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PODCAST

Frictionless Growth Marketing

Sonia Thompson | Inclusive Growth & Customer Experience Strategist

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

business marketing

All Episodes

38:04

204. Why Most Growth Strategies Underperform — And...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/02/26

Many growth marketing strategies underperform because they’re built on incomplete foundations.Despite better data, better tools, and endless optimization, brand growth and customer acquisition feel harder than they should. Campaigns convert — but they don’t compound. Customer experience improves — but loyalty stalls. Personalization gets sharper — but relevance feels thinner. In this episode, I break down why. You’ll learn why modern growth strategy often misses critical structural

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28:16

203. Relevance Over Reach: The Growth Marketing...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/02/19

What if your growth problem isn’t performance — it’s relevance?In this episode, I break down what Dense Bean Salad Girl’s rise to 3 million followers and 125,000 subscribers reveals about how growth marketing actually works in 2026. No paid ads. No massive media budget. No interruptive campaigns. Instead, Violet Witchell entered a conversation already happening — about protein, fiber, affordability, and meal prep — and made herself genuinely useful. Her story reveals four shifts reshaping brand

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9:47

202. How Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Became...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/02/12

When Bad Bunny took the stage at the Super Bowl Halftime Show, it wasn’t just a performance — it was a masterclass in modern brand growth.In this episode, we break down why Bad Bunny’s halftime show resonated so deeply with audiences — and what brand leaders, CMOs, and growth marketers should learn from it. Because this wasn’t just about music. It was about: Cultural relevance Identity-driven marketing Audience intimacy And building brands that reflect the communities they

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21:46

201. Why the Traditional Growth Marketing Model Is...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/02/05

Growth marketing was built on continuous improvement — experiment, optimize, compound.But for many brand leaders today, growth no longer feels like it’s compounding. Despite more data, more tools, and more optimization than ever before, ROI is slipping and hitting growth targets is getting harder. That’s not a discipline problem. It’s a growth marketing model problem. In this pillar episode, I break down why the traditional growth marketing model — including the AARRR framework (Awareness,

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15:21

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

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/01/29

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

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24:45

199. Brand Growth Strategy in 2026: 5 Marketplace...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/01/22

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

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26:41

198. The Growth Strategy Behind Crayola’s Global...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/01/15

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 —

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32:33

197. AMA 2026 Marketing Trends: How Trust, AI, and...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/01/08

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

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13:07

196. Why Growth Requires Evolution (And What This...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2026/01/01

Growth doesn’t stall because you took your foot off the gas.It stalls because what worked before doesn’t work the same way anymore. As markets evolve, customer expectations shift, and competition intensifies, growth requires more than repeating past strategies — it requires evolution. In this episode, I explore: Why entering the conversation customers are already having is essential to growth How changes in the market and in consumer behavior are reshaping what “effective marketing”

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9:25

195. What 2025’s Biggest Marketing Mistakes Teach Us...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/12/26

Brand growth today depends on avoiding the marketing mistakes that quietly erode trust, relevance, and customer loyalty.In this episode of Frictionless Growth Marketing, Sonia Thompson breaks down the biggest marketing mishaps of 2025 and the critical lessons they reveal about brand growth, customer expectations, and modern marketing strategy. Drawing from real-world brand backlash and high-profile missteps, you’ll learn how friction shows up in messaging, brand decisions, and customer

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44:30

194. How Messaging Creates (or Removes) Friction in...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/12/18

Most brands think their messaging is clear.Their customers often disagree. In this episode of Frictionless Growth Marketing, Sonia Thompson sits down with Dr. J.J. Peterson — marketing and communication expert, former Head of StoryBrand, and co-host of the globally top-ranked Marketing Made Simple podcast — to unpack how messaging can either remove friction or quietly block business growth at every stage of the customer journey. Together, they explore why unclear messaging is one of the most

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39:22

193. Is Your Brand Ready for the Super Bowl, Olympics...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/12/11

The Super Bowl, the Olympics, and the FIFA World Cup are all happening in 2026 — and they’re not just sporting events. They’re cultural events powered by identity, influence, community, and the underrepresented audiences shaping modern fandom.The brands that win next year won’t be the ones with the biggest budgets — they’ll be the ones with the deepest cultural understanding and the strongest consumer trust. In this episode of Frictionless Growth Marketing, Sonia Thompson — inclusive growth and

