"It’s not just about selling a product. It’s about creating a feeling people remember—and humor makes it unforgettable.”

In this special episode of Growth Talks with Krystina Rubino, we highlight our favorite growth non-hacks: the timeless strategies that drive real results, not just quick wins. It’s packed with smart insights, fresh perspectives, and valuable lessons for building lasting success.

Hear from marketing leaders like Chiyong Jones (VP of Brand Marketing, Kajabi), Deanna Dong (Former Head of Product Marketing, Writer AI), Ian Yung (Former SVP of Revenue, Tonal), Laura Brooks (Co-founder, Foundation Collective), and Shane Pittson (Co-founder, So-and-So Venture Studio) as they break down what it takes to drive real growth in today’s environment.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Chiyong Jones shares why humor, when used authentically, remains one of the most powerful ways to build emotional connections and make brands memorable.
• Deanna Dong explains how A/B testing messaging ideas brings more credibility and discipline to product marketing.
• Ian Yung encourages growth leaders to dig deeper, seek real insights, and prioritize real experimentation over simply copying tactics and chasing surface-level hacks.
• Laura Brooks reveals why building a strong marketing foundation beats chasing trends. She explains how getting product and customer experience right sets you up for real growth.
• Shane Pittson explains why balancing brand and direct response beats chasing short-term wins, and how smart media bets and emotional connections create customer loyalty.

⏰ Timestamps

00:00: Introduction with Krystina Rubino

00:32: Chiyong Jones: Humor as a Marketing Growth Tool

01:46: Deanna Dong: Messaging in Product Marketing

02:50: Ian Yung: Seek Truth, Not Shortcuts

04:14: Laura Brooks: Building a Strong Marketing Foundation

05:55: Shane Pittson: Balancing Brand and Performance

08:03: Closing Thoughts

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"You can’t discount your way into building customer loyalty—you earn it through value and trust."

In this episode of Growth Talks, Aaron Magness, SVP of Marketing at Full Glass Wine Co., joins host Krystina Rubino to share his journey from brand builder to ecommerce leader. He breaks down how to adapt your leadership style, leverage data to drive growth, and create personalized shopping experiences that turn first-time buyers into loyal customers.

Aaron also explores the nuances of consumer behavior, the power of trust in brand-building, and the strategies fueling success across multiple wine brands in a competitive online marketplace—drawing from over 20 years of experience building iconic consumer brands like Thistle, Betabrand, Brandless, and Zappos.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Adapt your leadership style: Coach your team to lead from their strengths—not your checklist. Give them the trust and autonomy to own outcomes and scale what can’t be done alone.
• Empower top talent: Look for people who are great at one thing—not okay at everything. When you plant specialists in the right role, they don’t just grow—they flourish.
• Leverage data strategically: Don’t just collect data—connect the dots. From segmentation to storytelling, let your insights drive smarter decisions that build trust and loyalty at scale.
• Build trust through personalization: Know who your customer is—and why they chose you. Use that insight to deliver value that feels tailored, timely, and true to your brand promise.
• Experiment boldly: Create space for fresh ideas. Set clear expectations, document outcomes, and revisit tests with conviction. The best insights often come from what didn’t work the first time.

⏰ Timestamps

01:16 - Leadership evolution in the marketing industry

06:44 - Understanding consumer preferences

12:07 - Shipping wine vs. other D2C categories

16:39 - The A/B Test: A or B questions

27:09 - Balancing brand storytelling with performance marketing

32:54 - Experience of working across many brands

36:39 - Brand management philosophy

39:09 - Fostering innovation in marketing teams

41:35 - How to use data to drive repeat purchase

44:52 - Providing value over discounts

🔗Mentioned in this episode:

• Full Glass Wine Co: https://www.fullglass.wine/
• Thistle: https://www.thistle.co/
• Betabrand: https://www.betabrand.com/
• Brandless: https://brandless.com/
• Zappos: https://www.zappos.com/
• Williams Sonoma: https://www.williams-sonoma.co

👍Did you enjoy this video? Don’t forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals. Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: https://rightsideup.com/resources/growth-marketing-newsletter/

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"There’s no magic bullet in marketing—just daily experimentation, measurement, and iteration."

In this episode of Growth Talks, Michael Kaminsky, Co-founder of Recast, joins host Krystina Rubino to explore how marketers can rethink the way they measure success. Drawing from his early days at Harry’s, Michael shares how managing a lean media budget sparked his deep dive into media mix modeling and experimentation.

He offers insights on how marketers can adopt a product mindset—treating measurement as an iterative process, not a final answer. Learn how ongoing optimization, directional data, and adaptive systems can help brands stretch their budgets, make smarter decisions, and scale effectively across channels.

🗝️ Key Takeaways:

• Embrace uncertainty. No model is perfect—but that’s not the goal. Structured experimentation brings clarity, reveals customer insights, and drives better decisions over time.
• Last-click attribution is limiting. It favors bottom-of-funnel tactics and short-term wins, while overlooking the long-term impact of brand-building and upper-funnel influence.
• Media mix modeling is evolving. Smart marketers are moving beyond slow, outdated models—adopting faster, real-time approaches that align more with consumer behavior.
• Stop overcomplicating measurement. You don’t need perfect data to move forward. Simple directional signals are often enough to guide strategic, timely decisions.
• Think like a product team. Continuous optimization and experimentation should be built into every marketing plan to stay agile and drive consistent growth.

⏰ Timestamps

00:10 - Intro to Michael Kaminsky

03:26 - From Harry’s to Recast: Why measurement needed a reset

07:21 - The blind spots of last-click attribution

14:34 - Why traditional media mix models fail modern marketers

18:38 - How brands can balance digital and offline measurement

23:37 - The importance of causal inference in marketing analytics

35:24 - The dangers of over-relying on data without strategic intuition

45:27 - Common mistakes brands make in cross-channel measurement

50:46 - The future of marketing measurement and why agility matters

55:46 - How to build a marketing strategy that adapts and scales

🔗Mentioned in this episode:

• Recast: https://getrecast.com/
• Harry’s: https://www.harrys.com/
• Away: https://www.awaytravel.com/
• Mockingbird: https://hellomockingbird.com/
• Rocket Money: https://www.rocketmoney.com/

👍Did you enjoy this video? Don’t forget to click the like button! And find more episodes of Growth Talks here: https://bit.ly/3xXGJJc

🤝Connect with Right Side Up

Right Side Up is a premium growth marketing agency that has helped more than 1,000+ companies hit their growth goals. Check us out and send us a note at: https://bit.ly/4bfaBQt

‣ Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/3HWiJYD

‣ Subscribe to our marketing newsletter: https://rightsideup.com/resources/growth-marketing-newsletter/

‣ Follow us on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rightsideup/

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‣ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rightsideupco