#96: Hinge CMO and President Jackie Jantos | Long-Term Thinking in a Short-Term World

In a world obsessed with instant results, Jackie Jantos makes the case for brand building that lasts.

From Coca-Cola to Spotify to Hinge, Jackie has spent two decades shaping brands that endure by focusing on cultural insights, inclusive teams, and work that actually serves audiences. Now, as President and CMO at Hinge—the dating app “designed to be deleted”—she’s proving that long-term growth comes from products that deliver real outcomes.

In this episode of Soul & Science, Jason Harris sits down with Jackie to explore why usefulness beats flash, how empathy and courage guide her leadership, and why staying patient pays off in brand building.

Key Takeaways:
✅ Design for outcomes, not vanity metrics—Hinge optimizes for “great dates,” not swipes
✅ Big insights upstream fuel creative ideas that can scale globally
✅ Credibility-rich programs compound more than week-long activations
✅ Empathy and courage work best as operating systems inside the company
✅ Long-term brand consistency beats short-term distraction every time

Memorable Moments:
💡 “What better way to encourage people to try your product than to be a product that really works?”
💡 “I get most excited upstream—at the insight—when it feels unique and true.”
💡 “Not every brand needs another stunty activation. Put resources where they’re genuinely useful.”
💡 “Empathy and courage mean saying the hard thing, even if you botch it the first time.

”Brought to you by Mekanism.