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00:00But partnering with an incredible creator like Greta Gerwig
00:02and allowing her to push the boundaries of what that was
00:06and being comfortable in that.
00:09I mean, you think back to the movie,
00:11there's so much of self-awareness, you know,
00:14about Mattel, about Barbie, about society.
00:25So, Claudia, let me start with you.
00:28You know, how do you know when it's time to evolve a brand,
00:31what the brand stands for, and how do you do it?
00:35Quickly.
00:37Fantastic. Thank you. Thank you, Todd.
00:39So, hello, everybody.
00:42I'm Claudia.
00:43I work for Philips, which, to your point, Todd,
00:46is a brand that has been around for centuries,
00:51135 years, actually, to be precise.
00:53And the critical point for legacy brands
00:57is not so much about reinventing yourself,
01:00it's how you can continue to interrogate yourself
01:04on how you're serving the deep human need
01:08at the center of your mission.
01:12We have always been about meaningful innovation,
01:16innovation that can provide trust and solutions for people.
01:21As you stay true to that promise
01:23and adapt your language to meet people where they are,
01:27then it is not about legacy.
01:29It's about continuous to stay relevant.
01:32Yeah.
01:33So, Roberto Mattel has successfully reintroduced
01:36some of these iconic brands, right?
01:39Barbie being one of the most amazing case studies there,
01:43where it appeals across generations.
01:46How do you think about evolving the brand
01:48and, you know, how do you avoid alienating people
01:51who are used to what it used to mean?
01:53You know what I mean?
01:54Yeah.
01:54Yeah.
01:55So, I think that's a central, you know,
01:57theme for brands that have really stood the test of time.
02:01And it's really that balance about being timeless
02:04and being timely.
02:06You know, take a brand like Barbie, for example.
02:09Barbie came out in 1959, right?
02:12So, as a reflection of what culture used to be in 1959,
02:17if generations of marketers and designers
02:21hadn't been bold to really understand
02:23what the trends were at the time,
02:26to evolve the brand while staying true
02:29to what made it authentic in the first place,
02:32Barbie wouldn't be here today, right?
02:33Not a lot of people know this,
02:35but if you actually search it online,
02:38the face of the Barbie doll has changed
02:41almost every 10 years during that time
02:44because it was reflecting the trends that you would see
02:48and how people were dressing,
02:51the hairstyles and everything else.
02:53And sometimes that can be scary, right?
02:55Like you're changing the image of your brand.
02:58Obviously, in hindsight,
03:00when you look at the history of 60 years,
03:03you're like, yeah, of course you should have done that.
03:04But in the moment, it's such a difficult decision.
03:07So, I think knowing who you are as a brand,
03:10knowing the purpose of your brand,
03:12staying true to your authenticity,
03:14but also knowing that there's a line
03:16that sometimes we are not willing to cross,
03:18but you have to bend it a little bit
03:21to drive true innovation.
03:22So, maybe if you each have an example
03:25of how do you push the envelope,
03:28like literally,
03:29and what's the next 10-year iteration for Barbie maybe?
03:32Well, I think it's interesting.
03:35You know, I think everybody knows the Barbie movie,
03:38watched the Barbie movie.
03:40I think that's the...
03:40Waiting for the sequel.
03:41Great, yeah.
03:42So are we.
03:43We are waiting for...
03:45Not waiting.
03:46What was great about it is that
03:47we had that line of what the brand stood for,
03:51but partnering with an incredible creator
03:53like Greta Gerwig
03:54and allowing her to push the boundaries
03:57of what that was
03:58and being comfortable in that.
04:01I mean, you think back to the movie,
04:03there was so much of self-awareness,
04:05you know, about Mattel,
04:07about Barbie, about society.
04:08That's what created
04:09the right cultural conversation
04:11and the right emotional connection.
04:13You have to be bold,
04:14but at the same time,
04:15knowing where to draw that line.
04:18So that was a moment
04:19when Barbie as a brand did evolve.
04:22And...
04:22Yeah, absolutely.
04:23It was, you said,
04:24like an atomic bomb going off
04:26in terms of fueling sales
04:28of the products themselves, right?
04:31A hundred percent.
04:31I mean, it was an incredible moment.
