1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: You're listening to Math and Magic, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,879 Speaker 2: When you obsess over the competition instead of obsessing over 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 2: the customer, you're going to get yourself into big trouble 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,279 Speaker 2: because if you're obsessing over the competition, all you can 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,880 Speaker 2: ever know is what they've already done. You can't drive 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:25,800 Speaker 2: a car ninety miles an hour down the road if 7 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 2: you're looking in the rearview mirror, and when you're studying 8 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 2: the competition, you can only be looking backwards. 9 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 3: Hi, I'm Bob Pipman, and welcome to Math and Magic. 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,559 Speaker 3: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. On this episode, we're 11 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 3: going to dig in deep with one of the most 12 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 3: versatile and agile marketers in the business. Microsoft, Capital One, Uber, 13 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 3: Hilton and now AT and T have all been atten 14 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 3: from her handiwork. She's a rare blend of sociologist, strategists, technologist, 15 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 3: quant and strong leader. She's Kellen Smith Kenny, the chief 16 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 3: marketing and growth officer at AT and T. Kellen grew 17 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 3: up and what the college in the Northeast. Her dad 18 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 3: was a mathematician, her mom was a nurse, and her 19 00:01:07,080 --> 00:01:10,320 Speaker 3: aunt was an artist. She calls it an incredible influence 20 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 3: of art and science and empathy. Growing up, we call 21 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,960 Speaker 3: it mathem magic. Rare to find both in one person. 22 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,959 Speaker 3: But she is one of those unicorns, and her career 23 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 3: is not so much marked by where she has been, 24 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 3: but rather it's marked by the big successes she has 25 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 3: had at each stop. She and her marketing campaigns have 26 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 3: won a number of awards. When you dig into how 27 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 3: she does it, it'll be apparent why. Although kell and 28 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 3: I are not old friends, my old friends who know 29 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 3: her well rave about her both as a marketer and 30 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 3: as a human. Kellen, welcome. 31 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me. 32 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 3: Before we jump into the meaty stuff, I'd like to 33 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 3: do you in sixty seconds. Are you ready? 34 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 2: I'm ready. 35 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 3: Do you prefer cats or dogs? 36 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 2: Dogs? 37 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 3: Introvert or extrovert. 38 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 2: An introverted extrovert or possibly an extroverted introvert? 39 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 3: Mountains or bas each mountains ski or snowboard ski ski ski, 40 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 3: your first job, lifeguard, dream. 41 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 2: Vacation, helly skiing on a glacier. 42 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:19,919 Speaker 3: Athlete or athlete both cell phone or landline, cell phone, 43 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 3: all dressed up or keeping a casual all dressed up. 44 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 3: Favorite thing to cook? 45 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:26,360 Speaker 2: I can barely boil water. 46 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 3: Smartest person. You know, my grandmother, childhood hero, my parents 47 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 3: favorite city, Seattle, And what did you want to be 48 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 3: when you were growing up? 49 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 2: President of the United States? 50 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 3: Well that's yet to come. Okay, before you get to 51 00:02:43,040 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 3: be president of the United States. Let's talk about a 52 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,400 Speaker 3: little bit of some other stuff here, and let's jump 53 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 3: in to where you are right now. AT and T 54 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 3: one of the greatest brands of the last one hundred years. 55 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 3: You've got a brilliant strategist, John Stanky is your CEO, 56 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 3: and he is clearly driving the company to maximize your 57 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 3: assets and capitalize on that amazing brand. Describe for us 58 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 3: this next phase of AT and T. Where are you headed? 59 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 2: When I think about where AT and T is headed 60 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: in the future, we want to be famous for delivering 61 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 2: the type of connectivity that connects people to greater possibility, 62 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 2: and we want to do it in a way that 63 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 2: makes everything simple. We want people to have the confidence 64 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 2: knowing that it's coming from the experts at AT and T. 65 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 2: We want every single touch point that we have with 66 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 2: a customer to be inspiring. That means we need to 67 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 2: lean into best in class, best in breed connectivity solutions 68 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 2: from five G and fiber to the converged way that 69 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 2: consumers and business decision makers are choosing to consume connectivity today. 70 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 3: So how does having this long and storied brand help 71 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 3: you and how does it hurt you? What do you 72 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 3: have to work around? 73 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 2: The company was founded by Alexander Bell one hundred and 74 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 2: forty seven years ago, the inventor of the telephone, the 75 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,840 Speaker 2: inventor of cable fiber, the first transcontinental phone call, the 76 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 2: first call to the moon, three G, four G, five G, 77 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 2: even the information theory was founded in AT and t's 78 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,720 Speaker 2: Bell Labs. And so we've got this incredibly rich legacy 79 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 2: of innovation and invention that has powered commerce across the 80 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 2: United States, that has changed human relations, that superpowered so 81 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 2: much of the innovation and the technology growth that we 82 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 2: saw in the early two thousands. So, on the one hand, 83 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 2: you've got this incredible legacy, and every single employee inside 84 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 2: of AT and T wants to live up to that legacy, 85 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 2: and we want to usher in the next great wave 86 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,239 Speaker 2: of innovation for the next one hundred and fifty years. 