116. How Creators and Consumers Are Shaping the Future of Brand Marketing with Meghan Gerrity at Kenvue, Neutrogena Sun

Speaker A: Welcome to EventUp, the place where people enthusiastic about events stay in the know on the latest trends within the events industry, live, hybrid and virtual experiences. From virtual events to conferences, award galas and everything in between. Here's your host, Amanda Matt Foreign.

Speaker B: Welcome back. Today's episode is a really fun one, especially if you're thinking about how brands can stay relevant in the world where consumers expect to be part of the story, not just an audience. Joining us today is Megan Geraghty who's the brand leader at uh, Kinview, working on Neutrogena Sun. Megan has built her career across some of the most iconic CPG brands including Neutrogena and Gerber, TikTok and Domino. Her work spans everything from influencer ecosystem and social strategy to full funnel campaign and large scale activation. Megan, we're so excited to have you here.

Speaker A: Thanks man, I'm so excited to be here. Thanks for having me.

Speaker B: Yeah, this is great. I uh, love bringing people that I know and really just pick their brain, especially leaders who've been doing this for long time and with a walk of knowledge. So that's you.

Speaker A: Absolutely. Thanks.

Speaker B: And really just like jumping right in, you know, what is that biggest shift you're seeing in how brands really connect with consumers today?

Speaker A: Absolutely. I think for me especially like you were saying, I've been at this for a while so I've been working for the last 20 years and, and what I've seen is that shift from the one to many where it's a brand talking to consumers in Moss to the more one to one relationships and it's been exciting for me to see as a marketer and also exciting for me to see as consumer. So where before there was, you know, your 32nd spot and that's what you would see and that's how you would get your, your brand message out. But now with the rise of influencers and now creators and these nano micro creators that are really consumer brand advocates, it has completely, you know, turned the, the 32nd spot in the, the one to many model on its head. But it's incredible and incredibly effective at communicating with consumers because you're able to get people that they can relate to and not just someone that you know is this perfect celebrity that you know, you were never going to, you know, be able to look like or have their life that now you're seeing creators that you know, live in your community, they, they do what you do, you see them when you're out and it feels much more relatable and a, a better way for the Brands to get the message to consumers. So I know myself. I am, um, always on TikTok and seeing these TikTok videos where girl, you know, are the same size as me, the same age as me, have a dress on, and I'm immediately adding it to cart because I can see myself in them. And I think that's what a lot of consumers, even, you know, my daughter and my sons the same thing. When they see other. Other children like them that are involved in things that they like, you know, whether it be lacrosse or dance or singing, that they're able to. To make that connection and really have that connection, not only to. To the creator, but to the brands themselves.

Speaker B: That's incredible. I love how you can already see it in the next generation, what they resonate with. And they're very opinionated, and they voice what they're thinking, which I love.

Speaker A: Yeah, a hundred percent. And I think when you're talking about the, uh, voicing their opinion, it just reminded me of that idea and expression. And I think that's another shift that I've seen, too, where before brands were making, you know, one product and everybody had to use that same product. But now there's so much more personalization. So when you think of Crocs and Croc charms, that, uh, there are ways that my kids, you know, they all have. All my kids have Crocs, but they're able to personalize it and really make it their own, which I think is so exciting. And even my daughter and all her friends have those Stanley, uh, mugs, but they have it in all different patterns and shapes and sizes. So I think gone are the days where there was one lunchbox that every single kid had. And it's really this personalization where they're able to express themselves and their individuality by personalizing, uh, the brand's products.

Speaker B: Yeah, my youngest actually just asked me for a Trader Joe's lunch bag, and then, yeah, I was like, oh, no, how did you get on that band?

Speaker A: And I just saw the new ones came out. They're so pretty. I'm obsessed with all those colors.

Speaker B: It's so cute. And then he added his little keychain on there. You know, he's like. You said, uh, he's, like, personalizing and really making it, uh, his own. How about in terms of, like, balancing always, like, on content or, like, influencer and experiential? Like, how do you kind of think of that whole, like, ecosystem to make sure it's one cohesive strategy? Megan?

