The Incredible Journey of Kofi Amoo-Gottfried to CMO of DoorDash
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Kofi shares his journey from Ghana to Minnesota to Silicon Valley, the insights he’s learned along the way, and his approach to driving growth and engagement across the marketplace.
“What we've learned over the past three years is that everyone is going to need a digital business.”
— Kofi Amoo-Gottfried
DoorDash has established itself as a leader in the food delivery industry. From finding your favorite restaurants to discovering local gems to even ordering beauty supplies, DoorDash is there for every consumer need. Much of the company’s success can be attributed to its marketing tactics, which focus on customer-centricity, personalization, and brand building. To learn more about how to understand the needs of consumers to drive brand growth, we sat down with Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, Chief Marketing Officer at DoorDash.
Kofi is an accomplished marketing leader with a proven track record of revitalizing household brands. Before his current position at DoorDash, Kofi held several Marketing and Creative Strategy leadership roles at companies including Facebook, FCB New York, Bacardi Global Brands, Publicis, and Wieden+Kennedy. He also holds board and advisory roles at Stitch Fix, Vital Farms, Macalester College, Listen Ventures, and Monday Night Mentorship.
In 2014, Kofi was named to Ad Age’s “40 under 40” list of young marketing stars. In September 2017, Kofi won ADCOLOR’s “Rockstar” Award. And, in 2020, Kofi was named to Business Insider's list of "25 CMO's To Watch" and honored with AdWeek's "Brand Genius" award. His innovative marketing approach also earned him a spot on Business Insider's list of the world's Most Innovative CMOs in 2022, and as one of Forbes' Entrepreneurial CMO 50 for 2023.
Discover how to grow and expand your brand successfully by focusing on consumer needs and check out the key takeaways of this episode or the transcript below.
Embracing Risk and Change - Kofi's career is characterized by embracing change which he views as opportunities for growth. Immigrating to a new country taught him that taking risks can be invaluable in achieving success, regardless of the challenges presented along the way. Pairing hard work with a continuous curiosity gives him strength as he moves boldly into future endeavors.
Prioritizing Support for Restaurants and Dashers - In the wake of a pandemic, DoorDash provided immense support for their restaurant partners. They launched an "Open for Delivery" awareness campaign to ensure that restaurants were front and center in customer's minds. They also reduced commissions fifty percent, navigated schedule changes, and implemented instant payment to demonstrate true commitment in keeping restaurants open during hard times.
Empowering Small Businesses - DoorDash is on a mission to help small businesses reach new heights, both domestically and abroad. With ventures into groceries and retail, the brand adapts its marketing strategies for an ever-evolving customer base. Growth doesn't stop at borders either as DoorDash pursues international expansion initiatives. The company is also fine tuning its ad platform that charges based on conversion rates—giving every business the potential of success!
Originally published May 16, 2023
Listen to Kofi on the Speed of Culture podcast today to learn more about how to driving growth and engagement across the marketplace.
