [03:44] — The rise of Spritz culture and upcoming trends
• [05:12] — Allison’s advice for marketing leadership
• [06:30] — Launch and uniqueness of Crodino non-alcoholic aperitif
• [08:30] — Campari’s internal culture and employee engagement ("Camparistas")
• [09:07] — The role of brand activators and expanding market reach
• [12:59] — Aperitivo tradition: "The first shared drink"
• [15:33] — Strategic focus on simplicity and consistency in branding
• [17:06] — Campari Academy’s unique global education and advocacy model
• [20:31] — Onboarding new hires via the Academy
• [24:09] — Parallels between marketing at Campari vs. LVMH
• [29:00] — Team's pride in cultural programming and staying on trend
• [36:43] — Personal Italian travel experiences and impactful moments with the brand
• [38:06] — Most memorable activations and creating meaningful experiences
• [40:55] — Current approach to AI in marketing
• [43:41] — Jim becomes an honorary “Camparista”

---

Conclusion

This episode offers a compelling look into Campari America's approach to brand-building: leveraging heritage, investing in culture and people, prioritizing focus amid a large portfolio, and maintaining global consistency while fostering local innovation. Allison Barone’s personal story entwines with that of the brands she represents, reinforcing the emotional connection underlying every great consumer brand. The conversation is filled with actionable insights for marketers about discipline, cultural relevance, and the enduring impact of memorable experiences.

---

For more from the CMO Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen and check out past episodes for further marketing leadership insights.

Transcript

[Jim Stengel]

Before we dive into today's episode, we would very much appreciate a moment from you to make sure you're subscribed to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen, along with optioning to auto download the episodes. It really is the best way to never miss an episode. Along with supporting the show and the amazing team that helps me bring it to you. And while you're there, leave us a rating or review. It only takes a minute and helps more people find the show and helps us learn. And of course share this episode with a friend or colleague who might enjoy it. We wouldn't be here six years later and still going so strong without you all our community. So thank you for being part of it. Now onto the show. How about the first spirits or beer or wine brand that made an impact on you?

[Allison Barone]

I'd say Aperol.

[Jim Stengel]

Aperol from college?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah. As I was mentioning back when I would travel to Italy and you know, I was able to drink before 21 there and that was the first brand I was, I was introduced to and I just got sucked in ever since.

[Jim Stengel]

Hi, I'm Jim Stengel. I've helped hundreds of major brands discover and activate their purpose. Because when a brand's purpose is clear, compelling and authentic, profit naturally follows. Each week, I welcome the CMOs, the chief marketing officers of your favorite brands, to speak to how their job is so much more than marketing. These leaders share their inspiration and challenges along with how they try to build a full, healthy and happy life in and out of the office. And it's that energy that reaches everyone they touch. And we're glad you're here to feel that energy and to learn from these remarkable leaders. So here we go. There are certain signals that summer is on the way, and for me, one of them is the first spritz of the season. This week, I'm joined by Allison Barone, head of marketing at Campari America. You would likely recognize their two most iconic aperitifs, Aperol and Campari. Based in Milan, the Campari Group is one of the world's leading spirits companies with a portfolio of more than 50 premium and super premium brands, from tequila, whiskey, rum to cognac. Campari has grown into a $9 billion global player built on a portfolio of premium brands that have become part of many people's everyday rituals and celebrations. My guest Allison leads marketing for the entire U.S. portfolio, including overseeing brand strategy, consumer engagement, innovation, and integrated campaigns across Campari's range of brands. She's also deeply involved in shaping how these brands show up in culture, from major moments like Coachella and the U.S. open to celebrating the everyday ritual of the Aperitivo Hour. Allison joined Campari in 2024 after nearly 12 years at LVMH, where she led marketing across some of the most admired luxury brands in the world, including Hennessy, Moet, Chandon and Belvedere. Before that, she spent an eventful six years in the early 2000s at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Alison brings a rare combination of luxury brand building, cultural fluency, and deep marketing expertise. We're going to talk about how she's helping shape the future of cocktail culture, consumer connection, and brand storytelling. Plus, we hear her drop a few Italian words into the conversation. She studied Italian in college and spent a year abroad in Florence. Here's Alison. Well, welcome to the CMO Podcast, Allison. We're recording this during lunchtime on a beautiful late spring day. So I poured myself a Campari and Spritz, a very light one. It's one of my favorite drinks. I love Negronis too. But as we were talking with Judy before we started recording a little bit early in the day. So cheers to you, Alison.

[Allison Barone]

Good for you. Cheers. Yes. And it is officially spritz season, so you're in good company.

[Jim Stengel]

Well, is it ever not somewhere in the world. So what do you, what do you think will be the trends this summer? More of the same, both with cocktails and aperitivos.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I think as the weather gets warmer, people just, you know, revitalize and feeling like they need to be out obviously into the weather and, you know, imbibing obviously the way they want to. But yeah, Spritz, I mean, thankfully, has just been such an amazing phenomenon in the US and we see it only continuing. And at Campari, we created the space and we have multiple products. You're drinking one now. We obviously have Aperol Spritz. We have a non alk Spritz now that we've launched. So we have some other things cooking later in the year. So, yeah, we see more of the same of people being out and about, being social, enjoying the weather, you know, not in a formal setting and having some social moments together.

