Introducing the Adweek Podcast Network. Access infinite inspiration in your pocket on everything from career advice and creativity to metaverse marketing and more. Browse all podcasts.
In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Suzy founder and host Matt Britton speaks with Gail Hollander, chief marketing officer at The J.M. Smucker Company.
Hollander discusses the importance of understanding cultural truths, how to remain relevant in a fast-evolving CPG landscape, and the art of balancing short-term wins with long-term brand equity.
“Today, it’s critically important to understand your brand truth, your consumer truth, and the cultural truth because that’s the only way to remain relevant over time,” she says on the podcast.
Hollander’s dynamic career has spanned over 20 years in marketing and brand leadership. Prior to joining The J.M. Smucker Company as CMO, she held a range of leadership positions at Publicis Groupe. Her extensive experience on the agency side gave her a unique understanding of the challenges brands face in staying relevant and building long-term equity.
Now at The J.M. Smucker Company, Hollander leads the marketing strategy for some of America’s most iconic brands. Her focus on innovation, consumer behavior insights, and the strategic role of culture has made her a key figure in shaping the future of the CPG industry.
Listen to Gail Hollander on The Speed of Culture podcast for an in-depth discussion on the future of marketing, balancing short-term and long-term goals, and how to modernize legacy brands without losing their core identity.
Key takeaways:
00:01:11 Lessons from the Agency World — Hollander reflects on her two decades at Publicis Groupe, emphasizing how the agency experience taught her to balance short-term results with long-term brand-building. She highlights how the ability to work across multiple categories keeps marketers agile and curious, allowing them to develop creative problem-solving skills that can be applied across industries. As a CMO, this perspective helps her maintain the balance between delivering short-term wins and ensuring brands remain culturally relevant over time.
00:06:57 Agencies in the Time of AI — With a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, Hollander believes the future of agencies lies in their ability to plug into culture, offer predictive data modeling, and help brands stay ahead of the curve. As consumer trends shift and data becomes even more critical, agencies will need to keep their fingers on the pulse of culture. Tools like AI should be utilized to augment creativity and intelligence, both in automating tasks and augmenting intelligence to accelerate strategic thinking. She also highlights how important it is for agencies to focus not just on historical data, but on forward-looking insights to predict where consumer behavior and trends are headed.
00:11:18 Modernizing Legacy Brands — The J.M. Smucker Company stays relevant in a competitive CPG space by aligning each brand’s core DNA with contemporary consumer and cultural truths. For example, Hollander shares how Jif Peanut Butter has successfully remained a favorite by tapping into consumer culture and innovation, from collaborations with pop culture icons to creating fun campaigns like “Jif vs. Gif.” By remaining culturally relevant, legacy brands like Jif can continue to thrive in modern markets.
00:15:16 Simplifying the Consumer Experience — As shopping habits shift, Hollander discusses The J.M. Smucker Company’s strategy to adapt to an omnichannel world. With digital platforms reshaping how consumers shop, Smucker is focused on streamlining the path from discovery to purchase. Hollander emphasizes the importance of creating seamless, convenient shopping experiences that meet consumers where they are, whether online or in-store. As digital channels blur the lines of the traditional funnel, Smucker is committed to simplifying consumers’ lives with frictionless, one-click purchasing solutions.
00:20:51 A Brand’s Beating Heart — Hollander shares The J.M. Smucker Company’s secret recipe for breathing new life into timeless brands without compromising their essence. She describes each brand’s “beating heart”—its foundational truth that must stay intact as the brand evolves. For Café Bustelo, this means staying true to its Latin heritage while integrating modern trends like consumer preferences and cultural diversity. It’s this balance between innovation and authenticity that ensures these beloved brands resonate with new generations while honoring their storied past.
