Caitlin Choate is the Global Head of Marketing at Boatsetter, a peer-to-peer boat rental platform. With nearly 15 years of experience building disruptive brands, she has led marketing efforts at companies like TOMS, Google’s Nest, Airbnb, and Yumi. Caitlin’s work has been recognized by Cannes Lions and the Webby Awards for innovation and storytelling.

Marketing isn’t just transactional; it requires building emotional resonance with customers through memorable experiences with a brand. It’s easy to sell a product, but how do you sell a lifestyle, a sense of identity, or even a community? How can companies balance bold creativity with performance and data-driven ROI?

Brand builder and creative marketer Caitlin Choate believes that connecting with customers emotionally begins by designing marketing that mirrors real-life human experiences. She recommends leveraging user-generated visuals, generating stories that emphasize emotional connection over product specs, and integrating creative, data, and performance teams. Caitlin also highlights the value of running measurable, high-reward experiments to foster brand growth and category domination.

In this episode of the Up Arrow Podcast, William Harris converses with Caitlin Choate, Global Head of Marketing at Boatsetter, about turning product transactions into lifestyle-driven brand movements. Caitlin discusses brand versus performance alignment, using PR and influencers as a storytelling medium, and why cultivating serendipity can catalyze unexpected career opportunities.