Jim’s guest this week on The CMO Podcast is Victoria Lozano, the EVP of Marketing at Crayola, the 122-year-old brand founded in Easton, Pa. by Edwin Binney and C. Howard Smith. The first Crayola product was a box of eight crayons, and sold for a nickel. Crayola is one of the most well-known brands in the world–brand awareness in the US is 99%.Since the mid-1980s, Crayola has been part of the Hallmark portfolio of brands, which includes Hallmark and Hallmark Media. Today’s Crayola is a very different business than it was even 15 years ago. Its purpose is unchanged–to help parents and educators raise creatively active kids. But it has morphed from a product company to a brand in the entertainment, content and experience spaces.
Victoria has been with Crayola 15 years, about three as EVP of Marketing. Before Crayola, Victoria studied Classics at NYU and then earned her MBA there at the Stern school. After stints in CPG with Pfizer and Cadbury, Victoria moved to Crayola, where she has found the perfect fit for her. Tune in for a conversation around creativity, brand building and parenting.