the general manager of the EMEA division. Almost five years later, now as the CCO and EVP of marketing, what would you say is your favorite part about working with Crayola? Ben Thomas: I interviewed at Crayola because of the brand. But I took the job at Crayola because of the people that I met in the interview process. Every day, I fall more in love with Crayola because of the teams I work with, which are filled with amazing people. Together we create this magic that drives us forward, and that’s the thing I love about the company the most. IR: From jewelry brands like Alex and Ani to fashion brands like Marc Jacobs, Crayola has developed a product and branding world outside of the 24-crayon pack we’ve all become familiar with. What has it been like working with a CPG brand that has also become a lifestyle brand, intersected with other categories like accessories and food and beverage? What does that look like in today’s marketing strategy? BT: I would say we’ve been a lifestyle brand for a long, long time. I think it’s become more obvious to people recently. I think where we’ve maybe changed our marketing strategy a little bit is that partner share of voice has increased. Social media as a marketing platform has gained more and more traction. It’s been more visible that we’re a lifestyle brand and it’s absolutely our intention to continue to evolve as one. As we have been so connected with our customers, ranging from children’s parents to educators, people have come to trust the brand. There’s a level of performance and nostalgia associated with a Crayola collaboration, whether it’s with an apparel or food brand, that lets the customers know there is a badge of quality. As we evolve the marketing strategy, I would say that we’re really trying to talk to the customers wherever they are. Whether that’s with our fantastic programs, like Crayola Creativity Week, where we provide a full week of educational content for free for educators in classrooms all over the world, to developing our adult range of products called Crayola All Grown Up. Right now, we’re really trying to talk to adults as adults, and we’ve even set up new marketing channels, with creative, authentic tongue-in-cheek content, for Crayola All Grown Up. We’re being honest and having fun with the adult audience. IR: What does the day-to-day look like in your role? BT: Truthfully, I start my day by looking online and on social media to see what’s going on in the world. From both a business standpoint and from a branding perspective. Looking at what’s trending, what seems authentic and trying to keep a pulse on what’s going on outside of the company. I’m wonderfully fortunate that we have 2 million sqft of distribution and manufacturing coverage in Pennsylvania [where Crayola’s corporate operations are based]. So I’m here with my people, connecting with them as often as possible. There’s so much work right now on how back-to-school projects are performing, looking at what our product and innovation pipeline looks like over the next three years and what our marketing execution plan looks like for this year. Lots of time and energy is being spent on our international business. We set up a new business in the UK and launched a brand in India. We’re also catapulting our social commerce presence on Tiktok Shop, which we’re really excited about. Given all the excitement around our brand, innovation and project execution, the biggest problem I have right now is prioritizing tasks. IR: How do you figure out what to put first on the task list? BT: I find that time with your people is never wasted, so if I have any available time, I will prioritize spending it with my team. If you can be really structured with the time that you have when you’re connecting with your teams and the people across the business and outside of the business, which includes our wonderful retail partners and consumers, that’s of top priority. IR: What is the most important item in your metaphorical toolbox…or shall we say coloring box? BT: A sky blue crayon, and it’s my favorite crayon color because I will often say to our teams, “Let’s blue sky it. Anything is possible.” We make six billion crayons a year and 13 million crayons a day. We can do anything as a company. I love to say to the teams, “Let’s try things and test and learn and, hey, if we fail, we can wash it off with some cold water and try again.” IR: What piece of advice do you wish that you had received when you were just starting out in the industry? BT: Be yourself. Bring your character to work. All the good, the weird and a little bit of the crazy – that’s what makes us who we are. When people bring their true selves to work, that’s when special things can happen. IR: What is your favorite SKU out of Crayola’s array of products? BT: Crayola’s 24-pack of 24-count crayon boxes. My mom was a teacher, and I have lots of friends who are teachers. Over the last couple of years, we launched something we called a bolt pack, which means that instead of having to buy 24 individual boxes for your classroom, you can buy them all in one box. This sounds really simple, but this means that teachers can go and pick one box while shopping and can save themselves time while also getting a phenomenal deal on their purchase. Further reading: Why are children’s brands suddenly chasing adults?