Function has hired Taj Alavi as Chief Marketing Officer. Alavi built marketing engines at Spotify, Uber, and Instagram—three companies that manufacture consumer perception at scale. His appointment lands at a specific moment: when a maturing brand needs to reposition its narrative and, critically, the physical objects and environments that carry that narrative forward.
The move is straightforward personnel news. What matters to operators is what it signals about Function's next eighteen months and what identity infrastructure must already be in flight.
What the hire signals
Alavi does not build awareness campaigns. He constructs branded ecosystems. At Spotify, he kept attention on audio culture. At Uber, he imprinted a utilitarian premium narrative into everyday movement. At Instagram, he manufactured desire through image and tool. Function, a company operating in the wellness and performance space, is signaling it no longer competes on features alone. It competes on belonging—on being the cultural object that operators and their principals choose to keep visible.
This restructuring is expensive. It requires new campaign infrastructure, yes. It also requires physical branded identity objects that land in high-confidence environments: executive offices, premium venues, board rooms, collector's homes. Function will need to manufacture or commission branded objects that read as singular, not mass-produced. The difference between branded objects and branded identity infrastructure is the difference between a Rolex and a watch.
Where the identity layer breaks
Most brands hiring a CMO from consumer-scale platforms make one structural error: they assume digital narrative and physical presence are separate. They are not. Alavi's background at Instagram means he understands how physical objects become visual assets. What he now requires is a partner who keeps those objects at the standard his campaigns will demand.
Function's challenge: existing vendor relationships will not satisfy this tier. Mass-production vendors manufacture speed and volume. Alavi's campaigns will require branded objects that displace commodity thinking entirely. These are objects that get noted, photographed, kept. They move through networks because they carry status and intention, not because they were gifted.
The window is open now, before campaign acceleration hits. Brands that wait until the campaign launches typically source backwards—they retrofit objects to fit already-published creative. Experienced operators source identity infrastructure first, then build campaign visuals around real objects they control.
What operators do in this window
For principals and chiefs of staff overseeing Function relationships or similar brand partnerships, the moment is now. Request early sight of campaign concepts. Understand what visual language Alavi's team is developing. Then—before public launch—commission or source the branded identity objects that will sit in your conference room, appear in your events, travel in your principals' hands.
For VPs of Premium Sales, heritage-house CMOs, and event planners at the $250K+ tier: Function will need partners who source branded objects at institutional quality. This is not a volume play. This is a precision play. The operators who move first secure partnership and pricing before demand accelerates. By Q3, when Alavi's first major campaign lands, the best identity infrastructure vendors will be committed elsewhere.
Function is not alone in this moment. Every brand hiring from the consumer-scale platforms faces identical architecture questions. The ones that handle it well—that keep branded identity infrastructure in front of campaign development—displace competitors not through bigger budgets but through coherence. This is the way this gets handled.
Questions buyers ask
What does a CMO from Spotify or Uber actually do differently at a smaller brand
Builds ecosystem thinking instead of single-channel campaigns. Designs for belonging and cultural positioning rather than feature promotion. Requires branded objects and physical presence infrastructure to match narrative standards. Expects partners who source at institutional quality, not volume production.
Why does hiring a major CMO require branded identity objects before the campaign launches
Alavi's campaigns will be visually sophisticated and image-driven. Physical branded objects become content and status markers. Sourcing identity infrastructure first means you control what appears in campaign assets and client environments. Waiting until launch forces retroactive sourcing at rushed timelines and compromised quality.
How do premium event planners and sales teams prepare for brands in this repositioning phase
Request early sight of creative direction from the new CMO's team. Secure partnerships with institutional-quality branded object vendors before demand spikes. Understand that Function will need presence infrastructure—objects for executive environments, events, and principals' hands—that reads singular, not mass-produced.
Editorial & Disclosure Notice: This article was written with artificial intelligence from public sources and is published without individual human review. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools are also used for research, analysis, editing, formatting, and production. Errors, omissions, outdated information, or inaccuracies may occur. References to companies, brands, products, services, organizations, or individuals are for informational and editorial purposes and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, partnership, or approval unless expressly stated. All trademarks and other intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners. Opinions, analysis, estimates, and commentary are informational only and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, procurement, or other professional advice. Information may be corrected, clarified, or updated after publication. Corrections or removal requests: jenny@pops4.com.
TikTok / Reels hook
"Spotify's CMO just joined a wellness brand. Here's why they'll need commissioned objects, not branded identity infrastructure, in the next 90 days."
LinkedIn post
Function brought in Taj Alavi from Spotify as CMO—a signal that narrative-led positioning and physical branded presence are about to accelerate. When major consumer brands restructure marketing leadership, the infrastructure window opens briefly. What does your organization need in place before the campaign launches?
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