[Jim Stengel]

You know, I remember my first professional job when I left college and I joined Time Life. I wanted to be a journalist and a writer. And the first bottle of booze I bought was a Campari.

[Allison Barone]

Ah, there you go.

[Jim Stengel]

And I remember it vividly because your ad back then just sort of said, you know, you're grown up, you know, you're any renewed lifestyle. But something about it.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, we have some strong brand fans out there. People have memories.

[Jim Stengel]

So I've been a fan of your company for a long time. If I were to trade jobs with you for a few months, would you be okay with that?

[Allison Barone]

I don't know if I can do exactly what you do, but we do have a beautiful portfolio here at Campari. It's been a lot of fun. Right? There's never, there's never a dull day and we get to do a lot of fun things, that's for sure.

[Jim Stengel]

Well, if we did trade jobs, I could train you well in this one. It wouldn't take much. I think you do it very naturally. But if we did trade jobs, what advice would you give me to be CMO of Campari America?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I would say, I think in, in marketing as a discipline now, but particularly in lifestyle spaces and consumer products and certainly wine and spirits is I think, to be an agile and flexible marketer and to be what I always challenge my team is to marketing discipline. Consumer behaviors, things that are culturally cool are changing so fast that, that I think probably the best thing is for you to really, for all of us to stay ahead of what is changing, what is emotionally connecting with consumers. And you know, I think a cmo, I mean, obviously I've been in the business for a long time, but really relying on your team to keep you present. Right. And to keep you educated on, on what, you know, the younger generation is appealing to, how they're, you know, how they're looking to socialize in obviously my industry, the changing environment that we're in, which we are certainly, and you know, in our business, people are, you know, consuming wine and spirits differently than they did years ago. So, you know, really being on the pulse of those changes is going to be the key to success.

[Jim Stengel]

I have not tried your non alk yet, but I hear it's available around the country at some places. And I will try it because I think it's hard to find a non alk cocktail that is good. So tell me a bit about that one and where our listeners could find it.

[Allison Barone]

Yes. So crudino. So we obviously, as I mentioned, started the spritz category. Obviously Campari being probably the know, the most well known aperol, obviously is a huge phenomenon in the US and we have a product called Crodino which was actually invented in 1965 back in Italy. So it's actually Italians were ahead of their time and now obviously the space now is different where everyone's looking for a non alk expression and to be more mindfully consuming, which is great. Right? And we. We happen to have a great product. So Crudino is. Is born in 1965 in Italy. And we've. A lot of Italians have been waiting for it to come here. So. So we brought it to the US and we brought it to seven markets in 2025. DC, California, Florida, Texas, to name a couple. We're expanding to many more markets this year. And it's a beautiful brand made of multiple botanicals, and it actually has a very complex flavor profile that was created by herbalists. So it actually leans really well into kind of the wellness space. And also it has a very complex flavor. So it's. It's bitter and also has some sweetness, which we know sometimes it appeals to consumers that like the bitter, but also like a sweet. Right. And has a beautiful yellow color. And it. Again, people that want a non alk spritz and then maybe they switch to an alk spritz and they go back and forth. Right. We call that zebra striping. And we think it's a great offering. It's been, it's been well received so far, and we're excited to expand it in the future. So we'll have to get you some too, because I think you'll enjoy it.

[Jim Stengel]

I love that. So it's not a copy of Campari or Aperol. It's. It's its own thing.

[Allison Barone]

It's its own thing and it's been its own thing for a while. It's not a new to world brand. Yeah, it's been a while. I've been around for a while and we felt like we needed. We needed to. Now we're at a critical mass of spritz occasions in the US that now it was time to bring it here. Right. So obviously Camparill is. Is very well known, and now a compliment is Cordino.

[Jim Stengel]

Now, if we did trade jobs, would I be called a comparison?

[Allison Barone]

Yes, you would be. All of our. Our employees, we call them comparisons. It's a bit of part of our culture.

[Jim Stengel]

I love it.

[Allison Barone]

We lean really hard into our, you know, Italian spirit, as we say, speed Italiano, as they say in Italy. And we have a really great culture here, which is. Which is nice. So, yes, comparisons.

[Jim Stengel]

There's many of us that Italian rolled off your tongue. I know you've studied Italian a long time ago. We'll get back to that a little bit later in the creative brief. But I was doing my research on you, and I saw your CEO on Bloomberg, I think just last week, pretty extended interview on eight or nine minutes. And he talked that you had recently hired 20 very specific, 21 brand activators. So tell me about that. What is a brand activator? Tell me about the decision to bring in a bit of a hoard of them coming into the summer.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah. So, I mean, as I was saying, our spritz business has been booming. And we decided to obviously to amplify the efforts and penetration of Spritz and particularly for Aperol, Campari, Crudeno and other innovations were coming down the pipe is we need more people driving the mantra of Spritz in our, mostly our on premise universe, which is restaurants and bars across the US and it's a very human business that I work, that we work in here. Right. So we need, you know, an army of people. We decided to come in and really be the real shepherds of, of Petit TV and Spritz in the United States. So we brought them in just recently, getting them on boarded and they're going to be obviously, you know, singing the mantra of Spritz and really going after kind of what we call, I guess you can say, the white space of Spritz. If you go to major metropolitan areas in the US where people have traveled to Italy and they've experienced a petit culture. Right. They know it, but there's a lot. There's a big country in the U.S. as we know, that haven't had that luxury. So we believe that there's a lot more space to drive Aperitivo, Italian spirit, Italian lifestyle. Aperol, Campari is part of that. Cordino is part of that. So this team is going to help us achieve that ambition.

