Tag Archives: OkCupid

Museum of Ice Cream’s CMO with the Scoop on Tasteful Marketing



Since Insider Interviews is about giving you the “insider’s scoop” on media and marketing, who better to give us the scoop than the CMO of Museum of Ice Cream, Erin Levzow? In today’s world, we’re often so focused on work, responsibilities, and obligations that we forget to take time to have fun and experience joy. Levzow explains how MOIC became an in-demand destination for reconnecting with your inner child, or with your children, and eat ice cream while doing it! Learn from someone whose job it is to market fun about why joy is so important, mentally and physically. And learn how just raising your hand can spark success.

Levzow, whose years of experience marketing everything from Caesars to Del Taco have earned her scores of awards, explains how the museum, under the Figure Eight umbrella, was created by Maryellis Bunn, another inspiring woman who wouldn’t take no for an answer: If that sounds childish, well, Bunn had the last laugh, with lines around the block on any given day. Levzow was cut from similar cloth, even citing a favorite book about improv that preaches the power of saying “Yes, and.” The plucky CMO explains how she applied “yes” throughout her career, even at times when she didn’t “know.”

Moss with panelists: Kaye, OK Cupid, Levzow, MOIC, Benders, B Code Media, Bethea, Danone
Levzow’s route to this C-suite, a year after winning a “40 Under 40” award, started by first saying yes to half a dozen different gigs and residing in as many states, often with toddlers in tow. She describes her leadership philosophy and how she guides teams with her brand of can-do motivation. She also mentions her love of dance and ballroom competitions.
What she doesn’t mention is the personal hurdle she survived just after landing her Museum of Ice Cream role: her husband took a near fatal fall in their home and was actually pronounced dead three times before making it out of ICU. Through it all, Levzow applied her own can-do attitude to him – and to her own spirit – always believing and encouraging he would not just walk again, but thrive. As a post-note, she recently shared a video of his first time back on the dance floor six months later, if a halting version of the Rumba. That was joy.

Here’s a topline of our conversation flow:

00:1:55 What’s an “experium”? How and why this combo museum and experience center unites and inspires throughout the entire MoIC portfolio, down to the marketing

00:03:43 On the importance of experiencing joy together.

00:05:05 How a banana forest can lead to mental and physical health. “We want people to set their phones down and look at each other and play together.”… And what dopamine means to the brand.

00:09:00 The personal side: Dancing during her downtime and working her way to the C-Suite

00:11:12 Career experience and advice based on “Figure it out, volunteer, and learn it.”

00:15:30 How a brick and mortar got built, survived and thrived: “Coming out of the pandemic people really needed connection. We welcome everyone and attract a lot of families and young adults (on a date night), as well as tourists.”

00:18:46 Using data to “target for good” not evil: “People don’t mind giving as long as they’re receiving something in return.A company that sells ice cream, let’s say (!), can target mothers with children who may be looking for something to do during vacation time. By showing them ads for this idea, we could help them bond with their children and provide an enjoyable experience. Data-driven targeting can also be used to target tourists who may be visiting a certain area, helping them have a great experience while visiting the area.”

00:20:20 The media methodology for Museum of Ice Cream (a la podcasting?!) “We do keep an eye on what’s emerging but …we’re very particular about where we spend our time because it is about resources. You can’t be everything to everyone, even though everyone is welcome… and we are an immersive brand, so seeing pictures or video helps explain to someone who may not have any idea what the museum of ice cream is. … And we track and tag everything.”

00:23:30: Is the metaverse a “thing” for MoIC yet?

00:25:10 – Partnerships – from creating a Kendra Scott mini-museum outpost of “Bananas and Baubles” to Black History Month with Ida’s, a local Black-owned ice cream shop, the Wishingrad’s Three Wishes cereal being a “no-brainer.”

Kendra Scott x Museum of Ice Cream – South Congress Back Room

00:28:29 Brand purpose must be genuine. –  “Don’t say you’re for everyone. Show you’re for everyone. We want to make sure you can see yourself in our advertising. …We often check ourselves and make sure we’re doing the things we set out to do and are true to ourselves.”

00:30:38 Employing and encouraging Radical Candor – the right way  — “It is a true form of empathy: if I tell you where you’re at and let me tell you what I’m seeing and let’s talk that through…. I’m never just being direct without being behind them pushing…or catching them. People did that for me. …And I believe that radical candor also works both ways. As a leader, I want my team to be able to provide me with feedback as well.”

0033:25 – A shout how to Bobby Shaw as one mentor example

00:34:48 Advice on pushing oneself up the hill – especially for women: “Raise your hand. Learn it! Don’t be afraid to ask questions and take risks. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I always said, “yes” and then figured it out. You build your career that way. Our founder said, ‘I’m going to build this…’ even when people said she couldn’t. And look at us today.”

00:36:20 The most important question: Favorite flavor!

