WHY Brands, Inc. Chief Brand Officer & Creative Director Diana Barnes (“DB”) on Innovation
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Senior Editor Marie Albiges interviews Diana Barnes (“DB”), chief brand officer and creative director of WHY Brands Inc., the parent company for baby lifestyle brand Munchkin and Curio Home Goods. Listen in as Barnes provides an overview of the WHY Brands portfolio (1:25), how customer connection drives the Munchkin brand (2:40), its StrollerCoaster parenting podcast (5:20), and her career journey (6:20). She shares her hands-on approach to creative work at the company (8:30), the launch of Curio Home Goods (10:10), the brand’s targeted audience (11:20), and the competition, as well as the white space, in the direct-to-consumer home goods market (13:20).
In addition, Barnes discusses upcoming product launches for Curio and Munchkin (14:10), WHY Brands’ research and development center, RD8 (16:00), the company’s culture of innovation (17:35), and how every employee participates (19:55). Lastly, she shares advice for aspiring female C-suite leaders (21:40), her favorite podcasts (24:40), and her focus on corporate social responsibility initiatives at Munchkin across three pillars: animal welfare, sustainability, and education (25:45).
Diana Barnes (“DB”) serves as WHY Brands’ chief brand officer and creative director, overseeing global brand partnerships and managing the Public Relations, Social Media and Brand Design teams worldwide – running point on all creative content. DB’s work with the company recently earned her the honor of being named among 20 of the top CMOs in the world by Fast Company. Under DB’s leadership, WHY Brands’ leading baby lifestyle brand Munchkin has won over 120 top international design awards.
In June 2023, DB co-founded WHY Brands’ newest brand, Curio Home Goods, with CEO Steve Dunn. Curio creates innovative consumer lifestyle products for every room of the home. Each Curio product has a creative twist or surprise and beautiful product design that is paired with unique functionality. More recently, DB concepted and established RD8, a dedicated R&D center for WHY to initiate research for efforts in sustainability and maternal health, among other initiatives, including partnerships.
Prior to joining Munchkin, DB worked at top agencies on brands such as PIMCO, Cadillac, PBS and others. Prior to this, she was the global director of brand design at Dell, Inc. where she led international teams. DB’s career began in music and entertainment, where she held creative executive positions at Sony and EMI. DB holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a B.F.A. in Graphics/Packaging from the ArtCenter College of Design. She has also completed several executive M.B.A. programs at Harvard Business School and is a founding member of the Los Angeles chapter of CHIEF, a private network built to drive more women into positions of power and keep them there.
Date: June 25, 2024
Credits: Diana Barnes ("DB")
Duration: 29:35
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