87 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:55,840 Speaker 2: But also you have to resist getting complacent. You can't 88 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 2: look backwards and take a victory lap again and again. 89 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 2: You have to push forward into the future. 90 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 3: Is there's still a legacy of the brand power of 91 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:08,039 Speaker 3: Bell Labs. I mean, when I was growing up, there 92 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 3: could not be a bigger name in technology and innovation 93 00:05:11,279 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 3: than Bell Labs. 94 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 2: You know, I'll tell you a funny little story, and 95 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 2: my dad actually worked at Bell Labs, and so I'd 96 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 2: heard about Bell Labs as a kid growing up. What's 97 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 2: been incredible since coming to AT and T is when 98 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 2: you meet with people who work in the labs. They 99 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:29,840 Speaker 2: are some of the finest academics and scholars in their universities, 100 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:33,040 Speaker 2: in their colleges, and they will tell you they contemplated 101 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 2: every big tech company and they wanted to come to 102 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 2: AT and T because they wanted to be part of 103 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:43,039 Speaker 2: Bell Labs. So I would say absolutely, if you look 104 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 2: at the incredible contributions that Bell Labs scientists, technologists have 105 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 2: made to our society, there is a tremendous amount of 106 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:52,479 Speaker 2: pride there. 107 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:56,719 Speaker 3: So you're a marketer who is not based in La 108 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 3: New York or San Francisco, but rather in Dallas. Just 109 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 3: being in real America give you and your marketers an edge. 110 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaker 2: Now, that's a great it's a great way of thinking out. 111 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 2: I always tell people. I'm a New Yorker living in Dallas, 112 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 2: supporting the Cowboys, eating the best tex mechs in the US, 113 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:17,800 Speaker 2: and wearing cowboy hats to the rodeo, and absolutely I 114 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 2: think it helps you get in touch with your customer base. 115 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 2: But even if you are a marketer living in LA 116 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 2: or San Francisco or New York, it is so crucial 117 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 2: that you spend time with the customers that you spend 118 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 2: time with frontline employees. That is the best lesson. One 119 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 2: of the most incredible experiences I've had at AT and 120 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:41,280 Speaker 2: T is we have these connection days for our employees 121 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,919 Speaker 2: that work at headquarters, and I actually went into people's 122 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 2: homes and installed fiber. You get to see the types 123 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:49,800 Speaker 2: of questions that customers have, from the very tech savvy 124 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 2: customers who want to do everything themselves, to the customers 125 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 2: that are much more reliant on the technicians that go 126 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 2: on premises. You get to see what it's like to 127 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:04,120 Speaker 2: actually wire fiber throughout a building that's got you one 128 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 2: thousand tenants. It's pretty extraordinary. 129 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 3: Well that's cool. So how has your past experience Microsoft, 130 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 3: cap One, Uber Hilton prepared you for this particular opportunity. 131 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 2: Gosh, I've had such incredible opportunities in my career. The 132 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:26,560 Speaker 2: thing I learned at Microsoft is that technology and technology 133 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 2: alone is not going to be the reason why somebody 134 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 2: adopts your product. I worked at Microsoft and the very 135 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 2: first product I worked on was Windows Vista. It was 136 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 2: one of the most highly anticipated technology products of its era. 137 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 2: I think it was five years in the making, people 138 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 2: everywhere or on the edge of their seats waiting to 139 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 2: see what Microsoft would release. You probably remember that when 140 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 2: we released it into the marketplace, it landed like a 141 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 2: nuclear thud ball bomb. It was a total bomb. And 142 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 2: what we learned in that time time was that we 143 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 2: had fallen in love with the technology and we had 144 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 2: forgotten about the most important person in the equation, and 145 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 2: that was the end user. We missed the consumerization of technology. 146 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,559 Speaker 2: We missed that the vast majority of our customers weren't 147 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 2: using ninety nine percent of the features that we put 148 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 2: in that operating system. That ultimately bloaded the operating system, 149 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 2: slowed it down and made it far less attractive. And 150 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 2: so the incredible lesson learned from Microsoft is focus on 151 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 2: the customer. I'd seen at times in my career, whether 152 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 2: it was teams I was on, or competitors I was 153 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 2: facing off against. Is when you obsess over the competition 154 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 2: instead of obsessing over the customer, you're going to get 155 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,400 Speaker 2: yourself into big trouble because if you're obsessing over the competition, 156 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:54,439 Speaker 2: all you can ever know is what they've already done. 157 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 2: You can't drive a car ninety miles an hour down 158 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 2: the road if you're looking in the rearview mirror, and 159 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 2: when you're studying the competition, you can only be looking backwards. 160 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,040 Speaker 3: It sounds like you probably did the same thing at 161 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 3: Cap one, Uber and Hilton two. A consumer focus seems 162 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 3: to be your hallmark. 