Speaker A: Absolutely.

Speaker B: Yeah.

Speaker A: I think what's really Important in that is having a consistent message across the board. I think some brands do that really well and some brands, you know, they have, there's one message that they have for experiential and then the creators have a different message and then they have a different message as they're showing up on digital shelf or um, their paid digital media. So I think just ensuring no matter what size brand you are, what budget you have, that, that you're consistent across the board really allows it to be the most effective so that it's not these disparate messages that consumers are getting. They're getting one note, one message across the board, one experience across the board, uh, that they can relate to. And I know I've seen that I'm obsessed with love shack fancy. I wish I could have, I wish I could live in their store. But I think they do a really great job of that. Where my daughter and I went to one of their activations, they were opening up a store by us in New Jersey. And the experience that I had at that activation is the same experience that I feel when I see their creator content is the same experience that I get when I'm shopping online. And I uh, think having that consistency, so both consistency in their creative consistency in the tone of their voice and the luxury elevated experience that you have no matter where they show up, to me is, is a brand that does it really. And I think that that resonates with consumers and it, it just makes it so easy that you can tell as soon as you have a piece, see a piece of their content what the brand is. Where some other brands, you know, they're constantly changing their look and feel and their messaging and, and it's harder to make that resonate with consumers. Mind if you're constantly switching your visuals or switching your message or your tone.

Speaker B: Yeah, it's like who are you? Right. Like, like multiple personalities sometimes.

Speaker A: But it's like yeah, uh, yeah.

Speaker B: What's true to the brand and you can tell the brands who are just truly like you said, true to the brand and the kind of like they show up very consistently versus the one that are like kind of chasing the latest trends. So it keeps changing.

Speaker A: Absolutely. I think we're actually talking about that right before we got on with my background, the rifle paper company, like they are just so iconic just in their branding that I uh, you know, I can always tell whether it's their collab with Target or their own platform or wherever they're showing up that it's. Thanks looking for with not just Specific to their marketing, but specific to their product as well, which I think allows them to really differentiate themselves from their business.

Speaker B: That's so great. How about in terms of like consumer led innovation? Like what does that actually look like in practice today?

Speaker A: Oh, I love that. I think there are so many brands out there that are doing this well. I know Bowdoin is a UK based clothing line and I'm constantly getting emails from, from them where they're asking about fashions, the next season's fashions, what prints are resonating with me, what styles are resonating with me, what I would purchase for my children. So I think that brands that are winning now are really allowing consumers to be part of that innovation process, to give them the feedback early and often as they go through their innovation and development. And I'm also seeing that in a similar way with community building. So there's communities out there like Tyb that brands show up on and have a one to one relationship with their consumers. And those are the platforms where I see both a platform like Tyb and even I'm seeing on the broadcast channels on Instagram where brands are showing up and saying, you know, what flavor would you like us to produce next? We're thinking of these various prints. Which one resonates with you the most? So it's again, kind of almost flipping it on its head where before you had all these research agencies and they were fielding studies and everything took months and months and hundreds of thousands of dollars. And now it's as simple as, you know, sending an email out and getting consumer feedback on your latest design or sending something out in your broadcast channel on Instagram and really understanding what the consumer appetite is and how interested they are in the next innovation that you're coming up with. And even to know too that you know, maybe what you're thinking isn't something that resonates with them. So, so getting that feedback without having to invest months and hundreds of thousands of dollars is, is just really invaluable.

Speaker B: Great. And the one brand that I saw a recent case study for was eos, where they're winning on, um, this. Right. So they were discovering through a lot of their content that a lot, I guess, other family members or friends were using their lotion when they buy it. So they created the lock on their lotion and that's like totally consumer led. And I was like, oh my God, this is genius. I need to go out and get one just for fun. I just want to try. I never had a lotion that had a Lock on it.

