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When Lorraine Twohill joined Google in 2003, the nascent tech company was just beginning to expand beyond the United States into other countries. Google was also expanding beyond search, building new products like Gmail and Google Maps. Twohill’s role at the time was to help engineers get these products right for each country, taking into account local differences and cultural nuances. Today, as Google’s Chief Marketing Officer, Twohill says those early days built the foundation for the company’s ability to understand multicultural audiences and build diversity and representation into Google’s products and marketing. But there’s more work to be done and diversity needs to exist inside the company, too. “I don’t think you can fully represent the world unless you have the world working for you,” she says. Twohill joins the podcast to share how Google’s diverse global marketing team takes thoughtful steps to put great work out into the world that makes you feel something, helps make life easier, and represents us all.
Listen to this episode to learn:
- Why, in tech, if you fail at product marketing, you will fail at all marketing
- How machine learning and a partnership with the Geena Davis Institute helped Google identify stereotypes in their advertising and improve racial, age, and gender representation
- The thinking behind some of Google’s most famous ads, and why showing the company’s humanity, playfulness, and empathy is so important
- How Google is partnering with the WHO, the CDC, and the Ad Council to promote COVID-19 safety and vaccination efforts
- Why Google aims to be for everyone but will always fight against injustices that are antithetical to its values, like xenophobia, homophobia, and racial and gender inequality
- Why a career in tech gives people an extraordinary opportunity to create impact at scale in the world — and advice for those who want to enter or advance their careers in the industry
