Top marketers are turning side projects into legitimate businesses

They also held demanding full-time jobs. Mr. Clamper said that since early 2020, the consulting firm Interpublic has advised Chief Marketing Officers. I resigned from the role of manager. of the corporation

Hired Google to work in the Augmented Reality division of Meta Platforms Inc.

“We believe hot sauce will be the start of a lot of what we do with this brand,” said Clumper.

Turning side projects into independent businesses and full-time jobs can be difficult or even impossible for the increasingly demanding and complex Chief Marketing Officer. These entrepreneurs have overcome a hurdle. Each said their marketing experience helped them identify unmet consumer needs and drive unique initiatives.

Bringing pipe dreams to life

Take Joy Howard, for example, who said he knew he had to eventually quit his job as CMO of password management company Dashlane Inc. to start a sustainable outerwear company, Early Majority Inc. let’s [or] It’s a VC-backed company, so I can’t imagine starting a business as a side business,” says Howard.

The March 2022 debut of Early Majority’s first collection is the culmination of a years-long process for Howard, who came up with the idea in 2014 while working as vice president of marketing at clothing company Patagonia Inc. It was a culmination.

Early Majority grew as Howard later became CMO of speaker maker Sonos. Ltd.

and the lift of the dispatch company Ltd.

But early majority That moment didn’t come until 2019, when Dashlane hired her to move to Paris as CMO, she said.

Due to the pandemic, Howard and co-founder Dmitri Siegel launched Early Majority with a mission statement calling on consumers to take a break from their hectic lives. You can spend more time outdoors, she said.

“I loved the idea of ​​Paris, especially as a place where one day I would be brave enough to start a company,” says Howard. After 18 months at Dashlane, Howard said she moved to an advisory role in December 2020, and in January 2021 she incorporated Early Majority, which in May she joined Dashlane. She said she left.

Dashlane said he was unaware that she was developing a new company until Howard announced her resignation.

Pandemic-era inspiration

The pandemic is a common thread in the external pursuits of these marketers.

Maryam Banikarim was Head of Marketing for neighborhood network platform Nextdoor Holdings. Ltd.

In the summer of 2020, she and her husband, venture capitalist Andy Lerner, began speaking out about their frustration over reports that New York City would be permanently hobbled by lockdowns and layoffs.

That conversation led to a series of emails and phone calls with other New York-area executives, and in August 2020, Vanikarim co-founded NYCNext, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting New York’s tourism and creative industries.

NYCNext initially brainstormed a group of over 600 volunteers who organized projects promoting New York City, including pop-up performances by top Broadway talent and the star-featured short film “New York State of Mind.” I grew up from Cole’s 20. Like late-night TV host Stephen Colbert and New York Yankees players.

Another marketing executive, Geoff Cottrill, wasn’t able to work on a side hustle until the pandemic hit in June 2020. Starting from coca cola Ltd.

where he served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing.

Shortly after Cotrill left the soft drink giant, he received a phone call from industry veteran Gary Koepke. Koepke and Nylon magazine founder Marvin Scott Jarrett Inspired by the pandemic, it wanted to bring Marvin’s idea to life, a new publication dedicated to music and pop culture, and wanted Mr. Cotrill to serve as Chief Brand Officer.

“My role is [Marvin] Cotrill, who helped develop the new company’s identity and used its industry ties to sign automaker Porsche, said: AG

As the first and so far only sponsor.

Marvin published its first issue a year after the first call, just before Mr. Cottrill accepted a new job as CMO of driving range operator Topgolf.

Mr Cotrill said he joined on the understanding that he would continue Marvin’s work as long as it did not interfere with his responsibilities at Top Golf Callaway Brands. Mr. Cotrill has been promoted to Chief Brand Officer of Top Golf.

new ideas, new challenges

Working on side projects allows marketers to develop different skill sets and possibly explore new careers.

The most daunting task for Ms. Banikarim was to obtain a waiver from the powerful actors’ union SAG-AFTRA. She said this would allow union performers to participate in the “New York State of Mind” film. Her efforts were successful because, in the wake of her Facebook post, her friend referred her to another contact, who passed the message on to the union’s executive committee, who then passed it on to the union’s executive committee. It was after the commission approved her exemption.

NYCNext continues to host events, Ms. Banikarim leaves Her job at Nextdoor in June Pursue advocacy activities more aggressively. She recently started working as an advisor to New York City’s nonprofit partnerships, where she met the CEO while organizing NYCNext.

“I found community, meaning and joy in doing the work. ‘ said Banikarim.

Write to Patrick Coffee at patrick.coffee@wsj.com.