163 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,440 Speaker 2: Oh thank you, Yeah, I would say at Capital one 164 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 2: we were incredibly, incredibly scientific about how we went to market, 165 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 2: and so we treated it as this just obsession with 166 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,080 Speaker 2: getting better and better. We had this learning mindset, this 167 00:09:27,160 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 2: growth mindset all throughout the company, so that test and 168 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 2: learn mentality was so critical. And of course when you're 169 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,440 Speaker 2: testing and learning, the ultimate guidepost is the customers. Are 170 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 2: the customers receptive to it? Are they buying it? Are 171 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 2: they upgrading? Are they telling other people about it? You 172 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:45,200 Speaker 2: get immediate feedback. The other thing that was incredible about 173 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:51,199 Speaker 2: Capital one is that that company found religion about building 174 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,320 Speaker 2: a brand through all of the testing and learning that 175 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 2: it did in performance marketing before performance marketing was even 176 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:01,960 Speaker 2: a word. And so, years and years ago, when Capital 177 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,360 Speaker 2: One was one of the largest customers of the US 178 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:08,960 Speaker 2: postal service, they ran a test a blank envelope with 179 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 2: no branding on it, and then an envelope that actually 180 00:10:11,960 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 2: had the Capital One logo on the outer left hand corner. 181 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:19,960 Speaker 2: And what they originally found was that the blank envelope 182 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:24,439 Speaker 2: outperformed the branded envelope. And right then and there, yeah, ouch, 183 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 2: and right then and there, the founder and CEO of 184 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:31,680 Speaker 2: Capital One, Rich Fairbank, said this is unacceptable. We have 185 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,439 Speaker 2: got to build this brand. And so that's when the 186 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 2: company really leaned into building awareness, building consideration, building familiarity, 187 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 2: and ultimately preference. 188 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 3: Interesting stuff. We keep going back to power of brand, brand, brand, 189 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:48,920 Speaker 3: even when we talk performance marketing. 190 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 2: So when I arrived at Uber, we were spending around 191 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 2: a billion dollars in performance marketing. However, what we started 192 00:10:56,640 --> 00:11:01,680 Speaker 2: to recognize was that the pipeline of true prospects where 193 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,960 Speaker 2: we were going to source that next great wave of 194 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,719 Speaker 2: growth was starting to elude us. And we did some 195 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 2: very rudimentary quick turn research based on hypotheses that some 196 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:14,120 Speaker 2: of us on the team had. Do you remember when 197 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 2: people say I'm going to call an uber? 198 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 3: Do you remember, Oh yeah, I sure do. 199 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 2: Right, So we did a survey and it turned out 200 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:23,040 Speaker 2: that eighty five percent of people who had never tried 201 00:11:23,160 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 2: Uber thought you literally called an uber. You picked up 202 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 2: the phone and tiled one eight hundred and five to 203 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 2: fyy five UBER. So we recognized that we had a 204 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 2: massive amount of education that we needed to do. So 205 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,680 Speaker 2: we recognized we needed to turn on more upper funnel 206 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 2: channels like radio, like TV, like digital video. And I 207 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,679 Speaker 2: cannot make this up. Within the first two weeks of 208 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:51,319 Speaker 2: turning on TV, all of the lower funnel performance vehicles 209 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:53,839 Speaker 2: were performing twenty seven percent better. 210 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:55,560 Speaker 3: I want to go back a little bit on what 211 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,920 Speaker 3: you're doing at at and T. Let's talk about the transformation. 212 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 3: It's a huge, huge company and by reputation, you would 213 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,200 Speaker 3: expect it to be more toward the bureaucratic the end 214 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:08,360 Speaker 3: of the spectrum. So how do you John Stanky and 215 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:12,120 Speaker 3: the rest of his team turn the battleship for transformation. 216 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,200 Speaker 2: One of the things that we recently did as a 217 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 2: company was we declared our purpose. We said, what is 218 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,680 Speaker 2: the epicenter of why we do everything that we do, 219 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 2: what motivates us? And we did a tremendous amount of 220 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 2: research across customers, employees, investors, historians, even people in adjacent industries. 221 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 2: We wanted to understand how they viewed AT and T, 222 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 2: where they felt that we had room and frankly, the 223 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 2: authority to play, but we also wanted to make sure 224 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 2: that it was a reflection of us on our very 225 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 2: best day, that it honored the folklore and the incredible 226 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 2: history of the company, but that it was ready to 227 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 2: take AT and T into the next several decades. And 228 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 2: so when we declared that purpose, which is to connect 229 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 2: people to greater possibility with expertise, simplicity and inspiration, we 230 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 2: paired that with a series of seven strategic imperatives, the 231 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 2: things that we knew we needed to do over the 232 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,320 Speaker 2: course of the next five to seven years to really 233 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 2: become famous for connecting people to greater possibility, to really 234 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 2: become the undisputed expert on connectivity. And then in addition 235 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:29,079 Speaker 2: to those strategic imperatives, we focused on the culture of 236 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:33,560 Speaker 2: the company. We declared our culture values. When you're working 237 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 2: inside of a legacy company. Having clarity of purpose but 238 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:41,520 Speaker 2: also having clarity of expectation on the culture you want 239 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 2: to build is so incredibly powerful. We talk about acting boldly, 240 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 2: not playing it safe, you know, not allowing yourself to 241 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:53,480 Speaker 2: take that victory lap and then get complacent, but continuing 242 00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:56,079 Speaker 2: to challenge yourself. And then if we're going to act boldly, 243 00:13:56,120 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 2: we need to move faster. So those four cultural values 244 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,600 Speaker 2: are guiding every action we take inside the company, and 245 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,559 Speaker 2: then we evaluate ourselves on how are we progressing against 246 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 2: those culture pillars. Each year we survey our employees, we 247 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 2: get their feedback and they don't hold back, and so 248 00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:17,400 Speaker 2: just keep pushing ourselves and pushing ourselves and pushing ourselves 249 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 2: to be the very best that we can be. 250 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 3: The world we live in is filled with messages for 251 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 3: consumers and across so many platforms. How do you break 252 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 3: through that? Are we back to the magic of reach 253 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 3: and frequency? 