Finding Marketing in Ourselves: Marketing Lessons from Lola Bakare on Marketing / And
Season six of Marketing / And is in full swing, and one recurring question AMA’s CEO and podcast host, Bennie F. Johnson, loves to ask always lands with impact:
“What advice would you give to marketers?”
In a recent episode, Bennie sat down with Lola Bakare—Anthem Award–winning CMO advisor, inclusive marketing specialist, and Author of Responsible Marketing: How To Create An Authentic & Inclusive Marketing Strategy. Lola is also the founder of BCO, a boutique consultancy that empowers brands and marketing leaders through strategic guidance, coaching, training, and workshops designed to unlock new levels of success.
What followed was a conversation about finding marketing in ourselves, leaving things better than we found them, and stepping fully into our voice—on the page and in the workplace.
The Writer Behind the Marketer
Lola didn’t initially set out to build a marketing career. But her English degree from Penn State, her command of language, and her natural knack for connection laid the foundation for what was to come.
Writers, she notes, are inherently persuasive. Every word earns its place—chosen to spark curiosity, build an argument, support it with proof, and most importantly, keep attention. Those instincts later helped Lola stand out among Wharton marketing students, ultimately earning one of only two coveted undergrad job offers for their MBA training program that year.
A friend’s advice before the interview stuck with her: study the five P’s and answer logically. But it wasn’t until a Gatorade Quaker Tropicana presentation on brand marketing at a PepsiCo Chicago cocktail party that something clicked.
“I was like, I want to do this. This looks like fun. This looks like me. Storytelling, moving to a cool city, being around a brand whose ads make me cry every time I watch them. And by sheer luck, I was placed on Gatorade.”
Her inner marketer had officially arrived.
On Early Career Advice for Marketers
Today’s early-career marketers face an entirely new landscape, one where AI has absorbed many of the entry-level tasks that once helped people learn the ropes.
Lola’s advice: don’t chase the perfect brand fit right away. Instead, treat early roles as training grounds.
She encourages marketers to focus on building strong foundations—absorbing as much as possible, observing seasoned practitioners, and honing skills that make you versatile and impactful later on. The brand can come later; the craft must come first.
After leadership roles at organizations like PepsiCo, The New World Pasta, and Diageo, Lola eventually stepped into entrepreneurship with BCO. But when asked what might pull her back in-house, her answer was clear:
“If someone wants me to do the job, they get all of me. They don’t want a shrunken version of Lola or a quieter version or a less convicted version. No codeswitching and conforming.”
The message to leaders: create environments where people can show up fully and freely. Authenticity isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a catalyst for creativity, conviction, and extraordinary work.
On the Power of Inclusive Marketing
Lola also spotlighted MasterCard’s “True Name” initiative as a standout example of responsible, inclusive marketing done right. The program allows transgender and non-binary customers to use their chosen name on their credit cards without the often painful bureaucratic hurdles.
The impact is both practical and profound. It removes barriers, affirms identity, and can even keep people safe.
“There can be violence issues at the point of sale if someone’s confronted by someone who isn’t accepting of who they are.”
For Lola, this is what responsible marketing looks like—rooted in humanity, backed by research, and aligned with business strategy. Inclusive marketing isn’t just ethical; it’s powerful, resonant, and smart. Listen to the full interview here.
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Marketing / And explores life through a marketing lens, diving into the moments where creativity, purpose, and culture intersect. Each episode introduces you to visionaries whose stories you might not know yet—but absolutely should. Because at its best, marketing isn’t just about selling something. It’s about shaping stories, shifting perspectives, and inspiring what comes next.