04:34I think, you know,
04:34probably everyone in this audience
04:35was dressing in pink at some point
04:38during that time.
04:38And it wasn't just about toys, right?
04:40And I think that that's what's powerful
04:42about our IP
04:42is that the emotional connection
04:45that it generates
04:46with every single one of you,
04:48be it Barbie,
04:48be it Hot Wheels,
04:49be it Uno or Thomas or Fisher-Price,
04:52it allows you to extend that,
04:55you know, brand beyond toys
04:57and into film and into publishing
04:59and location-based entertainment,
05:01really driving a flywheel
05:03that it's about the emotional aspect
05:05and the place that these brands
05:07can have in pop culture.
05:09So, Claudia, you know,
05:11Philips has this long-standing reputation
05:13of trust, innovation,
05:15being part of everyday people's lives,
05:18but the company has changed
05:20in the last several years, right?
05:23It's no longer light bulbs, right?
05:25It's not part of the company.
05:27No longer TVs.
05:29It's personal care.
05:31How do you...
05:32Did you have to re-educate people
05:33on what Philips stands for
05:36and what it means to them personally?
05:38Absolutely.
05:39And what Philips was created for
05:43was actually to democratize technology
05:46for a broader amount of people.
05:49So Philips did not invent the light bulb.
05:52They actually mass-produced it.
05:55So they were the first ones
05:56to have the light bulb idea
05:58to actually make light accessible
06:00to a great scale.
06:01And that credo is still that belief
06:04that you can, with ingenuity
06:07and also with trust and commitment,
06:10make technology accessible for a greater good
06:12is still something at the heart of what we do.
06:15Philips, over the past 10 years,
06:17has focused more on healthcare and wellness.
06:22And eventually, it's still that innovation
06:26of the service of better outcomes,
06:30better care for more people.
06:32And it's still defining how we look at
06:35how we bring innovation to life.
06:36So that core brand value, that stayed the same.
06:39Absolutely.
06:40And it has evolved as well as an ethos
06:44looking at how technology, for us,
06:47being so much part of our DNA,
06:49the founding fathers of Philips
06:54were actually two brothers.
06:55They actually bet their whole family money
06:58on the company,
06:59which is a beautiful statement
07:01and testament to the passion of that family.
07:06How you basically bring that back to life
07:08in what you do today is still critical
07:12and something that we use as well as a filter.
07:15If your innovation is not meaningful,
07:18so if you're launching new products,
07:20new iterations, just for the sake of new stuff,
07:24you are breaching the trust
07:25that the brothers have created.
07:28So that's almost the same with sacrilegious.
07:31Absolutely.
07:32Roberta, how would you sum up the Mattel brand ethos?
07:36Or is it a constellation of brands more or less?
07:40Yes, you know, obviously today,
07:43you know, Mattel is obviously a constellation
07:45of multiple, multiple brands.
07:47But I think if there is one thing
07:49that unifies all of those brands,
07:52it's really the sense of joy
07:54that it brings to everyone.
07:57Again, if I say the names of these brands out loud,
08:00as I just did before,
08:01like all of you were smiling
08:03because it's either bringing you back to your childhood
08:06or it's bringing you to somebody you love
08:09that interacts with those brands.
08:12So knowing that, you know,
08:15you have a responsibility as a brand owner
08:17to make sure that every single element of it,
08:21not just advertising,
08:22but products, experiences,
08:23are delivering, you know, on that promise.
08:27Earlier this week at the Canva Creative Cabana,
08:30we had the CMO of Lego,
08:31and she said,
08:32we are not a toy company.
08:34Is that true for Mattel?
08:36Yeah, we're also not a toy company.
08:38But you are a toy company.
08:39We are, but we are a joy company.
08:41Okay.
08:41There's so much more than that, you know.
08:43And again,
08:44I think that we've been taking enormous steps
08:49into expanding, you know,
08:52what that means.
08:54And we're, listen,
08:55I think we're a very unique IP holder
08:59in the constellation of IP holders
09:01because most of the IP
09:03that we tend to think about
09:05comes from movies
09:06and from content
09:07and from television.
09:08And what's special about Mattel
09:09is that the IP really emanates
09:11from toys.
09:13And that is such a deep connection.
09:16Like, if you think back again
09:17to your childhood,
09:19Mattel brands are probably
09:20some of the first brands
09:22that you absolutely obsessed over.
