Mays Elansari
From Subway to Pinkberry, Lessons in Global Marketing with Mays Elansari Ep 264 - The Global Discussion
Host Simon Hodgkins speaks with Mays Elansari, a seasoned marketing leader known for her sharp strategic mind, storytelling skills, and ability to bring brands to life across industries and regions. With experience at some of the world’s most recognized names, including McCann Erickson, BBDO, Subway, and Pinkberry, Mays has built a career around balancing creativity with commercial impact. She is also widely recognized in the industry as the “Queen of Events”.
Mays shared thoughtful insights about marketing leadership, brand building, and the importance of human connection in an increasingly digital world.
Putting the Customer at the Heart of the Brand
For Mays, lasting brands are built from the inside out. She emphasized that customers must be at the core of every decision, not just within the marketing team but across the entire organization.
“It’s really not just marketing’s job to think about the customer. It has to be the whole company, across verticals, across functions.”
She described successful marketing as the balance between art and science: creativity informed by data, but never paralyzed by it. Brands that endure, she explained, focus on consistent messaging, a clear value proposition, and the long game of building relationships beyond the short-term sales cycle.
Lessons from Leading Global Brand Transformations
Mays highlighted the importance of alignment and clarity. A strategy is only as strong as the people who believe in it, she noted.
That meant bringing stakeholders together, ensuring everyone understood not only what was being done, but why. From steering committees to cross-functional collaboration, Mays emphasized that true transformation requires time, testing, and a willingness to address barriers head-on.
The Queen of Events
Mays has earned the affectionate title “Queen of Events”, but it is more than a nickname. After stepping back from a regional leadership role, she leaned into networking, industry events, and live experiences to rebuild her connections and amplify her learning.
By being intentional with her time, she found events offered a triple benefit: reconnecting with her professional community, staying ahead of industry trends, and discovering fresh consumer insights. She didn’t just attend; she shared takeaways and insights with her peers, turning events into opportunities for collective growth.
“It wasn’t just about showing up. It was about optimizing what I learned and giving back to the community.”
Sharpening the Lens as a Judge
Mays has also served as a judge for prestigious marketing awards, including the Effies. Reviewing top-tier campaigns, in her words, has sharpened her perspective on what truly works.
Creativity alone, she explained, is not enough. The best campaigns weave a clear thread from problem definition to creative execution to measurable results. That experience reinforced her belief that storytelling must always be grounded in impact.
Adapting Across Industries and Markets
From luxury to food and beverage to retail, Mays has applied her marketing expertise across very different sectors. She believes the core principles of marketing are universal, but the application must adapt. Luxury brands often focus on aspiration, whereas food and beverage brands tend to rely on frequency and value.
Equally important is cultural nuance. Her work with Pinkberry in the Middle East, for example, showed how global brands cannot simply “lift and shift.” By creating Ramadan-inspired flavors that resonated with local traditions, she helped bridge global brand equity with local consumer behavior.
Mentorship and Community
Mays is passionate about supporting the next generation of marketers. She is an active member of the Marketing Society, a mentor, and a strong advocate for community-driven growth.
Her advice to emerging marketers is clear: never wait to build your network and never underestimate the value of giving back.
“It’s never too early and it’s never too late. Find your community, fuel your own growth, and give back whenever you can.”
The Human Element
Despite the rise of AI and automation, Mays believes the future of marketing lies in strengthening the human connection between brands and consumers.
“The biggest shift I see is the human element. Brands that can resonate culturally and emotionally will build stronger communities. Technology can amplify that, but it cannot replace it.”
Mays Elansari’s career is proof that effective marketing is never one-dimensional. It is strategic and creative, global yet local, data-informed yet deeply human. From transforming iconic brands to championing events and mentoring future leaders, she continues to shape how marketing can drive real business impact.
Her perspective is a reminder that while tools and platforms evolve, the essence of marketing remains constant: understanding people, telling meaningful stories, and creating connections that last.
About The Global Discussion
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