Brands, Beats & Bytes · Brand Positioning Doctors

Album 7 Track 8 - Right Place. Right Time. Right Tone. w/Steven Dominguez

·1 hr 19 min·5 clips

Darryl Cobbin reveals his undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD fueled his talent for real-time marketing insights.

This episode features hosts DC and Larry interviewing Steven Dominguez, a marketing executive with extensive experience at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Hyatt. Dominguez discusses navigating corporate culture, brand philosophy, and personal career lessons. The hosts highlight Dominguez's career journey, including his roles as a brand manager for Sprite and Cherry Coke at Coca-Cola and leading marketing for Starbucks in Asia Pacific. They note his achievement of driving a 7% revenue growth at Starbucks during a holiday season with less investment. Dominguez reflects on the highly competitive environment at Coca-Cola, where he worked for seven years. He credits his ability to maintain integrity by gravitating toward positive influences and colleagues who "bring that light." Dominguez shares that a key learning from his time at Coca-Cola was to "assume positive intent" in workplace interactions, advice he received from a mentor named Russ Osmond. He describes a significant career mistake involving correcting a senior leader in a large meeting at Starbucks, which taught him the importance of "right time, right place, right tone." The conversation reveals Dominguez's first brand love was a 1978 Levi edition Jeep Renegade, which he customized with a lift and special tires. He and Larry bond over their shared affection for the Jeep brand and praise its recent Super Bowl ad featuring Harrison Ford. Host DC discloses he has dyslexia, ADHD, and dysgraphia, explaining these "intellectual deficiencies" forced him to develop unique strategies for processing information and making connections. Dominguez and Larry express mutual admiration, with Dominguez noting how DC's promotion to VP at Coca-Cola felt like a victory for other Brown and Black employees at the company. The tone is conversational, collegial, and reflective, with hosts and guest sharing personal anecdotes and career advice. Listeners interested in corporate marketing careers, brand management, or navigating workplace politics would appreciate this episode. Those seeking highly tactical marketing tips or industry news might find it less directly applicable.

As heard by us

A conversational brand interview that links Coca-Cola's legacy to career formation and brand culture.

Brands, Beats and Bites makes a clear case for why brand training still matters, with Steven Dominguez at the center and Coca-Cola alumni running through the story.

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Why you'd press play

Want a brand interview that starts with Coca-Cola and lands on career lessons?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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