Cofounder of Chubbies + Loop Returns | Now, Marathon: A managed technology platform + bespoke services offering helping you exit the short-term direct-response hamster wheel to find your balance of Brand and performance

Chubbies and Loop Returns co founder. Now, applying those lessons and mistakes to help consumer brands transition to a balance of Brand and performance with software that measures the future rev impact of brand, incrementality studies to validate; and the media management and creative production to actually execute on the vision. MarathonDataCo.com

Classic AI software + services combo. 

This is all informed by our firsthand experience and a desire to help brands go through the transition that transformed our business and helped us get acquired for a massive number and continue to grow super profitably today...but without all the pain and heartache we had to go through...

You see, Chubbies almost went out of business because of the exact problem we're trying to solve at Marathon.

In the early days at Chubbies we built Brand because we had to. We had no money. We were scrappy, creative, dynamic. 

And we built an awesome Brand.

Then we monetized that Brand with performance DR. 

We convinced ourselves that that was the source of our growth. 

We almost went out of business.

We righted the ship and built, brick by brick, to a >$100m exit, culminating in a >$1B IPO, and now, doing well over $100M / year at nearly a 30% EBITDA margin, but to do that we had to overcome the overwhelming pressure to take a short–termist approach.

As we've seen this direct–to–consumer brand market evolve over the years, we've seen the same cycle happen to nearly every other business out there: Starting hot, pushing performance marketing, then stalling out and never getting to long-term sustainable growth.

This was the problem we felt absolutely compelled to solve because we felt for these brand builders and entrepreneurs. We were in their shoes. And but for a whole lotta luck and a gritty–a** team, it would have sunk us.

Then we looked around and realized there just isn't anything on the market that helps companies do this — this most important thing imaginable.

So that's what we're working towards, would love your feedback.

Preston 🩳 Rutherford

Shauna Williams

I build culture-forward brands through brand strategy, 360 campaigns, social storytelling, partnerships, and experiential. I merge intuition, data, and cultural insight to create content and worlds that make customers feel seen, inspired, and connected.With over a decade spanning premium beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, I specialize in uncovering what customers truly resonate with — the feelings, rituals, and identities behind why they choose a brand — and translate that into clear messaging frameworks, resonant creative, and integrated marketing.My work spans startups, established consumer brands, and global companies — from Crown Affair, Tezza, and Wondery Outdoors to Dermalogica, Philips, Bridgestone, IMC, and General Mills.𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒: ✱ Brand Strategy &amp; Positioning ✱ Integrated 360 Campaigns ✱ Product Launches &amp; GTM Strategy ✱ Social-First Content &amp; Influencer Strategy ✱ Partnerships, Experiential &amp; Community ✱ Creative Direction &amp; Brand Storytelling 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒: ✨ 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝟯𝟲𝟬 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: Directed record-breaking 360 brand and product campaigns, including Crown Affair’s top-performing GTM launch for Overnight Repair Serum (3× revenue targets, top engagement) and the cultural brand campaign 𝘋𝘰 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳, 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘏𝘢𝘪𝘳 ($4.3M EMV, 6.8% IG engagement).📈 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 + 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: Repositioned Wondery Outdoors into a culturally resonant brand, strengthening DTC conversion and growing revenue +40% YoY through refined strategy, storytelling, and integrated channel execution.🎨 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 + 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱𝘀: Led breakthrough activations at Tezza, including Tezza × American Music Awards, which drove 11x engagement and a +6% subscription lift by translating brand values into culturally magnetic moments.🤳 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 + 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: Rebuilt Wondery’s influencer program, fueling +5.5× EMV growth and a 10× lift in influencer revenue within 6 months — with -20% less budget.🤝 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: Led cross-channel partnerships that elevated cultural relevance and acquisition (Éliou, DS&amp;Durga, AMAs, Revolve, Hourglass, Cann).👥 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 + 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀: Built and led high-performing brand, content, and social teams — implementing frameworks, workflows, and creative standards that improved clarity and execution across channels.𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐎: www.addvinegar.com

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