PodcastsBusinessFrictionless Growth Marketing

Frictionless Growth Marketing

Sonia Thompson | Inclusive Growth & Customer Experience Strategist
Frictionless Growth Marketing
Latest episode

201 episodes

  • Frictionless Growth Marketing

    200. The Glitch in Modern Marketing — And How It’s Harming Brand Growth

    1/29/2026 | 15 mins.
    Modern marketing excels at personalization — until it reaches one consistent area where many brands still break down, costing them growth and frustrating customers in the process.

    In this milestone episode, Sonia Thompson explores The Glitch in Modern Marketing — and why brands that are otherwise sophisticated in growth marketing and customer acquisition often hesitate, stall, or retreat when identity enters the picture.

    Marketers know how to tailor products, experiences, and messaging by behavior, lifecycle stage, and preferences. But when personalization intersects with human identity, that rigor often disappears — replaced by assumptions and a return to “general market” thinking.

    This episode breaks down:


    Why identity shapes how customers decide what’s “for someone like me”


    How general market marketing quietly creates friction and lost sales


    Why asking customers to adapt is no longer a neutral choice


    And how integrating identity completes personalization — instead of complicating it

    If growth feels harder than it should, this episode will help you see what’s been missing — and how to fix it.

    Find out what's slowing your growth: www.frictionlessgrowthlab.com/quiz
  • Frictionless Growth Marketing

    199. Brand Growth Strategy in 2026: 5 Marketplace Shifts Reshaping How Brands Grow

    1/22/2026 | 24 mins.
    Many brands are finding that the growth strategies that once worked aren’t delivering the same results anymore.

    In this episode, Sonia Thompson breaks down the marketplace shifts reshaping brand growth strategy in 2026 and beyond — and why traditional growth playbooks are falling flat.

    From trust becoming a real constraint on growth, to discovery happening in entirely new ways, this episode explains what’s changed in the market — and what brands need to do differently to grow today.

    If your brand’s growth feels harder than it used to, this episode will help you understand why — and how to adapt your brand growth strategy for the market we’re actually in.

    Take the Frictionless Growth Quiz to identify where your brand may be creating hidden friction: frictionlessgrowthlab.com/quiz

    Also mentioned in this episode:

    Episode 198: The Growth Strategy Behind Crayola's Global Initiative Engaging 17 Million Kids | Brand Strategy and Customer Acquisition Case Study - https://www.frictionlessgrowthlab.com/brand-ecosystem-crayola/
  • Frictionless Growth Marketing

    198. The Growth Strategy Behind Crayola’s Global Initiative Engaging 17 Million Kids | Brand Strategy and Customer Acquisition Case Study

    1/15/2026 | 26 mins.
    In year one, Crayola launched a global initiative expecting to engage about 500,000 kids. Instead, more than 2 million participated. Five years later, that same initiative now engages over 17 million kids across more than 120 countries.

    In this episode, Sonia Thompson breaks down the brand strategy and customer acquisition approach behind that scale with Crayola’s Chief Marketing Officer. Together, they explore how the brand designed a global initiative rooted in inclusive marketing principles — and how focusing on engagement across the customer journey became a powerful engine for building trust, relationships, and long-term growth.

    You’ll hear how Crayola:


    Used brand strategy to design a global initiative that scales year over year


    Approached customer acquisition through participation, not promotion


    Built an ecosystem across products, experiences, and content


    Applied inclusive marketing to engage diverse audiences worldwide

    This conversation offers a clear lesson for modern brands: sustainable growth comes from engaging customers throughout the journey — not just reaching them once.

    If you’re curious how other billion-dollar brands are driving growth in today’s market, I’ve linked my Billion-Dollar Brands Roadmap in the show notes. It breaks down the strategies leading brands are using to build relevance, trust, and loyalty at scale. - www.frictionlessgrowthlab.com/roadmap

    Crayola Creativity Week 2026 - https://www.crayola.com/learning/creativity-week
  • Frictionless Growth Marketing

    197. AMA 2026 Marketing Trends: How Trust, AI, and Audience Fragmentation Are Rewriting the Rules of Growth

    1/08/2026 | 32 mins.
    Marketing is shifting — and many brands feel it, even if they can’t yet name it.

    In this episode, Sonia Thompson speaks with Bennie F. Johnson, CEO of the American Marketing Association, about the AMA 2026 Marketing Trends shaping the future of modern marketing and growth marketing.

    They unpack how trust in marketing, AI in marketing, and audience fragmentation are rewriting the rules of growth — driving up customer acquisition costs, raising expectations for relevance, and reshaping how brands build credibility in identity-driven communities.

    Drawing on insights from the AMA’s 2026 Future Trends in Marketing research, this conversation explores what’s changing beneath the surface — from responsible artificial intelligence, inclusive leadership, and evolving workforce models to the implications for growth strategy in today’s complex marketing environment.

    🎧 A must-listen for CMOs, growth leaders, and brand strategists navigating the next era of modern growth marketing.
  • Frictionless Growth Marketing

    196. Why Growth Requires Evolution: Rethinking Brand Strategy and the Customer Journey

    1/01/2026 | 13 mins.
    Brand growth today depends on evolving your brand strategy and improving the customer journey to meet changing consumer expectations.

    In this episode of Frictionless Growth Marketing, Sonia Thompson explores why traditional growth playbooks are breaking down — and what this moment is asking of marketers and business leaders instead.

    Drawing on real-world brand examples and cultural shifts, Sonia breaks down how friction shows up across customer acquisition, customer experience, and customer retention — often in ways teams don’t immediately see.

    You’ll learn how modern marketing requires removing the friction that slows growth, erodes trust, and pushes customers away — and how to adapt your strategy to grow with clarity and confidence in today’s market.

    If you’re rethinking how to grow in a changing landscape, this episode will help you understand what needs to evolve — and where to focus next.

    This episode also marks the next chapter of the show — not as a departure from the past, but as a sharper focus on what actually drives growth now.

    If you want to understand where friction may be quietly limiting your growth, start with clarity.

    Take the free quiz to identify what’s slowing your growth: frictionlessgrowthlab.com/quiz
    And if you’re ready for deeper support, you can also explore growth audits and focused roadmapping sessions designed to help teams remove friction and unlock performance.

    Because evolution isn’t a loss of identity.
    It’s a commitment to effectiveness.

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About Frictionless Growth Marketing

Brand growth today depends on removing friction from your marketing and customer experience to attract and retain more of the people you want to serve. Frictionless Growth Marketing is the podcast for marketers, business leaders, and founders who want to grow by eliminating the messaging, experience, and strategy gaps that quietly push customers away every single day. Hosted by Sonia Thompson, Inclusive Growth and Customer Experience Strategist, the show breaks down how modern brands drive sustainable growth by designing frictionless customer journeys, building trust with identity-rich growth communities, and adapting to changing consumer expectations with clarity and confidence. Each week, you’ll hear practical insights, real brand examples, and candid conversations with marketing leaders and subject-matter experts on: Brand strategy that fuels long-term business growth in the age of modern marketing Customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty in today’s market How friction shows up across the customer journey — and how to remove it Identity-driven marketing, cultural relevance, and belonging What’s actually working now with today’s values-driven consumers If you want to reach more of the people you’re meant to serve — and convert more of them — without relying on outdated formulas or brute-force tactics, Frictionless Growth Marketing will show you the new rules of modern marketing and growth. Because when you remove friction, you remove barriers to growth — for your customers and for your business.
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