BRAVE COMMERCE

Beko Europe’s Marco Brucato on Scaling eCommerce Without Losing Local Relevance

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Marco Brucato, Head of eCommerce Europe - DTC Transformation at Beko Europe.Marco shares how he’s scaled digital commerce across diverse European markets by applying a “freedom within a frame” mindset, centralizing strategy, governance, and KPIs while empowering local teams to adapt for cultural nuance and shopper expectations.He breaks down what it takes to make transformation stick inside large organizations, from securing leadership buy-in to making the cost of inaction tangible. Marco also explains why selling the problem matters more than selling the solution, how a test-small-scale-fast approach helps prove value, and why omnichannel should be a core operating principle — not a buzzword.Key takeawaysScale with structure: Centralize principles and governance while enabling local executionCreate urgency: Make the cost of inaction clear to unlock leadership buy-inProve value fast: Test ideas in small ways, then scale what works Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philips' Laura Briggs on Unifying eCommerce, Driving Category Growth, and the Power of Empathy

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Laura Briggs, Head of eCommerce Excellence at Philips.Laura shares how her team drives category growth across Philips' consumer goods portfolio (Sonicare, Avent, Grooming & Beauty) by establishing a universal focus and analyzing the core drivers of consumer growth as a key framework. She emphasizes that eCommerce is a team sport, explaining how her team aligns cross-functional partners around core KPIs, prioritizing the Digital Shelf as the essential foundation.She shares the challenge of achieving scale and consistency globally, focusing on designing solutions for different personas, from super users to executives. Finally, Laura offers her "blue sky" vision for a commercial operating model, which would involve eliminating the divide between sales and marketing to achieve unified growth.Key TakeawaysUse Category Growth as the single, non-negotiable objective to align diverse global teams and business unitsPrioritize maximizing the Digital Shelf (content, availability, and visibility) as the essential foundation for effective eCommerce investmentTreat eCommerce as a "team sport" by fostering empathy to ensure critical adoption and consistency across all functionsThe ideal commercial model eliminates the divide between Sales and Marketing to create unified growth leadership Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heaven Hill Brands’ Matt Blevins on Long-Term Brand Building, Consumer Behavior Shifts, and Modernizing Spirits

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Matt Blevins, Chief Marketing Officer at Heaven Hill Brands.Matt shares why long-term brand building remains essential in the spirits category and how disciplined measurement guides smarter decision-making. He explains how digital discovery, from YouTube mixology to Reddit communities, shapes in-store behavior, and why premiumization, moderation, and innovation are the real forces reshaping today’s beverage alcohol landscape.Additionally, he also breaks down how Heaven Hill decides when to modernize a brand, why nuance is missing from industry headlines, and what it takes to stay grounded in consumer truth while the marketing world chases real-time optimization.Key takeawaysLong-term brand building and strategic patience remain essential in spiritsDigital discovery now heavily shapes in-store purchase decisionsPremiumization, moderation, and innovation continue to drive category trendsBrand modernization works best when rooted in product truth and distinctiveness Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scotts Miracle-Gro’s Matt Taylor on Navigating AI Search, Retail Media, and Real-Time Data

In this episode of BRAVE COMMERCE, hosts Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter speak with Matt Taylor, Vice President of Digital at Scotts Miracle-Gro. Matt shares how generative search is reshaping the Lawn and Garden category, raising expectations for content, partnerships, and digital experiences. He explains why Scotts brought digital and retail media together under one leader and how his team built a machine-learning model that uses weather, POS, macroeconomic signals, and media data to guide in-season investment.He also breaks down what it takes to align brand, sales, and media teams and why patience and iteration are essential when building data science capabilities.Key takeawaysGenerative search is raising the bar for content, consumer experience, and measurementConsolidating digital and retail media enables full-funnel planning and faster decisionsMachine-learning models help teams optimize weekly investments with real-time dataData science requires buy-in, experimentation, and time to improve Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kellanova’s Louise Cotterill on Turning Clean Room Data Into Sales Impact and Cultural Change

In this episode, recorded live at Groceryshop, Sarah Hofstetter sits down with Louise Cotterill, Global Senior Director of Insights and Intelligence at Kellanova, for a wide-ranging conversation on how to turn complex data into business results and build cross-functional trust along the way.Louise shares how her team built a proprietary clean room solution to drive more precise audience targeting, tailor creative to shifting shopper behavior, and ultimately deliver a 36 percent sales lift for Special K in the UK. She also explains how marketers can move from one-size-fits-all campaigns to dynamic, behavior-based segmentation, even without first-party data.Beyond the tech, Louise emphasizes the importance of soft skills. From speaking the language of the CFO to running test-and-learn pilots that bring skeptical teams along gradually, she shows how marketers can lead with both credibility and curiosity. In a standout personal moment, she reveals the bravest thing she’s ever done: spending a summer living with nomadic eagle hunters in Mongolia.Key takeaways:Insights only matter if they drive action. Clean rooms enable smarter targeting and measurement, but results come from applying those insights across creative and media strategy.Buy-in is built through transparency. Louise outlines how gradual testing, third-party validation, and a shared focus on sales help teams embrace new tools with confidence.Transformation is both technical and cultural. Success depends on aligning stakeholders, evolving incentives, and creating a safe space to test, learn, and adapt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.