TRENDSETTERS

Jonathan Barnard is Head of Forecasting and Director of Global Intelligence at Zenith, the ROI Agency, where he is responsible for developing market-leading insight, analysis and thought leadership, as well as coordinating a global network of experts. A veteran of Zenith for twenty-five years, he has tracked more financial swings and business precedents than most. Over the next three years, he exp...

If anyone could characterize the amount of change marketers have experienced or the breadth of their ever-evolving responsibilities, it is Bob Liodice, Chief Executive Officer of the ANA, one of the world’s oldest and largest marketing associations.  With a mission to drive growth, ANA serves the marketing needs of its vast member community that collectively represents more than 20,000 brands.   ...

Ben Jankowski has a knack for posing exactly the right question or directly stating an issue that others may have overlooked.  From talking about today’s “terrible digital ad experience” to figuring out how marketers can “create the kind of value that people really want,” his long experience and love for the business of media helps to push the industry forward.    He is also part of a new generati...

Brian Wieser, GroupM’s Global President of Business Intelligence, has been at the center of advertising forecasting and media trend watching for a very long time.   As he tracks global advertising expenditures in key media categories— TV, Audio, Cinema, Out of Home, Print, and Digital, Brian Wieser believes that total ad revenue will exceed $1 trillion by 2025, or up significantly from its current...

CEO of the World Federation of Advertisers, Stephan Loerke, believes that we may look back on 2021 as a turning point for the marketing industry on several critical issues.  A self-proclaimed optimist, he thinks the past year has laid the foundation for making the ad industry better, fairer, more open, and resilient.  He adds, “And that’s a good starting point to embrace with confidence the challe...

“As 2022 – the Year of the Tiger – comes roaring in, it’s that time to speculate once again on what lies ahead for marketers,” says Doug Wood.  “So, here’s the top ten trends and challenges I see (in no particular order) that if unheeded may make brands the next endangered species (assuming they are not already).”   Doug Wood has practiced law for 45 years with a concentration in advertising and m...

The Zebra was started in 2012 with a single goal: to simplify insurance. And in doing so, they’ve become the leading insurance comparison site in the United States. Earlier this year, the Austin, Texas-based company raised $150 Million after doubling its revenue in 2020 to reach “unicorn” status.   Stephanie Junge-Filipek is Senior Director of Brand Marketing at The Zebra and builds her role aroun...

Taking a legacy brand in a new direction is never easy.  Doing so during a pandemic is certainly not for the faint of heart.   David McKillips accepted the role of CEO for CEC Entertainment in January 2020; CEC is named for its flagship Chuck E. Cheese brand and incorporates the Peter Piper Pizza and Pasqually's Pizza & Wings brands. 

Rahul Malhotra, Head of Brand Strategy and Stewardship at Shell, sincerely believes that corporations can transform the world around us profitably, better, and faster than governments. For the last five and half years, he has been responsible for global brand strategy and architecture for Shell’s brand identity, as well as the company’s brand stewardship and employee ambassadorship. Plus, he has l...

President & CEO of Belvedere Vodka, Rodney Williams, has set an ambitious company agenda with bold commitments to both new product innovations and operating practices. 

JP Kuehlwein has worked throughout the world in a variety of brand, marketing and innovation roles that range from leading the P&L for Pampers in much of Asia to providing premium brand strategy for Procter & Gamble in 16 country and category combinations to becoming the CEO of Frédéric Fekkai and turning around the hair care brand.  Five years ago, JP created the Ueber Brands Consultancy and is a...

"Ambush marketing" is a controversial marketing practice that pits non-sponsors against rights holders. It is as prevalent as ever, as non-sponsors seek to associate their brands, rightly or wrongly, with significant sporting or entertainment events without needing to pay sponsorship fees.

Thirteen years ago, Simon Dermer started eSSENTIAL Accessibility, a platform that enables purpose-driven organizations to enhance their digital customer experience for people with disabilities.  Since then, he has seen an evolution in accessibility, as well as key shifts in industry response. When he founded eSSENTIAL Accessibility, he spent a lot of time ensuring that marketers understood the siz...

Over the course of her 25-year career in media and advertising, Latha Sundaram has become passionate about the role global organizations can play to drive positive social change. While her position as Group Business Leader, Executive Director at MediaCom is to lead purpose-driven marketing and communication strategies for multinational companies, she believes her passion for the “power of people”...

Stephan Loerke, CEO of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), believes that marketers should be leading the charge in sustainability by communicating consumer demands for action internally, while also demonstrating to customers how an organization can help them make more sustainable choices. As a result, the WFA has announced “The Planet Pledge” – an initiative designed to put marketers in a p...

Rob Rakowitz has more than two decades of experience spanning creative, media, research, and strategy functions from both the marketer and agency perspectives.  Now he leads the Global Alliance for Responsible Media or GARM-- a never-been-done-before industry alliance that brings together global marketers, media agencies, media owner platforms and industry associations to work together to improve...

As Molson Coors’ Vice President of Media and Consumer Engagement for North America. Brad Feinberg oversees the Centers of Excellence for Media, Precision Marketing, Creative Services, and Partnerships. His passion for analytics and creativity has led to breakthrough media efforts that have delivered successful results, as well as recognition within the industry and from the Molson Coors Executive...

Erin Bruehl is Director of Communications at Current, a leading U.S. challenger bank created to serve Americans overlooked by traditional banking institutions.  With a mission to improve financial outcomes, Current believes that banking should be accessible and affordable for everyone, especially people with a variety of modern lifestyles—from those young and starting out to people who are part of...

Brenda Tsai leads marketing at Bank of New York Mellon with a focus on creating value across the top and bottom line, while developing initiatives that accelerate the firm’s growth strategies.

June Sugiyama has served as the Director of the Vodafone Americas Foundation for over 20 years. During that time, she has seen an extraordinary evolution of initiatives, as well as changes in consumer and corporate attitudes toward ventures that advance the use of technology for social good.  As International Women’s Day approaches on Monday, she talks about why the Vodafone Americas Foundation no...

Allyson Stewart-Allen has been considering how the US will be viewed by the rest of the world as an attractive trade and investment destination—even as the country’s domestic agenda takes center stage for a new administration. She also anticipates a US-EU Free Trade Agreement to take priority over a US-UK trade deal.  The size of the European Union would be a commercial prize for US companies post...

Emerson is a $16.8 billion global industrial software and engineering company with over 80,000 employees. Founded in 1890 in St. Louis, Missouri, as a manufacturer of electric motors and fans, over the past 100-plus years, Emerson has grown from a regional manufacturer into a global technology solutions powerhouse. While much growth came through acquisitions, management has worked diligently to cr...

Ask Doug Wood what’s on the minds of marketers as they consider advertising legal concerns in 2021, and his answer outlines a broad range of critical topics.  He says, “The evergreen subjects – media transparency, privacy, data security, ad taxes, and efforts to regulate the influence of the big digital platforms will continue to be in the top ten.  As we move forward, commercial production post-C...

Sonsoles Gonzalez has done what many marketers dream about.  After almost 3 decades in senior roles at global beauty giants-- L’Oréal and Proctor and Gamble—she created her own company. She is the Founder and CEO of Better Not Younger, the only haircare brand specifically designed for women over the age of 40.

Manos Spanos, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing for the Yogurt Business Unit at Danone North America, believes that marketing needs to stand for positive change.  “If something is not doable,” he says, “innovate to make it doable.”  And while that sounds like a tall order, especially for these times, he has been able to demonstrate what happens when purpose and passion intersect in branding...