Connect with Erin and Museum of Ice Cream:
Levzow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinlevzow/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/museumoficecream/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/museumoficecream/
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mossappeal
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Five Podcast Pros Offer the Insider Scoop



In a spontaneous episode I discussed five different aspects of the business of podcasting – from using AI to “audio or video?”, to leveraging the star power and engagement power of podcasting.

You’ll hear from:

  • Michael Kaye, Director of Brand & Communications for OkCupid, an online dating app;
  • Brandon Reed, Host, formerly tired dad, and creator of 12 Hour Sound Machines, a viral podcast that helps people sleep;
  • Bona Rai, COO and Co-founder of Capsho, the tool that helped E.B. use AI to generate these very show notes (!);
  • Chris Whitman, Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of GlassBox Media, think ‘music label-meets-podcast marketing machine’; 
  • A.J. Feliciano, Head of The Roost Podcast Network from Warner Bros Discovery, that started the groundswell of podcasts leveraging video and has his finger on the pulse of monetizing best practices to meet the consumer where they’re consuming content.

 It’s five inspiring chats that reveal the brilliant possibilities of audio and video for the future including:

  1. How OkCupid leverages podcasting for success – earned or owned?
  2. The business model behind the 12 Hour Sound Machines podcast
  3. What Capsho is, and how this new tool taps AI to help podcasters save time
  4. How GlassBox Media cracks the code on growing podcast awareness and ups the value of creator IP

    A spontaneous interview at the Sounds Profitable event in Austin
  5. When is a podcast a video and a video a podcast? How should brands embrace the consumer’s content journey? The Roost tells all.

Chapter Summaries/Time Codes:

[00:00:01]

This is episode 5 of Insider Interviews, with five different guests included. Each of my guests spoke about a different area of the business of podcasting. This was recorded spontaneously right after a panel I conducted during SXSW for Sounds Profitable, featuring one of the panelists and four members of the audio ….

[00:01:42]

Michael Kaye, director of communications at OkCupid is naturally inclined towards earned, but says: “We’ve seen tremendous impact from both podcast advertising and from earned, pitching our experts to appear on other shows. In 2023, we’ll be looking again at podcast advertising.”

[00:03:57]

Brandon Reed’s podcast is called 12-Hour Sound Machines. It was created when his newborn couldn’t sleep through the night, now enjoying about 300,000 downloads a day. Reed started by first directly selling to brands, but now he’s on Megaphone, in the Spotify Audience Network so programmatic sales is a really good solution for him. Hear his explanation of why the moments before falling asleep are actually a powerful moment for advertisers….

[00:09:12]

Bona Rai is a co-founder of Capsho, a product that uses AI to tap audio files to create SEO-optimized content for podcasts. At just 10 months old they’re already embracing a more robust version of Capsho 2.0 coming this Spring.

[Note: I tried out Capsho 1.0 for most of these show notes, with an added “human touch!”]

[00:14:15]

Chris Whitman describes GlassBox Media like a record label for podcast hosts. Its goal is to grow the value of the IP for the creators across any sort of opportunity from a revenue perspective. “Now we represent around 65 shows, with no end in sight.”

[00:18:58]

A.J. Feliciano explains that The Roost podcast network is a video-first podcast network. “We have about 90 shows, a third of them are owned and operated. What is it about multiplatform distribution on podcasts that makes it so worthwhile for other podcasters?”

[00:21:18]

Our thinking around YouTube is that it’s less that it’s about video, and more about the platform itself. Who’s your target audience and where have they been conditioned to go to just consume content? And that’s why we’re seeing podcast-like content bringing such big numbers there.

[00:23:54]

The Roost podcast will always have a foundation in audio. It can have video, it can be on YouTube. Heck, we might even see a world a year or two where long form content is being distributed on TikTok.

[00:24:44]

In terms of measurement A.J. says, “A view and a download are counted two separate metrics: A view is :30 seconds of playback on YouTube and then audio download is :60 seconds by unique user. It’s still very much early days and we’re going to have to figure out ways to plug into that back end of YouTube API.” Adding, “We need to properly measure and communicate those returns for the advertising community.

What’s the reason why podcasting is so big today? It’s because Direct Response has used it as their primary tool. There’s money to be had –and we can do a lot better on this front.

[00:27:50]

One of the things that’s helped us build our business is looking beyond the podcast. If you want to properly tackle YouTube and TikTok and other new platforms that will inevitably join the fray into the future, we really have to almost take the “podcast” out of the center of our universe.

The theme music for Insider Interviews was composed and performed by the incomparable Grammy-winning John Clayton, and this episode was edited by Grace Morton.
Send questions or a suggestion for a next stellar guest to:  podcasts@mossappeal.com

Catch all Insider Interviews episodes on the business of #media, #marketing and advertising right here, or wherever you like to listen to #b2b podcasts. 

Connect with our Episode 5 guests here:

Michael Kaye

Brandon Reed

Bona Rai

Chris Whitman –

A.J. Feliciano

Connect with Insider Interviews:

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Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/insiderintervws
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mossappeal
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Please support Insider Interviews at www.buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal

Loved this episode? Support more Insider Interviews at https://buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal