The Soul & Science Podcast with Jason Harris

“What is your marketing origin story and how did you get into the field?”

Harris almost always opens with this question to establish the guest's background and career trajectory from the start.

“What are you particularly good at, or what makes you stand out?”

He asks this after discussing a guest's career path to elicit a moment of self-assessment on their core strengths.

“Explain your company or its business model to me like I'm your grandmother.”

A go-to prompt for cutting through jargon and getting a simple, foundational explanation of the guest's business.

“For your two-sided marketplace, is it more important to market to consumers or merchants?”

He asks this to understand how guests prioritize marketing efforts when serving multiple distinct audiences.

“Was there an experiment or pivot you tried that didn't work out?”

This question is used to surface stories of failure and learning in brand strategy.

“What metrics do you use to measure brand health?”

This question seeks to understand how C-suite executives measure the success of their brand-building efforts.

“How do you decide which marketing functions should be centralized versus localized for global campaigns?”

He asks this of CMOs at global companies to understand their organizational structure and strategy.

“How do you make your brand stand out from its competitors?”

This question directly probes the guest's brand differentiation strategy.

“How do you choose the right celebrity partners for your brand?”

This question probes the strategy behind high-stakes influencer and celebrity marketing decisions.

“How do you balance the needs of your core audience with attracting new, younger generations?”

Frequently asked of guests from legacy brands to address the challenge of intergenerational marketing.

“How are you using AI in your product and your marketing?”

A recurring question to understand how top brands are integrating new technology into their strategy.

“How do you balance helpful personalization with being creepy?”

A key question he raises to explore the ethical and practical limits of data-driven marketing.