[Jim Stengel]

I was at a meeting last summer in Berlin before the Cannes Lions Festival. It was a big P and G global reunion. And your former CEO Bob Kunze Konsawic made a presentation about this. The growth in these two brands over the last. I don't know, he was CEO a long time. So looking back, I don't know, 15 years or so. I mean, the numbers are mind blowing. And so it's kind of an undertold, wonderful, modern brand growth story. Now, I know you're in the news a lot, but I think the fundamentals of it are so powerful. You haven't been there the whole time. You're about two years right, with Campari America. But I'm sure these stories are told and retold. It's the fabric of your company. And so I'd love to go there before we dive a little bit more deeply into your role, sort of what lessons, what principles have you Learned about this amazing story. I know it's two different brands, but there are some things in common with how they explode it. So I'd love you to go there. We'll talk about your Tequila brand next because that's also a good story and it's a little bit more recent, but who wouldn't want to have numbers like yours? I mean, it was, I think it was something like 25x, you know, so just remarkable.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah. I mean, we've been extremely lucky and I've only been here for a short stint of it, but the journey of Aperol, certainly in the US has been well before me and I think that give you a bit of a personal story actually related to that, which I think might give a little bit of insights of why it's been so successful is the US spirits industry and consumers. I mean, very big spirits market here in the us, right? But Aperol started in Europe. It's massive, right? It's very, very big in Europe and Campari is very big. And I spent some time in Europe, I was lucky in my teenage years even going into, you know, LDA and when I became 21 and you know, I got sucked in to the lifestyle. That moment I had sitting in a piazza, having, you know, a spritz with. With friends, right. And you know, enjoying the culture. But the idea of having a non formal, casual, elevated drinking experience in the right company, in the right setting brings you into a mindset that is that I think is extremely joyful. Right. So that business was built, you know, on that notion for many, many years in Europe. And I think once consumers got a piece of that here in the us, right, is it's been taking off and that occasion. And that idea of aperitivo. The idea of aperitivo is that's your first drink of the day, where you have a long day at work or you're at school or whatever the case is. Right. And that's the moment where you shed your day and you move into your more relaxed first drink. So we say here at Campari we want to be the first shared drink. And I think that that notion resonates with people. So I think that that's a peek into, at least from my perspective, why it's been so successful. And of course the team here, well before me has been done such a good job of making it culturally relevant and we were just at Coachella and Aperol is at the epicenter of culture and people outdoors enjoying music and festival and life. And we want to be part of those joyful occasions. And I think everyone's looking for more and more of that in their life. So I think that has contributed to a lot of the success. And also on Campari, you know, specifically, I think Campari has a sophistication that, you know, people just gravitate towards, you know, for, for decades.

[Andrea Sullivan]

Hi everybody. I'm Andrea Sullivan, the CEO of Vive and we have produced the CMO podcast with Jim Stengel for many years. And I'm sitting in his seat right now. It's so exciting. I wanted to tell you a little bit about one of our programs. It's called Vive by Vayner. It's a 12 month program that's designed for C suiter founders. And we want to help people to grow their businesses, but also to grow themselves. And so we bring in people from Shark Tank to talk to our founders, but we also focus on wellness. We want to make sure that people are leaning into becoming their best selves, their best and happiest selves. So if you are someone that wants to learn how to grow your business and grow yourself, check us out at Vive Co. That's V yve Co. We'd love to talk to you.

[Jim Stengel]

You have, you talk about the first drink of the evening or the night as you get together with friends. That's such a great ambition and there's so much room to grow with that. But the way you guys have executed when you go in, at least in my impression, I go to my local pool in the summertime and it's all orange. You know, how to stay on brand and bring something to life in the most positive, fun, happy way. So can you talk a bit about how what's in your culture that does that? I mean, I know you're very focused, right? You have a big portfolio, but you're very focused. We'll talk about that in a minute. But you really make a brand come to life as well as almost anyone I've seen.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, well, thank you for saying that. I think you're right in. We are very simple minded on the approach and strategy of Aperol specifically and Spritz. And the beauty of Aperol Spritz is it's very simple to make. It's actually a three, two, one recipe. So three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol, one part soda on top, right. With the orange wheel or orange slice, however you choose, or an olive even. Some people do. So we drive that recipe again and again day after day. So that way our bars and restaurants know how to make it. Campari Spritz is the same way, except it's just with Campari. Right? So. And we want that color, that orange wave, we call it, to be everywhere. So we try as marketers, I think it's so easy to constantly being to reinvent. We really stay true to what works. And we drive that home through everything, consumer side, trade side, you know, really driving that recipe again and again every day and again. We have a lot of metropolitan areas in the US that know it, but we have a huge country in the US that we can spread the orange wave even more.