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22:59

192. The New Rules of Brand–Consumer Trust: What...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/12/04

Consumers today aren’t just buying products — they’re buying alignment, transparency, cultural fluency, and trust. And trust has officially become one of the most powerful growth marketing levers a brand can pull.In this episode, Sonia Thompson — inclusive growth and customer experience strategist — breaks down what three real-world stories from LinkedIn, Disney, and Ralph Lauren reveal about the new rules of brand–consumer trust and how they directly impact growth, loyalty, and long-term

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12:54

191. The 2025 Marketing Shifts I’m Most Grateful For...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/11/27

In this short reflection episode, Sonia Thompson — inclusive growth and customer experience strategist — shares the 2025 marketing shifts she’s most grateful for… and what they signal for brands heading into 2026.This year, marketers saw consumers use their voices and their wallets more boldly than ever, brands standing firmer in their values, and more companies finally recognizing the power of growth communities — the underrepresented and underserved groups who are shaping culture, influence, and

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26:41

190. I Reviewed 50 Brand Websites — Here Are the Most...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/11/20

Even the most well-intentioned brands have hidden friction points buried throughout their customer journey — small, avoidable moments that quietly push ideal customers away. In this episode, Sonia Thompson, Inclusive Growth & Customer Experience Strategist, breaks down the most common friction patterns she uncovered while reviewing 50 brand websites across industries, markets, and brand sizes.You’ll learn how gaps in representation, inclusive language, accessibility, and customer experience create

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23:41

189. Find the Hidden Friction in Your Customer...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/11/13

Even the most well-intentioned brands have friction hiding in their customer journeys — small moments that quietly push ideal customers away. In this episode, Inclusive Marketing and Customer Experience Strategist Sonia Thompson reveals her Friction Finder Growth Audit framework to uncover and fix the hidden friction blocking your customer experience and limiting brand growth.Get the Inclusion & Marketing Newsletter -- www.inclusionandmarketing.com/newsletter

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14:45

188. 4 Common Growth Marketing Mistakes Keeping You...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/11/06

Most brands want to grow — but too many still use the same old playbook.In this episode, Sonia Thompson — inclusive marketing and growth strategist — breaks down the four most common growth marketing mistakes keeping brands from reaching the influential and high-growth communities driving today’s marketplace. From superficial inclusion to copy-and-paste campaigns, Sonia reveals what’s really costing brands trust, loyalty, and ROI — and exactly how to fix it. You’ll learn how to: ✅ Go beyond

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17:26

187. Why Your Growth Marketing Strategy Isn’t Working...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/10/30

If your ads, campaigns, or funnels aren’t delivering like they used to, it’s not just you — and it’s not just the algorithm. The truth is, your growth marketing strategy might be out of sync with today’s consumers.In this episode, Sonia Thompson, inclusive marketing and growth marketing strategist and host of Inclusion & Marketing, breaks down what’s driving diminishing returns in growth marketing — and how to realign your strategy for today’s world. You’ll learn: Why traditional performance

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16:59

186. Why the Fastest-Growing Brands Start With “Who,”...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/10/23

Most growth marketing strategies start with what to do — launch a new campaign, open a new channel, or create a new product.But the fastest-growing brands today start somewhere very different: with who they’re growing with. In this episode, Sonia Thompson, inclusive marketing strategist and host of Inclusion & Marketing, breaks down the mindset shift powering today’s fastest-growing brands — the shift from what to who. You’ll learn: Why effective growth marketing begins with people, not

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16:30

185. The Proof Your Customer Acquisition Strategy...

Frictionless Growth Marketing ·

2025/10/16

Most brands focus on awareness in their customer acquisition strategy—but neglect the proof that actually drives conversions.In this episode of Inclusion & Marketing, Sonia Thompson explains why relevant social proof is the missing piece that helps customers see themselves in your brand—and feel confident saying yes. You’ll learn how to show “people like me succeed here,” why belonging matters just as much as benefits, and how to weave proof of success naturally into every part of your customer

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205 results

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