254 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 2: Gosh, when you look at the statistics, it is staggering. 255 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:43,480 Speaker 2: Customers are being bombarded with content. The last time I checked, 256 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,920 Speaker 2: I think the average person scrolls through at least a 257 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 2: football field and a half of content on their phone each. 258 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 3: Day the last time, like it to me. 259 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 2: I must say, I know the last time I checked, 260 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 2: the average personived over one hundred and fifty emails a 261 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:04,840 Speaker 2: day the last time I checked, And this one really 262 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 2: knocked me back in my seat. The amount of time 263 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 2: that the average consumer in the US spends on social 264 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,520 Speaker 2: media per day is over two hours. If we think 265 00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 2: about that in aggregate, that's over one full month a 266 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 2: year that people are now spending on a technology that 267 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:28,400 Speaker 2: fifteen to twenty years ago didn't even exist. The game 268 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 2: board is stacked differently now for marketers, the game board 269 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 2: is stacked differently for brands. So can we play the 270 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 2: game the same way that we played it fifteen twenty 271 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 2: years ago? Not a chance we won't be successful. You know, 272 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:43,880 Speaker 2: if the old measure was reach and frequency, that totally 273 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:48,520 Speaker 2: undermined the power of incredible creative at least at at 274 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:51,080 Speaker 2: and T we are really leaning into how do we 275 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 2: make sure that the quality of our creative is the 276 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 2: absolute best in industry, and how do we make sure 277 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:01,600 Speaker 2: that the media and sponsorships that we're engaging with are 278 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 2: the absolute premium. 279 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 3: Moral Math and Magic. Right after this quick break, welcome 280 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 3: back to Math and Magic. Let's hear more from my 281 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:20,000 Speaker 3: conversation with Kellen Kenny. I want to step back in 282 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 3: time a little bit. I want to put you in context, 283 00:16:23,440 --> 00:16:25,320 Speaker 3: tell us where you grew up, and paint a picture 284 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:26,480 Speaker 3: of that time and place. 285 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,600 Speaker 2: I grew up in a town called Brewster, New York. 286 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 2: It was the last stop on the Harlem line of 287 00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 2: Metro North, so there were absolutely friends of mine whose 288 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:41,520 Speaker 2: parents commuted into this city. The city was a place 289 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 2: that I went once or twice a year. Went to 290 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,880 Speaker 2: Brewster High School, where my graduating class was one hundred 291 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,880 Speaker 2: and eighty. I was a big time athlete, and as 292 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 2: you appropriately called out an athlete, I had fourteen varsity 293 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 2: letters by the time I graduated. So I come from 294 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 2: a law online of athletes, and I was always taught 295 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 2: that you got to work really hard, and if you 296 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 2: work hard enough, practice long enough, you can be successful. 297 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:13,960 Speaker 3: So how often did you eat at Red Rooster? 298 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 2: Okay, not only did I eat self served ice cream 299 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:22,800 Speaker 2: at Red Rooster in Brewster, but I also went mini 300 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 2: golfing at the Red Rooster. Have you ever gone mini 301 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:25,320 Speaker 2: golfing there? 302 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:27,679 Speaker 3: I have. I have when my oldest son was a 303 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:29,880 Speaker 3: little kid. And by the way, with a little kid, 304 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:32,840 Speaker 3: you've got to stop at Red Rooster. Just the drive 305 00:17:33,119 --> 00:17:35,440 Speaker 3: was how far to Red Rooster, not how far is 306 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:36,520 Speaker 3: it to where we're going. 307 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,640 Speaker 2: Well, I got to tell you I never took off 308 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 2: as a golfer, and I blame the mini golf course 309 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 2: at the Red Rooster because that windmill obstacle. It got 310 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:48,240 Speaker 2: me every time. 311 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 3: So talk a little bit about your parents. You mentioned 312 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 3: them earlier. What impact did they have on you? 313 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:57,960 Speaker 2: Well, my parents were definitely my heroes growing up. They 314 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:05,000 Speaker 2: were both incredibly kind, loving, supportive, but they set a 315 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 2: really high bar for their one and only child. I 316 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:10,880 Speaker 2: threw my hat into the ring for everything class president, 317 00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:15,119 Speaker 2: you know, varsity sports, varsity society, national honor society, if 318 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:17,399 Speaker 2: there was a club, I wanted to raise my hand 319 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:20,679 Speaker 2: and be a part of it. But my mom, she 320 00:18:20,800 --> 00:18:24,199 Speaker 2: started her career as a nurse. She then went on 321 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 2: to lead out patient services for one of the largest 322 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:29,960 Speaker 2: hospitals in the state of New York. It was White 323 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:33,199 Speaker 2: Plains Hospital. At the time, she had an organization of 324 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 2: a thousand people, and every once in a while, and 325 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:37,880 Speaker 2: I would have a day off from school, she'd bring 326 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,879 Speaker 2: me into the office and I would do administrative task 327 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 2: like filing and I remember thinking, Wow, the people in 328 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 2: the hospital, they really respect my mom. She was kind 329 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,000 Speaker 2: to everyone. Everybody greeted her with a smile, but you 330 