Marketing Happy Hour - The Brand Strategy Behind PacSun's Comeback | Brie Olson, CEO of PacSun

Episode Date: May 21, 2026

In this episode, we sit down with Brieane (Brie) Olson, CEO of PacSun, for a conversation that is equal parts brand strategy masterclass and career inspiration. Brie has spent nearly two decades at PacSun — moving from design and product to marketing and digital before stepping into the CEO role three years ago — and has led one of retail's most remarkable transformation stories, taking the brand from bankruptcy to a Harvard Business School case study and a cult following with Gen Z. She opens up about the viral TikTok moment that shaped PacSun's entire philosophy around co-creation, why most brands are fundamentally misunderstanding Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and what it actually looks like to give your customers a real seat at the table — not just a focus group. She also digs into her own leadership journey, why she went back to school at 40, and what she'd tell anyone trying to build something meaningful from wherever they're starting. Her new book, Co-Created, is out now.Key Takeaways:// Treat your customers as co-creators, not an audience. The turning point in PacSun's story came when an everyday consumer — not a contracted influencer — filmed a TikTok in her bedroom that sold 11,000 pairs of jeans in under 48 hours. The lesson Brie took from it: when you truly empower customers to love and represent your brand, the results can far outpace anything a paid campaign produces.// Give Gen Z an actual seat at the table — not just a survey. PacSun's Youth Advisory Council brings together 14 young people aged 12 to 26 who function like a board of directors — weighing in on tech initiatives, marketing campaigns, and strategy. Social listening is a starting point, but the brands that win are the ones creating formal structures to involve their community in real decisions.// Experiential retail isn't complicated:  the mall is back, and unexpected pop-ups are winning. Gen Z and Gen Alpha want to touch product, hang out with friends, and be surprised. PacSun has seen major success showing up trackside at Formula One in Austin, at Goofball, and in other culturally-relevant spaces. Meeting the customer in moments that matter to them — not just in places convenient to the brand — is the new retail playbook.// You don't need a title to start leading. Brie's advice for early-career listeners: stay deeply curious, build relationships relentlessly, never stay too rigidly in your lane, and do more than what's expected of you. She also makes the point that identifying what's blocking your growth — and taking action on it — matters more than waiting for the right opportunity. She went back to school at 40. It's never too late to fill the gap.Connect with Brie: LinkedInGet a Copy of the Book: Amazon____Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collectiveSay hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠Get the latest marketing trends, open jobs and MHH updates, straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our email list!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow MHH on Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Marketing Happy Hour, a weekly podcast helping marketing professionals and entrepreneurs build better strategies and hit career goals. I'm Cassie and I'm Allie. We're marketers and your host through these unfiltered convos with your peers and experts in the space. Let's dive in. Grab your favorite drink and let's get to this week's episode. Today we are joined by Brian Olson, CEO of Paxon. Super excited to dive into Brianne's story, hear about the strategies behind Paxson and Brand's career. Welcome to the show. Thanks so much for being here. Thank you for having me. I'm delighted to be here today. Of course. So before we dive in, as always, we have to ask you, what's been in your glass lately? Any brands or drinks that you've been

enjoying? Recently, there's been a lot of coffee and espresso. I've just finished the book launch earlier this week. And so that's en route. And I've been doing a lot of back-to-backs, coast to west coast, so a lot of, a lot of coffee. Yes, absolutely. Well, congrats on the book launch, by the way. Allie and I got our hands on a copy, so super excited to continue diving in and finish. But would love to just hear a little bit more about your story, if you don't mind introducing yourself. And then also, if you can tell us a little bit about the book as well. Sure. I'm Bree Olson. I'm the CEO of Paxon. I've been with Paxon for almost two decades, believe it or not. And I have evolved in all sorts of different roles within the organization. I

started in design and product. I moved into marketing and then digital. And today, for the last three years, I've sat in the role as CEO, which has been a real pleasure. I think about a year, or 18 months ago, I started thinking about a book. And I thought about it through a lot of different lenses, but mostly because I felt that Paxson's transformation story was something that could help others and was something that was important to kind of memorialize. And the book has so many people's fingerprints on it and it is definitely a collective body of work like the act of co-creation itself. But the book is called Co-Created. We launched it in New York earlier this week on Tuesday in our Soho store, and we launched it on TikTok, on Book Talk, which was kind of unusual and super fun.

So I spent the first hour of publication day speaking to our audience on TikTok talking about why I wrote the book, why the book is important, and how it can resonate from students to faculty to sitting CEOs or executives and kind of the very broad reach that it has. I'd love to just dig in a little bit there. it's really a masterclass in how you've aligned Paxon to culture and commerce, really just to win the hearts of Gen Z. And I'm curious to understand your strategies, particularly with TikTok and launching the book that way. What kind of drove that insight for you to launch it in that way? Yeah, so I say for the last 10 years, we've been trying to talk about like meeting customers where they are.

