NotCo CMO Fernando Machado, known for bold DEI-driven campaigns, explains what marketers overlook when trying to embed DEI into their work

• Fernando Machado is the CMO of NotCo, formerly of Burger King and Activision Blizzard.
• He explains his approach to DEI and breaks down what most CMOs and agencies overlook in their strategies.

Fernando Machado, CMO of NotCo, a plant-based food company, is known for his bold campaigns at Burger King and Activision Blizzard. His repertoire has often tackled current social issues like LGBTQ+ rights and representation of other minoritized groups.

In a conversation with Insider, Machado explained what most marketers overlook and how they can align their DEI strategies with agency partners.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What's the biggest mistake CMOs make with diversity and inclusion initiatives?

You need to do before you talk. Diversity and inclusion must permeate the whole organization, and that's a much slower process than something like buying media. If you try something with DEI and inclusion, but have weaknesses internally, it shows. It can come across as very inauthentic, and you risk getting called out. DEI and inclusion starts internally, and continues internally forever.

We have a very diverse team at NotCo, with a good split among male/female and many Latinos. I do wish we had more African American representation.

In terms of marketing, what does inclusion mean for a brand like NotCo? Do you tailor messages about plant-based food to every demographic?

If I had a very large budget, maybe I could cater communications specifically to different groups. But I don't want to spread the brand too thin and end up not doing anything meaningful to anyone. I think there are things that will resonate with different groups of people at the same time, and insights that cut across those groups.

How do you make sure your agencies are aligned with you on the DEI journey?

Again, you can only push agency partners after you've pushed yourself internally. I can't demand from others what I haven't done myself. I can't demand from an agency to be diverse if I'm not diverse myself. At Burger King, we had agencies sign a pledge to reach certain targets [around diversity], but only because we had targets ourselves.

So put your house in order, then speak with your creative, media, and design partners. It's also not uncommon to have agency partners ahead of you. Learn from them.

Can you always make a business case for DEI?

On the brand side, having a diverse team with divergent points of view will always lead to better results.

With the consumer side, you need to serve your audiences. If it's a brand like Burger King or Popeye's, which overindexes on Black and Hispanic consumers, of course diversity and inclusion is a good thing for the business.

What if a CMO faces pushback on diversity and inclusion?

Different companies have different cultures, but you have more power than you think. Join company networks. Ask questions. Create benchmarks against other companies — there's a lot of data out there.

I always push people to be the change you want to see. People victimize themselves — "Oh, my company's not doing enough." There are ways you can frame these efforts and enlist people on the journey with you.