Speaker A: Yeah, I think I need, I need one of those for my daughter. I feel like she's, she's constantly rating on my. All my beauties. But yeah, I think, I think that's just a fantastic insight and what a great way to, you know, something that I'm sure was not part of their initial innovation when they came out with that lotion. But through social listening, you know, they're able to, to garner these insights and you know, either lead to uh, a fun tongue in cheek campaign like that or you know, potentially lead to. To innovations which I think is, is really great. I feel like you hear so many stories about um, I was, I was reading a story about Yeti. How you know, I had always known Yeti as those big fisherman coolers, but that ah, you know, moms were starting to use it, suburban moms were using it for their kids. And then it came, you know, to, came to be what those yeti mugs turned into and all of that. So I thought that was really fun too. You know, sometimes you really need to listen to your consumers. There could be another use case or an audience that's using your product that isn't who you initially built it.

Speaker B: Yeah, that's amazing. I actually won one of those Yeti coolers that I, I did.

Speaker A: That's awesome. That's so cool.

Speaker B: I'm apparently a long time.

Speaker A: Yeah, no, I do not travel without. I have, I have my uh, Yeti mug and I'd like do not. It comes everywhere with me. I make my tea wherever I go in the hotel room. And it's just, it's been my tried and true for like the last five years.

Speaker B: This is so great. Yeti, if you're listening, please sponsor this episode.

Speaker A: Please.

Speaker B: So organic. You had two fans here, Megan, for like brands who want to really like start like how can they begin like evolving consumers in both like in terms of content as well as like the real world experience. You kind of brought in your previous example. Can you dive in a little bit deeper?

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And one of the brands that I worked on before was Dr. Prager's. They are a better for you veggie burger company. So what they did, you know, was smaller brands, smaller budget. So different from when I was on Tic Tac or now when I'm on Neutrogena. But what we were able to do was really scale using some of consumer facing platforms. Kale is a great example. So Kale is a platform that allows you to connect one to one with consumers and you can give them challenges and ask them to go to a specific store. So if you want, we wanted the consumers to go to Target and pick up our veggie burger. At Target you could put up a challenge. You'll get consumer content where they're going through the store showing the visual on TikTok of them finding your product in the frozen aisle and then coming home and eating it with their kids. And then Kale will pay them through the platform. So depending on how their post performs, they'll be incentivized. So that's a really great way to, you know, spin up these UGC campaigns. You don't need a lot of budget, but it really will get you that quality content and you then can, you know, you could put money behind it and use it for paid campaigns if you have more. But that was really great for us. Another thing that I was mentioning before was those broadcast channels. So Instagram M has a broadcast channel. So that's a fabulous way too to just get people to be engaging with your brand, build that sense of community. I've seen a lot of brands where they. I just saw one and I missed it. But um, Doc Martin, the shoe brand had an event in New York and they, they sent out the invite through their broadcast channel. And then if you were, you know, engaged enough to be part of the broadcast channel, you could be one of the first to, to RSVP and get to go to this exclusive event. So I've seen a lot of that and I think that that's a great way too. I've seen brands also using that to get more UGC that they'll say, you know, they'll put a contest in the broadcast channel and then ask consumers to post about, post about your brand. I just saw 818 to win tick their outpost at Coachella. So if, if you were part of the broadcast channel, you got to know about this contest and then if you posted about it, you could win a chance to go to their outpost. I think that's just a really smart way. It doesn't cost anything to have a broadcast channel. It's a great way to connect with the consumers one on one. And I think it has so many use cases so you can use it for research, you can use it for community development and you can use it for, you know, garnering UGC if you don't have a larger budget to be able to work with an agency. So I've seen that that work really well for us in the past.

Speaker B: That's so great. What's the difference between like one off influencer campaign versus like building a true content ecosystem.

