Tesa Aragones
“if you compare yourself to other people there will always be people that are going to shake your confidence. If you can find that in yourself, to believe in yourself, to bet on yourself, you'll be a better creator. You'll be a better manager, you'll be a better mentor and I also think you'll be a happier individual.”
CMO, Discord, Inc.
For the majority of this book I’ve focused on how people found their craft and their path. With Tesa, as CMO of Discord, I kind of wanted to skip some of that and go straight to some of her amazing work. She has numerous awards, 12 patents, launched fitness apps for Nike, relaunched the VW Beetle, and headed up VSCO as the CMO. This is an opportunity to get under the hood and understand one of the smartest minds in marketing. However, for all the shiny marketing campaigns she's responsible for, this conversation reminded me that in the corporate environment, who you work for is way more important than a promotion or new job title. Good managers help you grow, they care, and elevate you as a leader. When you meet those people, stick with them and if possible, ask them to mentor you along the way as I did with Tesa.
Jonathan Weaver: Hey Tesa, so you’re from Detroit originally, but now living in the Bay Area, but you started your career in Motor City in cars right?
Tesa Aragones: First of all, thank you Jon for taking the time to talk with me. Yes. My first job was at an advertising agency where I worked on the Cadillac and Pontiac accounts. When you work in the Motor City - the chances of working on automotive is very high.
At what point did you then go from the agency into working at Volkswagen?
I was at the agency for about five years. I had gone through an advertising training program. I spent time in production, and then media and then on account work. I rotated through the different departments and learned the fundamentals of marketing, advertising and the creative process. But I was really interested in some of the digital work that I was doing and I was working really closely with General Motors on their digital innovation. Eventually my client at GM decided to become the Director of Marketing at VW and she recruited me. I was the National Advertising Manager at VW for US and Canada and the Brand Manager for the New Beetle. I was given the New Beetle as my core focus in the run up to the re-launch of the VW Beetle icon.
Oh, so you relaunched the VW Beetle?
Yes, that was my project. Funny story actually because you know I love that car. I learned so much about it working at VW. It was actually called the Type 1 in the 1940s. When they brought the first one over to the States, Americans said, “oh my God, it looks like a bug! It looks like a beetle.” And that's how it became the VW Beetle.
When my mom what pregnant with me, the day my mom started having contractions my dad was at work. She called Uncle Frank. He loaded my mom into this red Volkswagen Beetle and he drove her to the hospital barefoot. He barely made it to the hospital and so I was almost born in a Volkswagen Beetle, and then I went to Volkswagen to give birth to the New Beetle a few decades later.
You said that it resonated with you working on the digital side of the business when you were there (and at Nike & VSCO). What is it about digital experiences that has attracted you more than physical product?
I’ve come to realize that the work I’m most proud of works in more than one way–it has to solve a consumer’s need, move the world forward, and inspire with a great story. Projects at Nike, Volkswagen, Apple, Xbox, and VSCO were some of my favorites. Digital innovation and tech always allowed the teams to test and iterate faster.
With that said, I always try to ground my work in empathy for the consumer and the friction points that you’re solving. One example of this is some work that I did early in my career. I’m first generation in the states. My parents are immigrants and so ESL (English as a second language) was a reality in my home. It was no joke watching my parents have to negotiate for a car in front of a dealer. It was painful for me. So as part of my digital innovation roles working for GM and Volkswagen, I created a lead generation process where consumers could negotiate anonymously online. The dealers did not know what you looked like, so there was leveling of the playing field for everyone: women, immigrants, people of color....etc. This process would help to eliminate the cost of producing so many glossy brochures. That was one example of using digital innovation to help the company save money, but really solve a problem that is personal to a lot of people, especially since there is so much bias in the world right now.
What would be the work you’re proudest of in your career?
So, I'll give you three examples. First is the new Beetle launch. There was a lot of pressure because it was a campaign that brought back an icon in a new form.
The early VW Beetle work by an agency called DDB out of New York was some of the most famous campaign work of its time. I was proud of the campaign work that we did for the New Beetle because it allowed me to build on something from history. It allowed me to really hone my brand skills. On the digital side I was able to experiment and do things to help move the business forward. So, for example, I convinced the board at Volkswagen to create 4,000 cars with limited edition colors. Kind of like a shoe drop. I said, “if you give me just 4,000 cars. I'll sell them on the Internet.” They said, “we have franchise laws.” I convinced them that if I could work with the dealers to design the best process for the consumer and for their businesses, we could use this experiment to create a new business model. So I created a digital advisory dealer council. We had two limited edition car colors, one called Vapor and one called Reflex. We produced tv commercials to promote these limited edition colors and the only way to buy them was to place your order with a dealer through our new online tools. Based on this test, we designed the best lead generation model for our dealers and began a new way of doing business for the company.
My second example would be Nike Training Club, which Heidi O'Neill (Nike Direct President) says is my legacy for Nike. This concept literally started with a drawing on a napkin. It stemmed from the core insight that after college and team sports, consumers did not have a coach or trainers to help them with their workouts. And, they lacked motivation to stick with a routine. Nike Training Club became Nike’s first iphone app and is one of their most successful digital services. All of my work during my 10 years at Nike in Global Brand Digital, Digital Sport and Global Brand Marketing for Training was driven by a curiosity of how we could help consumers make progress and get better. And, for that work, I am the inventor for 12 patents that have been filed by Nike.
My third example came post Nike. When I left Nike, I didn't know if I would ever create another Nike Training Club or anything as big. But, I also entered the next phase of my life where I didn't need to be the project creator of something. What I wanted to do was to create and mentor the next generation of marketers so that they could create the future. So what I'm most proud of in my chapter at VSCO is the team. When we started working together, everybody was trying to figure out how to do what the company needed. My focus became helping them to grow as individuals, sharpen their brand and marketing skills and teaching them how to run a tight marketing offense. But most importantly, I wanted the team to learn how to be strong, confident, leaders; with a sharp point of view that could make an impact.
What would you tell your teenage self?
I would say find the confidence in yourself to measure your success by your personal growth. Comparison is the thief of joy and if you compare yourself to other people there will always be people that are going to shake your confidence. If you can find that in yourself, to believe in yourself, to bet on yourself, you'll be a better creator. You'll be a better manager, you'll be a better mentor and I also think you'll be a happier individual.
Which mentors have you had on your journey?
Mentorship starts from when you're young. I look up so much to my mom for always encouraging me to pursue my interests and not just trying to fit into a typical path. Another was a gentleman who was one of my dad's best friends growing up, Darryl. We called him Big Daddy Darryl. He inspired me to pursue business. He was a black entrepreneur that had an awesome, creative sense of humor. I found his bigger than life personality so engaging and I loved his stories about work, family and life.
Mentoring is very central to you now, what do you aim to give younger people when you mentor them?
I spend a lot of time listening because I think a lot of times people don't know exactly what they want. So I listen to try and help them with their narrative. A lot of times people want to be seen. By listening, I can understand where I can help them because everyone needs something different.
