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Ad Age Marketer's Brief

Ad Age Marketer's Brief

E.J. Schultz & Adrianne Pasquarelli 388 Episodes Aug 19, 2026

Marketer's Brief helps marketers stay ahead of what's changing and decide how to respond. Each episode focuses on the ideas, shifts, and strategic tensions shaping marketing right now, from how leaders are thinking about growth, platforms, and culture to how they're making trade-offs in real time. Conversations led by Ad Age editors and reporters surface patterns worth paying attention to and ways of thinking that can influence decisions at work. Subscribe to sharpen your judgment and spot what matters early.

Episodes

This packaging switch tripled sales velocity, with Saint James Co-Founder
This packaging switch tripled sales velocity, with Saint James Co-Founder Aug 19, 2026 23:02 Saint James Tea Co-Founder and CEO Brad Neumann says a single packaging switch—from cardboard cartons to resealable aluminum bottles—nearly tripled the three-year-old, better-for-you iced tea brand's sales velocity overnight. The bigger signal: Saint James sits in less than 17% of possible retail doors, yet has ranked as the country's fastest-growing iced tea brand in every four-week SPINS reporti
Why marketers chase active demand and miss the passive majority, with Indeed's CMO
Why marketers chase active demand and miss the passive majority, with Indeed's CMO Aug 12, 2026 19:48 Most marketing budgets are built to capture demand—people already searching—but Indeed CMO James Whitemore says that's leaving future demand on the table. He explains why Indeed is shifting spend beyond traditional demand capture toward passive and future job seekers, using culture, fandom and brand-building campaigns like "Jobs Need People" to do it. Whitemore also breaks down how Indeed balances
Turning consumer signals into campaigns that work, with Kayak's senior VP of brand marketing
Turning consumer signals into campaigns that work, with Kayak's senior VP of brand marketing Aug 5, 2026 17:30 An idea isn't a strategy. Kayak's marketing team gets plenty of raw material—search behavior, trending topics, notions floating around a meeting room—but treats none of it as ready for creative until research confirms it's real. That process turned a theory about group travel into "Bookboards": 84% of travelers have watched a group trip stall in the chat, and 90% blame one friend who won't commit.
Meet the Calvin Klein CMO using 'entertainment mentality' to turn culturally resonant campaigns into sales gains
Meet the Calvin Klein CMO using 'entertainment mentality' to turn culturally resonant campaigns into sales gains Jul 29, 2026 20:48 As brands try to make their campaign dollars stretch farther, they're looking to culturally resonant marketing that creates engagement—comments, likes and shares—and results in sales gains. Calvin Klein's Spring 2026 campaign with actress Dakota Johnson is an example of how the clothing brand is using content to 'game the algorithm,' according to Jonathan Bottomley, global chief marketing officer
Lessons from America's Hottest Brands
Lessons from America's Hottest Brands Jul 22, 2026 16:54 What does it take to be one of America's Hottest Brands? We comb through our annual list of 20 brands having a moment to discern marketing lessons applicable to brands of any type or size. Find out how NeeDoh and Pink are taking consumer listening to the next level and what Grillo's did to strike smart brand collabs. Ad Age's E.J. Schultz and Adrianne Pasquarelli also discuss other lessons, includ
The key to making sports partnerships pay off, with PepsiCo's Jonnie Cahill
The key to making sports partnerships pay off, with PepsiCo's Jonnie Cahill Jul 15, 2026 21:03 Too often, brand sponsorships stop at awareness when they could offer consumers something more. Jonnie Cahill, chief marketing officer of PepsiCo International Foods, says the strongest partnerships give the brand a credible role and make the experience better for the people taking part. His filter is straightforward: Has the brand earned the right to show up, and what can it add to the moment?  F
Why data, not AI, is driving local travel marketing decisions, with Vrbo's VP of marketing
Why data, not AI, is driving local travel marketing decisions, with Vrbo's VP of marketing Jul 8, 2026 21:44 As marketers reach for AI to explain every new capability, it's easy to overstate its role. Helen Melluish, VP of marketing at Expedia-owned Vrbo, says the hyperlocal targeting behind this summer's travel campaigns runs on traditional data science and machine learning—not AI. Vrbo tracks booking trends by origin and destination market, then shifts local messaging and media spend within a matter of
Why retailers should sell experiences, not products, with Macy's CMO
Why retailers should sell experiences, not products, with Macy's CMO Jul 1, 2026 20:01 Shoppers don't remember what they bought—they remember the experience around it. Macy's Executive VP and Chief Marketing Officer Sharon Otterman explains how the retailer is shifting from one-off transactions to "retailtainment": in-store activations, engraving stations and immersive events tied to moments like prom, Father's Day and an upcoming 50th annual July 4th fireworks. She also breaks down
What brands are missing in sports sponsorship, with Just Women's Sports Founder
What brands are missing in sports sponsorship, with Just Women's Sports Founder Jun 24, 2026 21:06 Haley Rosen of Just Women's Sports breaks down why the biggest opportunities in women's sports may lie beyond the games themselves. The founder and CEO of the sports-first media company—which reaches 115 million monthly users across social—explains how women's sports audiences are closing in on men's, with the WNBA pulling in 85% of the NBA's viewership on ESPN last season, while advertising dolla
From instinct to evidence: Solving marketing's growth paradox
From instinct to evidence: Solving marketing's growth paradox Jun 22, 2026 20:24 The volume of creative content has never been higher, and the pressure to prove every piece of it works has never been greater. In this sponsored episode of the Marketer's Brief podcast, Ad Age sits down with Jeff Greenspoon, chief executive officer of the Americas at Kantar, to explore how brands can maximize creative effectiveness in an era of AI-generated content, always-on channels, and explod
CMOs on CMOs: Hippo and Solo Stove on AI and grassroots marketing tactics
CMOs on CMOs: Hippo and Solo Stove on AI and grassroots marketing tactics Jun 18, 2026 13:17 Watch this episode and see additional resources for marketers at AdAge.com/cmo. In the first episode of the Ad Age CMOs on CMOs series, Andrea Collins, CMO of Hippo, and Liz Vanzura, CMO of Solo Stove, break down how they're implementing AI into team workflows, and how marketers can start discussing AI implementation with teams mindfully. They also dig into grassroots marketing tactics and the pow
How the Cadillac F1 team is racing to define its brand and fan strategy
How the Cadillac F1 team is racing to define its brand and fan strategy Jun 17, 2026 25:09 Formula 1's newest team is building more than a racing operation as it prepares for Silverstone—it's building a high-speed media company designed to keep fans engaged year-round. Cadillac F1 Chief Marketing Officer Ahmed Iqbal discusses why modern sports teams need to think like content creators, how Cadillac is approaching fan growth as a new entrant to the sport and what marketers can learn from

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