ADWEEK: How have you built enough trust internally?
HEATHER MALENSHEK: This is a struggle that we definitely all have. Trust is built before the moment you need it. I have a very tight relationship with our CFO, but also with our chief strategy officer or chief technology officer and our CEO. That’s important.
Building credibility for the marketing function around the data, showing that we have confidence, so when we need to ask for something that might seem odd or unexpected, people are like: “You’re going to take responsibility for the results, and you tried something before, and that worked.”
And transparency, too. One of the things we suffered a little bit with is we always wanted to tell a good story. We would never tell any bad steps. We were measuring everything, hundreds of things, and I realized it was in search of what the good story was, even though it didn’t work. Being more transparent, having humility that in our group we don’t know all the answers, and being upfront about that, has helped in building those trusted relationships.
ADWEEK: How do you measure the impact of contributing to culture?
HEATHER MALENSHEK: You’ve got to speak the language of business. It’s very easy to get caught up in marketing jargon all the time—talking about what we’re trying to achieve, what’s the insight behind it, what’s the strategy. It’s not just that we’re jumping on a trend on TikTok. There’s actually a strategy behind it. With the Modern Rural Collective work, that’s a long game. That requires a lot of learning along the way to say we’re going to measure success through adoption.
The Untapped Potential of Rural Audiences
As brands search for new growth opportunities, Malenshek believes the rural market remains significantly underappreciated. Beyond being a demographic to sell to, these communities are hubs of talent and creativity. Land O’Lakes actively recruits from these areas, bringing diverse rural perspectives directly into the marketing team.
“It’s about helping talent stay in those hometowns because a lot of people want to stay closer to family these days, especially the younger generation,” she said. By investing in these communities, the brand isn’t just marketing; it’s helping to ensure the prosperity and growth of its own owners.
ADWEEK: What’s a cultural conversation you believe brands aren’t paying enough attention to yet?
HEATHER MALENSHEK: [People in rural communities] are an underappreciated audience. They tend to get romanticized and idealized when they are shown as isolated or in decline. There’s a ton of innovation and entrepreneurship and creativity in these communities. We actually hire a lot of people in these rural communities, [including] people on my team who bring that perspective to our work.
It’s about helping talent stay in those hometowns because a lot of people want to stay closer to family these days, especially the younger generation. We want investment in these communities too. We want people to have prosperity and growth opportunities.
A Personal Connection to the Road
For Malenshek, the connection to rural America isn’t just professional—it’s personal. An avid motorcycle enthusiast, she views the country from the saddle of her Harley-Davidson Road Glide. These trips provide her with a ground-level view of the small towns and communities that Land O’Lakes serves, often leading to unexpected and authentic experiences.
She shared a story of a ride through Georgia, where a local gas station attendant directed her to "the Coleman House" for lunch. It turned out to be a literal private home serving a buffet for ten dollars. “We met all these amazing people and it was incredible,” she said. It is this appreciation for the "real" America—the one found at the end of a long country road—that continues to drive her vision for one of the country’s most enduring agricultural brands.
ADWEEK: What’s your bike of choice when you ride?
HEATHER MALENSHEK: I’m fortunate to have a few. This is a hobby of mine. Other people have shoes. I have motorcycles. The Road Glide is my favorite, which is one of the big touring bikes. We’re actually going [soon] to Moab and Pikes Peak in Colorado and Taos, Santa Fe, and Four Corners.
ADWEEK: What’s your favorite ride?
HEATHER MALENSHEK: You see so much of this country from two wheels, more than you would see in a car. Georgia is one of my favorite places to ride because there’s so many great small towns here. We stopped at a gas station and we asked this lady, “Is there somewhere we can just grab lunch, like a buffet lunch or something?” And she said, “Yeah, there’s a place up the road just called the Coleman House.” And it literally looked like somebody’s house, and we’re like, “We’re not sure. Should we walk in here?”
We walked in, and there was this long table of food, and it was 10 bucks for all-you-can-eat lunch. And I swear it was this lady’s house. We met all these amazing people and it was incredible.
