Explore every episode of the podcast ANA Marketing Futures Podcast

Jamie Barnard, CEO of Compliant, joins host Matthew Schwartz to discuss the consumer privacy landscape following Google’s decision last summer that it is no longer deprecating third-party cookies and will keep them operational within its chrome browsers next year and beyond. While marketers may consider the move a reprieve, Barnard stresses that forward-thinking brands are putting third-party cookies to pasture and cultivating both zero-party data, or information provided by users through feedback forms and surveys, and first-party data, or information collected directly from consumers.

Today, we celebrate the 2024 ANA Masters of Marketing Conference with a very special guest. ANA Podcast Network sponsor Audacy's CMO Paul Suchman returned to the pod to bring us a state of the union of audio marketing. He and host Mike Berberich talked about the power of emotional advertising in audio, AI’s effect on the space, and where podcasts, radio, and more is headed in 2025.

One of the biggest trends we’ve been tracking in recent years has been the rise of the creator economy. More and more, people are making a living by creating content and cultivating a following through digital media, and today’s guest believes that now is their time to shine. Glenn Ginsburg is the President of QYOU Media, and he’s here to share a state of the union address on the creator economy. We discussed some misconceptions marketers have about working with creators, offered tips for integrating creator partnerships into the larger marketing function, and, naturally, discussed how this space might evolve in the future.

Regular listeners of the Marketing Futures Podcast know the topic of artificial intelligence is discussed here all the time. But today, we’re talking with someone who will help shape the technology’s future in the United States. My guest is none other than Representative Jay Obernolte, the chairman of the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. Jay and I discussed the roles of ethics, data, and public trust in the development of AI, and the congressman gave me something to think about that left me speechless.

Regular listeners of the Marketing Futures Podcast know we like to talk to our guests about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusivity in innovation. These discussions usually center around race, ethnic background, language, gender, and other physical differences. But rarely do we talk about neurodiversity. That changes now. Our guest today is Alice Walker, Senior Strategist at adam&eveDDB. A few years back, Alice learned something about herself – that she happened to be an individual with autism and had been “masking” to get along in society her entire life. But now, it’s her mission to turn the narrative around, and talk about the “superpowers” possessed by neurodiverse individuals. Alice and host Mike Berberich discussed how, by creating an inclusive work environment, brands can do the right thing, and harness that power to boost their bottom line at the same time.

Over the past few years, the Marketing Futures Podcast has covered the subject of AI in almost every way possible. But today, we’re talking about the very fuel on which the technology runs: data. Our guest today is Stephani Estes, Chief Media Officer of Goodway Group. Stephani and host Mike Berberich discussed the evolution of data in marketing over the years, the difference between an insight and an observation, and the importance of bravery in a data-driven marketing world.

The Marketing Futures Podcast returns to the 2024 ANA Brand Masters Conference to speak with Bridget Sponsky, Executive Director of Marketing at Ally Financial. Bridget stopped by the pod to discuss one of host Mike Berberich’s favorite subjects: creating brands built for the future. For Ally, a key part of becoming a future-facing brand was capturing the hearts and minds of Gen Z. Stick around to learn how they did it, as well as where Ally sees itself – and the industry as a whole – is headed.

Marketing Futures Podcast host Mike Berberich returns to the 2024 Brand Masters Conference to talk to Brad Barnett, Vice President of Enterprise Marketing at Nationwide. Brad shares how the brand has been able to evolve its iconic jingle over the years without losing any of its equity among consumers, and how nurturing its partnership with former NFL star Peyton Manning has been critical to building the brand.

Marketing Futures Podcast host Mike Berberich is back with another edition of the special series from the 2024 Brand Masters Conference in Carlsbad, California. In the marketing game, it’s all about relationships, particularly the one between consumer and company. And, whether you’re a brand or awkward high schooler, there’s no worse place to find yourself than in the friend zone. Our guest today is here to help you out. In fact, he literally wrote the book on it! Marketing expert and author of Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone, Dough Zarkin joined the pod to lay out the different relationship zones that exist between customers and brands, and how to utilize “human thinking” to take your relationships to the next level.

Marketing Futures Podcast host Mike Berberich returns to Carlsbad, California for the next edition of the 2024 ANA Brand Masters Conference miniseries. Today’s guest is on a mission to help curb tobacco use in children and young adults, and in 2024, that means one thing: Stop the vape. Elizabeth Kenny is the CMO of the TRUTH Initiative, and on today’s episode, we discuss the insights and discoveries behind the nonprofit’s latest campaign, aimed at the elusive Gen Z generation. Find out how TRUTH connected with an audience that shuns traditional marketing and has historically low faith in institutions by meeting them where they’re at.

