8
KEVIN SCANLON FOR ADWEEKAUGUST 26, 2019 | ADWEEK
®KNOW THAT
DATA ISN’T
ALWAYS RIGHT
I won the Adweek Brand
Genius Award for my
work at Adidas’ “Original
Is Never Finished.” I
call it the “My Way
Campaign.” It was the
campaign that was set
to the music of Frank
Sinatra’s “My Way,”
reinterpreted, which
leads me into one of
my biggest learnings in
that data is not always
right. When we were
locking in the music
for the campaign, data
was clearly telling
us that Frank Sinatra
wouldn’t resonate with
younger consumers.
We went against what
the data was telling us.
Experience and intuition
are something that you
shouldn’t underestimate
in the role.FIND YOUR
NORTH STAR
In the first 90 days
at Gap, the first thing
I looked for was my
personal North Star and
everything laddered into
that. For me, it was to
really create a global
cultural brand out of
Gap—the No. 1 thing
that I just kept at the
forefront of my mind.
And that then meant
defining the brand
strategy and structuring
the teams so we were
efficient and consumer-
centric. I know it’s a
lot of marketing cliché
words, but at the end of
the day that North Star
really helped me with
everything that I had
to do.BE AUTHENTIC
AND CREATE
RELATIONSHIPS
I wouldn’t
underestimate the
power of relationships,
whether they’re in the
company, whether
they’re with strategic
partners, like agencies
or even photographers,
it doesn’t matter.
Relationships and
communication are
both elements that
are really important
for success. And then
again, I go back to
authenticity and being
yourself. That’s the best
thing you can be when
you’re leading people
because they see you’re
transparent, you’re
truthful and you’re
honest. And as we talk
about leadership, that’s
something that people
gravitate towards.CHALLENGE
YOURSELF
Complacency is the
death of creativity. If
you’ve got that sense of
awareness, not just of
yourself but everything
that’s around you, and
just keep on challenging
yourself and others,
I always think it gets
you to a better place.
Whenever I’m mentoring
or talking to women who
are asking for tips, a lot
of it is just about “don’t
be afraid.” They say fear
is a liar, and I love that
because I always think
about that as we’re
human beings and we
are always in situations
where we’re maybe
a little bit concerned
about speaking up. I think
that kind of hesitation
is a little more intrinsic
sometimes to women
than to men. Just get out
there. You’ve got nothing
to lose and take that
step. What’s the worst
thing that can happen?DO SOMETHING
THAT SCARES
YOU EVERY DAY
That’s another thing
that I always kept in
my mind, and actually,
those bad things rarely
do happen. So it’s really
about overcoming fear
and just not letting it get
in your way. It’s easier
said than done. But I
live by the mantra, and I
coached women on this
as well: Do something
that scares you every
day. It could be from the
smallest little thing. It
doesn’t mean skydiving
or anything like that,
just like speaking up or
picking up the phone and
talking to that person
that you really don’t get
along with and would
rather not talk to. If you
overcome it [fear], then
you see a lot of great
things actually happen.ALEGRA O’HARE
GAP’S CHIEF MARKETING
OFFICER SHARES HER
INSIGHTS ON THE CMO
MOVES PODCAST.
BY NADINE DIETZ
The Most
Important Tools
In Your Toolbox
WINNER’S PLAYBOOK
CHECK OUT THE CMO MOVES PODCAST AT ADWEEK.COM