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 2: could also tell that she meant business. She was tough, 331 00:18:56,320 --> 00:19:00,639 Speaker 2: but a huge inspiration. And then my father, who I 332 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 2: had mentioned, worked at Bell Labs. He actually worked at 333 00:19:03,640 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 2: Bell Labs after his stint with the Boston Red Sox, 334 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:10,639 Speaker 2: so he was a professional pitcher in the Major Leagues 335 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 2: for the Red Sox. And his nickname when he was 336 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,240 Speaker 2: pitching for the Red Sox was college Boy, because at 337 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 2: the time, a lot of professional baseball players actually didn't 338 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:23,400 Speaker 2: go to college. And not only did he go to college, 339 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,480 Speaker 2: but he was getting his master's degree at the University 340 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:30,280 Speaker 2: of Southern cal in the off season, so obviously he 341 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:34,720 Speaker 2: really valued education. He went on to work at Bell 342 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:37,200 Speaker 2: Labs and then he went on to become a teacher. 343 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 2: But he was always my number one coach. So every 344 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 2: sport I ever played, my personal coach was my dad. 345 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:48,800 Speaker 2: He just loved sport, he loved competition, and he was 346 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 2: an incredible motivating factor all throughout my life. 347 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,920 Speaker 3: So let's talk about college. You went to college at Colgate, 348 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:57,480 Speaker 3: Why there and what did you study? 349 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:00,680 Speaker 2: So I started off as a math major. I then 350 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,680 Speaker 2: migrated over to computer science. I ended up minoring in 351 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 2: computer science but really falling in love with economics, so 352 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 2: I majored in economics. And one of the coolest things 353 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:12,400 Speaker 2: I did when I was at Colgate was I went 354 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:15,479 Speaker 2: on the London Economics Study Group and we got to 355 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,280 Speaker 2: do incredible programs with the London School of Economics. We 356 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 2: had economists for her Magistry's Treasury coming in and doing 357 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 2: independent study with us. 358 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:27,639 Speaker 3: You went on to be a tech consultant, then went 359 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 3: to Northwestern for business school. What foundations did those experience 360 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:32,399 Speaker 3: give you? 361 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 2: I had an important realization that I wanted to be 362 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 2: closer to the customer. While I loved the work that 363 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:42,639 Speaker 2: I was doing as a technology consultant, I loved the 364 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:46,760 Speaker 2: intellectual rigor of it, what I missed was the feeling 365 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 2: that I was impacting something directly. And I would say 366 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 2: as a pretty young professional, I began to form my 367 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:57,919 Speaker 2: values as an individual. And I always say that the 368 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,680 Speaker 2: eyes of Kellen are I want to have an impact. 369 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 2: I want to drive real innovation, and I want to 370 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,520 Speaker 2: do all of that with integrity. My personal motto is 371 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 2: that the view is better from the high road. Then 372 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 2: I went on to Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, where 373 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:17,919 Speaker 2: the program was famous for being student led, and I 374 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 2: didn't really know what that meant before I got there, 375 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,280 Speaker 2: But what I realized was they expected you to form 376 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 2: your committees. They expected you and your co students to 377 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,919 Speaker 2: run every one of those committees, to decide on the strategy, 378 00:21:34,080 --> 00:21:38,120 Speaker 2: to define the execution, plan, to operate to raise the funds. 379 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:41,880 Speaker 2: We really were self governed, and that was so important 380 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 2: because for the first time in my career, I was 381 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,119 Speaker 2: working with people who had very, very different backgrounds from me. 382 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,359 Speaker 2: And what I originally thought when I went into business 383 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 2: school is this is taking longer we have to We're 384 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:57,159 Speaker 2: wasting all this time figuring out how we want to 385 00:21:57,160 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 2: work together. That was sort of my going in assumption 386 00:21:59,840 --> 00:22:02,359 Speaker 2: for the first two three weeks at business school, I'll 387 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 2: just do it, it'll go faster. And then within four 388 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 2: or five weeks I realized, Kellen, you idiot. The collective 389 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:12,840 Speaker 2: wisdom of this group of four or five or seven 390 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 2: people is truly transformative. And one thing that I kind 391 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:21,679 Speaker 2: of beat myself up about was I had always played 392 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 2: team sports, I had always played softball, I had always 393 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 2: been on basketball teams growing up. Why did it take 394 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,960 Speaker 2: me so long to figure out that the working world, 395 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,200 Speaker 2: the professional world, was a team sport too. 396 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 3: You know, it's interesting. We talked to a lot of 397 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:37,720 Speaker 3: people in mathem Magic, and I think that's probably one 398 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 3: of the common elements that comes through is teams when 399 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 3: people don't and the people who build great teams are 400 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:47,480 Speaker 3: the big, big winners here. It's interesting looking at your 401 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:49,399 Speaker 3: career and you know it's going through the research. I 402 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,000 Speaker 3: was sort of fascinated by the fact that, you know, 403 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:58,159 Speaker 3: and Microsoft, cap One Uber you were building had extra money. 