For those looking to quit...

TRUTH's free and anonymous text message program – This is Quitting – is helping more than 700,000 young people on their journey to quit. Any young person looking for help can text DITCHVAPE to 88709. 

They also have free resources for adult quitters and parents of young tobacco users through EX Program. Those resources can be found directly at: BecomeAnEX.org.

Young people can get involved with the truth campaign efforts by visiting thetruth.com. 

Learn more about the organization at TruthInitiative.org.

ANA’s Marketing Futures Podcast returns with another episode recorded on the ground at the 2024 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Carlsbad, California. Host Mike Berberich’s guest is none other than the host of this year’s Brand Masters Conference, CPG Marketing Expert Fernando Herrera. Berberich and Herrera discussed the evolution of omnichannel marketing over the years, and the challenge marketers face syncing the digital and physical worlds. They also shared their thoughts on AI’s role in the marketing function and talked about how to leverage the new hybrid/remote workforce to your advantage.

For the second year in a row, Marketing Futures Podcast host traveled to ANA’s Brand Masters Conference, this year emanating from Carlsbad, California, to interview some of the brightest minds in our industry. We’re kicking off this very special series with a very special guest: Newell Brand’s Melanie Huet, the president of brand management and innovation. Melanie joined the pod to discuss how her dynamic background makes her a favorite among the C-suite, and how marketers that have relied on creativity and media savvy in the past can level up. Finally, we chatted about how AI is shaping the CMO role in the modern marketing landscape.

With all of the new developments in marketing technology over the past decade, I’m pleased to announce that creativity is making a roaring comeback to claim center stage in the marketing function. At least that’s the mission of my two guests today. Co-CEOs of Havas New York, Sarah Collinson and Dan Lucey are looking to make creative excellence the north star of everything the agency does. On the ground at the 2023 ANA Masters of Marketing Conference, they talked with host Mike Berberich about Havas’ “village model,” approach to client solutions, what the new dynamic duo has planned in the short- and long-term, and, of course, how AI factors into it all.

The Marketing Futures Podcast played host to the dynamic duo of Jamie Medeiros, Chief Brand Officer at Planet Fitness and Katy Hornaday, Chief Creative Officer at Barkley. Jamie and Katy joined the pod to talk about the advantages of being a “purpose native” brand like Planet Fitness, as well as the ingredients behind a supercharged brand/agency relationship. They also discussed overcoming the enormous disruption caused by the pandemic in 2020.

Over the years, we here at the pod have talked a lot about how marketers need to brush up on their technical literacy as more and more of the marketing function becomes digitized. But what about the other way around? Are there ways engineers could benefit from thinking like a marketer? The answer, according to our guest this week, is a resounding yes. Chris Stauffer founded his own agency in 2000 after playing a key role in helping some major brands take their first leap into the digital world for years. Chris and I discussed the art of balancing an engineer mindset with a branding one and what your brand needs to consider before you even think of integrating AI into your organization.

Today, we’re bringing you a very special episode, recorded on the ground at the 2023 ANA Masters of Marketing Conference in Orlando, Florida. My guest? Alan Schulman, Co-founder and Chief Experience Officer at UpperRight. At Masters, Alan laid out the impacts and future of generative AI to the marketers in attendance, and today, he’s going to unpack that presentation with us. As we stand at the crossroads of creativity and technology, Alan and host Mike Berberich discussed the plumbing and the poetry behind truly great creative advertising.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST. For more information about the ANA Podcast Network, visit www.ana.net/podcasts.

Today’s topic couldn’t be more perfect for our show. We’re talking about leveraging AI technology to help marketers take advantage of an advertising channel that’s been slept on far too long – podcasts. We’ve got not one, not two, but three ANA Members with us for the episode – SiriusXM Media, Barometer, and ArtsAI. These three organizations joined forces to create a tool that can analyze the content of a podcast episode at such a nuanced level, it can contextualize language use and even pick up on things like sarcasm in a speaker’s voice. What does that mean for marketers? Brand safety and suitability data on an episode level for the first time ever. We’ll take you behind the scenes of the tool’s creation, show you how brands are already taking advantage of this new technology, and give you a glimpse of what comes next.

The first pod of the new year is a special one, as host Mike Berberich teams with the ANA Educational Foundation and A+E to discuss the future of marketing talent. Today’s guest is Niki Mandell, Vice President, Ad Sales Partnerships at A+E. In addition to being an integrated marketing magician, Niki is a participant in A+E’s mentorship program, both as a mentor and mentee. She shared her thoughts from both perspectives, and weighed in on some of the most vital skills the marketers of tomorrow should be learning today.

