Eric Toda has built the American Dream.
He’s the Global Head of Social Marketing & Head of Meta Prosper at Meta as well as an advisory board member of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. Prior to Meta, Eric was the CMO at Gap Inc, Global Head of Social Marketing and Editorial Content at Airbnb and Global Digital Brand Marketing Director at Nike.

But Eric’s path has hardly been an easy one.

He’s had to deal with racism his entire life, despite being a fourth generation American and having a World War II veteran as his grandfather.

When he landed his first job at Facebook, he was told that the key to succeeding was to never look a white executive in the eye.

And even when he reached the pinnacle of his career - becoming CMO at Gap Inc - he was eventually fired.

But Eric Toda has also had tremendous successes and his work was awarded by Cannes Lions, Webbys, Clios, Effie, Adweek ARC Awards, Brand Innovators amongst others for combining purpose, creativity, and business results. You might’ve seen some of them - Airbnb’s #LiveInTheMovies and the launch of Gap Inc’s Hill City brand.

So how has racism and failure moulded Eric into becoming a greater leader?

How do you become best friends with your executives?

And who is… Jonathan Mildenhall?

If you want to learn how to be a great leader and triumph over adversity and discrimination, then this is the episode for you.

And if you liked this episode, do share this episode and leave a review!

Highlights:

2:38 How Eric’s grandfather fought for him before he was born
10:05 Why Eric wanted to become a lawyer
12:08 Joining a little startup called… Facebook
15:59 Don’t look a white executive in the eye
20:42 Getting credit for your work
23:21 Being fired from Gap Inc as Chief Marketing Officer
25:09 Why Eric failed to challenge the status quo
28:19 Becoming friends with executives
30:35 Being an approachable leader
32:25 Jonathan Mildenhall
34:48 “Oi, you coming?”
36:28 Airbnb’s successful 2016 campaign during the Oscars
40:24 #WeAccept
44:54 You can’t teach ambition & fire
46:22 Launching the hardest, but right thing in Eric’s career - Meta Prosper
51:01 My people are dying in silence & I’m here with a megaphone
53:31 Why Eric doesn’t want his children to remember him only as a businessman or marketer
56:01 Not being allowed to go to the Smithsonian
57:38 The challenges of Web 3.0 today
1:01:48 Why is Eric Toda so easy to contact?! (p/s: his mobile number is available😅)

🎙️Show notes/transcript for this episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/84

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WHO AM I:
I'm Ling Yah, a Malaysian lawyer & host/producer of the So This Is My Why, where I interview inspiring people about how they found their why, and their blueprint for turning that why into a reality. I’ve interviewed Olympians, Michelin-starred chefs, top entrepreneurs, VC founders, Hollywood actresses, and more.

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⌨️ I’d love to hear from you! Just leave a comment below or email me at sothisismywhy(at)gmail.com