404 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:00,479 Speaker 3: They have plenty of money to put at it. And 405 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 3: then at Hilton you were dealing with a situation that 406 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:07,960 Speaker 3: had big cutbacks and heag count and spending. Yet you 407 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 3: won there as well. So clearly it wasn't how BIG's 408 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,560 Speaker 3: my budget? How many people do I have? What was 409 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:17,800 Speaker 3: common about those challenges you had? 410 00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:24,040 Speaker 2: Well, one of the most galvanizing conversations I had related 411 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 2: to Hilton happened before I joined. I was sitting down 412 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:35,679 Speaker 2: with Christmasta, the CEO, and he was passionately speaking to 413 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 2: the power of brand. He said the last two remaining 414 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 2: loose ends that he wanted to tie up was around 415 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 2: technology and brand, and he said, how is Hilton going 416 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:49,199 Speaker 2: to achieve its full potential? How is Hilton going to 417 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:54,000 Speaker 2: leave the legacy that it deserves if you're a franchise 418 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:56,439 Speaker 2: company and you don't have world class technology and you 419 00:23:56,440 --> 00:24:00,280 Speaker 2: don't have world class brand and marketing. And so I 420 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:03,679 Speaker 2: could see even before I started. Frankly, we were just 421 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 2: having a conversation. I wasn't even applying for the job, 422 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:09,719 Speaker 2: but I could see that he was dead serious about 423 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:15,280 Speaker 2: investing in Hilton's future, and he had incredible natural instincts 424 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,080 Speaker 2: about where to take marketing and where to take the brand. 425 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:23,360 Speaker 2: The ambition inside the company was really inspiring. And one 426 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:25,959 Speaker 2: of the things that I found inside of Hilton that 427 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:30,520 Speaker 2: was such a secret weapon was the culture of hospitality, 428 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:34,240 Speaker 2: the customer focus, and the entrepreneurial spirit of making sure 429 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 2: that every single customer's stay was a type of momentum 430 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 2: that I was able to leverage coming in and doing marketing. 431 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 2: That was another example of a company where we needed 432 00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:47,800 Speaker 2: to define the purpose. It was another example of the 433 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 2: company where we had an incredible, rich legacy. We were 434 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 2: able to, again through experimentation and learning agendas, get to 435 00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:58,520 Speaker 2: a place where we were much more efficient. 436 00:24:59,040 --> 00:25:01,360 Speaker 3: You've got a pretty high perch in the world of business. 437 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,840 Speaker 3: How should we think about companies' responsibilities and even imperative 438 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 3: to help the world be a better place? And what 439 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:10,960 Speaker 3: should we do and what should we not do. 440 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:13,760 Speaker 2: One of the things that's been inspiring to me about 441 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:17,360 Speaker 2: AT and T is that the company has a legacy 442 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 2: of doing the right thing, stepping up when we recognize that, hey, 443 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 2: there is a digital divide forming in society. The kids 444 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 2: who have access to computers can do their homework, and 445 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 2: the kids who don't can't do their homework. And so 446 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,040 Speaker 2: I would say so many of the lessons that I've 447 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 2: learned throughout my career in terms of doing the right 448 00:25:38,119 --> 00:25:42,600 Speaker 2: thing the responsibility of businesses have really been epitomized by 449 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:46,800 Speaker 2: the stances that AT and T is taking. I absolutely 450 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,720 Speaker 2: believe that companies need to do good in the world, 451 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 2: and that doing good in the world is motivating to employees. 452 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 2: It attracts customers to you, it attracts investors to you. 453 00:25:57,000 --> 00:25:59,840 Speaker 2: Over the course of the past three years, we've deployed 454 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,439 Speaker 2: over two billion dollars to help close that gap, and 455 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 2: we identify the gap as people who either don't have 456 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:12,040 Speaker 2: access to it because they're in a community that is 457 00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 2: so rural that it's underserved, or to people who technically 458 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:19,880 Speaker 2: they do have access, but it's not affordable to them. 459 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 2: And AT and T is trying to fight the pressures 460 00:26:24,119 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 2: on both ends because we recognize that if we want 461 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 2: to have a brighter future as a society and as 462 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:34,920 Speaker 2: a country, we need our children the leaders of tomorrow. 463 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 2: We need those students to have access to technologies so 464 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:40,080 Speaker 2: that they can do their homework, that they can continue 465 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:40,520 Speaker 2: to learn. 466 00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:45,480 Speaker 3: I will give AT and T a nod. In Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 467 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 3: when I was elementary school, AT and T brought things 468 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:53,360 Speaker 3: to our elementary school assembly and I still remember them 469 00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:55,880 Speaker 3: bringing in I guess it was in the air of Sputnik. 470 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 3: They brought in was at the Vanguard satellite or brought 471 00:26:58,359 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 3: in some presentation, little model of it and showed it 472 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:04,760 Speaker 3: to these kids in this little town. And I was 473 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:08,080 Speaker 3: a science kid, and it was like changed my life. 474 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 3: And I'm sure at that moment it was the same thing. 475 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,560 Speaker 3: It was that sort of continuing community outreach and trying 476 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 3: to build the next generation. So let me move back 477 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:21,880 Speaker 3: to you. You've had great successes people who know you well, 478 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 3: friends of ours. The one word everybody uses is humble. 479 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 3: How do you keep your ego in check when you've 480 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:30,160 Speaker 3: had all these successes? 