As the ANA’s resident trends and technology guy, it might surprise you to know that, in my opinion, marketing has never been about tech. It’s about the people, you guys! And my guest today agrees. Tim Ringel is a serial entrepreneur who is looking to transform the agency holding company model by putting people at the center. The co-founder of Meet the People and I discussed how companies can leverage technology to create a more humane workplace, and how focusing on the human aspect above even financials when making decisions pays off in the long term.

We here at Marketing Futures are dedicated to keeping you, dear listener, abreast of all the latest trends and disruptions affecting our industry. With that in mind, podcast host Mike Berberich welcomed Aaron Burghard, Creative Strategy Director at Storyhorse to unpack the agency’s Rundown Report, which looks at the pressures that are changing marketing and the world at large. This year’s edition of the report covered the rising appeal of escapism in uncertain times, the dismantling of a binary gender system, and, unsurprisingly, AI’s effect on the marketing industry.

On this episode of the Marketing Futures Podcast, we’re discussing the power of audio as a marketing channel with Paul Suchman, the CMO of Audacy, official sponsor of the ANA Podcast Network. Paul and host Mike Berberich unpacked why, despite audio’s popularity among consumers, advertisers are still hesitant to fully embrace the channel. We also dove into the magic behind good sound design, the role AI is playing in curating a personal audio experience, and what the space may look like in the next five years.

AI has been on the lips of about every marketer in the industry this year, and one question in particular has persisted: is this stuff going to take my job? Well, we’ve invited Wunderman Thompson’s Jason Carmel to give his perspective on the subject. A presenter at this year’s SxSW, Jason provided the Austin crowd “A Practical Guide to Whether Your AI is Sentient” including a sentient-ometer website. I won’t spoil the episode, but let’s just say it’s not quite time to be packing up your desks. Jason and host Mike Berberich discussed the advantages and challenges AI brings to the industry today, and yes, whether or not AI is coming for your JO.

You know what they say: all good things must come to an end, and, after several months of insightful conversations with some of the most influential marketers in the industry, today is the last episode of our Masters of Brand Masters series, recorded on site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. Our guests today are a dynamic duo who were tasked with bringing an iconic brand mascot into modern times. We’re talking Ernie, the original Keebler Elf, with Alicia Mosely of Keebler and her partner, Jason Katz of Advantage Unified Commerce. Alicia and Jason discussed how they managed such a valuable piece of IP, including allowing fans to “play” with the concept while still maintaining governance over their mascot. Finally, we discussed how brands can think strategically about living at the intersection of culture and commerce.

Despite its ability to drive high levels of consumer engagement and purchase intent, sonic branding is significantly unleveraged by marketers. In fact, most marketers aren't even sure what sonic branding even is. To help rectify that, Marketing Futures podcast host Mike Berberich is here to explain the concept behind sonic branding, why it is such a powerful tool for brand marketers, and share three tips for how you can start leveraging the tactic.

After a tumultuous few months as the new hot trend, NFTs have seemingly slipped out of the public consciousness as quickly as they appeared. However, as dead in the water as they may seem, NFTs — and the technology that they're built on — still offer brands an enticing opportunity to deepen customer relationships and drive brand loyalty.

We’re back with another edition of the Masters of Brand Masters Podcast, recorded on-site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. Today’s guest wasn’t quite sure if he had achieved Brand Master status but allow me to disagree. Brady Noon is the CMO of Take 5 Oil Change and Car Wash, a disruptor in what’s long been a relatively sleepy category. Brady joined the company in the middle of an explosive growth period, but noticed they didn’t really have a brand to speak of. Through a combination of bold, humorous advertising and baking their mission into the KPIs they used to measure success, Take 5 developed a personality all its own.

We’re back with another edition of the Masters of Brand Masters series, recorded on site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. Today, we bring you part two of my conversation with Kevin Miller, CMO of the Fresh Market and 2021 CMO Innovator of the Year. Kevin took us through Fresh Market’s foray into livestreaming, and shared how shoppable video transformed the way the brand goes to market.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST. For more information about the ANA Podcast Network, visit ana.net/podcast

We’re back with another edition of the Masters of Brand Masters series, recorded on site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. We here at the Futures pod love a good transformation, and you’d be hard pressed to find one better than our guest today. Kevin Miller, CMO of the Fresh Market and one of the stars of the Brand Masters Conference, joined us to talk about brand’s journey from worst place to work in America to America’s favorite grocery store. One part one of this two-part episode, we talk about the steps Fresh Market took to completely transform the brand, including creating “The Ultimate Loyalty Experience.”

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST. For more information about the ANA Podcast Network, visit ana.net/podcast

We’re back with another riveting edition of the Masters of Brand Masters series, recorded on site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. My guest today is Jill Cress, chief marketing and experience officer at H&R Block. Jill explained how the brand is overcoming what she calls a “crisis of relevancy” through its “Fair Shot” campaign, which seeks to help college athletes navigate the name, image, and likeness opportunities that have recently been presented to them. By connecting its purpose to its marketing, H&R Block became relevant to a new generation of customers, whether they were athletes or not.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST. To learn more about the ANA Podcast Network, visit ana.net/podcasts

We’re back for part two of my conversation with SportzBiz CEO and Founder, Steve Feuerstein. Today, we round out our conversation on the state and future of sponsorship marketing by discussing how marketers can detach themselves from the emotional payoff that comes from sponsorship activations, and why ROI might not be the right KPI when measuring sponsorship success.

While the marketing universe is constantly evolving, some corners historically evolved slower than others. Sponsorship has often been one of those corners, and it’s not hard to see why. So much of what makes sponsorships effective – the emotional thrill of a great game of sports, the charismatic draw of a star athlete – is ephemeral, and therefore, hard to measure and optimize. Well, have no fear, because today’s guest is here to help. Steve Feuerstein, CEO and Founder of SportzBiz, taking the world of sponsorship marketing beyond gut feeling and into the world of cold, hard data, and beyond!

Today we’re bringing you another episode of our Masters of Brand Masters series, recorded on site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. Our guest is none other than Victoria Lozano, executive vice president of marketing at Crayola. Victoria and I discussed Crayola’s purpose-first approach to branding, and the role it looks to play in the lives of children, adults, and educators today. A long-tenured marketer for the brand, Victoria shared how Crayola has evolved over the years, including entering the space of immersive experiences.

We’re back with another edition of the Masters of Brand Masters series, recorded on site at the ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. In this series, we talk to some of the brightest and most influential marketers in the industry about the state and future of brand. My guest today oversees and absolutely massive organization, and one of the best-defined brands on the planet. Todd Kaplan, CMO of Pepsi, joined the podcast to discuss his “culture-first” approach to brand building, and why the Pepsi brand is able to innovate so consistently. He also shared what he thinks is the next big disruptor for our industry.

We’re back with another edition of the Masters of Brand Masters miniseries, recorded on-site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. Today is part two of my discussion with Ramon Soto, CMO of Northwell Health, and Scott Goodson, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder of StrawberryFrog, where we break down the keys to cultivating and maintaining an effective brand/agency relationship. We also discuss the advantages and challenges of marketing as a nonprofit organization.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST. For more information about the ANA Podcast Network, visit www.ana.net/podcasts

We’re bringing you another episode of the Masters of Brand Masters series, recorded on site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. Today, we’re talking to a brand/agency partnership that took a bold stand against gun violence in America, particularly against children. In this two-part series, Ramon Soto, CMO of Northwell Health, and Scott Goodson, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder of StrawberryFrog, shared the story of their “Raise Health” movement, which focused on one thing: normalizing asking friends and family if their gun is secured before letting your child visit that individual.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST.

Marketers and advertisers love to talk about the potential artificial intelligence has to reshape the industry. And while AI's potential is, in fact, huge, there is a key component missing from what we currently refer to as artificial intelligence. Marketing Futures host Mike Berberich explains what that missing component is and why its absence means AI doesn't even exist… yet.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST. For more information about the ANA Podcast Network, visit www.ana.net/podcasts

We’re back with another episode in our Masters of Brand Masters series, recorded on site at the 2023 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Bonita Springs, Florida. Today’s subject may be a sensitive one for some of our listeners. I’m talking, of course, about the cancellation of the beloved Choco Taco in 2022. Sparked by a cadre of distressed ice cream truck drivers, in a matter of days, parent company Klondike had a full-fledged corporate crisis on its hands. Thankfully, due to quick thinking and help from agency partner Edelman, they were able to turn tragedy into triumph, with an activation that showcased the Klondike brand and allowed them to take back the narrative.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST.

We’re back with part two of our epic clash of titans, CMO vs. GPT, featuring GfK’s Gonzalo Garcia Villanueva and Huble’s Margaret Ady. On part one we discussed how Ruby was briefed before squaring off with Gonzalo, and learned about the various AI systems that came together to make this debate a reality. But get ready, because today we hear from Ruby herself. Gonzalo, Margaret, and I played snippets of the showdown and gave our thoughts on Ruby’s ability to hang with a real, live CMO. Also, we ask the age-old question: is a pigeon smarter than artificial intelligence?

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST.

