Brand Over Time, Sales Overnight with Starbucks' Tressie Lieberman

Starbucks Global Chief Brand Officer Tressie Lieberman learned early in her career that building a brand requires balancing two timelines: "brand over time and sales overnight." It's a philosophy she's carried through leadership roles at Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Chipotle, and now applies to one of the most watched brand transformations in business.

Tressie joined Starbucks a year ago as part of CEO Brian Niccol's turnaround team, overseeing everything from menu innovation and digital experience to the company's ready-to-drink beverages. Her mission: reignite the soul of Starbucks and bring the brand back to its coffeehouse roots.

Today on Building Better CMOs, she and Marketing + Media Alliance CEO Greg Stuart talk about what causes iconic brands to lose their way, how to harness customer-generated trends like the viral glass “bearista,” and why curiosity is the number one trait she hires for. They also discuss embracing change as a career imperative, the entrepreneurial mindset she brings to big companies, and why marketers must treat customers as co-creators rather than passive audiences.

⁠⁠Full transcript⁠⁠

This episode was produced and edited by Eric Johnson from ⁠⁠LightningPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠Tressie's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠Greg's LinkedIn