Top marketer Matt Kerbel explains how he hunts for inspiration

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Matt Kerbel is a supreme connector in the marketing world. In our first chat, he talked up the creativity and fresh perspectives of at least a dozen other marketers, making generosity the mood of the moment. 

Kerbel is someone who loves LinkedIn (convenient!). And I see now that it has been a huge part of building the web that surrounds him. He posts missives ranging from, “Controversial thought ?? If I was in charge of Progressive’s brand, I would definitely consider sunsetting Flo” and why Spotify should acquire all hold music and conference call companies to why marketers should eradicate their use of the word “or.” With nearly 20,000 LinkedIn followers, discussion ensues.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Kerbel and I discussed his marketing and brand leadership roles at companies like Lyft, MeUndies and most recently, the electric vehicle company Canoo. He got his start at General Mills and Activision, where he worked on the launch of Call of Duty’s eleventh installment. After finishing up at Canoo in August, he is currently evaluating his next move and helping others secure theirs. He’s talking with Gen Zers about what they’re watching and believes the marketing industry is heading for a “creativity arms race.” He’s got his eye on how brands from gyms to banks are creating virtual experiences and going “phygital” -- offering digital experiences that translate to the physical world like Whole Foods teaching you to cook. 

He’s a big believer in the role of empathy in marketing and how it can be a real differentiator: “The landscape has completely changed,” he said. “The brand is no longer in charge; its consumers are...But the backbone of empathy and creativity remains the same. Interestingly, it’s even more important to the next generation than previous ones.” Below he shares more of his story. 

1. What has had the most impact on your perspective as a marketer?

A combination of three things: Growing up in Toronto, my parents were divorced before I can remember. I was raised splitting time with them 50/50 on opposite ends of the city. This led to two very different experiences – one, where everyone around me was Jewish like I am and, another, where I was the only Jewish kid in the neighborhood and my best friends were Black, Greek, Egyptian and Irish. My upbringing ultimately spurred my fascination with people of varying backgrounds, in understanding how we’re different and similar.

My dad passed too soon when I was 21. As the oldest child, I became quite independent. One of the things I did as a result was travel on my own twice – once to Europe, once to Asia – each time for about a month or so. Traveling alone forced me to get out of my comfort zone, see more, hear more, smell more, taste more, and speak to remarkable strangers all over the world whom I might not have met otherwise. It fueled my passion to comprehend consumer behavior, authentic connections and the pace at which the planet moves. It also made me want to work for companies that care about making a positive difference in the world and cultivating community.

Having several roles across a diversity of industries has forced me to learn new tricks over and over. Whether new tools, trends or audiences, I have had to stay on the cutting edge to be successful, and that experience has enabled me to bring a unique perspective to each role.

2. What’s changed the most about your job as a marketer over the course of your career?

When I began my career, I was studying Gen Y before “Millennial” was a term. Facebook and Gmail had just launched, and ecommerce was in its infancy. From a channel standpoint, marketing was simpler yet starting to become more complex.

Today, we are beginning to turn our attention to Gen Z, a group born into intense digitization and choice. The landscape has completely changed. Industries are easier than ever to enter and disrupt. The brand is no longer in charge -- its consumers are.

However, what hasn’t changed is that the brands that win continue to focus on understanding and reaching consumers creatively. The game has changed, but the backbone of empathy and creativity remains the same. Interestingly, it’s even more important to the next generation than previous ones.

3. What’s the hardest part of a marketer’s job today?

Achieving both speed and consistency. This requires functional leaders and their teams within an organization be in lock step, rowing in the same direction toward a common goal. When there is clarity and agreement surrounding a company’s purpose, it’s easier to move at the pace of consumer behavior and culture, whether to do with messaging, innovation or social and global responsibility. Conducting winning business externally starts with conducting winning business internally, something too many marketers don’t have front-of-mind. And that’s just table stakes, because you then have to be more creative, curious and empathetic than your rivals -- but that’s the fun part and where the magic happens.