Is an AI system as sophisticated as ChatGPT able to run marketing for a billion-dollar brand? That’s what my guests today tried to figure out. Gonzalo Garcia Villanueva, CMO of GfK, and Margaret Ady, Vice President of Strategic Marketing and CX Services at Huble, partnered to pit CMO against AI, as Gonzalo went one-on-one with “Ruby,” a fully synthesized person using ChatGPT for a brain. The two debated various hot topics in the industry, and by the end, a winner was declared. Today, we’re going behind the scenes of this iconic clash of titans to learn about the inspiration behind the idea, the various forms of AI that were used to make Ruby a reality, and how to get GPT thinking like a CMO.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST.

Today begins a special series: The Masters of Brand Masters, a collection of interviews with speakers from ANA’s 2023 Brand Masters Conference. Kicking things off, we have Ivonne Kinser, Head of Marketing at Avocados from Mexico. Ivonne gave us the backstory of the brand that was never supposed to be a brand, and shared what it is about Avocados From Mexico’s culture that allows for such consistently innovative work.

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM. For more information on the ANA Podcast Network, visit www.ana.net/podcasts

Today we bring you part two of my conversation with Craig Stein, Senior Consultant at R3, and the Chat GPT platform itself, around generative AI in marketing. On part one, we discussed the affect AI is having and will have on media, data, and more. Today, we’re discussing the real threats AI poses to the industry and larger world, and what we believe AI will never be capable of. But first, we discuss a very murky topic: am I even allowed to have Chat GPT on my show?

The Marketing Futures Podcast airs Tuesdays at 3PM EST. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Today we’re talking about what everyone is talking about in the marketing world: generative AI, and more specifically, Chat GPT. I sat down with Craig Stein, Senior Consultant at R3, to talk all things AI. However, Craig is not my only guest today. We’re bringing Chat GPT into the conversation to see what AI thinks its role in marketing should be. This is part one of a two-part series.

We talk a lot about MarTech on the pod, but it’s usually about using it, not building it. Well, today we’re coming to you from the other side of the fence, as my guest today is Joe Hyrkin, CEO of Issuu, a digital publishing platform that’s looking to empower brands of all sizes to get their content to the right people in the right format on the right channel. Joe and I discussed the importance of workflow considerations when crafting MarTech, and why, in Joe’s eyes, a lot of providers are falling short. We’ll also discuss what the emergence of the metaverse means for creators. 

When it comes to gaming, marketers need to stop playing around. That’s because video games offer a huge opportunity for brands, both in the size of the gaming audience and in its willingness to engage with advertising. In this podcast POV, Marketing Futures host Mike Berberich outlines just how massive the gaming audience is, some ways these individuals actually embrace advertising, and three ways marketers can level up their in-game advertising.

Thought leadership has long been a key element of B2B marketing. However, as economic uncertainty looms large and brands begin to tighten their purse strings, thought leadership could be the difference from your organization being seen as a “need to have” vs. a “nice to have.” Joe Kingsbury, US Managing Director at Edelman Business Marketing, joined the podcast to discuss a new report, created in partnership with LinkedIn, on the state and future of thought leadership in B2B Marketing.

“The future is not something we’re going to arrive at.”

That’s a key tenet of our guest today, futurist and founder of the Future Quo, Tameka Vasquez. Tameka joined the Marketing Futures Podcast to explain the meaning behind the quote above, share what many marketers get wrong about transformation, and tell us exactly how she handles cynics and nonbelievers. Let’s start the show.

Innovation is a lot harder than just gathering a bunch of creative people in the room and letting them brainstorm until a genius idea comes out. So why is that still the way that many brands approach innovation? In his latest Podcast POV, Marketing Futures host Mike Berberich provide strategic tips for how businesses can innovate in a more focused, structured way — ultimately leading to more success.

Warner Bros Discovery has begun its journey into the metaverse, accompanied by partner Infinite Reality. Today on the podcast, François Ribeiro, Head of Discovery Sports Events, Hope Frank, Chief Marketing Officer at Infinite Reality, and Elliott Jobe, Chief Innovation Officer & Co-Founder at Infinite Reality spoke about this exclusive partnership. We learned about Warner Bros Discovery’s short- and long-term objectives in the metaverse, brand new tools recently released by Infinite Reality, and whether or not the industry has a ‘metaverse hangover.’

Today, legendary futurist Faith Popcorn joins the pod to take us to the year 2035, where your meta-life is in full swing, enabled by brain-chip interfaces, micro dose cocktails, and an effectively endless, limitless virtual world. Faith shares what the journey to this reality might look like, and what brands need to be thinking about now to be ready.