[Jim Stengel]

I think this idea of focusing and bringing a brand to life in such a unified way, in such a consistent way, I mean, that's tricky, right? So you're a global brand, but you have to have your markets activate. So, and I know you have a global CMO who sits in Europe is my guess. So what and how you work helps you do that because it's easy to say, much harder to do, to be on brand in every market, but yet still to let people like yourself and your team innovate like crazy.

[Allison Barone]

I think it takes a good amount of discipline. We want people to really understand the brand and to feel it and feel like we're stewards of the brand, which I feel like that's what we are in our roles. We're stewards of the brand that's going to live beyond us, but our job is to take care of it while we have it. We also have a little bit of an edge up, I would say, at Campari, where we have an entity here called the Academy. The Campari Academy. And the Campari Academy is actually an education arm that is global, right. That sits us apart. No one else has the Campari Academy like us in the industry. And they are so deeply embedded in the trade and bartender community across the world. And we have an academy here in the US as well. And that, you know, the bartenders of the world are the gatekeepers into keeping the brand on strategy and delivering it to the consumer in the way that we want it. Right. So we have a real foothold in brand advocates within the bartending community. That also helps us maintain the simplicity and the consistency of the brand strategy. And it's just about discipline. Back to what I was mentioning of, you know, Coachella is a good example. I mean, you could easily go to Coachella Coachella and do something, you know, different off brand just to kind of shake things up and be buzzy, but we choose to do it in a different way. The cocktail remains the same, the look in the Field remains the same. We bring that Italian culture to the middle of the desert in Palm Springs. We create an experience that people cannot get elsewhere. And again, they're enjoying that same drink that they might have had in Rome 10 years ago and they have a memory of it. Right. So I think it's multifaceted how we're able to keep that strategy simple.

[Jim Stengel]

Could you talk a bit more about the Academy? I think it's a really interesting idea. What was the origin story of it and how has it evolved?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I mean the origin is that. I mean it's back rooted to even our founders. Right. Being rooted in Bart in the bar, the actual bar in Italy. Right. Of how we bring Italians brought a peritivi and spirits and bitters. Actually the Italians are really known for their bitters to the bar community. Right. So it started, you know, back to our foundry and we operationalize that and have different entities, you know, across the world. It's one of our missions is, is to drive education, mentorship, and really, I should say, bring up the next talent of bartenders across the world. So Campari has been known for that. So our entity in here, in the US at least, Campari Academy is we have very robust programming, both digital, virtual and in person, of educating bartenders, high end bartenders that are the best, you know, 50 best bartenders of the world. And then we have all the way down to your everyday kind of up and coming bartender. Right. And we have actually a database of trade in the US that's about 22,000 members. The trade that we speak to regularly. And we educate them not just on our brands, but about various topics of the. On trade world, restaurant business, bar business. Right. How to make themselves successful and really lead in the industry. So we have two members of our team that lead that and it really builds equity. Right. For the long term. So I think that's a great, it's really a great asset for us.

[Jim Stengel]

Must be fantastic market research too. Come on.

[Allison Barone]

Yes.

[Jim Stengel]

You're out in the market all the time with the bartenders, the creators, getting their ideas, their thoughts.

[Allison Barone]

Yes. And when we do innovation, we bring them in all the time, just all

[Jim Stengel]

ideas to use it internally. Like an academy to bring new people on to learn about the brand, the history, the success model.

[Allison Barone]

Yes. Every Camparista that comes to Campari does an in depth training with the Academy. Yep. To understand our brands, our history, the trends that are happening in the space as well.

[Jim Stengel]

I interviewed Jack Daniels a long time ago on the show and they talked an awful lot about bringing Everyone to the origin to understand the brand, its history, its specialness. It's an investment, it's time. But there's a reason they've been so consistent over the years and a reason you've been so consistent over the years. It pays out. What's the role of advertising in these two brand stories? You're very much about the experience and the bars and the relationships and the Italian lifestyle. Is advertising a driver or not?

[Allison Barone]

Yes. I mean, we do a fair amount of advertising. Our media plans are pretty robust. I think the experiences that we create, as you just mentioned, are very important in our business, but we also need the reach. Right. So advertising allows us to drive the reach that we need and the awareness that we need where we can't create, obviously, those experiences day to day. So, yeah, I mean, we do a, you know, fair amount of media in the US across all of our brands, and then we do things where we amplify. We use the media to amplify what we're doing on the ground as well. Right. And we also use digital as a way and social as a way to drive our storytelling, you know, through a different. Through our brand voice as well. Not just in traditional advertising, but obviously the different formats and content.

[Jim Stengel]

Sure. Now, we talked about your tequila a minute ago. Esplanade's also on a quite a growth curve. How is that story different or similar to Campari and Aperol? Has it been a very different playbook or. A bit similar?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah. Espalon's been an amazing success story for us. I mean, everyone knows the growth of tequila in the US And Espalon has been a great driver over several years. So not nearly as an oldish, old brand the way that Campari, obviously, and Aperol is. But Espalon is different because it really was developed in Mexico. Really going after what we say is a tequila for the people is really a tequila that has a. Has an irreverence and it has a creative edge and style that people really resonate towards. So we've been enjoying that. And I think that what's fun about Espalon is that we can inject some humor and inject some levity, and we have these icons which are Ramon and Guadalupe, which is some of the characters you can see on our bottle. So we have fun with them as characters, icons of the brand, and we bring those to life in different ways. So, yeah, that's really been a really fun brand for us for the years, and we have strong equity and people really, really love that brand. Consumers gravitate towards it.