481 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,240 Speaker 2: First of all, being described as humble is a real compliment, 482 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,880 Speaker 2: So thank you for passing that along. I appreciate it. 483 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 2: I truly want to be seen as somebody who is 484 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:46,320 Speaker 2: both humble and confident. And part of where my humility 485 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:52,120 Speaker 2: comes from is if you're surrounded by extraordinary people, extraordinary 486 00:27:52,119 --> 00:27:57,040 Speaker 2: friends and extraordinary family, extraordinary coworkers, it is humbling. Every 487 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 2: time I'm in a relationship with a coworker or a mentor, 488 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 2: I am tracking all of the things that they do 489 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:09,680 Speaker 2: that really impress me, and I want to be more 490 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,840 Speaker 2: like them. And so there's rarely a person that I 491 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,520 Speaker 2: come across that I don't think X, Y, and Z 492 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:17,679 Speaker 2: are the things I admire about that person, and I 493 00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 2: wish I could be more like that. And so I'm 494 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 2: constantly thinking about where I want to go, not what 495 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,159 Speaker 2: I've accomplished. I'm constantly thinking about what I can do 496 00:28:28,280 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 2: to be better, not what I've done that makes me good. 497 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:34,480 Speaker 2: And by the way, that's probably a byproduct of being 498 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 2: raised by parents who had an incredibly high bar that 499 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:41,080 Speaker 2: kept on rising. So I just focus on where the 500 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 2: bar is rising, not the bars that I've already leaped over. 501 00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 3: I think it probably goes back to that mini golf 502 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 3: course at Red Rooster, that humbling experience of the windmill. 503 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 3: Let's talk about work life balance. Any advice on that. 504 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 3: You got a family, You obviously have a rich mosaic, 505 00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:01,880 Speaker 3: a friend ships. How do you make that work? 506 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,760 Speaker 2: That is a question that keeps me humble. My family 507 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:08,480 Speaker 2: is an incredible priority for me. I was asked a 508 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:11,080 Speaker 2: question the other day and they said, how do you 509 00:29:11,120 --> 00:29:13,560 Speaker 2: stay grounded? I'm like, well, if you have an eleven 510 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 2: year old daughter, she's going to keep you grounded. She's 511 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 2: going to put you right in your place every day. 512 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:22,600 Speaker 2: Same thing with my eight year old daughter. But no 513 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:26,080 Speaker 2: balance for me is making sure that I'm there at 514 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,920 Speaker 2: the school concerts, making sure that I'm there to help 515 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:31,640 Speaker 2: with homework, making sure that I'm there to cheer them 516 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:37,240 Speaker 2: on when they're starring in an production of The Jungle 517 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 2: Book or Cat and the Hat. We talked about this earlier. 518 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 2: I'm not someone who can cook. I don't get home 519 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,280 Speaker 2: and whip up a meal. I outsource that, but I 520 00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:49,640 Speaker 2: do try to be present when I'm home. I do 521 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 2: try to make sure that the weekends are as sacred 522 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:55,920 Speaker 2: as humanly possible for family. I do try to make 523 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 2: it home to tuck the kids into bed every night. 524 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 2: I used to sing them lullabies almost every night, but 525 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 2: I was told by my eleven year old that that 526 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 2: is totally uncool and now unacceptable. But yeah, it's just 527 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,880 Speaker 2: making time for the moments that really matter, prioritizing time 528 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,719 Speaker 2: on vacation and then with work. I'll be honest, I'm 529 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,720 Speaker 2: not the best at not letting it encroach on life 530 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 2: outside of work, but at least when the kids are awake, 531 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:23,880 Speaker 2: I try to be with them. It's after they go 532 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:25,520 Speaker 2: to bed that I hop back on the phone or 533 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:28,480 Speaker 2: the iPad or the computer and bang out work or 534 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:31,120 Speaker 2: even take work calls. The one thing I will say 535 00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 2: as a leader that I am very proud and think 536 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,760 Speaker 2: I've done well, is I really honor my team members 537 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 2: their time with their families. I don't ever, unless it 538 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 2: is a true emergency, I don't ever send them a 539 00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 2: text or an email on the weekend. I always am 540 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 2: very respectful about things they're doing in the evening, and 541 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 2: so I think modeling it with your direct reports. Making 542 00:30:55,400 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 2: sure that people on your team know that you really 543 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,240 Speaker 2: respect their time is another way. 544 00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:04,960 Speaker 3: Do you think that that experience you had with your mom, 545 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 3: where you went to work with her and saw her 546 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:11,440 Speaker 3: working and participated in her work helped you understand that 547 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 3: sort of work life integration that families have. 548 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:20,520 Speaker 2: Oh? Absolutely, so. I saw a woman who was the 549 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 2: epitome of work hard, play hard. There was no one 550 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:29,520 Speaker 2: more diligent. There was no one more focused on making 551 00:31:29,560 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 2: sure her patients had excellent, excellent care. There was no 552 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 2: one more focused on making sure that when she had 553 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:39,320 Speaker 2: her state reviews that she came back and got a 554 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,240 Speaker 2: perfect score again, because that was a reflection of the 555 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:45,560 Speaker 2: type of care that they were offering their patients. But 556 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:49,440 Speaker 2: also she was a wonderful leader. But it didn't end there. 557 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 2: She was an incredible mother. She came to all my 558 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 2: softball games, tennis matches, ski races. She literally would bundle up, 559 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 2: walk up the side of mountains, you know, in the 560 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 2: middle of a blizzard if it meant importing me. So 561 00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:04,840 Speaker 2: she was an incredible example. But not only that, she 562 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 2: had a rich life. She had wonderful friends, She played 563 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:12,959 Speaker 2: tennis herself, and she competed. So I saw a woman 564 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 2: who worked incredibly hard but led a very rich life 565 00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 2: with family and friends. She was an incredible example to me. 566 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 3: So let me ask one more personal question. If you 567 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:27,080 Speaker 3: could go back in time and give your twenty one 568 00:32:27,160 --> 00:32:30,080 Speaker 3: year old self some advice, what would that advice be. 569 00:32:30,080 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 2: Believe