4. Tell us about the marketing campaign you’re most proud of working on in your career.

Prior to Canoo, I’d always worked on brands that people had heard of – from Nature Valley to Call of Duty to Lyft to MeUndies. While easy to pull from those, I’ll focus on more recent and lesser known. This year, it was pretty special to unveil a new-to-the-world electric vehicle brand that is quite different than what we have come to see from the automotive world.

Following Canoo’s global reveal in September 2019, we opened our waitlist, dubbed The First Wave in January 2020. This was incredibly fun because not only was the Canoo offering itself unique, but we also took a novel approach to our waitlist in a few ways:

• Freedom: It’s free to join, commitment-free and open to anyone.
• Gamification: You can move up the waitlist by referring your friends. And you can earn limited edition swag by hitting referral milestones.
• Community: You can also move up the waitlist by taking bite-sized surveys and helping to co-create Canoo via feedback.

There was a small, tight-knit team of individuals working around the clock to make this launch a reality, hoping the world would pick up what we were putting down. But we knew our target audience so intimately that the confidence in the idea and creative bravery never wavered. In the end, it broke through the noise and our community responded more positively than we could have imagined.

5. What’s a marketing campaign you wish you’d thought of and why?

I’ll say two, but there are far too many to count. I love to study industries that are publicly perceived to be somewhat commoditized (even if that’s not really the case) because you tend to witness creativity at its best. The example I often think of is Geico within insurance, with its message “15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance.” How they have been able to take that simple call to action and extend it over decades by introducing new characters and familiar analogies has been brilliant. I still think about the camel on Wednesdays. Let’s be honest, we all do.

The second campaign is more personal. In 2011, Bell Canada (one of the country’s largest telecom companies) introduced Bell Let’s Talk in an effort to raise awareness and combat stigma surrounding mental health in Canada. I have watched as the initiative has helped millions of individuals back home; representing a day Canadians can count on each year to open up for important, hard-to-have conversations. Mental health takes a toll on each of us, and it’s been both emotional and rewarding to watch my native homeland take an annual, collective and necessary deep breath, altogether as one.

6. What’s your must read, watch or listen for all marketers?

With business and marketing text, I look for enduring, tested principles that won’t fade with time. I believe learning never stops, and we can always work on our people leadership, mental acuity and mindset. Three books I find myself going back to time and time again are “Good To Great” by Jim Collins, “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott, and “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek.

To stay current, I use this crazy thing called the Internet. One email I love is TheFutureParty daily on business, entertainment and culture.  

One last thing I’ll mention is that I have a strongly held belief to look within your industry for information and beyond it for inspiration. That includes looking to other industries and trends from abroad regarding what’s possible or what might be next. LinkedIn has been a priceless tool I’ve used to connect with marketers globally, to share thoughts and best practices. Don’t sleep on meeting with contemporaries from other nations.

7. What’s an under the radar brand you’re watching and why?

Not sure it’s under the radar, because it was born in Sweden in 1994, but I have to go with Oatly. Oatly arrived in the US in 2016 and nearly everything they do is contrarian. Even the way they penetrated the US was nontraditional, targeting indie coffee shop baristas who might desire a healthier and tasty milk alternative. At a time when so much is hotly debated and highly charged, the Oatly approach stands alone as something truly refreshing and fearless. It’s been fun to watch.

8. Name a product you can’t live without (that doesn’t connect you to the internet) and tell us why.

Spalding NBA Game Ball Replica – Indoor-Outdoor Basketball. I grew up playing basketball in my driveway; few things purer than a ball and a hoop. I can’t wait to shoot around with our two sons when they’re a bit older. Otherwise, I would say my passport!

9. Finish this sentence. If I weren’t a marketer, I would be…

A filmmaker. 

10. Finish this sentence: The marketer I most want to see do this questionnaire is…

Andrea Perez, VP/GM at Nike’s Jordan Brand.

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