Ep 52: Brand Purpose and Cause Marketing with Tony Mokry
In today’s conversation, we welcome Tony Mokry, who is the Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Cricket Wireless, the leading prepaid wireless carrier in the US and a division of AT&T. Tune in to hear us talk about some of the unique areas where Tony is investing in the brand, why authenticity is a key pillar and how this translates to the company’s thousands of authorized retailers. Listeners will learn what Cricket Wireless is and what it stands for, how Tony came to join the company, and how AT&T facilitated his changing career. Tony shares the details of Cricket’s cause marketing campaigns which align with the brand purpose, with the ads created by Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah as an example. You’ll hear how his role as CMO extends beyond just getting customers to sign up, and the relationship with Bark which addresses cyberbullying using keywords. Tony shares advice with listeners to embrace change and get uncomfortable in their jobs, in order to grow. We hope you join us to learn more!
Key Points From This Episode:
An introduction to today’s guest, Tony Mokry, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Cricket Wireless.
A fun fact about Tony Mokry you may not know: he is an amazing gift wrapper.
What Cricket Wireless is and what it stands for.
Why joining Cricket was a perfect move for Tony in his career.
How AT&T supports changing your career through mentorship and development programs.
Tony reveals a bit about what he intends to do with the Cricket brand.
Their partnership with the Boys & Girls Club to do 12 Days of Cricket.
Brand purpose for Cricket and examples of how this has played out in recent campaigns.
How cause marketing and brand purpose is being communicated in their advertising.
The ads created by Ewurakua Dawson-Amoah using an on-campus with sports, music, and education.
Why it’s so important for every member of the team to have a voice.
How Cricket uses live on social media to maintain the brand and stay relevant.
How his role as CMO extends beyond getting customers to sign up.
Initiatives he is most proud of from 2021, including the one they worked on with Acorns.
Their relationship with Bark, which addresses cyberbullying using keywords.
How Cricket is always looking for talent and which departments they have.
The multicultural nature of Cricket’s identity.
Tony’s advice to embrace change and to get uncomfortable in your job.
Tweetables:
“Cricket Wireless offers customers a simple, high-quality wireless experience on a reliable nationwide network. I know that sounds a little complicated. It’s really our mission is to make customers smile more, stress less.” — @tonymokry [0:05:05]
“Brand makes the difference. It’s one thing to put out there and say we support this initiative. It’s another thing to really take the action.” — @tonymokry [0:09:55]
“We have all the normal, I’ll say, marketing KPIs. But if you’re solely focused on the results, and not the brand, you’re never going to be successful, because you’re going to get short-term results.” — @tonymokry [0:21:50]