The Human Element: A Carat Podcast

In this special episode recorded live at the 2026 Carat Innovation Summit, we sit down with visionary leaders across AI, culture, and emerging media to explore this year’s defining theme: The Human Renaissance. Together, we unpack how brands can thrive in an AI‑accelerated world by pairing powerful technology with the human values of trust, empathy, and intentionality that shape meaningful connect...

In this special episode of the pod, recorded on the ground at our annual Carat Innovation Summit, we are joined by industry luminaries across AI, Gaming, Commerce, Content, and Community to discuss the significant and continuous shifts shaping the media landscape and the opportunities that lie ahead for marketers. Guests include: Lauren Abney, Business Strategist, AI, Google; Jon Reilly, Co-founde...

And we're back at CES, the annual trade show showcasing the latest products and technologies within the consumer electronics industry. In this episode Michael Liu, EVP Head of Innovation at Carat; and Tommy Huthansel, VP Head of Innovation at dentsu X; and Amy Siegel, VP Director of Innovation & Activation at dentsu, join us to share the highlights from the week and discuss the future of human and...

In this episode Bram Meuleman, Global Head of Strategy at Carat; Jack Cantwell, Global Client Lead at dentsu; and Camilla Andersen, Managing Director at Tag, join us to share findings on Carat's latest work on the future of CPG and how marketers can achieve scale, maintain relevance, and drive impact in the Algorithmic Era.

In this episode Coco Douaihy, Global Chief Creative Officer, Dentsu Health and Greg Reilly, President of dentsu Health, join us to dive into the future of healthcare and pharma marketing - from building the best integrated marketing teams, the impact of emerging tech and influencer, to health equity and access to care for all.

We are joined by Prerna Mehrotra, Chief Client Officer and Media Practice President at dentsu APAC, and Rafik Belmesk, Chief Strategy Officer at dentsu Creative Canada, who took part in this year's Cannes Lions Jury, to discuss key themes around the award winning work, how the craft is evolving, and the importance of Cannes for brands.

As we close out Pride month, we have some of our incredible dentsu Pride BRG team members join us to not only celebrate, but to reflect on the opportunities and challenges within our industry.

In this special edition of the pod, we celebrate and reflect on Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month where we discuss Asian@dentsu BRG mission and purpose, the AIA breaking barriers summit, and the role media and marketing play in celebration and progress.

In this episode Jay Wolff, Chief Revenue Officer at KERV; Kavita Cariapa (cariepa), SVP Head of Commerce Activation at dentsu; and Mike Liu, EVP Head of Innovation at Carat sit down to discuss the role of AI within the evolving retail advertising landscape.

In this episode Joanna Hawkes, EVP Head of Strategy at Carat US, and Edwin Wong, SVP of Insights & Research at Vox Media, join us to dive into Carat and Vox's recent research report, The Duality of Media, stemmed from a consumer survey of 4,500+ people and set out to define the new cultural framework for brands.

To celebrate International Women's Day and Women's History Month, we have a special edition of the pod featuring some of the many amazing women across dentsu. In this episode we share the opportunities women have today, the road ahead and the critical role inspiring inclusion plays in progress.

Joanna Hawkes, EVP Head of Strategy; Amanda Pinto, VP Strategy; and Lauren Dezenski, VP Strategy & Insights, at Carat US join us to dive into the 2024 media trends and consumer insights that will shape the industry and influence marketing strategies in the year ahead.

Brian Monahan, Global Client President & Head of Retail Media Solution, and Kavita Cariapa, SVP Head of Commerce Activation, at dentsu join us to cover the Retail Media space, what's in store for 2024, and the impact of CES for Retail.

Just like that we're back at CES, the annual trade show showcasing the latest products and technologies within the consumer electronics industry. In this episode Sarah Stringer, EVP Head of US Media partnerships at dentsu; Michael Liu, EVP Head of Innovation at Carat; Whitney Fishman, EVP Head of Innovation at iProspect; Tommy Huthansel, VP Head of Innovation at dentsu X, join us to wrap up the CE...

And just like that we're back with our annual year-end podcast reflecting on the wonderful guests who have joined us and (of course) some holiday memories along the way.

In this episode Abran Maldonado, Cofounder of Create Labs Ventures; Kanene Ayo Holder, AI Integration Manager for DEIGPT, Create Labs Ventures; Mark Prince, SVP, Head of Economic Empowerment, dentsu; and Michael Liu, EVP Head of Innovation, Carat join us to cover two big topics in the industry, Diversity and AI, and the responsibility and significance of both working together for marketers to resh...

In this special episode of the pod, we are joined by industry leading AI practitioners to discuss the power and opportunities that Artificial Intelligence has on the advertising and media industry, and the massive responsibility required to future proof the balance of human and machine. Guests include: Caroline Yap, Google; David Armano, Soul Machines; Rob Wilk, Snap; Stas Tushinskiy, Instreamatic...

In this episode, Joanna Hawkes, EVP Head of Strategy at Carat US, and Jon Manka, Director of Audience & Insights at dentsu Media US, join us for a mid-year check-in on our annual consumer insights and media trends predictions, and what we can expect for the second half of the year.

Mike Law, CEO at Carat North America, Cara Lewis, Chief Investment Officer at dentsu US, and Mark Jones, Client President at Carat, sit down to cover all things Cannes Lions, the annual international festival of creativity, from key themes, the impact of the festival on brands and media, and what to expect to see in the second half of the year.

In this special edition of the pod, and in honor of Pride month, some amazing people within the dentsu LGBTQIA+ community join us to not only celebrate Pride but to reflect on the opportunities and challenges within our industry.

Michael Liu, SVP Head of Innovation at Carat; Sarah Stringer, EVP Head of US Media partnerships at dentsu; and Connor McKinney, Senior Director Strategy & Planning at Carat, join us in a conversation as we wrap up this year’s SXSW conference and discuss what’s next for brands following the 9-day event that invited digital creatives to discuss forward-focused.

After three years, we are back in-person at CES, the annual trade show showcasing the latest products and technologies within the consumer electronics industry. In this episode Sarah Stringer, EVP Head of US Media partnerships at dentsu, and Michael Liu, SVP Head of Innovation at Carat, join us to wrap up the CES week and discuss the future of tech and innovation and what’s next in media.

In this episode Richard Shotton, author of The Choice Factory focused on applying behavioural science to advertising, and Sean Healy, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Carat, join us to discuss Media Decarbonization, bringing dentsu’s programs from theory to practice, and the consumer behavior changes that are influencing the work.

In this episode Brittany Rubinsky, VP Digital Investment Partnerships & Brand Assurance at Carat, and Don McLean, Director of Gaming at dentsu, join us to discuss the semi-annual gaming convention, TwitchCon, and what’s next for advertisers in gaming.

We’re back with a special edition of the pod with Victoria Sjardin, VP of Marketing Excellence at Kraft Heinz International, and Diana Bojaj, Chief Media Officer at Carat US, to discuss Carat’s recent propriety research, the Brand EQ report, and the critical relationship between brand emotional intelligence and business growth.