The Proven Playbook for Cultural Relevance at Georgia-Pacific With Laura Knebusch

How does one keep a 100-year-old brand relevant in today’s turbulent marketing and consumer environment?

The full picture reveals itself in this episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast as Laura Knebusch, SVP of CPG marketing and CX at Georgia-Pacific, breaks down what it takes to keep thriving as a legacy brand.

From how century-old heritage brands like Brawny, Angel Soft, and Dixie evolve without alienating loyal consumers to how a classically trained marketer navigates AI, retail transformation, and cultural moments in real time, this conversation proves that adaptability and agility aren’t just possible; it’s crucial to the success and growth of your brand.

What you’ll learn:

How to refresh iconic brand characters while preserving core equity
Why “living your brands” is an organizational imperative, not just a marketing function
The measurement system that connects marketing investment to business outcomes
How to capitalize on viral moments and cultural momentum without losing authenticity
Why sustainability messaging shouldn’t drive your brand positioning (even when consumers care)
How to architect a modern marketing organization that balances internal capabilities with external partnerships

At Georgia-Pacific, Laura Knebusch brings 17 years of expertise in brand management, consumer marketing, and organizational transformation. With a background from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business and formative experience at Procter & Gamble, she has built a reputation for driving brand relevance while honoring heritage.

Her leadership approach, characterized by calm decision-making and data-driven measurement, offers valuable insights into transforming how marketing drives measurable business value across large, complex organizations.

Episode Highlights:

[02:13] Ground Brand Evolution in Core Fundamentals, Not Trends — Laura emphasizes that successful brand modernization begins by identifying and protecting the timeless core values that define a brand’s identity, such as Brawny’s “strength and dependability.” For CMOs managing legacy brands, this means investing time in understanding what made your brand iconic before attempting any refresh or repositioning strategy, instead of chasing trends.

The key step is conducting internal workshops and stakeholder alignment sessions to document and lock in those non-negotiable brand truths before any creative work begins. This disciplined approach enables CMOs to innovate boldly while maintaining the equity and trust consumers have invested in the brand over decades.

[07:14] Brand Changes Should be Based on Consumer Pulse Checks — Rather than treating brand refreshes as one-time internal decisions, Laura implemented a process of ongoing consumer validation throughout the evolution of iconic characters like the Brawny Man. This practice transforms what could be a risky rebrand into a collaborative journey that brings loyal consumers along rather than alienating them.

The practical method involves conducting targeted consumer research at key decision points—from initial concept through final execution—to ensure nothing feels inauthentic or off-brand to your audience. Such an approach reduces the risk of costly brand missteps and builds stakeholder confidence by proving consumer approval at every stage.

[15:16] Internal Marketing Capabilities vs. External Partnerships — Interestingly, Laura reveals how she built an 84-person marketing organization with specialized in-house teams for insights, creative, media buying, analytics, and first-party data, while maintaining strategic partnerships with creative and media agencies for platform work and strategic planning. For CMOs, this hybrid model addresses the tension between controlling costs and maintaining access to external expertise and fresh thinking.

While deciding what should be kept in-house vs. external, Laura suggests assessing whether in-house execution can be done more cost-effectively, more strategically due to internal knowledge, or more effectively than external partners. By internalizing execution functions like media buying and programmatic activities, Georgia-Pacific improved speed and efficiency; by retaining agencies for strategic platform development and planning, they maintained access to diverse thinking.

[21:40] Consumer Insight Should Guide Media Strategy, Not Channel Availability — Laura reveals that Georgia-Pacific starts media planning by identifying where target consumers can be found, then works backward to determine the optimal mix of channels, be it retail media, social, audio, video, and experimental platforms, rather than defaulting to traditional or trending channels. This consumer-first framework prevents wasteful spending on channels that don’t efficiently reach your audience and ensures alignment between strategy and tactics.

The challenge many organizations face is starting with channel availability (the latest Reddit trend, emerging TikTok features) rather than where your specific customer actually spends time and attention. So, Laura suggests defining your target consumer profile (using Angel Soft’s “Rose” as an example), mapping where she’s most likely to be found, then evaluating which channels and tactics best execute your targeting strategy at optimal cost and efficiency.