[Jim Stengel]

But the way you execute would be very similar for that brand as you did have, as you have done for Campari and Aperol. Different story, different origin, but consistent execution.

[Allison Barone]

Consistent execution, yeah. And I think the difference between. Difference. But I think what we lean in for Espalone is I think there's much more we, we lead the programming to be culturally relevant in a different way. Right. We have like, we. Our tone of voice for Esplanada, as I was mentioning, is more irreverence, more kind of counterculture, a little bit more humorous. Right. So we're able to activate it in different ways. So last year we actually did like some drone shows to kind of celebrate the end of summer, remind people to drink margaritas even in the fall. Right. So we, we have some levity that's a little bit different and a little bit of a humor in the tone of which we think is fun. Definitely different than the other brands.

[Jim Stengel]

Now we said you came to Campari about two years ago after 12 years, almost 12 years at LVMH, you know, the most admired luxury brand company in the world. What compelled you to leave that monster in a good way and come to Campari two years ago?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I mean, I had a great run at lvmh. I mean, I learned so much there in terms of, you know, true luxury lifestyle brands. And I really learned so much there in terms of how to build long term equity and emotional connection with consumers. Because, you know, luxury is really about emotionally connecting with consumers for them to pay, you know, high amounts of money for obviously, you know, products. Right. So I was drawn to the opportunity here. I was actually drawn to the culture of the brands. I was drawn to the culture of Campari. I'm Italian American myself, so it was a little bit, you know, easy journey for me. Kind of felt a little bit like home. Home. And I actually have a funny story. When I was, I was mentioning before, I spent my teenage years, some of them in college, and I lived in Italy for one year during my university studies. Is I loved Aperol. And it was not in the States. It was not in the States. So I would bring it in my suitcase every single time I would come back from Italy, which was, you know, I would go to Italy maybe two or three times a year. I have close friends there. And I was just so happy that when it finally came here. So I have a real emotional connection to, to the Aperitivo brands which, which, you know, brought me over here as well.

[Jim Stengel]

I love that now, the approach to brand building into Two cultures, Campari and lvmh. Would you say it's similar? What could they learn from each other?

[Allison Barone]

I think it's. I mean, similar in the sense of we have a lot of iconic brands here that are rooted in history and. And similar in the sense of we were able to bring those brands to life in the US In a cultural relevant way while still obviously paying homage to the history. Right. And the providence of the brands. So I think there's a lot of similarities. I think it's just a very different space when you're talking about luxury versus, you know, a premium sector, which we're in here at Campari. Right. And I think that what's been nice is, is I think that, you know, we're in changing business times right now. Obviously, the economic environment, political environment, but also, you know, consumer habits are changing. And I think that Campari is well positioned for growth with our diverse portfolio that we have in the current environment.

[Jim Stengel]

You were promoted about a year ago to head of marketing. What's been your focus, Allison, since that promotion over the last year? Your personal focus?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I think personal focus is we have a lot of brands here at Campari. So prioritization is a big piece of where do we put our money, where do we put our energy behind the biggest pieces of business, which I think we're doing now. Also, about, as I mentioned before, having the team stay ahead on cultural relevancy is a big one. How to make sure that we're programming the brands and speaking to consumers in the way that they want to receive, as opposed to being so brand focused, but more consumer focused, occasion focused. Making sure we're fitting into. We're fitting the brands into people's lives, where they're at at the given time. So I think that's been kind of the big focus for us.

[Jim Stengel]

You have over 50 brands, which I didn't realize before doing my research. How do you decide that focus? I mean, I know it's a company decision, it's a team decision, but wow. I mean, you have to be thinking about what you could make something of, what's on trend, what's maybe undiscovered. So what's the next aperol? So how do you do that?

[Allison Barone]

It's a constant challenge and it's a constant discipline that we foster here. Some days are easier than others, of course. I would say. I think the scale of the business has a lot to do with the decisions that we make. We can choose to do things on a small piece of business, but it won't Necessarily how big is that business and the effort that it requires, Is it going to really impact, you know, our company growth in any way? And if the answer is it's not going to have a material impact on growth, then we have to question is it worth it? So I think that's the lens that we have is about how big is the opportunity or how big could it be to make a decision if we do action something or not.

[Jim Stengel]

Do you have a favorite undiscovered gem in your portfolio?

[Allison Barone]

Oh, that's a great question. We have a lot of beautiful brands that are what we call kind of darlings in the portfolio where they're not so big, but they are lovely brands. Appleton Estates is a great one. It's one of our rum brands. We don't talk a ton about that, but it has such history. It has, you know, it has a brand that's over 275 years old, female master blender, Joyce Spence. So that's beautiful. Our Jamaican portfolio in Appleton. And then we have a couple of small brands, Monte Lobos, Anche Reyes, which are these smaller agave based brands that help us obviously elevate our tequila business, but are just delicious brands that people forget that we have. And it really is all about, you know, craft. And people are always surprised that we have some of those brands in our portfolio, but they're beautiful.