in yourself and continue to challenge the status quo. 570 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 2: Don't accept that because somebody has tried it before and 571 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 2: it's not been successful, that it can't work out for you. 572 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 2: Be the type of person that other people want to 573 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:51,239 Speaker 2: be around. Be the type of leader that brings out 574 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 2: the very best in those around you. Extend trust, create 575 00:32:56,920 --> 00:33:00,640 Speaker 2: a psychologically safe environment for everyone you work with, because 576 00:33:00,640 --> 00:33:02,760 Speaker 2: that's when people do their absolute best work. 577 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 3: We end each episode of Math and Magic with a 578 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 3: shout out to the greats on both ends of the 579 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:12,000 Speaker 3: spectrum of marketing. The math folks, those who use the 580 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:15,440 Speaker 3: analytics as their secret weapon, and the magicians, those who 581 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:19,120 Speaker 3: use that sort of raw creativity and showmanship, who get 582 00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:21,320 Speaker 3: your shout out for each So my. 583 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:25,440 Speaker 2: Shout out on the math and science side Adam Grant. 584 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:28,760 Speaker 2: I actually had the opportunity to interview him at a 585 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 2: marketing town Hall a couple of years ago, right after 586 00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:35,800 Speaker 2: he had written the book Think Again, and in my 587 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 2: humble opinion, it is the best business book of our generation. 588 00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:47,239 Speaker 2: He systematically and scientifically illustrated the difference between companies and 589 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 2: individuals that approach their work like scientists, with humility, curiosity, 590 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:56,440 Speaker 2: a bias for learning. They challenge their assumptions versus the 591 00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:58,960 Speaker 2: people who are trapped in that over confidence cycle of 592 00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 2: hubris and arrogant and confirmation bias. And I read that 593 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:06,040 Speaker 2: book and I thought, oh my gosh, everybody needs to 594 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:06,440 Speaker 2: read this. 595 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:09,279 Speaker 3: Okay, on the magician side, who gets it? 596 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:11,480 Speaker 2: Okay, I'm going to give it up to my girl, 597 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 2: Reese Witherspoon. 598 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:14,680 Speaker 3: Wow, I know so. 599 00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 2: A couple of months ago, I had an opportunity to 600 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 2: interview Reese and Jennifer Garner and Mindy Kayling at the 601 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:24,840 Speaker 2: inaugural Shine Away connected by AT and T event in 602 00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:30,200 Speaker 2: La and Reese really does have that magic touch. In 603 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:35,200 Speaker 2: addition to being a brilliant business woman with an insatiable 604 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:38,600 Speaker 2: appetite for books, it seems that every project she touches 605 00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:43,080 Speaker 2: turns to gold. Her formula of championing the creative work 606 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:47,080 Speaker 2: of women is producing staggering results. I know this because 607 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:49,880 Speaker 2: I prepared for the interview, but at the time, over 608 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:53,440 Speaker 2: sixty of Reese's book clubs picks had landed on the 609 00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:56,719 Speaker 2: New York Times bestseller List. She had fifteen wins. I 610 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 2: believe it was across Emmy's SAG and Golden globes. Not 611 00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:03,040 Speaker 2: to mention, you know some of my very favorite content 612 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:05,719 Speaker 2: of the year and over the past few years. My 613 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:07,240 Speaker 2: shout out goes to Reese Weatherspoon. 614 00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:12,000 Speaker 3: Wow. That's great, Kellen. Really a great conversation, and sadly 615 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:15,799 Speaker 3: we just scratched the surface. But thanks for the insights, 616 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:18,960 Speaker 3: stories and advice, and most of all, congrats on your 617 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 3: amazing successes. 618 00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:23,760 Speaker 2: Well, thank you so much. It is an incredible honor 619 00:35:23,800 --> 00:35:24,960 Speaker 2: to be interviewed by you. 620 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:31,880 Speaker 3: Here are a few things I picked up from my 621 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:36,280 Speaker 3: conversation with Kellen. One, get on the ground. You need 622 00:35:36,280 --> 00:35:39,080 Speaker 3: to know your consumer to know what they want, but 623 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:42,279 Speaker 3: you never will unless you meet them head on. Get 624 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:45,200 Speaker 3: out from behind your desk and seek out experience as 625 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 3: you usually wouldn't be in be in the focus room, 626 00:35:48,320 --> 00:35:51,719 Speaker 3: get on the retail floor, our visit customers' homes with 627 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:55,800 Speaker 3: technicians like Kellen did. The more you know, the better 628 00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:01,520 Speaker 3: your product will be. Two, your brand is whether you're 629 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:04,480 Speaker 3: a startup or an iconic company like AT and T, 630 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:07,520 Speaker 3: the most important thing to do as a marketer is 631 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 3: to build a strong brand identity. Make sure the public 632 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:13,799 Speaker 3: knows who you are and what your brand stands for. 633 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:18,400 Speaker 3: That familiarity will bring trust, and trust will bring a 634 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:23,720 Speaker 3: loyal consumer base. Three. Work as a team sport in business. 635 00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:26,719 Speaker 3: Your greatest tool is the people around you. When a 636 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:30,399 Speaker 3: team really works together, their diversity of experience will bring 637 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 3: about more creative solutions and build something unique. I'm Bob Pittman. 638 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:36,760 Speaker 3: Thanks for listening. 639 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:50,400 Speaker 1: That's it for today's episode. Thanks so much for listening 640 00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:53,799 Speaker 1: to Math and Magic, a production of iHeart Podcasts. The 641 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:56,800 Speaker 1: show is hosted by Bob Pittman. Special thanks to Sidney 642 00:36:56,840 --> 00:37:00,720 Speaker 1: Rosenblut for booking and wrangling our wonderful talent. Small Feet 643 00:37:01,280 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 1: Mathematics producers are Emily Meronoth and Jessica Crimechich. It is 644 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:08,920 Speaker 1: mixed and mastered by Bahed Fraser. Our executive producers are 645 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:11,959 Speaker 1: Nikki Etoor and Ali Perry, and of course a big 646 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,880 Speaker 1: thanks to Gail Raoul, Eric Angel Noel and everyone who 647 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,919 Speaker 1: helped bring this show to your ears until next time.