[Listen to the interview above, or via Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.]
I met Liz Vanzura because of the drums.
Long story short, I was playing in a Boston band circa 1997, when I met a guitarist named Lance Jensen. Turns out Lance was, like me, an advertising copywriter. And he was co-creative directing the relatively new VW account at an agency called Arnold. Maybe I could help him write copy for a showroom brochure for the soon-to-be launching New Beetle?
The business of creativity is a business of luck, of timing, and ultimately, of human connection. I was incredibly fortunate to land within the art directors, producers, account execs, designers, fellow writers, and client team on VW at that point in time—right as the Internet was becoming “real,” right as the brand itself was become “one of the most successful marketing campaigns ever,” according to Adweek.
Our main client for most of my nine years on VW was Liz Vanzura (LinkedIn). A self-described “Detroit car girl,” Liz grew up around engineers amidst the sprawling General Motors family. She cut her teeth in audience insights and brand strategy. And her career includes remarkable work leading branding for Volkswagen, Hummer, and Cadillac. In our conversation, Liz illuminates how she and her team, and ours at the agency, found common purpose to both instigate and evaluate effective work. “The discipline to measure work against a brand’s essence is what makes campaigns successful,” says Liz.
One of my favorite aspects of working on VW was the desire from our marketing clients for risk-taking; especially as brands were discovering the Internet.
“The bravest marketers aren’t afraid to fail; they pilot, learn, and adapt. The fear of getting it wrong often leads to missing opportunities.” - Liz Vanzura
Liz and I discuss a few marketing firsts—VW was the first OEM to sell cars online, the first to launch an Internet radio station, and the first to tout online films (and yes, BMW invested a lot more than we did).
Of course we talked about the future, about AI, and the impact of technology on ways brands understand and engage with their audiences. Liz is deeply engaged in AI, co-founding GAI Insights, hosting global conferences on AI, and gearing up to teach an AI marketing curriculum at Bentley University.
“If your organization isn’t calendaring time for learning AI tools or attending training, you’re already falling behind.” - Liz Vanzura
We cover a lot of ground in the interview, including automotive brand and retail marketing, audience insights, brand building process, and team leadership amidst cultural and technological change.
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