Savant Talks: Josh Clarkson on digital transformation and media

Discover the story behind Russell Stover Chocolates’ digital transformation with Josh Clarkson, Director of Digital, a seasoned leader in eCommerce. Delve into Josh Clarkson’s journey and glean insights into driving success in the digital realm.

Tell us about your career so far. How did you get to Russell Stover Chocolates?

I started working in eCommerce at Red Bull, trying to encourage wholesalers to unlock the potential of online for their customers. Since then I’ve worked with grocery and pureplay customers at Ferrero, Kraft Heinz and Lindt UK. The latter is what led me to the US as Lindt & Sprungli, who owns Russell Stover Chocolates, asked me to come out here to build the company’s Digital function and team from the ground up to step-change the businesses eCommerce participation and performance.

You are leading digital transformation at Russell Stover Chocolates. Could you highlight successes & what to avoid when undergoing a transformation initiative?

With any transformation 90% of the success is driven by internal education and participation. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Don’t drag colleagues and counterparts into eCommerce: educate and enable them to succeed and see their own success. It’s not easy, but if you can do that with a few key stakeholders, you see a domino effect and the business will then start to run with you as a whole.

Who impresses you winning the sector – Which brands/retailers/organisations are doing unusual or innovative things? What can we learn from them?

I love what Kraft Heinz are doing in the Digital Media space – their social media is always on point and their earned PR through often weird and wonderful activations or collaborations is huge. I also think Lucky Saint is doing some great things in the Lo/No space by “owning” Dry January and with consistent marketing and media.

Josh Clarkson’s journey underscores the vital role of collaboration and innovation in digital transformation. With insights from industry leaders like Kraft Heinz and Lucky Saint, we’re inspired to navigate the evolving eCommerce landscape with creativity and vision. Stay tuned for more captivating stories and insights from leaders like Josh as we explore the dynamic world of digital commerce!