The Marketing Millennials, Ep. 390

Why Trust is the Key to Growth with Meiling Tan, VP Brand & GTM at Care.com
Host: Daniel Murray
Guest: Meiling Tan
Date: February 6, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Daniel Murray sits down with Meiling Tan, VP of Brand & Go-To-Market at Care.com and founding head of marketing at Waymo. They dive deep into the mechanics of building trust in brands and why it's essential for growth—particularly for companies operating in sensitive or breakthrough spaces (like autonomous vehicles or family care). The conversation covers Meiling’s personal journey into marketing, actionable frameworks for branding and go-to-market, the gritty behind-the-scenes of rebrands, and practical insights for marketers aiming for impact.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Meiling’s Journey into Marketing (01:11–03:47)

• Creative + Strategic Beginnings: Meiling shares a lifelong love of creativity and helping others connect with abstract ideas (01:11).
• From Google to Waymo: Early marketing roles at Google/YouTube, followed by joining Google X to work on moonshot projects like self-driving cars.
  • "I was like, I want to try something that feels even bigger, where I have a blank canvas..." (01:51)
• Mission-Driven Work: Consistently drawn to meaningful infrastructure-like work (Waymo, Care.com) that supports people and society (03:12).

Building Trust with Breakthrough Products (Waymo Case Study) (03:47–11:34)

• Redefining the Problem:
  • Instead of beginning with the solution, start by making people question the status quo (04:27).
  • Example: "We actually went first to defining the problem... Humans are not meant to drive these things..." (04:55)
• Framing with Safety:
  • Safety chosen as the focus because it’s both genuine and a must-have in autonomous vehicles (04:53).
  • Using stark statistics and analogies (e.g., car accidents compared to daily 737 crashes) to make the problem vivid (05:04).
• Immersive Experiences:
  • Leveraged VR/360° video to simulate demo rides, demystify the tech, and build comfort (07:45).
  • "We knew this moment of a demo ride was also very game changing..." (06:57)
• Humanizing Technology:
  • Messaging intentionally includes “boring is good”—assuring people about routine, uneventful rides (08:35).

Foundations of Brand Identity & Building a Playbook (11:34–16:25)

• Branding is More Than a Logo:
  • True branding starts with “the soul of the company”—core values, mission, vision, tone, and personality (12:16).
  • "It has to start with sometimes what I call kind of the soul of the company—why do you exist?" (12:13)
• Internal Stakeholder Alignment:
  • Getting internal buy-in and managing stakeholder opinions is often the hardest part (13:41).

Go-to-Market and The Depth of Rebranding (Care.com Example) (16:25–24:32)

• Rebranding = Storytelling + Experience:
  • Focus on deep narrative and platform, not just surface visual changes.
  • Tagline example: “When it’s not you, it’s Care.com”—a behavioral trigger and reassurance (18:10).
• Updating the Product:
  • The brand promise must match the product experience.
  • New features: hiring hubs, senior care advisors, more guidance for overwhelmed users (19:53, 20:42).
  • "We redesigned the entire experience to feel more like the new Care.com..." (19:53)
• Brand as Internal Rally Cry:
  • Purposeful storytelling inspires not just external audiences but also internal teams across functions (22:40).

Recognizing Brand Transformation (25:36–29:34)

• Signal: From “What Is This?” to “How Did We Live Without This?”
  • Transformation measured when customers become vocal advocates and “do the work” for you (26:14).
  • Social proof, demos, and consistent positive feedback serve as key signals (26:54).

Managing Adoption Curves and External Influence (29:34–31:38)

• Adoption Strategy:
  • Think critically about audience segments and their influence on broader adoption (28:02).
  • Collaborative approach between marketing, PR, policy, and community engagement.
• Proactive Press Relations:
  • Challenge: Balancing negative headlines with authentic positive stories—requiring ongoing effort with press and public advocates (30:19).

The Realities of (Re)Branding: Behind-the-Scenes (31:38–38:40)

• War Room Realities:
  • The messy, stakeholder-heavy, iterative process often unseen by the public.
  • “Right now we're playing in the sandbox. We're carving out territory, pulling them in enough so that they feel engaged in the problem solving of it and not just the outcomes.” (33:47)
• Color, Logo, Naming, Stakeholder Battles:
  • Need to balance legacy staff, fresh eyes, and founder opinions (36:45).
  • Sometimes change course even late in the process—Waymo shifted its identity six weeks before public launch (35:32).
• Bringing It To Life:
  • Guidelines are only step one; every asset and touch point must reflect new identity (36:39).

Measuring (and Surviving) Success and Failure (38:40–39:16)

• Post-Rebrand Metrics:
  • True rebrands amplify brand awareness, consideration, and business results—but failed rebrands can headline for the wrong reasons (38:40).

A Marketing Hill to Die On: Be a Business Person, Not Just a Marketer (39:16–44:03)

• Translating Brand to Business:
  • Marketers must learn “the language of business” to drive organizational change and support customer-centricity (39:20).
  • “You can't just be a marketing person. You have to be a business person…” (39:16)
  • Constant “so what?” questioning to connect activities to business outcomes (42:22).
  • Success comes from understanding customers and being able to advocate for them in business terms.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Challenging the Status Quo:
  • "No, it's kind of crazy that we're driving. We're not made to do that." —Meiling Tan (06:02)
• Defining Trust and Product Integration:
  • "Brand can be really powerful, not just as your external go to market, but as the internal rallying cry." —Meiling Tan (22:40)
• Measuring Brand Impact:
  • “When you hear someone else say… ‘I can’t believe this didn’t exist before’… you know you’ve done the work.” —Meiling Tan (26:14)
• On Being a Businessperson:
  • "To be effective internally, you have to learn how to channel [customer empathy] into business language and to help people see how it connects..." —Meiling Tan (40:07)
• War Room Realness:
  • "I felt like I was naming other people’s babies…" —Meiling Tan (33:47)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Getting into Marketing & Early Journey: 01:11–03:47
• Building Trust at Waymo: 04:27–11:34
• The Soul of Brand Identity: 12:04–16:25
• Care.com Rebrand GTM Execution: 16:25–24:32
• Internal Alignment & Brand as Rally Cry: 22:40–24:32
• Brand Transformation Signals: 25:36–29:34
• Influencing Adoption and Press Strategy: 28:02–31:38
• Behind the Rebrand Curtain: 31:38–38:40
• Success, Failure, and Metrics: 38:40–39:16
• A Hill to Die On – Be a Businessperson: 39:16–44:03

Where to Find Meiling Tan

• LinkedIn: Meiling Tan (44:03)

Tone & Language

The conversation is candid, insightful, and dynamic, with both Daniel and Meiling sharing personal and professional stories. The episode is filled with actionable strategies, industry wisdom, and a touch of humor about the messy realities of brand-building in fast-moving, mission-driven organizations.