From Slurpees To Sustainability with Marissa Jarratt

Opinion Party: the marketing podcastbrought to you by BAV Group & IRG S2: E2From Slurpees to Sustainability: Driving Purposeful Growth with 7-Eleven's Marissa Jarratt SUMMARYIn this episode of Opinion Party, host Laura Jones welcomes Marissa Jarratt, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer at 7-Eleven. Marissa shares her unique perspective on how marketing and sustainability, often seen as opposing forces, can be reconciled to drive business growth. She discusses 7-Eleven's successful "Seven Collection" merchandise line, the organizational transformation that led to her dual role, and the company's "Good Made Easy" sustainability strategy. Marissa also delves into 7-Eleven's global approach to sustainability, their use of the UN SDGs, and how they balance short-term financial goals with long-term environmental objectives. The conversation highlights 7-Eleven's brand evolution, their focus on "activating awesome" for customers, and the importance of humanized growth across their vast stakeholder ecosystem.LINKSLaura Jones: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lapjones/   Marissa Jarratt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissajarratt/BAV Group: https://www.bavgroup.com7-Eleven: https://www.7-eleven.com/Seven Collection: https://7collection.com/Sustainability at 7-11: https://corp.7-eleven.com/corp/our-approachUN SDGs: https://sdgs.un.org/goalsInstitute for Real Growth: https://instituteforrealgrowth.com TAKEAWAYSMarketing and sustainability are fundamentally about driving behavioral change.7-Eleven's "Seven Collection" merchandise line generates profit that funds marketing efforts.Sustainability at 7-Eleven shifted from compliance-driven to organizational transformation.Nesting sustainability under marketing ensures customer-centricity and integration.7-Eleven's internal tagline for sustainability is "Good Made Easy," focusing on Planet, People, and Product.The UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) provide a global standard for 7-Eleven's ESG efforts.Balancing financial goals with sustainability is achieved through pilot initiatives and a "triple bottom line" framework.7-Eleven's stakeholder ecosystem includes franchisees, associates, consumers, suppliers, investors, and communities.Marissa's Ikigai is making a positive impact on people, from team members to global customers.7-Eleven's brand conflict is "amusing versus essential," aiming to deliver both in customer experience.Operationalizing marketing means empowering all associates and franchisees to be brand managers.Humanized growth in retail emphasizes the impact across the entire stakeholder community, down to the store level. CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction: Marketing and Sustainability at 7-Eleven01:10 The Success of 7-Eleven's "Seven Collection" Merch03:35 Reconciling Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer Roles04:56 The Evolution of Sustainability at 7-Eleven07:13 Organizational Transformation Playbook for Marketing and Sustainability09:53 7-Eleven's "Good Made Easy" Sustainability Definition10:57 Adapting Global Sustainability Strategy with UN SDGs13:25 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals: Measurement at 7-Eleven15:15 7-Eleven's Stakeholder Ecosystem and Humanized Growth16:29 Marissa's Ikigai and Impact at Scale17:44 7-Eleven's Centennial and Archival Efforts19:18 Evolving the 7-Eleven Brand and Staying Relevant21:45 The "Amusing vs. Essential" Brand Conflict in Action23:59 Operationalizing Marketing: Everyone's a Brand Manager26:29 Humanizing Growth at 7-Eleven28:20 Conclusion: Busted Myth - Marketing and Sustainability Can Coexist -----Opinion Party: the marketing podcastFor season two, twelve marketing leaders from a world class set of organizations joined host Laura Jones to talk marketing myths, trends, data, and opinions. Filmed live on site at the Institute for Real Growth Summit in Cannes, summer 2025.  Find it wherever you get your podcasts. BROUGHT TO YOU BY:BAV Group, the world’s leading authority on data-driven branding.™ Our strategic consulting services transform brand growth into brand = growth. Whether you need to analyze, transform, or grow your brand, our team provide solutions based on 30 years of proven methodology and results.Learn more at https://www.bavgroup.comInstitute for Real GrowthWe inspire CMOs to increase their personal, business, and societal impact by driving more Humanized Growth.Learn more at: https://instituteforrealgrowth.com