051 Joe Goldberg
Head of Brand, Marketing, and Communications Strategy, Santander UK
Joe Goldberg is Head of Brand, Marketing, and Communications Strategy at Santander UK. He’s worked on the brand for over seven years, having previously been agency-side. If you want to hear Joe go deep on how big brands can stay relevant in a world obsessed with ‘new’ check out his episode of CMO Therapy.
“It’s not. It’s just the C-suite think it’s free.”
The interview
What’s your coffee ritual?
Straight into it. Can’t even speak to anyone before the caffeine has hit. And then essentially keep going until bed time. I often wonder if there is any blood in the coffee in my veins.
What was your first marketing job?
Probably me. I ran for student council as soon as I arrived at uni. I hit up the polling station just outside the union by busking for votes in the pouring rain. Right there was a lesson in the magic of grabbing attention with the highest volume audience in the right mind state (inebriated sports) with the right emotional connection (self-hazing fun).
What finance apps do you have on your home screen?
None. I have yet to find a finance app I would proactively want to visit. It is a category failure and I want to fix that. But there is no app out there which is making people feel good about themselves or that is “doing human” well.
Which newsletter, podcast, or book do you recommend most?
Faris Yakob and Rosie (Siman) Yakob’s Strands of Genius - it always gives me something I haven’t seen or thought about before. And then Hugh MacLeod I always find thought provoking. In the book space I’m obsessed with Unreasonable Hospitality and I think within it is the key to transformation in our category.
What’s an underrated growth channel in fintech?
PFM [Personal Financial Management] I think... particularly as the Agentic solutions can do this with ease but in a completely unregulated environment.
What keeps you up at night?
The future for my kids on almost every level.
What are the most useful measurement tools you use in your work?
I’m all about brand. Brand tracking and particularly emotional engagement metrics win out for me.
What’s one fintech brand (other than your own) that’s getting marketing right?
Revolut is smashing it. Laser-focused on a key persona and aggressive brand building for it.
Why is marketing so hard?
It’s not. It’s just the C-suite think it’s free. It’s our job to demonstrate its value and hold ourselves to account for it.