TRENDSETTERS

Bridget Sponsky, Executive Director of Brand Marketing at Ally Financial has become one of today’s most innovative marketers by blending bold actions with measurable results. When speaking with Bridget, you immediately sense why Ally feels different from most financial institutions. Its purpose is simple yet powerful: put people first. Whether that means designing fairer financial products or cham...

Children’s online safety is one of the defining tests of how advertising can live its purpose. In my latest Trendsetters podcast, I speak with Charley Stoney, CEO of EACA, about #Campaign4Good—a pan-European competition created with 5Rights Foundation that invites young creatives to design campaigns protecting children in digital spaces. With support from EU Commissioner Michael McGrath, this init...

Most CMOs obsess over purpose, storytelling, or benefits. But what if the real driver of growth is something simpler—and more powerful? In my new conversation with Ulli Appelbaum, author of The Science of Brand Associations , we dig into the evidence, the frameworks, and the discipline needed to build brands that stick in the brain—and in the market.

Today, we’re joined by Rogier Vijverberg, founder of SuperHeroes—the independent agency with a mission  to save the world from boring advertising . From flying blimps over football stadiums for Netflix to transforming Buicks into modern art, SuperHeroes has mastered breaking through the clutter. We’ll talk with Rogier about how Gen Z tastemakers and AI collectives are reshaping creativity, what it...

Sweden’s CMO doesn’t just market a country—he makes it impossible to forget.   From letting the world call a random Swede to co-writing a horror story with AI, Nils Persson has turned Visit Sweden into a masterclass in bold, creative, and sustainable destination marketing. In our conversation, he shares how humor, cultural insight, and environmental responsibility can work together to win traveler...

How do you keep a 110-year-old brand at the forefront of technology and trust? Joe Prota, Director of Brand Marketing at IBM and a recent Internationalist of the Year honoree, is answering that question daily— by reimagining how brand marketing can blend storytelling, purpose, and AI-powered innovation. As a result, he’s helping IBM stay not just relevant—but resonant.

Rishad Tobaccowala’s marketing roots run deep, but his ideas go far beyond the boardroom.   He recently marked 250+ published editions of his brilliant "The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past," a weekly Substack that blends strategy, philosophy, and personal reflection.  I had the chance to ask him about the themes that matter most, the future of marketing, his evolving relationship...

According to Robin Bonn, CEO & Founder of Co:definery, the ad agency market is not oversupplied but rather under-differentiated. In an industry where agencies often work harder while margins decrease and talent experiences burnout, he presents a thought-provoking analysis in his new book entitled Market of One: How Your Agency Can Rewrite the Rules and Create a Lasting Competitive Advantage . ...

Khalid El Khatib is the CMO of Consumer Reports, the nonprofit advocacy organization and one of the most popular publishing platforms in the country. He oversees CR’s revenue-generating teams, including member acquisition and fundraising, and works to elevate the organization’s profile among new, younger, and more diverse audiences.   Today, we discuss how he has managed to embrace the 89-year leg...

Marriott Bonvoy, the hotel loyalty program of Marriott International, which rewards members at over 7000 locations globally across its brand portfolio, has introduced a new marketing campaign and brand platform. In this initiative, Bonvoy has moved away from traditional hotel advertising clichés, choosing instead to emphasize the emotional appeal of travel experiences.  Terri da Silva, Vice Presid...

Few people have a role that combines media, creative, and analytics.  However, Brad Feinberg, VP of Media, Digital, and eCommerce at the Molson Coors Beverage Company, is one of those rare individuals. And if that’s not enough, he’s also part of the company’s Americas Commercial Accelerator leadership team. The Accelerator aims to build capabilities across all geographies and categories for premiu...

When Mollye Rhea founded For Momentum in 2003, she pioneered one of the first cause marketing agencies to foster partnerships between brands and nonprofits.  She characterizes her work as “bringing causes and companies together to multiply good.” For Momentum is now one of the leading cause-related marketing firms in the United States.  For Momentum has been monitoring corporate partnership trends...