09:24Fisher-Price for me.
09:25And that you loved, right?
09:27And it was there
09:27every single moment of your day
09:29as you were playing.
09:31So, we think that the place
09:34that these brands have in culture
09:35is so much broader than just toys.
09:38And that's the evolution
09:40that we're seeing
09:40for the past few years
09:42as we're talking about
09:43becoming a brand-centric company,
09:46you know,
09:47because it's about
09:47this entire flywheel, right?
09:49Yeah.
09:50Of experiences and products.
09:52So, earlier, Roberto,
09:53we were talking
09:54and you talked about,
09:54you know,
09:55knowing how elastic
09:56your brand is,
09:57the brand elasticity.
09:59What's the, you know,
10:01what's the checklist here?
10:02And, Claudio,
10:03you can address this as well too,
10:05but how do you know
10:06when something is not a right fit?
10:08Is it just intuitive?
10:09Is there, you know,
10:11a rule of thumb
10:12that you follow?
10:13I mean,
10:14in a global organization,
10:15there's so many people
10:16that touch the brand
10:17plus agencies
10:17and all of that.
10:18I think you would need
10:19to have a very clear
10:21articulation
10:22of your brand foundation,
10:24right?
10:25What's your DNA?
10:26What's your purpose?
10:27You know,
10:28and have repetition
10:31with the organization
10:32in terms of who you are
10:33and who you are not,
10:35especially who you are not.
10:36And don't fall on the trap
10:38of just engaging
10:39in cultural conversation
10:41for the sake of engaging,
10:42just to get clicks,
10:44just to get engagement
10:45on socials.
10:46if you don't belong
10:48in that conversation.
10:50So I think to me,
10:52clarity of articulation
10:53is one of the most important things
10:54a brand owner can do.
10:55You know,
10:55and it just occurred to me
10:56this question of
10:58AI-generated memes
11:01of American Girl
11:02or Barbie
11:03or whatever, right?
11:04Is this problematic
11:06for the brand?
11:07Does it confuse people?
11:09And how do you address that?
11:11I think audiences today
11:12are a lot smarter
11:14than before.
11:15I think they know
11:17when it's something
11:18that is generated
11:20by the brand
11:21and when something is not.
11:23Obviously,
11:24there are some things
11:24that we can control,
11:26but we try to make sure
11:27that our brands
11:28have strong voices
11:29that our fans
11:31can recognize.
11:32Claudia,
11:33let me ask you,
11:34you know,
11:34how is AI changing
11:36the way you do
11:37your work?
11:39Is it an accelerant?
11:41Is it something
11:42you're experimenting with?
11:43What's the,
11:44where are the wins?
11:48First and foremost,
11:49I want to get back
11:51to something
11:51that Roberto said,
11:52which I loved.
11:54The fact that
11:54we are guardians
11:55of our brands.
11:57So,
11:58I didn't invent Philips.
11:59I don't think
12:00you invented Battelle.
12:01we are incredibly fortunate
12:03as marketeers
12:04to inherit
12:06this wealth
12:07that is given
12:09to us
12:10and to our teams
12:11and continue
12:12that journey.
12:13I loved engaging
12:14with you.
12:15Before,
12:15you were saying
12:15that you were using
12:16Philips event
12:17as a dad.
12:18I absolutely
12:19recognized
12:20the beautiful brands
12:22of my childhood.
12:23Isn't that
12:24incredibly powerful?
12:26So,
12:26I just wanted
12:27to get back
12:27to that
12:27because it also
12:29brings us back
12:29to how the world
12:30of marketing,
12:31the job of the marketeer
12:33is changing
12:33with AI.
12:35Okay.
12:36And the interesting
12:38point is
12:40how it is changing
12:41the consumer experience
12:42journey.
12:42How are people
12:43discovering brands
12:45in a different way?
12:46we can indeed
12:48think about
12:48how AI
12:49can enable you
12:50in terms of content,
12:52in terms of media,
12:52but the more exciting
12:54part,
12:54at least for me,
12:56is how your brand,
12:58especially if your brand
13:00has been around
13:00for a while,
13:02can still be loved
13:03by humans
13:04and read
13:06by machines.