[Jim Stengel]

What are you most proud of?

[Allison Barone]

Over the last year, I think my team has done a really good job of putting the brands in culture as best we can and picking what those moments are. So I think I'm, I'm very proud of the team being on the pulse of what's cool, what resonates, you know, and what's going to put our brands the forefront of chatter and awareness.

[Jim Stengel]

You have a crazy ecosystem to manage. I think I read you do 3,000 events or activations a year.

[Allison Barone]

More than that. Almost 7,000. Yeah, it's huge.

[Jim Stengel]

So how do you manage that ecosystem

[Allison Barone]

with so many brands? Certain brands are obviously more active than others, but we have wonderful partners. I will say it's about bringing on the right activation partners, the right agency model, because we're not big, you know, no one can have that many staff to do all of that. But we have great partners and, you know, we're very lucky that people love to work on our business. And if you have partners that love to work on your business and it's a fun business at the end of the day, it's a hospitality business. It's fun, it's never dull. You're you know, it's social. So we're very lucky to have a lot of partners to help us, you know, drive all of that throughout the year.

[Jim Stengel]

What's been more challenging this past year than you might have imagined?

[Allison Barone]

Always a challenge of prioritization, as I mentioned before, really being disciplined. And I think, you know, I think the challenge is being. Staying on top of all the changes that's happening out in the world, all the trends, discussion about consumers, news coming out of, you know, people are not drinking, they are drinking, they're drinking less, they're drinking mindful. I mean, we, we grew all of that of what is really the crux of the changing consumer habits. And how do we fit into that? That has been a challenge, but it's also dynamic and it's also makes it fun because that's our job, is to take the challenge on and figure out how to grow our business through that.

[Jim Stengel]

Yeah, there's. I mean, there's lots of press about the category. I mean, it's hard to pick anything up this. These days and not read something about your category. What do you do with your team to kind of keep the confidence up? You know, they're reading a lot of heavy headlines and stories. It's obviously an enormous category in your. In this market and globally, and it's been around forever. But what do you do? How do you talk about that stuff? Do you talk about it frequently?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, we do talk about it frequently because we have to be on. On the pulse of what's happening out there in the world. But I think for us, we celebrate what we're good at. We celebrate what we're good at. You know, I mentioned the Academy as an example. Right. We are really, really good in the. On trade, and we have a real equity in the restaurant bar business in the United States and globally. Right. And that has been consistent and that hasn't changed. Right. So even though maybe there's some changes in consumer habits, when they are. When people are going out, you know, to have a meal and be social, they're picking our brands. So we focus on the good. Right. We focus on what works. We focus on what we're good at, and we celebrate that, you know, and we, you know, get through some of the challenges. Right. And that's what marketing is. Navigate the changing times. Right. And being true to what you're good at, I think that even if consumers are changing drinking habits, they also, what we've seen in the. In the data is that they want to actually drink better when they do decide to drink Better. Which actually is also another proof point for us. We that we choose to celebrate that we have a great portfolio that can answer on that.

[Jim Stengel]

Yeah, you're well positioned for that trend. We talked a minute ago about how at least from the outside you look so globally synchronized. So I'd like you to speak a little bit about how you work with your peers in the other regions and with headquarters and so what are your rituals, your rhythms, your practices that others might learn from to go to market. So I don't know synchronized on brand as you seem to do.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I mean we're in a matrix organization as many multinational companies are. And I think the trick is that understanding that we are stewards of a global group and we are stewards of global brands. Right. So we do want the brands to look and feel similarly across the globe. And the way that we do that ways of working wise is close collaboration with our global partners, with our central teams obviously as the global brand teams and the global marketing. So we work very closely with them, you know, making sure that we understand the brand strategy globally and work with them closely on how do we quarter turn that, how do we make that applicable to a U.S. consumer. Right. And some brands, it's easier to do than others because the consumer is similar us versus the globe or sometimes they're different. Right. But I would say the true to success is, is true collaboration but also being empathetic of what the big goal is of running a global brand.

[Jim Stengel]

Is your biggest and most important market today, looking forward?

[Allison Barone]

The U.S. yes, one of our most important markets. So it's the biggest spirits market in the world. So yeah, we have a huge role to play in terms of what we deliver to the overall global group.

[Jim Stengel]

Now you spent the bulk of your career at LVMH and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which is an interesting one too. So I'd like you to reflect on those times. What's the biggest mistake or triumph from those years that has influenced how you lead? I guess it could be a mentor as well.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I mean I started my career in publishing. And speaking of Time Inc. I know you mentioned it yourself, Martha's MSLO was part of Time Inc. And then spun off. And I joined her at MSLO and then lvmh, obviously. So I think probably the biggest lesson I've learned is a couple things is knowing your brands and staying true to them again, recognizing you won't be on them forever, but the brand lives beyond you. And then I would say is being adaptable. I mean, Martha Stewart, I Was there, you know, during some very interesting years of that business, I saw such consumer loyalty at early in my career. Martha, people loved that magazine. I still do. People are loyal, right? So if you do the right thing by the brand and you just stay true to your brand, consumers will be loyal back to you. Same thing at LVMH with all those beautiful brands that I worked on, and same thing at Campari. So do right by the brand and know that the consumer will be with you for a very long time. And as a leader, I think you have to be agile and you have to go with the flow and you have to live and sometimes manage through some ambiguity and changing environments.

