Uncensored CMO: "How Innovation Succeeds" with Kory Marchisotto [Uncensored Renegades]

Episode Date: March 2, 2026
Host: Jon Evans
Guest: Kory Marchisotto (CMO, e.l.f. Beauty)
Duration: ~26 minutes
Main Theme: Exploring the real-world dynamics that fuel innovation in marketing and business, with actionable insight and honest storytelling.

Episode Overview

In this lively, candid conversation, Jon Evans and Kory Marchisotto dissect the realities of innovation—how it really works, what makes it succeed (or fail), and the pivotal role company culture, constraints, and customer connection play in bringing new products to life. They share firsthand stories, memorable phrases, and tactical frameworks, highlighting both the art and science of innovative breakthroughs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of Cultural Conditions for Innovation

• Innovation isn't just a command—it’s an environment.
  Kory emphasizes that innovation thrives when organizations foster cultural "energy fields" where ideas are welcomed, not shut down.

  • "You can't put people in a room and say, innovate, here's a magic wand. Go. You have to create the stimulation, the permission, the energy field, the excitement for people to want to flow ideas." (01:36, Kory)

• The 3-Part Framework for Selecting Innovations:
  Before greenlighting a new idea, Kory looks for:

  • Art: Does it solve a real problem in a creative, impactful way?
  • Science/Data: What does market data suggest? Is there demand?
  • Gut Instinct: The emotional ‘override switch’ based on experience.
  • "Not every idea should go to market... sometimes the data says don’t go, but your gut says yes anyway, and that’s absolutely critical." (03:15, Kory)

2. Testing, Feedback, and the Role of Patience

• Rapid Testing Over Analysis Paralysis:
  While validating ideas is vital, Jon warns against only relying on data or rigid timelines.

  • "You can do all the kind of research in the process...but the moment of truth is when it’s in front of the customer and you get that reaction. With every bit of innovation I’ve done, I can tell you within days if it’s working or not." (05:25, Jon)

• Patience is Underestimated:
  Innovations usually need years, not months, to reach true success.

  • "On average, it took seven years before you’d consider it to be a success...yet most companies give maybe a quarter, maybe a year max." (06:50, Jon)

• Nurture Creators, Don’t Crush Them:
  Shooting down ideas too early deflates the innovative spirit.

  • "If the business becomes too short-sighted...you’re gonna start to deflate your innovation people. When you start to deflate your creators, your pipeline gets weak and your brand starts to decay." (07:40, Kory)

3. Case Study: Building a Blockbuster Beauty Franchise via Co-Creation

• How e.l.f.’s Power Grip Primer Blew Up:
  Kory details how e.l.f. turned customer feedback into a mega-success.
  • Launch started with the classic version; rapid demand for new "pink" and "matte" options came from direct community input.
  • TikTok lives with up to 15,000+ people actively shaped product variants and names.
  • Listening to diverse needs (e.g., drag performers needing larger bottles) drove new SKUs.
  • "The spirit of co-creation...we listen, we act, we build this franchise. It’s absolutely incredible. Continues to explode." (10:00–14:34, Kory)
  • "When we launch the product, it’s not just about them being a passive member of the audience, it’s about them being an active participant. That’s innovation." (14:37, Kory)

4. Innovation from Constraints

• Constraints as Catalysts:

  • "Constraints are incredibly powerful...my favorite ever bit of innovation came out of a ridiculous constraint." (14:55, Jon)
  • Jon’s beverage story: regulatory shifts, lack of sales force, and zero budget led to creative solutions—like training students as a sales team and offering unique incentives instead of traditional selling.

• Lesson:
  "The constraint of...the new government legislation and secondly, not having a sales team, forced me in both situations: think how do I go much faster than everybody else? How do I get a product I don’t have a sales resource to do?" (19:40, Jon)

5. Real-Time Listening and Responding

• Viral Community Behaviors as Product Innovation Triggers:

  • Kory describes how TikTok trends (fans hacking e.l.f.’s products to create custom lip glosses) led to an official DIY kit, developed and launched within a week.
  • "The key on this one was the rapid response to the audience. In 24 hours, the Chief Commercial Officer and the CMO are on TikTok Live doing it with them, understanding why and what. And in seven days we put a do it yourself kit to market." (22:34, Kory)

• Get Close to the Customer—Always:

  • "If I look through my career, percentage of time with the customer correlates directly to success...Once your customer becomes internal, that is the death knell." (24:30, Jon)
  • "The role of the marketer is to be the voice of the customer in every single room you enter." (25:50, Kory)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On innovation’s process:

  "Not every idea should go to market... sometimes the data says don't go, but your gut says yes anyway, and that's absolutely critical."
  — Kory (03:15)

• On measuring when to launch:

  "A product does not go to market until you are personally proud of it, that you will personally stand in front of it, put it on your face, drink it, eat it, whatever business you're in and be really proud of the work that you've done."
  — Kory (04:25)

• On co-creation:

  "When we launch the product, it’s not just about them being a passive member of the audience, it’s about them being an active participant. That’s innovation."
  — Kory (14:37)

• On customer proximity:

  "If I look through my career and go, percentage of time with the customer correlates directly to success...Once your customer becomes internal, that is the death knell."
  — Jon (24:30)

• How to really innovate:

  "The role of the marketer is to be the voice of the customer in every single room you enter."
  — Kory (25:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:10 – Introduction to the innovation topic
• 01:36–04:57 – Cultural conditions for innovation, the "art, science, gut" framework
• 05:25–07:25 – The reality of testing, customer feedback, and patience
• 07:40–14:34 – e.l.f. Power Grip Primer case study and co-creation in product development
• 14:55–19:49 – The role of constraints and Jon’s beverage/entrepreneurship story
• 21:27–24:30 – TikTok-driven Halo Glow DIY kit story, rapid iteration, customer closeness
• 24:30–25:58 – The necessity of customer focus for sustained innovation

Summary Takeaways

• Innovation is everyone’s job—but it requires purposeful culture, safe to fail, and genuine customer obsession.
• Successful innovation rarely comes from data alone. Blend analytics, creative vision, and gut instinct.
• Constraints (resource, regulation, team) often create the conditions for true breakthroughs.
• Foster co-creation, act quickly on real community insights, and stay as physically and emotionally close to your users as possible.
• The marketer’s ultimate role: be the customer's megaphone within the organization.

Final Word (Kory):
"The role of the marketer is to be the voice of the customer in every single room you enter." (25:50)