The Marketing Force Behind Samsung Electronics America Strategy

Welcome back to The Friday Fortune! It’s the third week of April, which means we’re knee-deep in Q2 planning, Earth Day campaigns are about to pop off, and marketers everywhere are wondering how it’s somehow already almost May. Whether you’re launching spring activations or just trying to remember what you promised in that January strategy doc, this is your moment to pause, regroup, and get re-inspired.

Each week, we bring you fresh insights from top CMOs, marketing legends, and bold strategists to keep you sharp, even if your brain is still buffering from Monday’s status meeting. From standout brand moves to unexpectedly brilliant campaigns, we’re here to help you market smarter (and maybe have a little fun while doing it).

Here’s what’s on deck this week:

• A deep dive with Sarah Larsen, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Electronics America

• How YouTube’s cross-platform takeover is putting pressure on creators

• How fortune cookie advertising is a secret weapon for university enrollment

📈 Marketer of the Week

If there’s anyone who understands how to make technology feel human, it’s Sarah Larsen, most recently CMO of Home Entertainment at Samsung Electronics America. With nearly three decades of marketing experience across PR, agency, and in-house leadership, Sarah has built a reputation for pairing creative bravery with consumer empathy.

Sarah’s story starts with artistic roots and a father who nudged her toward marketing after spotting her uncanny mix of creativity and business sense. After entering the field through PR (when fax machines were cutting-edge), she went on to spend a decade in top agencies like Edelman, Ogilvy, and Weber Shandwick. What stuck with her wasn’t just the big brands, it was the culture. She described agency colleagues as “doers,” and emphasized the hustle, camaraderie, and get-it-done mentality that defined that chapter.

Now at Samsung, Sarah lead a vast team responsible for everything from performance marketing and influencer partnerships to retail experience and Samsung.com. Every consumer touchpoint for TVs in the U.S.—whether it’s a Best Buy display or a TikTok ad—rolls up to her. Twice a week, she gathers her team for a one-hour creative review where everything from ad concepts to landing pages is approved on the spot. Her goal? Make sure everything, from ad copy to activations, feels intentional, inclusive, and rooted in real consumer insight.

And when it comes to innovation, Sarah’s not afraid to test the unconventional. One of her team’s standout campaigns promoted Samsung’s 8K AI upscaling tech not with tech specs, but with humor and nostalgia. They created a fake ‘90s sitcom pilot starring Molly Shannon and Tim Meadows that opened in fuzzy VHS quality—then snapped into crystal clarity mid-scene. The payoff? Consumers instantly understood the value, and the campaign helped land the Neo QLED 8K on Time Magazine’s list of the year’s best inventions.

She’s also not shy about going against the grain. While many CMOs are doubling down on in-person activations, Sarah’s approach is refreshingly different. “I’m actually not a huge fan of experiential,” she said. To her, those events often feel exclusive. Instead, she focuses on cultural relevance and digital engagement that scales. “...I want our brand to be inclusive so many U.S. households have a Samsung TV. We should be reaching just as many with our marketing efforts.”

Sarah’s Takeaway

“Don’t be afraid to fail.” For Sarah, every campaign is a test, and every test is a chance to learn, grow, and connect more meaningfully with the consumer.

To hear more about how Sarah is using data, creativity, and cultural savvy to future-proof Samsung’s marketing, listen to the full episode of CMO Weekly.

🥠 The Cookie Jar

Crack open a handful of the week’s best marketing links—because good fortune favors the curious.

• How fortune cookie advertising is a secret weapon for university enrollment. It’s the sweetest path to higher education.

• YouTube’s cross-platform takeover is putting pressure on creators. The algorithm demands more, and creators are feeling the squeeze.

• Burger King poaches Applebee’s CMO to build on modernization plan. From neighborhood grill to global fast food chess moves.

• How Dude Wipes cleans up with poop humor as its marketing evolves. Their $200 million annual sales just prove bathroom humor works.

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday fortune.

If you enjoyed the read, pass it along to your favorite marketer who could use a little extra inspo in their inbox.

Until next time, may your marketing be memorable and your cookies always be fortunate!

— The OpenFortune team