[Jim Stengel]

I want to flip into the creative brief, and we talked about this already, but you studied Italian as an undergraduate. I think it was one of your majors. And you spent a year in Italy and you seemed to get there a lot. Way back then when you were this young student studying, I guess, business and Italian, did you have an aspiration to work for an Italian company?

[Allison Barone]

I did, Yes, I did. And my Italian's not nearly as good as it used to be. But it gets me by. And yeah, I've always wanted to work in international marketing and international business, and I think that I just find it to be extremely dynamic, extremely interesting. I have personally been able to enjoy such travel and experiences that I never would have if I wasn't in this business and working for such, you know, international companies. So it's been. It's been a real pleasure.

[Jim Stengel]

This is probably an impossible question, but what two or three cities or areas of Italy are your favorites?

[Allison Barone]

Oh, that is a. That's a tough one.

[Jim Stengel]

Because it's all good.

[Allison Barone]

It's all good. Exactly.

[Jim Stengel]

By the way, I had my first Negroni ever in Italy. I was traveling with my wife after Ken Lyons. I mean, I discovered Negronis kind of late in my life. And I went to this bar in Italy, in northern Italy, and it was a hot summer day and I sat down and he served me a Negroni. And it was like life changing.

[Allison Barone]

It's memorable, right? Memorable. I mean, you never forget it. So it's a good question. I mean, I've traveled all over Italy. I studied in Florence, Italy, so obviously I have a personal connection there. But I've spent family and friends I have in the northeast, so the Venice area, Padova Trebizo, some of those areas up there. And obviously I've spent time now in Milan because our headquarter is there. And I've learned to really enjoy that. And, you know, the Epicenter of business, obviously, and obviously the Campari home. So they're all good. They're all amazing places to be. So we're very lucky.

[Jim Stengel]

We talked about all these brand activations. You do 7,000. What's the one you've personally enjoyed the most over the last year? I know you don't go to all 7,000, but you probably go to a few.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, that's a really. It's a really good question and one that's hard to answer. I think they're all different. You know, sometimes we'll do small tasting events which are beautiful with only, you know, small group of people. And then we'll do like a Coachella's, which I'll be there this weekend with thousands of people. Right. So it totally depends. So I would say we had a couple last year. We had one in New York, the Campari Spritz Square, where we're being more forward thinking on Campari. Not just Negroni, which everyone knows, but also we did a Sprig Square down in by Chinatown in lower Manhattan. Right. Where we took over a corner downtown and had Spritz Campari spritzes in about four or five places in one weekend. Right. Which is super fun, so.

[Jim Stengel]

Oh, what fun.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, so I think my most ones are where people are getting an experience that they remember and we do a lot of that.

[Jim Stengel]

So how will you spend Coachella next weekend? What will you do?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, we'll be there. We had weekend one, which was fantastic. A surprise kind of guest of Joe Jonas that we partnered with. He was serving spritzes. He's a big brand fan. So. Yeah, we have a piazza. Basically we set up in the middle of the festival. And, you know, we serve thousands of Aperol spritzes and we give out lots of merchandise. People cannot get enough Aperol merchandise. The orange color is just fantastic. Yeah, we'll be there to enjoy the music, enjoy the atmosphere, give people an experience that they'll remember, you know, and it'll be a ton of fun.

[Jim Stengel]

So what do you personally do? Do you float around with your people and with consumers?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, yeah, I'll be there. I do a lot of kind of checking out what everyone's doing in our space. Just listening and hearing what people are saying about the space. Right. How they're enjoying it, what they're talking about. Yeah. And it's a very big, proud moment for my team. It's a tremendous undertaking, so it's fun to enjoy it together. They get to celebrate all their hard work.

[Jim Stengel]

What are you most curious about? These days, either in the business side or personal side, I think I'm curious

[Allison Barone]

about the idea of how consumer habits are changing. Years ago, everyone was in nightlife, space drinking kind of occasions later in the night. Now everyone's doing day. Right. Which personally is obviously as I get older, it's a lot easier. Right. I'm curious how that will evolve, how people consume differently over the years. So I think we've had a massive change over the last couple years. I'm curious to see if this current climate sticks, how it will evolve in the future. What's old is new. And I think also this idea of nostalgia, of people wanting to younger consumers. I mean, just like my kids, they don't even remember the 90s. They weren't alive, but somehow they want to be in it. So that's always interesting too. There's a lot of trends out there, so I'm curious to see how long they will stick.

[Jim Stengel]

And love story. Right. Has really fueled that. Right. The Kennedy. Yeah.

[Allison Barone]

Right. It's just such an interesting time. It's interesting times.

[Jim Stengel]

What are you most looking forward to this summer, coming up on your big season?

