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Mike Zeman is chief marketing officer of Life360. He has also held senior marketing roles at Square, Google, and Netflix, and Publicis Groupe.
Favorite project you’ve worked on? Leading the team that launched Netflix in more than 100 markets was a career-defining moment. It was a time of incredible momentum for the company, with original content just beginning to take off and our disruption of Hollywood truly underway. The bold move to launch in so many countries simultaneously was an exhilarating challenge, and it’s an experience I’ll carry with me forever.
What’s your favorite ad campaign? A bit of a throwback, but Dos Equis’s “Most Interesting Man in the World” campaign was truly fantastic. At a time when beer marketing was largely uniform, this campaign broke the mold with its creativity and fun. But it was more than just style—it was also strategic. The campaign targeted occasional beer drinkers, inviting them to choose adventure with Dos Equis over the more commonplace experiences offered by mainstream beers. It clearly worked, as Dos Equis was one of the only growing beer brands during a very challenging set of declining years in the category. It’s the kind of campaign that deserves both Lions and Effies. Stay thirsty, my friends.
One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: I can recite all 50 states in alphabetical order in under 20 seconds while juggling.
What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? The answer to both relates to the dwindling attention span of consumers. If you can’t grab attention with your TikTok ad, they’ll insta-scroll past you. If you can’t with your YouTube ad, they’ll skip you. If you can’t with your connected-TV ad, they’ll immediately look down at their phone and ignore you. This makes it extremely challenging to get your work seen. At the same time, it’s wonderful because the bar has never been higher on breakthrough and creativity.
And this isn’t just about brand ads. Expressions from across the funnel need to earn the attention of their audience, and it’s been amazing to see the storytelling rise to the occasion. I am hopeful we are at the beginning of a real renaissance in the craft.
What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? I honestly love anything Scott Galloway does. He sees marketing and brand-building within the broader societal and economic context. He understands the importance of culture. He notes the power of empathy. And he is certainly unafraid to say what’s on his mind.
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