And it sounds very simple. And I think a lot of people talk about it. And it's like, how do you put it into action? The first chapter of the book is called 11,000 asteroids. And it's actually a virality story about TikTok and a young consumer and fan of our brand, Lila Biggs, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, who was not contracted by the brand, had no working relationship with us, was just a consumer. She amassed 5,000 followers, went to her local Pax Sun store, bought the gene,

took it back home to her bedroom and created a video, which would, which went viral over Black Friday. And she ended up with 5,000 followers selling 11,000 pairs of jeans in just less than a 48-hour time period. And so obviously the book is about the Pax Sun transformation story. But the reason I chose to open with Lila is a testament of what happens when you empower your consumers. And you start thinking about customers as co-creators and not your audience. And so I think it's very powerful. So there was no other way for us to launch the book.

We didn't want to do a traditional book tour. And so welcoming our community into our Soho flagship store and having everyone be welcome. And being able to launch on TikTok with the incredible partnership that we have with the TikTok team that head of TikTok fashion, Simba interviewed me. We had an amazing host who brought that great Gen Z energy. And I think it's just a real moment also about vulnerability. in an executive role. And I think the more that you're willing to be open and share and not gatekeep and really be willing to be less polished is a growth also for me. It's so special in such an interesting approach because I do think that there are a lot of brands who are still trying to

navigate this space with a younger generation. And I'm curious from your POV, what's one thing brands are really misunderstanding about the younger generation right now? I think there's so much that's misunderstood about Gen Z and John Alpha in particular, I think to start with there's a misconception that they're not brand loyal and that they're not hardworking and I find both to be untrue. I think, you know, they're an incredibly special cohort of young people. And if we choose to lean in and actually listen and understand them, then the greatest unlock can come true. And I think They are looking for brands that are authentic and speak to them in ways that are meaningful and true. But authenticity is also an overused word, right?

And so I think these are the greatest storytellers. Gen. They consider themselves the greatest storytellers, and their storytelling is incredibly powerful. So if you can choose to build alongside them and build a brand that is really theirs, then there's a very special connectivity. and a special kind of brand love that comes through. And that's what I think the Paxson leadership team and our entire ecosystem has really done from our stores to all of the touch points

that we have digitally to experiential retail. We've brought it all to life really alongside that consumer. Yeah. Was there to a specific insight or instance or study that you all did that drove that realization that Gen Z wanted more than products? And then is there any sort of advice or insight? that you give two brands looking to tap more into that demographic and really connect with them on a human level. I think the first would be to say that social listening can give you some

great insights, right? And that's at everyone's fingertips. It's free. They're constantly giving you a constant feedback loop, but it's not enough. You have to do more to really carve out opportunities to give young people and your consumer, regardless of who you speak to, a seat at the table. So some of the things that Paxon has considered and implemented include the Paxson Youth Advisory Council, which is a group of 14 young people, age 12 to 26, who actually come in like a board of directors and advise us on strategy, not only product. So they're instrumental in thinking about our technology initiatives, trialing our new apps, giving us feedback about marketing campaigns that may or may not resonate, helping actually get involved and redirect those campaigns.

And so I think that's a very formal way of creating that kind of operational wheelhouse where you're really starting to bring your community in to every step in your operating cycle. Another is that we chose to launch the Paxson Youth Report. And that was also an intentional choice and investment of resources to say we're going to work and partner with global data. and we're going to interview 6,000 young people that are both part of Gen Alpha and Gen Z. And there's a ton of research out there that, you know, is focused on Gen Z. But it doesn't ask the question of why. Why are the consumer behaviors changing? We weren't looking to understand our ranking or anyone's ranking in terms of favorite brands or favorite place to eat.

What we were really trying to understand is like, why are these shifts happening? If mental health is at the very top of what young people are concerned about today, even over physical health or academic health, why is that? What can we do differently? And actually, when you really dig in, it's a beautiful testimony about how this generation is so vulnerable. They are so communicative and they are willing to have the discussion. And so they're willing to bring to the surface so many things that prior generations might have been feeling, but weren't willing to actually articulate.

