Uncensored CMO: "How to find inspiration" with Kory Marchisotto

Podcast: Uncensored CMO
Host: Jon Evans
Guest: Kory Marchisotto
Date: April 13, 2026
Episode Theme: Exploring the sources and power of inspiration for marketers—inside and outside the industry.

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the critical role of inspiration in driving creativity and innovation, particularly for marketers and brand leaders. Jon Evans and Kory Marchisotto share personal stories, practical techniques, and memorable examples of how stepping outside one’s comfort zone, industry, or routine can unlock breakthrough ideas. The conversation highlights how curiosity, humility, and exposure to new experiences—whether brands, travel, art, or nature—are essential for personal and professional growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Challenger Brands: The Story of Tony's Chocolonely

[00:54–05:31]

• Unpacking Inspiration:
  Jon discusses his admiration for Tony's Chocolonely, a brand founded by Dutch journalists exposing child slavery in the cocoa supply chain.

  • "They basically produced an ethical chocolate. I just thought, what an absolutely brilliant story." —Jon [01:51]
  • The chocolate bar's uneven squares visually symbolize the unevenness in the cocoa supply chain.
  • Tony’s bold marketing stunts, such as leaving a day empty in their advent calendar as a statement for fair wages, are discussed as a powerful example of brand activism.
    • "If we're worried about not getting one tiny little bit of chocolate, think about the kids in the supply chain." —Jon [04:17]
  • Tony’s supplies ethical chocolate to competitors, prioritizing their mission over brand dominance.

• Personalization and Brand Culture:

  • Jon shares being named “Chief Choco Caster” as a bespoke title from Tony’s, underscoring how custom, mission-linked identity nurtures inspiration. [06:15]

2. Looking Outside Your Industry for Inspiration

[06:46–08:50]

• Kory’s Approach:

  • Almost all of Kory’s inspiration comes from outside the beauty industry.
    • "Whenever anybody asks me what inspiration I take from within our industry, I actually say none. I spend almost all of my time looking outside." —Kory [07:08]
  • Brands like Liquid Death are lauded for their disruptive marketing, including their “Greatest Hates” album poking fun at critics.
    • "And anything that happens, they flip it on its head and actually do the opposite." —Kory [08:05]
  • Studying challenger brands is vital for challenger thinking.

• Nature as Inspiration:

  • Kory finds nature, particularly skiing, to be her greatest source of renewal and incremental improvement.
    • "There is something that happens to you as a human that you reset and you almost recalibrate your own operating system." —Kory [09:01]
  • She likens the pause between ski runs to a leadership lesson: pause, reflect, and seek incremental improvement.
    • "Pause and Reflect, ask yourself what incremental changes can you make to get better for your next run." —Kory [09:36]

• Jon’s Take:

  • Jon finds a similar meditative state in cycling, where mental space fosters new ideas:
    • "I get so much inspiration when I'm not doing work, which I think is the key." —Jon [10:28]

3. The Importance of Context-Shifting and “Arbitrage Thinking”

[10:39–13:12]

• Jon’s Stock Market Analogy:

  • Jon draws on his stock market studies, equating “arbitrage” (applying knowledge from one market to another) to creative problem-solving across categories.
    • "You take one category problem and you solve it with another category's answer." —Jon [12:18]
  • He habitually walks the supermarket aisles contemplating how a juice brand would solve a shaving category problem.

• Kory on Sensory Inspiration:

  • The sensory overload of supermarkets—the colors, packaging, organization—is a goldmine for creativity.
    • "I have to touch everything. So I want to crinkle the paper like I was just doing with the foil here on the table." —Kory [12:52]
  • Observing what attracts her on the shelves, she dissects why certain products command attention amid thousands of competitors.

• Supermarkets as Cultural Windows:

  • Kory learns about countries and cultures through their supermarkets and metros, observing daily life and consumer behavior.

4. Case Studies: Idea Generation from New Environments

[15:10–17:08]

• Jon’s “Fired and Inspired” Story:

  • After a career setback, Jon explored NYC supermarkets, seeking brand concepts absent in the UK.
    • "I set myself the challenge in five days of coming back with five new brand concepts. And I wrote them up on the plane on the way home. And it was surprisingly easy." —Jon [15:56]
  • He cites examples like seltzers, canned cold coffee, and shareable chocolate.

• The Humility and Openness to Be Inspired:

  • Both agree that inspiration requires humility and curiosity.
    • "First of all, you have to be humble enough to be inspired...you have to be curious, curious enough to walk those aisles..." —Kory [16:58]
  • Cites Issey Miyake: "Spend time with things you don't know."

5. Translating Inspiration Into Action: Museums and Artistic Cross-fertilization

[17:09–20:50]

• Museums as Idea Catalysts:

  • Kory shares how a visit to the Balloon Museum in Paris inspired a portfolio activation at the NY Stock Exchange.
    • "So museums are an incredible place of inspiration. All different types of exhibits can fuel how you think about bringing activations to life." —Kory [19:33]
  • Encourages regular visits to museums for creative cross-pollination.

• Hermes and Artistic Cross-disciplinary Fertilization:

  • At Hermes, master perfumers like Jean Claude Elena were regularly exposed to different artists (musicians, designers) for mutual inspiration.
    • "This idea of filling into an artist inspiration from other fields in order to expand their field of view, which I thought was really fascinating." —Kory [20:47]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• "The reason this is called chief Choco caster is that whenever you work, whenever you join Tony's, they have this guy whose only job it is to write copy...Every person who joins gets their own job title." —Jon [06:08]
• "The beauty of skiing is when you get down to the bottom of the mountain, you have absolutely no choice but to pause and reflect because you've got to get on the lift..." —Kory [09:24]
• "Supermarkets are the places I go in any country, because I actually think you learn a lot about a people and a culture by wandering around the supermarket." —Kory [14:46]
• "If there was one thing you would suggest, it would be step outside of your industry and pick any category, any industry that has nothing to do with yours, and spend time with things you don't know." —Jon & Kory [20:50–21:06]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Tony's Chocolonely & Challenger Brand Inspiration: [00:54–05:31]
• Inspiration from Outside Your Industry & Nature: [06:46–08:50]
• Arbitrage, Supermarkets, Sensory Input: [10:39–13:12]
• Idea Generation from New Contexts: [15:10–17:08]
• Museums, Cross-pollination, Hermes Case Study: [17:09–20:50]
• Core Advice on Inspiration: [20:50–21:06]

Actionable Takeaways

• Look beyond your own industry—study challenger brands and parallel fields for fresh ideas.
• Pursue sensory experiences—supermarkets, travel, art, or even the daily commute can spark unexpected creativity.
• Be humble and curious—allow yourself to learn from “things you don’t know.”
• Establish regular rituals for reflection and idea generation, whether that's in nature, art, or unfamiliar environments.
• Facilitate cross-disciplinary exchanges—bring in inspiration from completely different crafts or art forms to keep your perspective fresh.

This episode brims with actionable insight and energizing anecdotes—an essential listen (or read!) for anyone hungry to keep their creative spark alive.