In marketing, it’s all about being dynamic and designing for people, Diana Bojaj and Mike Law, the CMO and CEO of Carat, one of the top five marketing agencies in the U.S., told a packed crowd of students in Crawford Hall on March 20.

“If I were to tell you about my career, it’s been about reinvention,” Bojaj said. “I’ve done so many different things. Reinvent yourself and try a lot of different things. Be an entrepreneur.”

Carat is a global media and marketing agency that works internationally with some of the largest companies in the world. 

The leadership pair commuted from Detroit and New York to tour Kent State and speak at their event “Behind the Brand.” Kent State’s American Marketing Association, American Advertising Federation and Kent State Student Media also helped host the speakers during their tour. 

Law, who joked that he passed up dinner with Tom Brady to come to Kent State, said that coming was important to help educate students heading into the marketing field, in an interview before the event. 

“It’s important for us to make sure that people understand what career opportunities exist out there,” Law said. “We want to build a diverse workforce. We want people to know that there’s a lot of different things you can do.”

The two talked about the culture and community at Carat as well as the challenges working for an international agency. They said “designing for people,” a core tenet at Carat, was a key concept for their business. 

“Designing for people is our philosophy and the work we do,” Bojaj said. “It’s really important for how we put people at the center. We love media and we love brands, and what sits in between those two things are people.”

Bojaj told students they are a great example of the changing marketing environment. 

“You’re all living proof of how the landscape has changed and that we need to stay in touch,” she said. “How do we bring people closer together? By understanding people better, reaching them better and by trust.”

Law said that designing for people is about maintaining a focus on people and away from the numbers. 

“This industry could become very much about the numbers, and we try to make it about the people,” Law said. “Ultimately, people choose brands; they don’t want disruptive ads, they want great media experiences and cool content.”

Law also said the changing media landscape has informed how they operate Carat.

“The expectation, especially from [Generation Z] just keeps getting higher and higher,” he said. “Personalization addressability makes it relevant. If you just get stuck in the numbers, you lose that. The way we run Carat and the way that we think about delivering media for our clients is all about thinking about the people, the consumer, the customer.”

The two presented recent examples of the work that met with current moments of culture. Carat is known for working with some of the largest companies in the world, including IKEA, Mastercard and more. 

Among them were a video of SZA debuting a new song during a Mastercard commercial for the Grammy’s, a Microsoft and Marvel collaboration about AI and the new Captain America movie, Doechii trying a new type of hot sauce and a “Family Feud” advertisement for Old Spice. 

Bojaj also shared a story about capitalizing off Kendrick Lamar’s recent appearances at the Super Bowl, the Grammy’s and mustard. 

“Kraft-Heinz is a client of ours,” Bojaj said. “If you listen to Kendrick Lamar, who was playing at the Super Bowl, he works for a gentleman named DJ Mustard, and he produced some of his songs.” 

Bojaj said they identified Kendrick Lamar yelling “mustard” as a way to advertise. 

“Within two weeks, we were talking to CBS, who airs the Grammys, about how we get a spot that is in between when Kendrick Lamar wins his award and when DJ Mustard is going up.” 

Bojaj said they had to be strategic about how to place the ad, but they weren’t sure if the timing would line up. 

“We want that moment next to an ad, so then we can capitalize on that moment knowing it’ll lead into the Super Bowl the following week,” Bojaj said. “There were no guarantees that Kendrick was going to yell ‘mustard’ or DJ Mustard was going to be there, but we needed to be ready for those marketing moments to be able to capitalize off those moments of culture.”

Law said that before the ad, Kraft-Heinz bought 17 spellings of the word “mustard,” depending on the amount of A’s they wanted in their ad. 

After Bojaj and Law spoke, the event concluded with a question-and-answer session from attendees. Students who had been scribbling notes were given the chance to pick the brains of the speakers. 

The two received several questions about advice for students hoping to get into marketing. 

“It all depends on what you like,” Bojaj said. “Know the trade, be informed. Investing in understanding is important.” 

Law said that being able to react quickly is paramount to success. He said because younger generations are able to move so quickly, they should build on that. 

“Your presence is so much greater than previous generations,” Law said. “The speed at which the world is moving is what you need to be ready for. Before you just needed to check a box, but now you should be taking trade skills from companies. They’re free and they show you care.” 

Andrew Bowie is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].