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to Spritz Season is here, alive and well. We also have espalon, which is going to be massive. We have a big program coming up. We have a new innovation in Spritz for later this summer, so I won't spill the beans here, but we're going to be launching something extremely exciting. So we have that going on. And then at the end of the year, we do a big push on friendsgiving with our Wild Turkey and American Whiskey business. So we have a lot. It's going to be a very, very busy year and never dull and lots of fun.

[Jim Stengel]

We haven't talked about AI yet. It's hard to do a podcast here without talking about AI, but I would think you guys are all over it. But it's not one of the first categories people think about when they think about AI application. But I would think with all of the activations you do and all the content you create and your supply chain, there's got to be an enormous role.

[Allison Barone]

Yeah, I mean, we're still. We're navigating through, I think, just like everyone else. And we're being very strategic on how we use different platforms, different tools. You know, to date, we've been using it more on the efficiency operations side. You know, obviously we have legacy brands, so we're being very careful on if and when we use it from a content perspective. So we have not Leaned in very heavily on that at all yet, but really curious on how it can help us be smarter, faster, more agile, cost reduction, all that stuff. So that's kind of where we're at now. But yeah, it's. It's an interesting space.

[Jim Stengel]

Alison, what's the first brand you remember making an impact on you as a young girl?

[Allison Barone]

It's funny, I was thinking about kind of brands when I was younger. I'm going to show my age here. But in the 80s, do you remember, I mean, back in the 80s and also 90s, I felt like there was so many brands that were leaning in on humor and taglines and the TV commercials, because obviously media was just so much more simple back then. You know, remember the Wendy's, where's the Beef? Remember all that, right?

[Jim Stengel]

Oh, sure.

[Allison Barone]

I remember, like Slim Jim's. Remember the Slim Jim ad, right? With. I just think about. And I think about all of those brands in my childhood were so memorable. And the humor was leaning really hard on humor, which it's interesting because in the spirit space, you know, we can get a little serious. Right. And I think one of our brands, Espalon, is a brand where we dial up the humor, which is a lot of fun. Which is a lot of fun. And people remember that. So. So lots of brands in my childhood of some of those, you know, CPG type of companies. I remember even as a young kid. I mean, the cereal business was big back in the day, if you remember the boxes, the prizes, the very simple marketing, but memorable in a lot of ways.

[Jim Stengel]

How about the first spirits or beer or wine brand that made an impact on you?

[Allison Barone]

I'd say Aperol from college. Yeah. As I was mentioning back when I would travel to Italy and, you know, I could. I was able to drink before 21 there, and that was the first brand I was. I was introduced to and I just got sucked in ever since.

[Jim Stengel]

Who's been the most inspiring person in your life?

[Allison Barone]

Probably say my father. Yeah. He was a business consultant in it Worked in the corporate world and taught me kind of how to navigate things and, you know, how to be. I mean, it. He was in telecom. So that's gone through its industry perspective. Constant change and, you know, spirits is in constant change. So it's. It's not, it's not for the. The person that's gonna want to be clocking in every day, but it's gonna have to navigate all the, all the dynamics that. That are at play, which, you know, keeps me on my toes.

[Jim Stengel]

When did you decide you wanted to Be in business.

[Allison Barone]

I'd say an undergrad. Yeah, I'd say undergrad. I enjoy people, I enjoy organizations, I enjoy, you know, presenting and kind of have an idea and how to spin it for an audience. And marketing is fun because it's half psychology, half science, right? Yeah, I knew early on.

[Jim Stengel]

Okay, Allison, last thing you have to do is make me an honorary Camparista today. Can we do that? Can we make it official?

[Allison Barone]

You got it.

[Jim Stengel]

I have your swag in the background here. I'm enjoying a very light camparian soda.

[Allison Barone]

We'll get you some more so you can continue to enjoy it.

[Jim Stengel]

No, thank you. This has been great fun, really great fun. You're an amazing company, amazing brand, amazing story. I'm very happy we had the chance to share it.

[Allison Barone]

Same. Thanks for having me. Appreciate it.

[Jim Stengel]

That was my conversation with Alison. A really fun one. Three takeaways for your business, brand and life from this one. First one, the idea of an academy. This Campari Academy is a beautiful thought. I was reminded a bit of what Jack Daniels does to bring their partners and their team close to the brand, especially with new hires. They use this academy to work with bartenders, to talk with bartenders, to educate, to entertain, to get ideas. Really, really powerful thought. If you're in a business where you would benefit from this. This was full of great lessons. Second takeaway. I love the ambition of Aperol to be the first shared drink of the day. What a simple thought. What an expansive thought. What a joyful thought. They understand their brand. That's the place they want to be. They're very focused on making that happen in markets around the world. It's a beautiful, simple ambition that I that energizes their team. And the third takeaway. They are in culture in such a way that is relevant to their brands. We talk a lot about being in popular culture on this show. They do it in a way that that is disciplined, but gets them in discussions, conversations at places where people see them and say, ah, that is really cool. That's fun. I want to be a part of that. So I think they're in culture in the right way relative to their brand and their brand story and their brand strategy. That's it for this week's episode of the CMO Podcast. As always, I would be grateful if you shared our show with your friends. Along with subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. The CMO podcast is a vive original production.