My game-changing conversation with Google’s Adrienne Lofton

Adrienne R. Lofton is one of those rare humans who knew what she wanted to do at a very young age. As a little girl, she was captivated by a commercial she saw on TV: it was a long-distance runner—a powerful female athlete. The commercial ended with three words.?Just do it.

So, what was it that Adrienne decided she wanted to do??Become an athlete? One who would go on to play for her university and win championship titles? Become a marketer whose passion for emotionally?resonant?storytelling would help shape cultural conversations? Work for Nike, the?purpose-driven brand that inspired her all those years ago? Or emerge as a powerful voice for female empowerment?

The answer is all the above. And so much more.

Currently sitting at the helm of Google’s Platforms and Ecosystems division as well as on the Board of Directors of Alaska Airlines, Adrienne is the first guest on Season 2 of Icons in the Making , and one I couldn’t be more excited about.?In this episode, she delivers soundbite after soundbite, yet never sounds scripted. She speaks honestly and unapologetically about her drive for continual growth.?And she’s proof that even after you get to the top of the mountain, there’s always a higher one to conquer.?

Here are a few highlights from the episode.

On marketing: focus on making the invisible visible

From Search to YouTube to Cloud to Nest, Google powers so much of how we live our lives, and its products are the building blocks of our digital zeitgeist. But what about the things Google makes possible that consumers don’t know about? Like powering your Volvo or your Peloton?

According to Adrienne: “We've figured out the spaces that we actually belong in, what the narrative is that we want to drive and then we go, go, go, go. Read, react, iterate, scale. And that—coupled with your big, beautiful [advertising] moments—is the magic we can build inside of Google and inside of Platforms and Ecosystems, specifically.”

On the big idea: the simplest insight can make the biggest wave

One of Adrienne’s first campaigns for Google Get the Message, was born from the everyday challenges that arise when Android and iOS users message each other. From an NBA coach kicking a player out of a group chat to Drake dropping a song called “Texts Go Green,” it’s well-known that Android users are ostracized because of the notorious green bubble. Get the Message campaign was Google’s way of saying enough is enough and standing up for its users.?

A clear idea so strongly grounded in the cultural conversation, created because Adrienne and her team deeply understood the problem and the product behind it. While the details are critical (how do we keep a tone that’s lighthearted, but speaks the truth? How do we educate while provoking the right conversation?), at its core, the campaign worked because of how grounded it was in the customer experience. And it paid off: its launch broke Android social media and engagement records.

On personal and professional growth: don’t be afraid to be a novice

Adrienne joined Alaska Air’s board of directors, not because aviation was an industry she was well-versed in, but precisely because it was one she knew nothing about.

She shared, “If you think about aviation, we are responsible for souls. It doesn’t get more serious than that…so I sit and I listen and I ask questions as a flyer versus an expert which is where I belong.” She continued, “That's the theme coming out of this conversation… always keep yourself moving forward. Continue to think about what you don't know yet and how you can learn it and push yourself to be uncomfortable.”

So whatever it is that you thought you wanted to be when you grew up and wherever it is you may be now, keep Adrienne’s words close: always keep yourself moving forward.