13:07So,
13:07how can you still
13:09resonate
13:09at emotional
13:11level
13:12with people
13:13like us
13:14and as well
13:15be read
13:15by machines?
13:16and the currency
13:18of trust,
13:20the legacy,
13:21the ability
13:23to stay true
13:24to yourself
13:24and keep
13:25that promise
13:26with your audience,
13:29with your users,
13:30is a constant
13:32that in whatever
13:34evolution of AI
13:35will actually determine
13:37how people
13:38will continue
13:39to discover
13:40and enjoy your dream.
13:41Yeah,
13:41good point.
13:42Roberto,
13:42what do you think?
13:43how is the role
13:44of the CMO
13:45going to change
13:46in the AI era
13:47in the next
13:49two to five years?
13:50Is it a step change?
13:53Absolutely.
13:54Absolutely
13:54it's a step change.
13:55I think there's
13:56so many layers
13:57to unpack.
13:58one that people
14:00don't talk a lot
14:01about is
14:01I think
14:03as CMOs
14:03we have now
14:04a role
14:05to educate
14:06parts of our
14:07organization
14:08in terms of
14:09the opportunity
14:10behind
14:12what AI
14:13can provide,
14:15including our
14:16own teams.
14:16I think oftentimes,
14:18and we don't talk
14:18about this enough,
14:21AI is something
14:23that we're expecting
14:23people to just
14:25understand
14:26and experiment
14:26on
14:27and figure out
14:28but I do think
14:29that AI literacy
14:31is something
14:33that is very important
14:33that we need
14:34to be talking about
14:35and how are companies
14:36preparing
14:36their workforce
14:37to be part
14:41of what's coming
14:41because the expectations
14:43are going to change
14:44and there's something
14:45that I think
14:47we don't talk
14:47enough about
14:48which is the
14:49importance of taste
14:50and how is that
14:52going to become
14:54more of a critical
14:56skill set
14:57in this area
14:58of AI
14:58because the technical
15:00aspect is going
15:00to be leveled.
15:02Whether or not
15:02you have great judgment
15:03and whether or not
15:04you have great taste
15:05is going to be critical
15:07for creative work
15:08specifically.
15:09AI can't buy
15:10good taste.
15:11Is that what I'm hearing?
15:12I don't think so.
15:13Well,
15:14last question
15:14for each of you.
15:16Maybe if you can
15:16provide an example
15:18of maybe
15:19a marketing message
15:21or a brand tweak
15:22that was surprising
15:24to the audience
15:25that paid dividends
15:26in terms of like
15:28this is what
15:29the brand stands for.
15:31I don't know
15:31if it's Sonicare
15:32or Avant.
15:34Is there a campaign
15:36that stands out?
15:38You mean
15:39something that surprised
15:40our audiences
15:41but like
15:42to the brand.
15:43I will take
15:44the example of
15:46if I can
15:47two examples
15:47very quickly.
15:49One example
15:50is indeed
15:51the one
15:51that we were
15:51talking about.
15:52Philips Avent
15:53is such
15:54a beautiful
15:56brand
15:57and it has
15:58such a beautiful DNA
16:00it was invented
16:01by a dad.
16:02It was invented
16:03the Avent bottle
16:04was actually
16:05the invention
16:05of a dad
16:06who wanted
16:07to be
16:07more helpful
16:09towards his wife.
