Bringing Digital Brands from Screen to Shelf | Taylor Carlson, Group Nine Media

For digital media firms, licensing has become a secret weapon. Group Nine Media’s VP of Brand Development, Taylor Carlson, is talking with us about how names like The Dodo and POPSUGAR have extended their brands from screen to shelf.

About Our Guest

Taylor Carlson is currently the Vice President of Brand Development at Group Nine Media where she is responsible for diversifying the company’s commercial strategy for its entire portfolio which includes POPSUGAR, The Dodo, NowThis, Thrillist, and Seeker. Prior to the merger, Carlson spearheaded the strategy for POPSUGAR and launched the company’s licensing and consumer products business which contributed to POPSUGAR achieving profitability. Capitalizing on POPSUGAR’s core content verticals and consumer passion points, she inked a strategic partnership with Kohls for POPSUGAR’s first apparel collection available in 500 stores nationwide. Additionally, she was responsible for launching Beauty By POPSUGAR which was available exclusively at Ulta and now has expanded distribution to Macy’s and Kohls.  Carlson has also been instrumental in building brand equity through the introduction of POPSUGAR Play/Ground, the company’s first-ever experiential festival for 10,000 women. By prioritizing differentiated revenue streams and strong brand collaborations, Carlson is guiding POPSUGAR to expand from a media company into a lifestyle brand.

Before joining POPSUGAR, Carlson built and oversaw the experiential and integrated marketing teams at goop, where she shaped the company’s monetization strategy with value-driven partnerships. As their first brand marketing hire, Carlson helped double Goop’s partnership revenue YoY and conceptualize the brand’s experiential tentpoles such as, In Goop Health Summit, GOOP pop-up shop partnership integrations, and more. She was recognized by Biz Bash as an Innovator in 2017. Prior to goop, Taylor was at CARAT and Alison Brod Marketing & Communications working as an agency lead on brands such as GODIVA Chocolate, The Gruppo Campari portfolio, Mercedes-Benz, Howard Hughes, and more.

Tune in below to Taylor’s episode, or check it out on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don’t forget to subscribe!