The Marketing Remix – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Most marketers are still experimenting with AI. Today's guest didn't experiment. She transformed an entire business school around it. Poets and quants called it the most consequential AI transformation in business education. So what does that actually mean operationally? And what happens when a CMO decides AI isn't a tool, but infrastructure? Today, we're joined by Katya Papova, Chief Marketing Officer at the Kogod School of Business at American University.

We'll look at:

• What problem are you really being hired to solve as a CMO?
• What did managing 200-plus brands teach you about scale and discipline?
• What changes when you move from corporate marketing into higher education?
• What does AI transformation actually look like inside a marketing team?
• How do you integrate AI without breaking what already works?
• What are marketers getting wrong about LLM visibility?
• How should teams measure answer engine visibility?
• Where is the modern CMO role headed next?
• What is overhyped, and what are marketers still not paying enough attention to?
• Which AI tools are actually worth using right now?
• What skill or practice will matter most over the next 24 months?
• Final thoughts & key takeaways

Today we're taking a wide angled look at the state of higher education marketing, an industry under increasing pressure to drive enrollment, prove impact, and adapt to rapidly changing student expectations, all while navigating complex institutional realities. From how prospective students discover and evaluate schools, to how institutions balance brand, performance, and long-term growth, higher ed marketing is evolving fast, and marketing teams are being asked to deliver greater impact amid evolving expectations and constraints.

To unpack what's really changing, what's working, and where institutions need to evolve next, I'm joined by two leaders with deeply connected, but distinct perspectives. From the client side, we're excited to welcome Dave Gladson, Associate Vice President of Marketing at Point Loma Nazarene University. Dave has been leading PLNU's marketing evolution firsthand, balancing internal priorities, enrollment goals, and the shift toward more measurable digital-first strategies.

And joining us from Red Door Interactive is Mallory Collins, director of Brand Strategy and Creative. Mallory has partnered with higher education institutions across the country to help them navigate enrollment pressure, evolving student behavior, and the challenge of aligning performance marketing with long-term brand building. She's also the former business manager on the PLNU account, giving both her category wide perspective and firsthand institutional experience. Together we'll explore what's shifting in higher ed marketing, what institutions are getting right, and where real opportunity lies ahead.

Marketing is often confused with promotion, but really, it's about much more than that. Marketing is about knowing and understanding your customers so well that your product or service fits them and, ultimately, sells itself. In short, marketing is about insight above all else.    

In the spirit of those insights, we present our Meet the Marketer series, where we discuss the careers and tactics of marketers behind industry-leading brands.   

In this episode, we chat with Daniel Barba, Vice President of Marketing at Bob's Red Mill. A seasoned CPG expert, Daniel has built and revitalized brands across food & beverage, and entertainment. With leadership experience at Coca-Cola and Kellogg's, he has a proven ability to drive growth, optimize portfolios, and transform struggling brands into category leaders. We'll hear how Daniel's passion for market intelligence, consumer-focused strategy, and cultural change has shaped his leadership. 

Marketing is often confused with promotion, but really, it's about much more than that. Marketing is about knowing and understanding your customer so well that your product or service fits them and, ultimately, sells itself. In short, marketing is about insight above all else.    

 In the spirit of those insights, we present our Meet the Marketer series, where we discuss the careers and tactics of marketers behind industry-leading brands.   

In this episode, we sit down with David Miller, Chief Marketing Officer at the San Diego Zoo – an international, nonprofit conservation organization that integrates wildlife health and care, science, and education to develop sustainable conservation solutions.  

Tune in to discover how David's extensive experience in the entertainment industry, including impressive past roles at Universal Studios Hollywood and Los Angeles Philharmonic, has honed his exceptional marketing expertise. 

Marketing is often confused with promotion, but really, it's about much more than that. Marketing is about knowing and understanding your customers so well that your product or service fits them and, ultimately, sells itself. In short, marketing is about insight above all else.    

In the spirit of those insights, we present our Meet the Marketer series, where we discuss the careers and tactics of marketers behind industry-leading brands.   

In this episode, we chat with Sharon Ayala, Vice President of Marketing at Abilene Christian University. ACU is a diverse, innovative private university whose alumni network includes best-selling authors, Pulitzer Prize winners, Hollywood producers, government leaders, missionaries, renowned researchers, and more. We'll hear how Sharon's marketing journey has helped her develop impactful marketing campaigns and effectively navigate the dynamic landscape of higher education marketing. 

As marketers, we're always looking for solutions that empower our teams to deliver more and deliver faster. With the digital landscape evolving at lightning speed, the ability to quickly iterate and bring ideas to life is no longer a luxury — it's a necessity. 

In this episode, we're diving into low-code and no-code websites that are changing the digital game. We'll explore how these platforms can streamline your website redesigns and provide real-time content development, giving marketers the agility to respond to market trends and customer needs without getting bogged down in technical details. 

Joining us today are Emily Lonetto, Webflow's Director of Community & Agency Marketing, and Candice Wyatt, Red Door's Sr. Director of Web & Platform Solutions, to share their firsthand experience and tips about how to harness these platforms for maximum impact. 

The Marketing Remix breaks down the latest trends and tactics in brand marketing in just 20 minutes, so you have the tools and insights you need to better navigate the ever-changing industry.   

Advertising influences our decisions and shapes our perceptions of the world around us. Thus, we must be aware of fair and inclusive advertising practices. 

In this episode, we hear more from Nmadinobi Chloé Nwangwu, widely known as The Brand Scientist™, and the Director of NobiWorks, a brand awareness consultancy supporting underrecognized social impact brands with methods driven by Brain Science.  

Listen in as we unpack her concept of Bias in Advertising, how to recognize it, and how to mitigate it in your marketing programs.  

In this episode, we chat with Cynthia Herrera, Chief Executive Officer at Sun Bum. Sun care essentials originally created for friends and family that evolved into a globally recognized brand. Today, Sun Bum maintains its essence of being a planet, animal and family-friendly, and simply good. Tune in to hear how Cynthia's experience in some of the biggest CPG companies like SC Johnson, Nestle, Pepperidge Farm, and Nabisco has helped shape her marketing knowledge throughout the years and prepared her for her role today.

In this episode, we chat with Cynthia Neiman, Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at CHOC Children's Hospital of Orange County. Yes, she's both the CMO and CXO, a trend that's quickly catching on. Under the CMO plus role, Cynthia leads a 30 person metrics driven marketing, patient and family experience, and employee experience team. Tune in for a deep dive into her day-to-day, the challenges of working in healthcare, and look into the future of the industry. Stick around for stops along her incredible career journey from introducing IKEA to the West Coast to leading Mattel's first digital efforts, and turning Barbie into pure social media gold.

In this episode, we chat with Jason Wells, Managing Director at CHARLY USA. If you are anywhere other than Mexico, you may not know the brand yet, but with the tagline LEAVE OUR MARK, the athletic apparel company is on a mission to do just that... here in the US. Charly is a household name in Mexico, having been in the footwear and apparel game for over 60 years and, more recently, sponsoring more than half of the Liga MX soccer teams.  

 Now, their eye is on the US market, and they're making their mark fast. With Wells at the helm, they've already struck a multi-year deal with the San Diego Loyal soccer team, their first in American Soccer, significantly expanded their national footprint through notable retail partners, and made great strides in increasing their notoriety beyond the Hispanic market.  

 Tune in to hear about his career trajectory as well as learn what other winning tactics are to the playbook he's building on the fly — inspired by his many years in footwear and apparel, including 13 years at ASICS, knowing what to use and what to throw out the door when approaching this unique challenge of bringing this Mexican brand to the US.