And so I feel incredibly inspired by this generation. I consider myself very lucky to be able to lead an organization that cares so deeply about young people and serves them as a part of our community. And I think that was one of the reasons it was important to us to get the book co-created out into the world. Yeah, absolutely. And kind of tying up this conversation,

I want to go back to the story you told at the top of the episode. I think seeing your consumers go out there and create content around your brand is like a dream of every marketer. You know, we aspire to create these brands that people are excited to post about on their own and share with people. So what do you think from the brand side, you know, it takes to encourage consumers to do that, you know, and to be excited to share and to talk about a brand on their own without being really prompted? Yeah, I think first of all, it is required. a mindset of relinquishing control, right? You have to love your customer truly and have a more inclusive mindset and as opposed to many marketers who are used to selecting or handpicking who they want to represent the brand. Having a new mindset and a new mentality of saying, if you

love our brand, we want you to be our spokesperson. And I think that that's a pretty pronounced shift and not something that should be overlooked. I think the second is to create an amplification model that amplifies those voices, that reinforces and gives brand love back to those people so that you're really creating that continuous and motive connection with your community. And I think there's a lot of work that Paxson has done to go way back beyond the transactional nature and really start thinking about like alongside our consumer, how can the brand and their purchasing power give back to the things they care about? And that's one of the reasons that we started to work with Selena Gomez with the Rare Foundation. And it's so important, she's built with us, with the Rare

Foundation, a way to give back to serve the concerns that were being surfaced by these young people about mental health and youth advocacy. And so now we have a denim line exclusive with her that with every purchase, the customer has an opportunity to give back. And also it creates a further opportunity and openness for dialogue around a topic that matters so much. And so I think that leaving the learnings at the surface and not putting action behind them is also a place that a lot of brands end up in and the real power and unlock for having a closer connection with the consumer is taking it full circle. And I'm curious in terms of your role and in a theme that is really throughout the book is that, you know, the best brands aren't built alone. And how do you

you put that philosophy into practice with your teams? I think the first step that was really powerful for us at Paxon was reading the book The True North by Bill George. And it is a purpose book and it comes with a workbook. And I think for Paxon internally, for the leadership team, getting really clear on what our own individual purposes, having the vulnerability to share it amongst ourselves, building a purpose and mission statement together. not having it be delivered to the team top down. Every word in our mission to inspire the next generation of youth and create community at the intersection of music, fashion, art, and sport, those words all came from people who represent everyone within the organization, from our CTIO to

our head of general counsel, to our chief merchant, head of planning and allocation. And so I think really getting that buy-in and really making it sticky and something that has to be. shared ownership is the first step. The second step is how do you then trickled out throughout the organization. And so we did a lot of internal work as much as the book is about the external work. There's a real power of reinvention and co-creation and the elimination of silos and all the work we had to do that was transformative inside to build the culture that we wanted to be able to welcome the community to partner alongside us to build the next chapter of what Paxon is really about. And so that's the work that I think I'm so excited about and so proud of.

And it is definitely a collective work and the work of so many. And the book may be authored by me, but, you know, the viewpoints and, you know, the leadership stories of so many are built throughout. So when Harvard Business School chose to create a case study based off of the book, and 30 or 40 leaders within the organization had the opportunity to tell their story, which now exists in that case study by name, that to me is like a very proud moment because it kind of helps create that amplification for all of the voices that have been involved in this beautiful story of transformation. Yeah, I actually want to dig into just your leadership journey

a little bit more and any advice that you pass on. So a lot of our listeners, just for context, we've arranged, but there's a lot that are earlier in their careers. They're looking to be a title-based leader and move up in their organizations. Do you have any tips or just things that we should be focusing on at an earlier stage in our career as we aim to become a title-based leader, things that we can step into now to be a leader without having that title per se? The first thing that I would say is to stay really curious. And so, you know, that's having that additional conversation to ask why or how and building those relationships internally and externally with the partners and people that you have in your communities. I think

curiosity and relationship building are the two things you'll carry with you throughout the arc of your career. And I think early on in your career, you don't recognize how important those relationships are. I think the other piece is to be a constant and consistent learner. So it dovetails back to curiosity, but, you know, that's a free resource that's accessible to everyone being able to learn. And with AI and technology, there's so much available to so many people. And so to continue to push yourself, read about things that you don't know anything about. Try to understand very complicated concepts through more simplified ways. Reach out to someone and build a connection if you're curious. I think LinkedIn is a really great tool. Like,

I really try to respond to everyone that is, you know, reaching out on LinkedIn because a simple conversation can really go a long ways. And then from an actual practical standpoint, I kind of kept my head down and got the job done, always did above and beyond what was expected and was willing to do anything. So I didn't stay in my own lane. If someone needed help in planning, I would go there. I moved in many different areas throughout the course of my career. I started, you know, in more of the business side, quickly pivoted into the creative side because that's where the organization needed help and was able to bounce around. And so I would say, stay flexible in your mindset. And that also goes back to kind of like continuous learning of being willing to lean in.

