Confidence Is the Campaign: How Meredith Wollman Builds Brands That Actually Connect
- Jan 28
- 2 min read
What does it take to market anything, anywhere, to anyone?
According to Meredith Wollman, it starts with confidence, collaboration, and a deep understanding of your audience.
In this episode of Authority Architects, Meredith shares lessons from a career spanning iconic brands like Mattel, global retailers like Walmart, and now her work in aerospace and defense consulting. The takeaway is simple but powerful: the principles of great marketing never change. Only the widget does.
Marketing Is About Knowing Who You’re Talking To
Meredith’s approach to marketing was shaped early. As the youngest sibling, she learned how to stand out, tell her story, and read the room. That instinct followed her into every role she took on.
At Mattel, she worked account by account, owning in-store and online marketing for major retail partners. Every campaign required aligning internal teams, coordinating paid media, managing approvals, and ensuring the brand spoke clearly to the customer standing in the aisle or scrolling online.
The lesson? Marketing only works when everyone is aligned around the same goal and the same audience.
Collaboration Beats Silos Every Time
Large organizations move fast, and often without a plan. Meredith learned quickly that speed without alignment creates more work later.
Her solution was collaboration. Bringing every team to the table. Letting experts lead their lanes. Building plans before execution. And most importantly, listening to feedback from the audience to see what was actually resonating.
Marketing isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things together.
Confidence Is a Skill You Build
One of Meredith’s biggest lessons came from managing large-scale events and complex campaigns. Confidence, she learned, does more than calm nerves. It creates momentum.
When you project confidence, people follow. Teams align. Decisions get made. Progress happens.
That same confidence shows up in front of the camera. Meredith points out that even the most senior executives struggle when the lights turn on. Building trust, creating comfort, and allowing people to show up as themselves is what makes storytelling work.
The Brand Is the Story
Whether it’s a WWE action figure or an aerospace consulting firm, Meredith believes the fundamentals never change.
Know your audience. Understand what they need.Tell a story that makes their life easier or better.
Great marketing isn’t about the marketer. It’s about creating space for the brand to speak clearly and authentically to the people it serves.
Advice for the Next Generation
For those starting out in brand marketing, Meredith’s advice is simple and timeless.
Talk to everyone.
Ask questions.
Request informational interviews.
Follow up.
Stay open.
Opportunities don’t always arrive when you expect them to. They arrive when you’ve built enough relationships to be top of mind.
Always Be Learning
Today, Meredith is working in a new industry with a steep learning curve, and she loves it. Growth, she says, doesn’t come from one defining moment. It comes from paying attention to the small ones.
Staying curious. Staying open. Staying alert enough to hear someone’s story and figure out how to help.
That’s how great marketers evolve.
🎥 Watch the full episode of Authority Architects to hear how Meredith Wollman applies timeless marketing principles across industries, audiences, and platforms.
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