The Mind of a Marketer

Putting a law degree to work in the business world

By Tanya G. Brown

As marketing director at Bush’s Baked Beans, Scott Daniel (LAW ’03) is used to being asked about Duke, the iconic talking dog from the Bush family’s bean commercials.

“I can assure you Duke is much more interesting than I am,” Daniel says with a laugh. “He’s part of the family.”

Daniel is being modest. On a sunny afternoon in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee, the home of the Bush’s Beans legacy, it becomes clear that Daniel also has become a vital part of the family-owned company. Both employees and customers at the business’ quaint welcome center nestled in a curve off Highway 411 greet Daniel more like an old friend than a member of management.

The road to Bush’s began for Daniel with a simple decision that changed the course of his life. While interning in Senator Fred Thompson’s office during college, he decided to attend law school at the University of Tennessee.

The skills for success

“When you’re working in politics and you don’t know what you want to do, the default is to go to law school,” Daniel says. After trying his hand at clerking, he applied for the joint JD/MBA program after his 1L year.

His degree cemented his future career path in marketing, and taught him the fundamentals of logic and problem solving, skills he uses daily.

Daniel’s wife, Stephanie Bauer Daniel, said her husband is a billboard for the far-reaching value of a UT Law degree.

“While he has never practiced law, his successes reflect the core skills learned at the UT College of Law—critical thinking, problem solving, and leadership,” Stephanie says.

An internship during law school with home products giant Procter & Gamble led to a full-time position in Bentonville, Arkansas, upon graduation for Scott Daniel, who eventually moved into brand management for Tide to Go in North America and Tide laundry detergent of Canada.

“You don’t think about it, but laundry detergent really touches people’s lives—it’s the clothes they wear,” Daniel says. “As a businessperson, it was a dream come true.”

When recruiters called, the Daniels typically turned them down. When the opportunity at Bush’s came up in Knoxville, the couple was presented with an opportunity that gave them pause. Both were interested in moving back to East Tennessee.

Problem solving for life

For Daniel, who manages the branding and marketing of Bush’s Baked Beans and their popular Grillin’ Beans, the switch to Knoxville also meant a change in his business perspective.

“At Bush’s we like to say we manage in quarter centuries,” he says. “That’s the luxury you have in a family business. You aren’t at the mercy of Wall Street pressure.”

Daniel advises law students to think about where their skills lie and to be open to the possibilities created by attaining their juris doctorate.

“Law school is one of the best investments I ever made for my career,” Daniel says. “It’s very easy to look at your legal skills through this myopic lens that says you can only practice law, but problem solving touches every aspect of business.”