Speaker A: Yeah, I think that's, you know, it's so interesting and I've seen brands do it so many different ways. I know when I was working on Domino Sugar, we worked with Martha Stewart and we had a relationship with her where we would do Facebook lives and all different types of content and she would show up for us in so many beautiful ways. But I've also seen brands where, you know, they'll just do a one off with a celebrity and I think that there's a time and a place for that. Absolutely. But I think those brands that have the tried and true and long term relationships, to me it does feel more authentic. I am obsessed with many things, but I love Dunkin Donuts and I just thought that Dunking's super bowl spot was absolutely hilarious. But the way that they've continued to weave Ben Affleck into all of their content is just hilarious. I feel like whenever I see a new spot or I saw he was, there were um, videos where he was actually working like the Dunkin Donuts drive through and telling everyone that there was no coffee and making them all frustrated. That, you know, that resonates with me just that, you know, it's someone that it's not just a one and done that. They really do have a true affinity to the brand. I think that that's something that, that resonates more. I know in the past I've seen that the ROI with those longer term relationships does seem to work better as well. And, and I love what you were talking about with like the, the ecosystem of it all. I, I saw that laneige, the, the beauty brand did a collab with Cat's Eye, the, the pop group. And I love showing up in their ads and you know, being ambassadors for the brand. But they had their own bespoke shade of the lip gloss and I loved that too because I think that there's something to be said for both the consumer led innovation journey as well as the celebrity led innovation journey. I know my daughter and I were able to try the Cat's Eye lip gloss and it was so fun and we could not wait until it was in store to buy it because, you know, it had that cachet that it was part of Cat's Eye and she loves the band and you know, she just felt so confident putting on, um, this lip gloss. So I think that's a great way too that they can extend that relationship and really have that full fledged ecosystem. So it's not a 15 second spot. It's really a co creation process and that the, the talent is really part of the brand DNA and that really comes through to the consumer and builds their affinity for the brand for sure.

Speaker B: And they're so culturally relevant too, right? It's like what's really they resonate with now.

Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And I think, I think it's a great way for them to, to appeal to those younger consumers. Like my daughter, you know, she's 13, she's obsessed with Cat's Eye. She had heard of their products before, but now is a consumer because of, because of that.

Speaker B: I love collabs because even like AOL did a collab with someone on blackpink and that shoe sold out like so fast. You know, I went and even tried to like score a pair, but it was already sold out. I was like, oh my gosh, it sold out so quickly.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Oh no.

Speaker A: Uh, you could get them on ebay or Ye.

Speaker B: I know, right? Of course we loved unlimited budget, but if a brand really has limited budget, would you go recommend for them to go deeper with fewer creators or broader but with more. And why?

Speaker A: I think that's such a great question. I, you know, I know for me in the past when I've worked on brands with smaller budgets, I have gone with more smaller creators just to really, for me, what I've seen in the past is being able to have that scale is helpful because what I've seen happen is sometimes if you go with one particular creator, you could blow your whole budget on one creator and that piece of content might tank and then it's just, you know, you only have one shot where I think when you're working with multiple creators and have, you know, a number of those smaller scale creators, there's a better chance of one of those posts really catching on and you being able to build momentum. And also the, the idea too that all of those creators in theory have different audiences. So you're getting that word out to, to more people and more different audiences than you might if you just had one creator. So that, that's what I've seen happen. In my past experience, I've definitely gotten burned where, you know, used one creator that was really at the top of our budget and just didn't see anything. And then, you know, had used a number of smaller creators and just saw such a better roi. So that, that would definitely be my suggestion.

Speaker B: I love that. And we're seeing that as well when it comes to like experiential. Right. Like in terms of like the Posting. And like that's why these nano creators are so amazing now, because they're more, I don't wanna say gung ho, but they're definitely more authentic because there's less on the line. I understand when you have millions of followers, right. It's a bigger risk. So they have a lot more red tape versus someone who's just starting. But maybe they only have 10,000 followers and make it sound like it's really easy, but it's not easy.

Speaker A: Yeah, and I see that too. I feel like I have had that experience where the creators that I work with that were smaller do have that drive and do want to go above and beyond because they, they want to get to that, that higher threshold soon and they're going to be able to get that by over deliver, delivering and you know, just giving a great experience to both the client and the consumer. So I've, I've absolutely seen that in it. I think it's, it's really exciting when, you know, you're surprised and delighted by this content that, you know, you expected one thing, but really they went over the top. And that's awesome.

