In Feature 025 of Conversations Behind The Campaign, we interviewed Marly Kos. As one of Summer Friday’s first four hires, Marly has grown with the brand over the past six years and now operates as the Director of Brand Marketing.
Summer Fridays’ is a renowned skincare brand that was founded by Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland in 2018. Since its launch the brand has quickly scaled to become one of Sephora’s top 10 skincare brands and amassed a reputation for delivering aesthetic, purposeful and community-centred marketing.
In our interview, Marly shares her career journey to date, where she draws creative inspiration from, her favourite Summer Fridays’ campaign, and the importance of centering your community and core brand mission in all aspects of brand marketing.
1. Could you share how you got into marketing? Was this always a dream industry, and how has your journey evolved to becoming the Director of Brand Marketing?
Growing up, I have always been drawn to creative, visuals, story telling and beautiful things. I was a Tumblr girl turned Pinterest lover and was always so excited about how visually something could come to life.
My first job out of college was at a Fashion PR Agency (I dreamt of being Lauren Conrad like most millennials) and then found myself with a desire to be in-house creating marketing stories. I took a leap and went in-house at a small LA based clothing brand as their Brand Manager and put my hands in every aspect of the business I could. I helped with social content, fulfilled orders, merchandised the website, supported production and so much more. It was so eye-opening to see how to actually run a business.
I then took some time off to figure out if fashion was right for me, then took a leap into Business Development for an accessories company which was a mix of brand partnerships, retail expansion, influencer marketing and press strategy. I was always a yes person and I feel very capable to teach myself how to do elements of marketing, even if I don’t have experience. Trying something new has never scared me and it shouldn’t scare you!
Then I found Summer Fridays and was excited to roll my sleeves up and do anything I needed to. I remember being the fourth hire at Summer Fridays’ and falling in love with brand marketing all over again. Over the past five and a half years, my role has changed quite a bit but I feel very grateful to have found the role at the time I did and to be a part of growing this beautiful brand.
2. What does a typical day-in-the-life of a Brand Marketing Director at Summer Fridays’ look like?
Every day is truly so different!
We have a hybrid working environment so we work from the office two days a week and the others we get to work from home. Depending on the day, I check in with my teams, go over my to-do list, review what meetings I have scheduled and then prioritize the most important items to accomplish for the day.
Each week, I work closely with my team to discuss strategic marketing campaigns, new launches, social planning, event logistics, product development, and long-term brand planning all while ensuring the heart of Summer Fridays is coming to life at every touch point.
Some weeks we’re planning for the following week, on set shooting a campaign, traveling to international markets while others were planning years in advance!
3. Summer Fridays’ hosted some incredible community events this year, from your UK Newspaper Stand to the NYC Cafe and Community Night with Sabrina Carpenter. Why are activations like these so important to the brand’s identity and connection with your customers?
Connecting with our community is at the heart of everything we do – and to me, feels like the most rewarding. I love being able to meet our community who we see online on a daily basis and get to hear their story, learn what their favorite product is, and create a meaningful connection with people who show up for the brand in ways we could have never dreamed of.
People want connection.
I remember when I joined the team in 2019 we did a small pop-up here in Los Angeles and we were so excited to see a line of 25 people outside before we opened. We celebrated in a group text and were internally cheering – fast forward to 2024 at our Cafe Summer Fridays in NYC, we had hundreds of people lined up for hours before we even opened. Some even lined up at 3 AM!
Our team walked down the line, personally thanking everyone for coming and waiting and once I got to the end we all had tears in our eyes. I think that connection makes it special!
4. Summer Fridays’ product launches, celebrity partnerships, and overall marketing are so well aligned. Are you able to walk us through the creative process of one of your campaigns, from brief to execution?
No launch plan is exactly the same which keeps me and my team excited.
Our brand and creative team work very closely every step of the way from when a product is in development to setting up for the launch event. I am a big fan of locking ourselves in a room, throwing every idea at the wall, and seeing what sticks. We’ve come up with some wild ideas and we always say “this might be crazy but…” and seeing those ideas come to life is so rewarding.
From a brand perspective, we always ensure that no matter what direction we go in creatively, it always ties back to the brand story and ethos. We want our community to feel that each new launch, new product, new event makes sense and is an exciting evolution of who we are.
We want to continue to have fun and push ourselves to the next level while making sure it has a story. It’s all in the details!!
5. What has been your favourite brand moment or campaign at Summer Fridays’, and why?
This is the hardest question! I’ve had so many favorite moments seeing these worlds of Summer Fridays come to life. I love events – from our most recent Endless Summer Beach Club on Bondi Beach to The Gallery here in Los Angeles – it’s so fun to see a physical space feel like an extension of a product.
If I had to choose just one, I am most proud of our LAX Airport Takeover that tied back to our best-selling Jet Lag Mask. We did a full OOH Campaign that included taking over TSA Bins, Airport Screens and also a few placements at JFK. We were the first beauty brand to ever do so and turned into this viral moment where our community loved how thoughtful the approach was. We even won an award from the OOH Advertising Association of America and we have a little trophy in our office!
6. Summer Fridays’ is always ahead of the curve, delivering aesthetic, clean, aspirational beauty content. Where do you draw inspiration from?
For us, it’s always been about wanting to be different and do things the Summer Fridays way. Our creative team is THE BEST and draws inspiration from everywhere. We constantly send each other inspiration we find online from our unique point of view.
I personally love Pinterest.
7. What marketing (or beauty!) trends do you think we will see in 2025?
I think community connection will continue to remain a constant across marketing and beauty. I feel chronically online but I think customers are searching for genuine brands they feel they can be a part of.
8. What has been the biggest challenge in your marketing career and what advice would you share with someone going through something similar?
No matter what industry you’re in, you’re going to face challenges. I try to be a silver linings person and remind myself everything always works itself out. Being in marketing and working alongside creatives should always be FUN!
One thing I try to say to my team and friends, is just to put blinders on and not focus on the outside noise of what everyone else is doing and focus on what you are doing. I just started reading The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins and I have found myself resonating with her theory. 10/10 recommend!!
9. Are there any marketers or founders you look up to for both creative and career inspiration?
I feel fortunate to work alongside our two founders, Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland, who lead the team with kindness.
Over the past 5 years, I have learned so much from them about how to think strategically, passionately and thoughtfully. They motivate me to be creative, push boundaries and feel proud. It feels like I have two cheerleaders on the sidelines of my professional career.
Also – shout out to my team!!! They truly are the best of the best and they inspire me on a daily basis.
10. Where can our audience follow and engage with you and Summer Friday’s on social media?
You can follow me on IG @marlykos and follow @summerfridays to see what we have in-store next!