I also say that on the learning subject. I went back to school when I was 40s. So don't be afraid to go back and learn more. If you realize that there's a barrier that's stopping you from being able to grow, acknowledge it, and then figure out how to solve for that. So for some people that might not be the opportunity to go back to school, but it might be to take an online class or to get a certification and something that they can do in the evenings or at night. So kind of try to identify what, you know, might be prohibiting you from moving in the direction or at the speed that you'd like and then be really forthright about what it's going to take to get there. Yeah, absolutely. We have conversations about that all the time. It's easy to get lost in our day to day and forget some of

these personal and professional development tools that we can lean into. So thank you so much for that reminder. I'm also curious to, you know, as we grow and develop in our careers, building a brand, it's so important to be connected with the consumer, no matter what, no matter what stage we're out in our career and just always understanding and learning from the consumer. So how do you personally avoid being disconnected from the end consumer as you move into a leadership role or as you continue to develop in your role currently? Yeah, I think first, firstly, you have to spend an inundated amount of time and information where your customer is, right? So during 2019 and 2020, I would be embarrassed to tell you guys how much time I was spending on the TikTok platform trying to actually

understand the algorithm. What could this mean? Was it a dance app? Was it going to become a commerce app? Was it the next replacement for social media? And I think there's no substitute for your own time investment in the places where your consumer lives. So when we were building on Roblox, I had my entire executive team log on to Roblox and learn because how could we design a game that was meant for young people, even if we weren't personally designing it, but to strategize it, to have a concept about it, if you didn't at least spend time in order to be educated, and ask good questions of your team who are building these amazing things, you've got to spend time. So I think that that is a priority that I absolutely make. I still spend an inordinate amount of

time at the mall in our stores and other people's stores, really trying to understand retail, what matters, where is experiential retail going, what matters to the customer, more important for customers who don't buy than do buy, like, you know, where did they go next on their path? You know, what were we missing? What did we not have that they were looking for today? And I would say, you know, like, even in my seat today, I flew from semaphore and went straight to Coachella. And why did I do that? Because both carry equal importance. And so acknowledging and recognizing that you don't want to lose the magic of what, you know, inspired you in your career, no matter how far you go staying connected to that end point, which is ultimately the customer and what matters to them and where

they show up. And in our customers' life, that's music, fashion, art, and sport. And so that's where I spend a lot of my free time. I actually would love to double click a little bit into the retail experience because I'm curious your POV in terms of where the kind of overall experiential slash retail experience is headed. Yeah, you know, I think we've seen success in a lot of different places. First of all, being back at the mall for GenZ and Gen Alpha is really exciting. And that's where they want to spend time and it's as simple as a hang out with their friends and an opportunity for them to touch and feel product. And so I don't think it needs to get overly glamorized. The mall's back. And secondly, we've seen a lot of success showing up and popping up in places that are

unexpected. So we have a relationship with Formula One that's going on for years. We show up trackside in Austin and we have a pop up and we bring product to them that they may. or may not have known about. And so I think bringing retail also outside of mall-based spaces and outside of the digital realm and into places like Govball where we had a pop-up last year and we had special product that spoke to Govball and celebrating the musicians of those days is something you'll see us do again come June. And so I think those kind of unexpected moments of showing up and connecting with the consumer in places that matter to them and moments that matter to them is incredibly important. And all of that really starts with that understanding of who that consumer is

so that you can meet them where they're at. And I think Paxton is doing just an incredible job of that. And this book really tells the story of how you got there. And it's just, it's really wonderful and can't wait for everyone to get their hands on it as well. And as we kind of wrap this conversation, if there is someone listening right now who's really in the middle of building something, whether it's a brand, a career, or even confidence in themselves, which I think, you know, we hear a lot from listeners. What would you want them to take away from co-created? Reinvention is possible at any point and to be very true to your value system and to have a very blue sky way of thinking about what is possible.

because I think for anyone listening and anyone that's inspired by the story or is facing challenges, the book covers things ranging from bankruptcy to, you know, kind of an incredible activation of ASAP Rocky performing in our stores, which was an all-time high for the brand. And both can be true. And so I would just say to eliminate the limitations of what's possible in your mind. And in reading the book, hopefully you'll be inspired. people have endorsed it from Paris Hilton to Harvard Business School now has a case on it. And really the concept of collaboration and relationship building and leading with purpose

are kind of the clear takeaways, which I think are applicable to both our personal and professional lives. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for that reminder. We'll have a link to the book below. So please, please, please go check it out. This has been an absolutely wonderful conversation. Thank you for sharing. Thank you for your encouragement. Do you mind just as we close out here, share with us where we can connect further with you online, but also all things Paxon as well? Yeah, of course. Please follow Paxon on TikTok and Instagram at at Paxson.

You can follow me at Brianna Olson. And I'm also happy to engage with anyone on LinkedIn. Amazing. Thank you so much, Brian. This was so wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Congrats again on the book launch and just excited to share this out with that. Thank you both as well. It was great meeting you both.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Marketing Happy Hour. If you enjoyed it, make sure you're subscribed to the show and sign up for a weekly newsletter with insights and marketing resources. We also invite you to check out the MHHH collective, our community for marketers looking to connect, grow, and learn together. Check out the links in the show notes. We'll see you next time.