Vol. 11 - Lauren Myers, Grown Alchemist

The 'M' in CMO stands for 'Myers'. Honoured to sit down with the unbelievable Lauren Myers, CMO of Grown Alchemist, a brand I am truly obsessed with to discuss her journey and all things beauty

Meet Lauren:

It’s always exciting for me to talk with the people behind brands I truly truly love. This is one of those examples. Lauren Myers is CMO at the wonderful brand Grown Alchemist, a brand that my wife and I adore and whose products occupy a space in ever room of the Barton household.

Lauren has been instrumental in the Grown Alchemist story having been at the marketing helm for just shy of 2 years. But she is from brand royalty having cut her teeth at previous giants like Unilever, Revlon, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Matrix Brands (the gang behind the amazing Cowshed - one the Soho House crowd will know) and others.

Lauren’s attitude towards marketing and leadership is truly inspiring and one that i look forward to continuing to learn from over the coming years. She has a natural curiosity, inquisitiveness and test/learn approach that i think we should all employ into our daily lives.

So enjoy our chat!

The Interview:

Why the beauty industry?

So I actually studied fashion at college. When we graduated, everyone started working at fashion brands and in the FMCG space but beauty didn't seem to be a massive thing.

For me it's the creativity of the industry that was the pull. It meant that I would always be learning and always be developing which was super important to me.

I also look at how beauty has become this insane hotbed of innovation and the impact it has had on culture and even politics. The industry creates movements globally which is really enticing.

What do you wish you knew before entering the beauty industry?

Oh that’s a really good question. I think maybe, at the time, how insular it was as an industry. It was super hard to crack into if you hadn’t already been at an Estee Lauder or similar. You were just seen as a complete outsider that couldn’t offer value if you didn't have industry experience.

That's something I've carried with me since then and when I'm recruiting and building talent in the team, I'm not just looking at people that have worked in beauty. I want that freshness. I want those different perspectives. I want those experiences from different industries. Ultimately that will provide those points of differentiation.

I still hear and see pockets of people and conversations that are really focused on themselves and within their own world and they're missing such a big opportunity.

I remember back in my Unilever days, we worked with a creative agency called What If that had this exercise called ‘Borrowed Worlds’ which has always stuck with me. The premise is if you are struck by a business problem, don't think of how to solve it within the constraints of your industry. Imagine you were a paint brand. Or a car manufacturer. How would they solve it? And for me that has always been my ethos.

Best piece of advice you have received?

Definitely the above piece on ‘Borrowed Worlds’.

The other thing I've always carried as the best piece of advice was from my CMO at WBA, which came more from a career perspective which was

‘Always be running towards something rather than away’.

That has always carried with me in terms of choices that I’ve made about my career.

Advice to those looking to become a CMO at a global brand?

I think being a generalist is so underrated. I have experienced lots of different facets of the beauty world. I have been in social, product development, marketing communications. You name it. And while there is value in specialism for sure, I think to be a brilliant CMO you not only need to know how each aspect of the marketing matrix works, you also need to know how all the operational and financial elements work as well, to have a true cross functional picture.

Then also I would add rooting everything you do into a consumer insight or or some sort of fact. There's so much subjectivity in personal opinion. Particularly with beauty because everyone gets so passionate about it. But constantly ask yourself why. What's the reason? And base it on a discovered fact. Gut instinct has a role, but you also just need to recognize when you need to be objective.

I remind myself of this on the daily at the moment.

Grown Alchemist moment you are most proud of to date?

Can I have a couple?

1. The team. I think there was no team really from a marketing standpoint and so building the talent has been a particular highlight. It’s ever evolving in terms of what we need and where we need it. But the team is definitely one.

2. And the other one is redefining the brand positioning. The Grown Alchemist story was not clear. We're of course still on that journey, but I think being crystal clear in how we show up, how we look, how we talk, how we operate from a marketing standpoint was important and has come on so nicely.

And I'm really proud to see the creative in particular that we're now putting out there. it feels more elevated and it feels more representative of who we are. I keep hearing people discovering us and admiring the creative work and the brand work as well as loving our products which is so nice to hear. So it just feels like we're in the right places having the right conversations in the right way now.

