Advertising Hall of Fame Inductee Interview

Jim Stengel, President & CEO, The Jim Stengel Company; Former Global Marketing Officer, P&G
Jonathan Mildenhall, Chief Marketing Officer, Rocket

Mildenhall:
What do great brands understand about people that average brands miss?

Stengel:
Great brands understand that people want to be proud of the brands they hold, wear, drive, use. They understand that people really value what a brand stands for; that people care that brands are consistent about what they stand for, always. Great brands understand that people are the reason a brand exists, and that every brand decision needs to be about improving the lives of the people who buy the brand.    

Mildenhall:
What still makes you nervous, even after everything you’ve done?

Stengel:
Everything in some way. If you are not nervous before a presentation, before a big meeting, before anything important, then your heart is not in it. I also get nervous serving in a tennis match and going to the doctor.

Mildenhall:
What’s something you believe about marketing today that you did not believe twenty years ago?

Stengel:
Most of my beliefs are unchanged. I believe in the importance of a clear and differentiating brand strategy, fueled by a desire to improve lives.  I believe in building consumer-inspired cultures. I believe in the power of creativity to solve problems. I believe in diverse teams that are unified by a big ambition.  

I believe in this more than I did 20 years ago: That great marketing is about being relevant in popular culture to earn people’s attention, and then to generate enthusiasm among enough people who can move the needle for your brand. 

Mildenhall:
You’ve been described as a servant leader. What does that playbook look like in practice?

Stengel:
I am flattered by the thought behind that, but I do not like the moniker “servant leader.” Being a servant implies passivity.  I have tried to be a leader who helps people do things they could not have imagined. To set a purpose and ambition that stirs their soul. To actively work to help them develop to their full potential. To have their back. That’s my playbook.

Mildenhall:
When you made the shift from corporate leadership to building something of your own, what surprised you most about the highs and lows, and what would you say to someone considering the same move?

Stengel:
I was surprised that there were so many highs, and so few lows. Because I was working exclusively on things that mattered to me, with people that mattered to me, and on issues that mattered to our industry.  And I designed a life where I was mostly operating in peak flow, playing to my passions and strengths. To someone who is considering the same move: you are already restless so do something about it. What is the worst that can happen? Go for it.