Ask  Amy Dunham , Habitat for Humanity International's Chief Communications Officer, about her latest initiative, and she'll enthusiastically discuss encouraging the Habitat organization to take a fresh look at a much-loved brand. Whether reacting to changing market conditions, new leaders, or an organizational strategy update (or all of the above), she believes marketers must continue to plan and...

David Aaker is prolific. He has published over 120 articles and 18 books that have sold more than 1 million copies and have been translated into 18 languages. Among them are Managing Brand Equity, Building Strong Brands , Aaker on Branding , Creating Signature Stories , and The Future of Purpose-Driven Branding .  Marketing Expert Philip Kotler called him the Father of Modern Branding. David Aaker...

Many associate marketing with innovation, but it is also about anticipating what’s next.  If anyone can look around corners as a strategic and transformational leader focused on driving growth, it’s Charlie Chappell of The Hershey Company.  Few people have held such a diverse range of marketing roles—from product development at Kimberly-Clark to brand management and marketing at P&G to senior...

Not all visionaries are people of action.  Amy Williams is both.   She recognized the need to redesign online advertising, making annoying internet ads a force for good.  In 2016, she co-founded Good-Loop as a simple and profitable way for major brands to do good through their advertising. So far, her Good Formats have raised over $10 million for good causes globally.  Today, we’ll discuss how she...

Mike Nichols’ career has been at the intersection of business, sports, and philanthropy—an inspiring but not typical combination. As Chief of Sponsorship and Activation at Group 1001, an Indiana-based financial and insurance collective that includes brands like Gainbridge®, Delaware Life, and Clear Spring, he “brings to life” the group's values with partnerships that build community through educat...

Throughout his career, Manos Spanos has been consistently motivated by the intersection of marketing, innovation and technology—whether working for large multinationals or startups.   Now, as the Chief Commercial Officer of Sunny Sky Products, a leading producer of beverage solutions, he talks about turning bold ideas into realities while offering his perspective on the potential of AI, purposeful...

According to Kate Price, “High-performance marketing means integrating the drivers of brand and demand – long-term customer perceptions and short-term sales.   Kate, a partner at Prophet's New York office specializing in marketing transformation, shared findings from a recent report by the consultancy, titled Brand & Demand: A Relationship Guide (to Marketing’s Great Love Story).   The study,...

TRENDSETTERS:  Parity Reveals a “Silver Lining” for Brands in Support of Women Athletes  Parity, the sports marketing and sponsorship platform that’s revolutionizing the financial model for women athletes and creating impactful opportunities for brands, released some new research quantifying the economics of being a woman athlete. Leela Srinivasan, Parity’s CEO, discusses some key takeaways from t...

Ask Marla Kaplowitz about her outlook for the agency business in 2025, and she’ll begin by reminding you that ad agencies operate in a constantly evolving environment.  In fact, they often do their best work and deliver their greatest value during periods of significant change. She does have several critical items on her New Year agenda. First among them is an agency “compensation reset” that goes...

Bob Liodice, the ANA's chief executive officer, is bullish on AI. Not only has the term been chosen three times as the "Marketing Word of the Year" through voting by the ANA membership, but he believes that GenAI has the capability to help his members become better marketers.  "AI," he says, "will change the entire productivity scale. Marketers are learning rapidly that our work can be done much f...

Brian Wieser is one of the few people who can outline a career with such roles as investment banker, equity research analyst, long-time agency executive, and developer of two of the global advertising industry's most widely relied upon data sets.  His firm, Madison and Wall, operates at the intersection of how trends in media spending and advertising budgets affect marketers and investors.   He’s...

Ask Ruth Bernstein about her concept of Brand Beacons, and she’ll tell you they set the next standards in business.  While that may sound like a monumental task or an extraordinary description of a brand’s potential, after a 30-minute conversation, I was convinced about the power of beacon status.   Ruth Bernstein is the CEO and Co-Founder of Yard NYC, an independent creative company that helps in...