A book you think all aspiring leaders should read?

I'm quite old school with my marketing reading list. But I would say The Purple Cow by Seth Godin.

We were religious about this book at a previous brand. It’s a proper old school one but it focuses on how you stand out and how you differentiate yourself from the crowd. So that is the one I would recommend.

1x resource you use to stay ahead?

More recently I find myself consuming my business or marketing sound bites through random LinkedIn graphics. My algorithms definitely got better on LinkedIn. So, I'm getting served a really good mix of beauty publications, the right sort of business influencers and relevant posts from great people.

I’m doing a lot of Org Design and Brand Strategy at the moment and being served some really relevant but easy to digest soundbites that I am really enjoying. Harvard Business Review has also always been a good one for me.

Marketing campaign you wish you had come up with?

I mean Rhode are doing amazing stuff.

Two things stand out to me. Their merch of course. The phone case is genius. But also their commercial execution around convenience. The vending machines etc. It’s a bit done now but they were the first people to do that really well.

But campaigns? Ooo it would probably have to be an old school one from back in the day when you still worked with loads of ad agencies. I think I have to say Nike. The ‘Just Do It’ campaign is genius.

It is their long term mission that, from a campaign standpoint, just has so many applications and can be tied to so many different and complementary marketing moments. So many brands these days are doing transient and random things. I think the ‘Just Do It’ campaign is an example of cultural significance that means it can stand the test of time.

What’s one skill, or area, you are actively working on to improve? And why is it important to you?

It's cliche but AI. I am learning the good, the bad, the ugly and am on my own exploration of trying to understand where it can add value either to me personally to save my time or to help the company with operational or system efficiencies.

I feel the conversation has been very black and white all about replacing roles and there has been some fear in the creative side of things. But I think it is more about how it makes you more efficient in your role and more as an enhancement rather than a replacement.

So that’s what I am learning right now. What’s the way I can leverage AI to be better and more efficient both personally and as a business and marketing function.

Your one to watch? An individual in the space killing it?

Recently I've been following Kory Marchisotto who's the CMO of ELF Beauty. She is obviously already super senior and amazing but I think she is one to watch as I find her hugely inspiring.

She is driving change in a broader way than marketing by pushing conversations around who is in the C-Suite and using disruptive conversation starters to transcend the brand beyond products and campaigns but in order to create real change.

Her involvement in campaigns like the So Many Dicks campaign was incredible. It’s not necessarily new but she has spearheaded it in a really fresh way and been unwavering in her focus to bring those conversations to the forefront.

Also the growth they have experienced with her at the helm is outstanding.

As far as brands go, there are almost too many ‘Ones to watch’. If I can answer the question in a different way, I guess what I've been slightly unsettled by is seeing how many of the indie brands that were put on a pedestal back in the day that are now going bankrupt. We saw so many brands burst onto the scene in the COVID years and now what we will be fascinating to watch will be how the industry reacts to the new climate. What’s next for the industry in terms of M&A? How many brands survive? How will the dynamics change in the industry? And who will come out as winners? That’s what I am keen to watch!

Brand / product you can't live without?

I can't live without Victoria Beckham Beauty makeup. The product quality and branding is outstanding which I am always dubious about with any celebrity brand. But I literally have every product. The eyeliners are particularly good!

Industry hot take?

Social commerce. I am still learning more about it if I’m honest but for me, the brands that are thriving and will continue to thrive will be the ones who master social commerce. Yes TikTok but also how you evolve beyond TikTok.

I think the brands that will succeed will be the ones who become incredibly savvy and commercial about social. We’ve gone from a place of putting pretty pictures and videos on the grid, to the influencer space amongst other movements. But I think the commercial side of social and being much stronger with your ecosystem, with your affiliates, with your community. That’s going to be the difference.

It’s not necessarily new but I think all that magic coming together with a very commercial lens will be the winning formula.

Follow Lauren

Be sure to give Lauren a follow on LinkedIn. In addition, i would strongly encourage to follow Grown Alchemist on Instagram.

Also swing by their stores.

Told you I’m a fan ;)

Til next time x