Speaker B: Yeah. And it's also so nice when it's like authentic affinity in terms of like, like today we just talked about Yeti, right. We like the brand and we, we think it works so well. Right. So if Yeti, if you're listening once again, no, just kidding. But like, if they were to sponsor someone who was already fan of the brand versus the other way, it's just so much easier.

Speaker A: I've been on commercial shoots for food where the children did not want to eat the product. They weren't interested in the product. It wasn't something that they enjoyed. And I think that comes through in the final output. You know, you can tell in the final cuts that, you know, like the kids weren't really eating it like we wanted them to eat. So. Absolutely. I think having, having someone, you know, brands working with talent that already, uh, has an established affinity for them that it just, to your point of authenticity, it just comes off much more relatable. It comes off as a real connection instead of just something that you can tell that they're that they're phoned in and that they don't really care about. They're just there for, you know, they're there for that paycheck.

Speaker B: Yeah. I remember one of the creator mentioning, like, I actually love whiskey. Right. And you would never think of her like that because she's a travel creator. She's like, if a brand reach out to me, I actually have so much to say about whiskey, which is you probably don't expect, probably look like a champagne girl, but I'm actually a whiskey girl. And you know, so that was really interesting. Like hearing from a creator's perspective. What are you seeing that's actually working right now in content?

Speaker A: What I've seen work really well in content now is more of that lo fi, really authentic, the Nano Micro UGC creator content that seems to be resonating really well. So I think gone are the days where everything had to be perfectly polished. Even when I'm working, watching linear tv, I'm seeing that almost lo fi TikTok style, even those spots, which I think is really interesting. But that, that's what I'm seeing working across the board and really working in industries that I wouldn't expect. I talked with a friend recently that owns a restaurant and she was saying that, you know, they are not doing any traditional advertising, that they're working with these local travel creators to promote her business. So I just thought that was kind of fascinating to me. I thought that maybe she would do, you know, traditional, um, direct mail or local TV or you know, something like that. But she said even for her, that these more Nano Micro creators are really working well. So I've seen that. That's what I've really seen across the board work really well. And I know a lot of brands are pivoting to that. Even in my role that, that I was at with Dr. Pragers, we had a beautiful polished commercial and it just was not performing as well as our creator content. So we leaned more heavily into creator because we just were not seeing the ROI on our branded content that we were seeing from the more lo fi creator content. So, uh, really across the board, whether, you know, you're a small mom, um, and pop local business brand, or you know, a large national brand, it seems like that's the type of content that, that I've seen work really well.

Speaker B: That's awesome. How about in terms of what's one trend in marketing or consumer behavior that more brands should really be paying attention to right now?

Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, I think we were talking about it before. Just having consumers be part of that process, whether it's the innovation process, like having them feel ownership to the brand is something I really think that more brands should pay attention to. I think there's still a lot of brand out there that, you know, have someone in the C suite that's dictating who, who's coming up with their innovations instead of really being a consumer led, consumer driven brand. So that is where I'm seeing brands. When brands that are taking those consumers along the journey with them, that are listening to them, that the consumers feel like they're part of a brand. I know the examples that I was giving before about Bowdoin, sending the surveys and asking, you know, what styles I like and what I buy for my children, I feel such an affinity towards them. Whenever I have to buy something for an occasion or event, I will purchase through them because I feel like I have that connection. So I know I will date myself. But forever ago there was a contest where Eminem M allowed consumers to um, to pick the next color that the, the next color, the M and M. And it was just, I still resonates with me to this day, forever, years later, because you felt like you were part of it. You felt like you had a say in what M&M's was doing and what this, this new color M and M was going to be. Uh, and I think that, you know, it was, it's not something new. It's been around for, you know, years and years and years. But I think that it's just not something that all brands have adopted. So allowing the consumers to be part of that, building these communities, sourcing, whether you're talking about the EOS example from social listening or if it's from your platforms that you're getting this information from your broadcast channel, I think that's something that, that more brands really need to do.

Speaker B: That's so good. What color did you end up picking?

Speaker A: I think I picked pink. I think if I remember correctly, I

Speaker B: would pick pink too.

Speaker A: Yeah, I would. I. But funny kind of full circle moment. We took, um, my daughter's Girl Scout troop to Broadway to see six the Musical this weekend and we went to the M and M store and I did get a whole container of Pink M&M's. So I did, I did get my pink MMS.

Speaker B: It's amazing. See, they listen. They listen.

Speaker A: Yeah.

Speaker B: Because also the consumer feel like they're involved in the process. Right. Whether or not they get picked. But it's like I remember like a soda brand. They were asking what's next? Next? Like what's the next flavor? Uh, flavor. Yeah, you like to see, you know, rolling out. So those are like super fun and engaging as well.

Speaker A: Yeah. And it's still, because even the example, the M and M store when we went in, they do have a whole wall where you can pick any color M and M that you want. And they also Have a customization, uh, experience upstairs where you can get your face. Like our Girl Scouts were getting their face on M&M's and it just was just such a great connection building, brand affinity building tool that, that the brand is doing. Because, you know, all of those girls, they knew that they could have that experience. They asked when we had an hour to go to the store. They, you know, they made the M M's, they brought them home, they shared it with their friends. So if more brands followed their lead, I, I think they would be much more successful for sure.

Speaker B: I actually just saw Oreo now. You could put your face on Oreo.

Speaker A: Yes.

Speaker B: I'm thinking about ordering those for my son's graduation.

Speaker A: Oh, you should.

Speaker B: Yeah. Oh my God, they're gonna go wild. But I was like, oh, maybe I'll order for like his class. I think that'll be like, really fun, you know, 100%.

Speaker A: But again, it like goes back to personalization. And yeah, they do such a great job. Oreo does an incredible job on their website. You can, like you said, customize anything, have it sent to your home. So, you know, how fantastic that it's, you know, a brand that you already are a fan of and have an affinity towards, but it feels like it's even more yours that you really have a say by being able to create your custom Oreos.

Speaker B: Oh my gosh. Love it. Love talking to you. You're full of so, so many fun use cases and knowledge. Now I'm going to kind of change it up a little bit. Okay, Some quick rapid fire questions for you, Megan, so we could get to know you even more. What is a brand doing marketing really well right now?

Speaker A: Love check. Fancy.

Speaker B: Hands down, how about one marketing trend you're over?

Speaker A: Oh, see, this is tough for me because I love, I love everything marketing. I think for me, like old school direct mail. I still get catalogs and I'm over

Speaker B: that one trend you're excited about.

Speaker A: I am, um, so excited about what we're talking about brands involving consumers in the innovation process. I think that's, that is, is what has me so excited.

Speaker B: IRL experience. What matters most right now, irl.

Speaker A: I think that, you know, I think that, that we have a lot of fatigue from everything being digital. So for me, irl, a hundred percent,

Speaker B: hands down, what makes you stop scrolling?

Speaker A: What makes me stop scrolling is comedy. I love, you know, anything, anything funny really has me stop scrolling. Or anything that any kind of travel experiences have me stop scrolling.

Speaker B: Last one, best recent thrift or vintage find.

Speaker A: Ooh, Ooh, I love this question. I wish I could say it was vintage, but I just recently went to a thrift event and I got an Anthropologie suit that had shorts on the bottom. It was like a linen suit, like a pink pinstripe suit with shorts on the bottom. So that was my my most recent find was not vintage, but my favorite find recently.

Speaker B: Megan, thank you so much for joining us and sharing all your insights. This was packed with so many great takeaways. And just, you know, I'm so happy to get to know all these little insights as well. And to our listener, if something in this episode resonates with you, share with your. That's how we keep these conversations going. We'll see you in the next episode. Thanks, Megan, again.

Speaker A: Thanks.

Speaker B: We love having you.

Speaker A: Pleasure.

Speaker B: Thank you for listening.

Speaker A: Tune in next time on Event Hub.