Marketing Beyond with Alan B. Hart

How can brands build lasting value and relevance? As brands increasingly see fandoms not as surface-level add-ons but as part of a long-term strategy, many are building value and cultural relevance through authentic connection, thoughtful investment and meaningful engagement with fan communities. In today's episode, Naomi McMahon, EVP of global marketing and partnerships at Universal Music Group,...

What happens when a retailer builds its omnichannel marketing and retail media strategy in reverse?   In this episode, Tony Rogers, SVP and CMO at Dollar General, shares how the company took an outside-in path to omnichannel growth—building its retail media network offsite and audience-first, before launching an e-commerce business.   Tony explains how an innovative approach t hat integrat es mark...

What separates a good idea from good creative work?   For Jo Shoesmith, chief creative officer at Amazon, it's curiosity —the willingness to look again , to find the idea within the idea and recognize potential hiding in plain sight .   In this episode, Jo draws on her agency experience and her current role leading Amazon's creative organization to explain how leaders can operate as both builders...

How can brands preserve what sets them apart a s AI transformation brings more speed and scale to marketing content production, The answer starts with smart parameters and guardrails that keep human insight and creativity at the center.   In this episode, Meghan Gendelman, chief marketing officer (CMO) of business-to-business (B2B) at Canva, explores how marketing teams can use AI while prioritizi...

How can a brand stay distinctive  globally ,   while  earning relevance in  each   individual  market it serves?   Consistency is only part of the challenge .  Because local  presence  shape s  global  perception , brands  should strive to  understand local customers,  respond to  market  conditions  and provide value  to communities .    In t his  episode,  Mastercard's Rustom Dastoor, executive...

How can marketing leaders balance rapid change, emerging  technology  and brand  purpose   to drive lasting growth and loyalty across a portfolio of iconic brands? Anton Vincent, president of Mars Snacking North America & Global Ice Cream, shares what it looks like to lead with purpose across a suite of powerhouse brands spanning confections, pet care  and food. He discusses how Mars balances ambi...

How can a well-known B2B brand move beyond what customers think they already know?   In this episode,  Kimberly  Storin, CMO of Zoom, explains how marketing teams can shift brand  perceptions  and influence B2B buyer journeys by bringing  together  brand marketing, demand generation, content ,  and customer advocacy.   Brand  perception takes  shape differently today.  A s more buyers begin their ...

The hardest part of marketing today may not be  demonstrating   value or creating more ideas. It may be knowing which  activities  deserve your attention.   As Khurrum Malik, VP of business and product marketing at Walmart Connect, explains :  more tools, channels, media  types  and AI capabilities can  lead to  overemphasiz ing   activity .  When  teams  confus e  activity with progress ,   it's...

Fandom is evolving from passive consumption to active participation, creating new opportunities for brands to connect with consumers in authentic ways. In this episode, Andrea Hopelain, GM  and senior vice president of global marketing at Electronic Arts (EA), shares how brands can  leverage  fandom by showing up where today's consumers are already creating, connecting, and building community. She...

How are the expectations for   CMOs  evolving?   In this episode , Richard Sanderson, Spencer Stuart's  marketing, sales & communications officer practice  lead er ,  returns to the podcast to discuss how CMOs and other marketing leaders can address the growing pressure from boards and CEOs to  demonstrate  clearer business impact.    Richard breaks down the competing forces that  are  shap ing  a...

How  can  you  deploy  a n end-to-end  CRM  strategy  that  keep s   pace  with  complex , evolving  customer journey s ?   In this episode, Ford Motor Company Consumer  CRM  Lead Kim Reedy explains why she views CRM as an end-to-end capability that connects  a  businesses '  strategy, creative, execution,  analytics  and  internal stakeholders . Kim reflects on her path from marketing to agency w...

How can you balance urgency,  relevance  and restraint in omnichannel customer messaging? In this episode, Trish  Magnetico , customer comm unication s lead  at  GFiber ,  a high-speed broadband internet service  provider ,  shares how her team  infus ed  marketing into their  new   customer relationship management ( CRM )   approach  through  SMS and push  notification s .  She discusses how her...

What if the biggest shift in marketing  isn't  about chasing the next AI tool, but about making the systems and data  that  marketers already use work together more intelligently?   This episode takes a slightly different angle on marketing transformation.  Instead of talking with a brand marketer about how their team utilizes AI, we hear from Salesforce's Chief Customer Officer for Agentforce Mar...

Marketers are being pushed to do more than run campaigns. They are being asked to build relevance, personalize at  scale  and  make every interaction feel more relevant to the individual. That shift requires a different kind of leadership, one grounded in adaptability  and  curiosity.   In this episode, Visa Senior Vice President of Marketing Kevin Skirde reflects on a career shaped by experimenta...

RERELEASE: From the archives — originally released in July 2025. Are your ads landing with consumers?    According to iHeartMedia's "The New American Consumer 2.0" study, 44% of Americans feel ignored by most advertisers. In today's episode, Alan chats with Gayle  Troberman , executive advisor at iHeartMedia,  about   bridging  the  gap between marketers and consumers, and the marketing principles...

What strategies  is Vanguard using to help  marketing and sales stay aligned while keeping the client at the center?   In  this  episode,  Vanguard's  John Howie,  head of sales channel marketing for   the f inancial  a dvisor  s ervices  d ivision ,  reflects on  his move from sales into marketing . He discusses how marketing leaders can drive stronger results by grounding solutions in each clien...

At General Motors, modernizing marketing means more than just  adopting new tools—it requires thoughtful experimentation  and  sound human judgment  to  apply  AI and other innovations while protecting the  customer experience. In  this  episode, Laura Thornton shares how  General Motors  ( GM )  approach es   this balance  through two  parallel  efforts: marketing technology  modernization  and P...

What could  marketing  teams  accomplish  if they spent less time chasing inputs and more time shaping ideas?    In this episode, Stacy Martinet ,   chief content and creative officer at Adobe,  s hares her perspective  on  one of  the near-term opportunit ies  for marketing leaders :   using  AI to  reduce workflow  grind .    She highlights how  process es  that once took weeks —such as brief cr...

How can marketing help turn brand recognition into meaningful connections?   I n today's episode, Alan Hart speaks with Herbalife CMO Hanan Wajih about how she views marketing's role in helping lead enterprise transformation by strengthening the brand, sharpening the company's storytelling, and equipping distributors with better tools and content to better support customers.   Hanan explains that...

What does "AI-ready data" look like in a modern marketing organization, and where can it create practical value for marketers?   In today's episode Alan Hart talks with Neha Kovach   about the practical work marketers may need to consider before AI can deliver real value. Neha is   jeweler  David Yurman's global head of  customer resource management , data,  customer  experience   and loyalty . Ne...

What can stronger sales and marketing alignment  look like in practice?    In today's episode, Alan Hart talks with Braze Chief Revenue Officer Ed McDonnell about building a career by chasing experiences and skills instead of titles ;  why strong sales and marketing partnerships  start with shared ownership of the customer journey, and how marketers can stay close enough to customers to understand...

How can marketing leaders use AI to scale customer storytelling in ways that drive growth without losing the human connection that matter s ?   In today's episode, Alan Hart talks with Génesis Miranda Longo, Shopify's head of customer and industry marketing, about how customer stories  can  drive both growth and trust. Génesis explains that her role spans two priorities: helping new customers disc...

How can marketers adapt when consumer behavior is shifting faster than traditional strategies can keep up?   In  this  episode  Rich Honiball shares his perspective on navigating the fundamental transformation  that's   continuing to happen   in how people buy and consume information. Drawing on his experience across retail and marketing leadership roles, Rich argues that today's rapid changes dem...

From the archives - orginally released March 2025 Episode Description Jenn   Garbach   is the   c hief   m arketing   o fficer   at   PNC Bank, where she leads a team of approximately 200 marketing professionals. Her team focuses on brand and line-of-business marketing, paid and social media, direct marketing, and digital marketing strategies. She also helps oversee the bank's relationship with Ar...

As AI reshapes discovery, how do you make complex tech clear to  buyers and  demonstrate   how  marketing is driving growth? Synopsys CMO Ann Minooka shares what it takes to market a highly technical business with clarity, precision, and accountability  for   business outcomes. She  views  marketing as the bridge between engineering and the market. Technical product marketing translates capabiliti...