The Best Insights Are the Ones Consumers Can't Tell You | Inside the P&G Marketing Factory
In this episode of Marketing Factories, a podcast by Effie Europe and REBORRN, Dafni Prosalika (Partner at REBORRN) sits down with Federica Pompei ( Europe Chief Brand Officer, Procter & Gamble and Senior Vice-President Baby Care Europe) for her first interview as Europe Chief Brand Officer at Procter & Gamble.Fede joined P&G 27 years ago as a chemist in R&D, watching how people cleaned their homes. Today she wears two hats: she leads Baby Care Europe, home to Pampers, and as Europe Chief Brand Officer she is responsible for developing the more than 5,000 brand builders across the region. P&G brought the two roles together on purpose: in a moment of transformation, someone who lives brand building inside a business every day can take an idea and make it run fast across the whole organisation. She explains why P&G deliberately talks about brand building rather than marketing ("marketing is one ingredient"), why its "who, what, how" framework has barely changed, and why the strongest brand builders are ambidextrous: deep in the craft, broad in the business.The conversation goes inside the factory: how P&G grows its people, from learning on the job to Brand College; how a company of this size changes its mindset as brands move from a monologue to a conversation with creators and communities; why AI should be a better-work game rather than a productivity game; and why the best insights are the ones consumers are not able to tell you. Along the way: Pampers nappies built for premature babies, Fairy Skip the Soak, Old Spice at Tomorrowland and the unplanned conversation behind #LikeAGirl. As ever, the episode closes with the 58:hours challenge.Key moments:00:00 Welcome to Marketing Factories00:46 From chemist to brand builder02:16 The insights consumers can't tell you04:36 Two roles: Baby Care and Chief Brand Officer for Europe08:39 The campaign that made her want to build brands10:12 Why P&G says brand, not marketing11:43 Who, what, how: the framework that never changed13:38 The ambidextrous brand builder15:19 From monologue to conversation17:51 Built in days, not months20:06 How a company changes its mindset22:24 How P&G grows brand builders27:14 AI: a better-work game, not a productivity game30:33 Why she still visits consumers' homes31:10 Growth in a category everyone calls shrinking39:20 Designing for two consumers: baby and parent42:21 The smallest nappies: Pampers for preemies47:58 Fairy Skip the Soak: when the insight names the product51:13 Old Spice at Tomorrowland: hands up53:51 Inside the insight engine55:30 #LikeAGirl and the conversation nobody planned57:32 The 58:hours challenge
Key moments:
00:00 Welcome to Marketing Factories
00:46 From chemist to brand builder
02:16 The insights consumers can't tell you
04:36 Two roles: Baby Care and Chief Brand Officer for Europe
08:39 The campaign that made her want to build brands
10:12 Why P&G says brand, not marketing
11:43 Who, what, how: the framework that never changed
13:38 The ambidextrous brand builder
15:19 From monologue to conversation
17:51 Built in days, not months
20:06 How a company changes its mindset
22:24 How P&G grows brand builders
27:14 AI: a better-work game, not a productivity game
30:33 Why she still visits consumers' homes
31:10 Growth in a category everyone calls shrinking
39:20 Designing for two consumers: baby and parent
42:21 The smallest nappies: Pampers for preemies
47:58 Fairy Skip the Soak: when the insight names the product
51:13 Old Spice at Tomorrowland: hands up
53:51 Inside the insight engine
55:30 #LikeAGirl and the conversation nobody planned
57:32 The 58:hours challenge
