Episode 009 - Marcelo Kertesz of Manscaped

Manscaped went from a scrappy grooming startup to a $300M+ omnichannel brand — with balls, humor, and a Super Bowl ad to prove it. This week, Hayley and Matt sit down with Marcelo Kertesz, CMO of Manscaped, whose path to the C-suite runs through Brazilian political campaigns, a chance meeting over a logo design, and a pandemic-fueled all-hands rebrand pitch that could've gotten him fired.In this episode, Marcelo breaks down:🪒 How he went from directing 7 presidential campaigns across 5 countries (winning 6) to becoming Manscaped's first-ever CMO💌 The incredible story of discovering his late mother's decades of love letters — and turning them into a book (and soon, a movie)🎯 Why he staked his job on a total brand overhaul just weeks after being hired — presented to the entire company before he'd even settled in🏈 The real story behind Manscaped's first-ever Super Bowl ad, "Monster Hair" — including 49 rejected concepts📱 The data-driven insight behind their viral "Send Face Pics Instead" campaign (60M+ organic views)💰 Why Manscaped deliberately shifted ~70% of its marketing budget to upper-funnel brand building🚻 Whether a "Womanscaped" spinoff will ever happen🧠 His "Crumbs of Wisdom" fortune cookie question, courtesy of sponsor Open FortuneManscaped has become one of the fastest-growing men's grooming brands on the planet by refusing to be boring — and Marcelo explains exactly how they walk the line between premium and puerile.⏱️ Chapters00:00 — Cold open: float days & random Friday chaos04:10 — Pop culture round-up: teleprompter scandal, George Santos goes reality TV08:23 — Intro to today's guest + a game of "Greatest Hair Metal Ballads"11:04 — Meet Marcelo Kertesz, CMO of Manscaped13:24 — His parents' secret love letters and the book he's writing22:56 — From political marketing in Brazil to art direction26:15 — The winding road from Brazil to Encinitas, California30:25 — Hired to design a logo... ends up reinventing the brand32:17 — COVID hits, and he risks everything on a full rebrand pitch36:36 — The criticism that reshaped Manscaped's brand direction40:17 — Premium pricing, humor, and the upper-funnel marketing shift46:16 — Deciding to run Manscaped's first Super Bowl ad53:24 — The "Ball Trampoline" strategy and Send Face Pics Instead1:02:50 — Inside "Monster Hair": the Super Bowl ad concept1:08:03 — The 49 ideas that didn't make the cut1:11:51 — Building genuine community beyond the jokes1:13:27 — Manscaped's growth into the #3 electric shaver brand in the US1:14:33 — Will there ever be a "Womanscaped"?1:17:26 — Crumbs of Wisdom (brought to you by Open Fortune)1:20:54 — Brands Marcelo's watching right now1:22:47 — Why Manscaped is one of the Best Brands on Earth1:25:46 — Outro#BestBrandsOnEarth #Manscaped #Marketing #CMO #Branding #SuperBowlAds #Podcast