What do you get when you combine Bob Knight, Leo Burnett, and the Kelley School of Business? This week’s podcast guest, Ann Bastianelli! Episode #12 of the Wild Business Growth podcast has DROPPED and features the legendary Marketing Professor from Indiana University whose famed advertising career spans over 30 years. Presented by Hippo Direct. Listen on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and your other favorite audio platforms – subscribe and leave a 5-star review if you’ve come across any of the campaigns Ann has touched!

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Hear how entrepreneurs & innovators unleash creativity to grow bigger and better businesses. Hear from an exciting new guest every single week who’s turning wild ideas into wild growth. Guests include startup founders, product inventors, social media influencers, and much more. Hosted by our digital marketing dude Max Branstetter – that’s me!

Episode #12: Ann Bastianelli – Legendary Marketing Professor at the Kelley School of Business

Ann Bastianelli, the award-winning Kelley Professor, Advertising Executive, Speaker, and Entrepreneur joins the show to share her unprecedented journey from advising Coach Bob Knight to her career at Leo Burnett, Anthology Consulting, and Indiana University‘s Kelley School of Business. Ann is my favorite college professor as I was fortunate to take her Advertising & Promotions class at Kelley during my senior year. She is an absolute legend in the marketing and advertising space and is one of the most inspiring and motivating people you will ever meet. As you can imagine, she happens to have some incredibly fascinating stories from her career. This episode covers everything from her famous marketing campaign work, including McDonald’s Happy Meals and 2 Scoops of Raisin Bran, to what she learned from Bob Knight. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

  • What it was like being one of only two women working in Division 1 Men’s Athletics
  • How to master a new job you have no previous experience doing
  • How an interest in art can fuel success in the business world
  • The power of solving other people’s problems
  • How hobbies can quiet your mind and increase your creativity
  • Why you should focus on being really good at one thing
  • The rewarding aspects of teaching at a top business school
  • Why Dunkin’ dropped the “Donuts” from their name

Connect with Ann on LinkedIn, at Ann@anthologyconsulting.com, or at abastian@indiana.edu.

Enjoy the show and GO HOOSIERS! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

  • Intro
    • [0:55] HOT 97
    • [1:17] Ann Bastianelli bio
    • [1:25] Kelley School of Business
    • [1:27] Indiana University
    • [1:37] Happy Meal
    • [1:42] 2 Scoops of Raisin Bran
    • [1:53] Bob Knight
    • [4:16] Anthology Consulting
    • [4:35] Ann’s background
    • [4:43] What she’s been interested in from a young age
    • [5:08] Her college major
    • [5:48] Graduating in a recession
    • [6:00] Ann got her MBA from Indiana University
    • [6:12] What sports she played in college
    • [6:14] How she got her first job out of college
    • [6:38] What technology was all the rage then
    • [6:46] Mimeograph
    • [7:10] Big Ten Conference
    • [7:56] Her pitch to Indiana’s Athletic Director
    • [8:29] Why a job forms itself around what you’re good at
  • Working with Bob Knight
  • Ann’s Famous Marketing Campaigns
    • [22:34] Her most fun campaign
    • [22:40] How McDonald’s approached the kids’ market
    • [23:05] The science to providing products for kids
    • [23:20] The big changing moment in a kid’s life
    • [23:48] The genius behind inventing McNuggets
    • [24:00] The genius of Happy Meal Toys
    • [24:35] How McDonald’s made it more than just eating
    • [25:18] How many Happy Meal commercial spots they ran that year
    • [25:25] Ronald McDonald
    • [26:05] When the team realized this could be big
    • [26:26] What McDonald’s was the first to say about kids
    • [27:08] Why the industry said “what are they thinking”
    • [27:42] Ann’s most difficult campaign
    • [27:58] Dow Spiffits
    • [28:04] Fantastik, Glass Plus
    • [28:20] What cleaning invention they came up with
    • [28:48] The difficult thing about the makeup of the team
    • [29:25] Why the messaging they ran was off-putting to women
    • [30:00] Why they pulled the ad off the air
    • [30:05] Me Too Movement
    • [30:25] Why it was such an expensive error
    • [30:30] The importance of understanding your target market
  • Inspiration and Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
    • [31:05] Ann’s most inspiring person
    • [31:15] Why Bob Knight was so inspiring
    • [31:35] Why you should focus on being really good at one thing
    • [31:50] The importance of preparation
    • [32:02] Madam C.J. Walker
    • [32:37] Ann’s transformative moment with Bob Knight
    • [32:45] Gerry Gimelstob
    • [32:59] Jim Crews
    • [33:58] Kleenex, Ace, Pringles, Lids, Smucker’s
    • [34:15] Ann’s transformative moments every year
    • [34:35] When she’s most proud of her students
    • [34:56] My experience with Ann’s class project
    • [35:52] Ann’s favorite hobbies
    • [36:00] Why portraits are zen for her
    • [37:39] Her studio
    • [37:50] How many hours a week she spends on portraits
    • [38:00] What she likes about swimming
    • [38:15] The power of your subconscious when you’re focused on something else
    • [38:50] Why Ann got into running after college
    • [39:15] Masters swimming
    • [39:25] AAU swimming
    • [39:35] The best sport for your joints
    • [39:42] The Masters
    • [40:05] IRONMAN
    • [40:20] Ann’s favorite books
    • [40:48] Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan (see image below)
    • [41:15] Why Ann reads for 30 minutes every night before bed

Lincoln The Biography of a Writer by Fred Kaplan

Alright alright alright…stay frosty for a new crazy cool guest coming every single week! Let us know any guests you’d like to see on the show and follow along for all your favorite marketing tips and business tips on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube. Sign up for the Hippo Digest email newsletter for your weekly recap of creative marketing. Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!