GRIN is the company behind the world’s first Creator Management platform, which is designed for the next generation of brands that recognize that authenticity is everything in the creator economy. Pulse 2.0 interviewed GRIN’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, Olivia McNaughten, to learn more about the company.
Olivia McNaughten’s Background
What is Olivia McNaughten’s background? McNaughten said:
“I am a half-British, half-Kiwi Product Marketer living in New York City! My entire career has been focused on shaping Product Marketing for B2B SaaS companies including Yotpo, a Forbes Cloud 100 company, fast growing Fintech firm, Rho, and most recently, the world’s leading Creator Management platform, GRIN.”
“I lead the Product Marketing team at GRIN, which includes five key departments. Product Marketing (of course!), Enablement, Technical Writing, PR, and Customer Marketing & Education. More broadly, I am responsible for GRIN’s narrative & positioning in the market — or in other words—GRIN’s story for who we are, what we stand for, why we are important, and our plans for the future.”
Favorite Memory
What has been McNaughten’s favorite memory working for the company so far? McNaughten reflected:
“My favorite memory has been building and working with the most incredible team. I feel genuinely proud of how hard-working, supportive, fun, and talented each member is and I’ve loved seeing their wins. From launching products into the market, revamping GRIN’s employee onboarding, hosting webinars, training sessions, competitive analysis, crafting a new company narrative, and more, it’s been incredible to watch. As a leader, you are only as good as your team, and I am lucky to have a brilliant one.”
Core Products
What are GRIN’s core products and features? McNaughten explained:
“Influencer Marketing is the fastest-growing and most impactful Marketing discipline in the world and it’s how the best brands like Skimms, Warby Parker, and Everlane, have emerged as household names. GRIN is the software platform behind it all.”
“As the world’s leading Creator Management platform, we help marketers discover, partner with, track, send products to, and even pay creators. From setting up an affiliate program to collaborating with celebrities and everything in between, GRIN allows marketers to leverage the power of influential people to drive awareness and growth.”
Challenges Faced
I asked McNaughten whether there been certain challenges that the team has faced in building the company, and she revealed:
“Yes, as a young female leader in tech, countless times I have been the only female in the room. And while this can be challenging, I’ve learned to lean into it and use it to my advantage instead of shying away from it—because now more than ever, the tech industry needs strong female voices.”
Evolution Of GRIN’s Technology
How has GRIN’s technology/product evolved since launching? McNaughten noted:
“It has evolved so much. GRIN pioneered the Creator Management category and has since helped countless brands build and manage authentic creator relationships end-to-end in GRIN. This also includes Affiliate relationships as GRIN added the ability to also manage your entire Affiliate Marketing program within GRIN. So, whether you are working with Creators, Affiliates, Celebrities, Athletes, Brand Ambassadors and more, you can manage everyone, seamlessly, right within GRIN.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant or recent milestones? McNaughten cited:
“At the end of 2023, GRIN released a Professional Services offering that provides brands with hands-on expertise where they need it most. If a brand wants help running a single campaign or recruiting creators, we offer modular services, or, if a brand needs help running its entire program, we offer white-glove end-to-end services. Our customers have been asking for this for years, so to be able to deliver this has been immensely rewarding.”
Customer Success Stories
When asking McNaughten about customer success stories, she highlighted:
“I love Uber’s success story because it shows just how efficient you can be with GRIN. Phil Rosario, the Global Social Media Lead at Uber, single-handedly built Uber’s TikTok strategy from the ground up using GRIN, and in just one year, he had a thriving TikTok community with over 750K followers plus 35 million video views and counting.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? McNaughten affirmed:
“GRIN’s flexibility and service are unmatched — at every step of your Influencer Marketing journey, GRIN can fit your unique needs and scale as you scale.
1.) Just dipping your toes into Influencer Marketing? Use our incredible Creator discovery tools to build out your roster of Creators.
2.) Scaling your program? Automate the busy work by sending products to your creators or setting up email sequences.
3.) Running a program with thousands of creators? Track every creator’s performance and optimize your program for maximum ROI.
4.) Want help? Leverage our team of experts to manage a part of your program or even run the whole thing!
At GRIN, we deeply understand creators and we deeply understand what brands need—at every stage—to run a successful program that drives results.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? McNaughten pointed out:
“The way people shop has changed. People used to turn to Google to discover products, but now they turn to TikTok and Instagram. People used to read product reviews, but now they want to watch them on social. Creators have become such a pivotal part of the buyer journey and brands not doing it, are missing out. So, GRIN is dedicated to making Influencer Marketing universally accessible for brands so that they can connect with the modern shopper through the power of influential people.”
Marketing To Women
Why is it so important to market to women in this day and age? McNaughten explained:
“The women’s perspective is becoming increasingly more important because women actually drive more consumer spending than men. In fact, it is even stated to be as high as 75% through a combination of increased buying power and greater influence. Women are dominating higher education, more women are becoming breadwinners, and women are powering the economy.”
“With women holding a greater purchasing power, companies need to focus on ensuring that their products or services resonate with the female consumer—even if the products are for men, because only half of products created for men are actually purchased by the man. Having women in marketing leadership roles ensures that the products or services are effectively resonating and marketed to females and what females care about.”
Advice For Women
What is your advice to other women trying to break into marketing? McNaughten replied:
“As someone who works in the marketing industry, male or female, it is important to stand out. So, whether that is being the only female in the room, the youngest in the room, or the only person of your ethnicity in the room, it’s all about finding what your different perspective is and more importantly, feeling confident in your perspective. Developing your unique niche will always make you invaluable.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? McNaughten concluded:
“Hiring! Don’t hire the same person over and over. Don’t JUST hire people from one college. Don’t JUST hire people from consulting firms. Don’t JUST hire people from Fortune 500s or Big Tech. Hire a mix of people, focusing on their motivation, their drive, and their will. This is especially true for entry-level roles because people can learn skills, but it’s much harder to learn will.”