16:10We had
16:11this incredibly
16:14profound truth
16:15hidden somewhere
16:16in our history
16:17and all of a sudden
16:19we actually
16:19look back at it
16:20and it's like
16:21this is what
16:21the brand stands for
16:22so we
16:23brought it back
16:25as not just
16:26a campaign
16:26but as our
16:27platform for
16:28Philips Avent
16:29shared the care
16:30from the founding
16:32father of
16:33Philips Avent
16:33so that was
16:34actually something
16:35that didn't
16:37surprise the audiences
16:38but surprised us
16:39in the sense
16:40of sometimes
16:41you need to
16:42interrogate
16:43your brand
16:44and you might
16:44find better
16:45answers there
16:46than new
16:48ideas
16:48and generation
16:50and another
16:51good example
16:52for me
16:52is OneBlade
16:53Philips OneBlade
16:54it is
16:55one of our
16:56legacy
16:58invention
16:58our
16:59shavers
17:00are absolutely
17:01our pride
17:02and joy
17:02we have
17:02100 years
17:03of history
17:04of that
17:04but the way
17:06we have been
17:07able to bring
17:08it to life
17:08for Gen Z
17:11the product
17:12function is
17:12still the same
17:13no nicks
17:14no cuts
17:15it is actually
17:16a very safe
17:17performing product
17:18but giving you
17:20the confidence
17:21of stepping
17:23into that
17:23adulthood
17:24was actually
17:26the way
17:26by which
17:27once again
17:28a well known
17:29brand
17:29got a complete
17:31new meaning
17:32for our audiences
17:33yeah Roberto
17:34go ahead
17:34yeah so
17:35I think the
17:36example that
17:37I would give
17:37something unexpected
17:39was our
17:40presence for
17:41Barbie in
17:43Coachella
17:43this year
17:44Coachella
17:45Coachella
17:45okay
17:45you would say
17:46like what
17:47is Barbie
17:47doing in
17:48Coachella
17:48makes sense
17:49though
17:49it does
17:50and not only
17:51it did
17:51like people
17:52you know
17:53the Gen Z
17:53audience there
17:54was so
17:56incredibly
17:56impacted
17:57by the fact
17:58that you had
17:58this Barbie
17:59presence
18:00as a matter
18:00of fact
18:01our line
18:02at one point
18:02was three
18:03and a half
18:03hours long
18:04for people
18:05to come
18:05and experience
18:06you know
18:07the Barbie
18:08activation
18:08and to do
18:10the you know
18:10a keychain
18:12bracelet for them
18:13to put in
18:13their purse
18:13that we created
18:14so you would
18:16think about
18:16like why
18:17does this
18:18resonate so
18:18much with
18:19that audience
18:20and it was
18:20surprising
18:22first of all
18:23everyone has
18:24an innate
18:25affinity
18:26with these
18:27brands
18:27again
18:27the connections
18:28are built
18:30when they
18:30were kids
18:31but
18:32the fact
18:33that we
18:33were there
18:34with an
18:34authentic
18:35experiential
18:35experience
18:36connected
18:36to the
18:37festival
18:37and what
18:38the festival
18:38meant
18:40just allowed
18:41us to
18:42have significant
18:43appeal to
18:44that audience
18:44I really
18:45believe that
18:46experiential
18:47right now
18:48is one
18:49of the
18:49most
18:50underrated
18:51secrets
18:52of marketing
18:54because
18:54we're at
18:55an experiential
18:56event right
18:56now
18:57exactly
18:57but we
18:57tend to
18:58focus so
18:58much on
18:58measurement
18:59and metrics
19:00and performance
19:01especially in a week
19:02like this
19:03and at the end
19:04of the day
19:04experiential
19:05is giving
19:07especially the
19:08new generation
19:08something that
19:09they crave
19:09which is
19:10real connection
19:12but at the
19:13same time
19:13the ability
19:15to share
19:15and to
19:16make it
19:16be seen
19:17by many
19:17so it's
19:18an incredible
19:19type of
19:19action
19:20so how
19:20just quickly
19:20were you able
19:21to measure
19:22Barbie at
19:22Coachella
19:23in any way
19:23yeah
19:24I mean
19:24we were
19:25the most
19:26talked about
19:26brand
19:26at Coachella
19:27our impressions
19:28were incredible
19:29the growth
19:30in our social
19:31handles
19:31and right
19:32after that
19:33we followed
19:34it up
19:34with a
19:35collection
19:35collaboration
19:36with
19:36Addicted
19:37which is
19:38one of the
19:38fastest growing
19:39fashion
19:39brands
19:40for Gen Z
19:41which did
19:42phenomenal
19:42as well
19:43and then
19:44other activations
19:45that have
19:46launched
19:47and are
19:47following
19:48so
19:48it's been
19:49an incredible
19:50foray
19:51into that
19:51audience
19:51that's the goal
19:52right
19:52surprise and
19:53delight
19:53well Roberto
19:55Claudia
19:55thank you so
19:56much
19:56very good
19:57conversation
19:57thank you
19:58all for
19:58sitting with
19:59us on
20:00this
20:00thank you
20:01thank you
20:02afternoon
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