AI Won't Fix Bad Operations - Mac Hagel

What if the biggest problem with your marketing isn't your media strategy, but the way your entire organization operates?Brands have spent years optimizing individual channels, departments and metrics. But consumers don't experience a brand in silos. They expect every interaction to feel connected, whether they're discovering a product through social media, researching it through AI or completing a purchase.Today's conversation with Mac Hagel, a marketing leader with more than 25 years of agency experience and Head of Media at Razorfish, dives into that. Mac has managed more than $2 billion in annual P&Ls and led teams of over 400 people, working with some of the world's biggest brands.Mac shares why the traditional channel-first approach to media is becoming outdated, how identity and audience intelligence can connect the entire customer journey, and why brands need to rethink how they show up in AI-powered search. We also get into the growing importance of operational excellence, the changing agency-client relationship, and why access to AI isn't enough if your organization isn't built to use it.But the question of the day? If every brand has access to the same technology, what will actually give one organization a competitive advantage?

Are people tired of your advertising, or does your brand have nothing worth saying?For years, brands have chased attention through bigger budgets, louder campaigns and endless creative output. But when everyone is competing for the same eyeballs, the brands that actually stand out aren't necessarily the ones making the most noise. They're the ones standing for something people believe in.That's what we're digging into with Scott Goodson, co-founder of Strawberry Frog and one of the original thinkers behind movement marketing. Over nearly three decades, Scott has helped build global brands including Google, Heineken, Emirates Airlines and Northwell, and is the bestselling author of Uprising and Activate Brand Purpose.Scott brings a compelling perspective on why brands need to create movements rather than just campaigns, how advertising can earn its place back in culture, and why AI will only amplify what a brand already believes. We also get into the future of agencies, the importance of conviction, and why producing more content faster might be the least valuable thing an agency can offer.In a world where anyone can produce great creative, what makes a brand worth paying attention to?

What if the biggest threat AI poses to marketing isn't that it replaces people, but that it makes everyone think they can do everyone's job?When creating campaigns, generating content and analyzing data become easier than ever, it's tempting to assume the expertise behind those tasks is no longer necessary. But faster execution doesn't automatically mean better thinking, and more AI doesn't mean fewer decisions that need human judgment.That's what we're digging into with Rafa Flores, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Product Officer at Treasure AI. Rafa has helped build and scale SaaS and AI companies, and is now leading Treasure AI through its transformation into what it calls an agentic experience platform.Rafa brings a refreshingly direct perspective on what it actually takes to become AI-native: why the right team matters more than the right tools, why data and governance can't be afterthoughts, and why human skills like creativity, curiosity and critical thinking become even more valuable as AI takes on more work. We also get into the danger of fake expertise, the future of digital workers, and what marketers should be doing right now to keep up.But here's a question that should be on all of our minds: If AI can do more of the work than ever before, what makes a great marketer indispensable?

What if your biggest marketing advantage isn't how much you spend, but whether people actually want to pay attention?In a world where brands can buy reach, produce endless content and rely on increasingly sophisticated targeting, many are still struggling to create something people genuinely care about.That's what we're digging into with Nick Miaritis, EVP and Chief Brand Officer at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, overseeing iconic brands including Scotts, Miracle-Gro, Ortho and Tomcat.Nick has spent nearly two decades building brands and shaping creative, including leadership roles at VaynerMedia and Saatchi & Saatchi. He brings a fascinating perspective on why brands are becoming increasingly indistinguishable, why social media has evolved into something closer to interest media, and how AI is about to fundamentally change the volume and variety of creative marketing teams need to produce.At the heart of our conversation, we ask: What if the brands that win aren't the ones that spend the most, but the ones that actually earn people's attention?

What if the biggest problem with your marketing isn't your marketing?What if it's the layers of approval, organizational silos and risk-averse decisions standing between a great idea and actually making something happen?That's what we're digging into with Evan Horowitz, CEO and co-founder of Movers and Shakers, a social-first creative agency helping some of the world's biggest brands connect with culture.Evan has spent more than 20 years helping brands build buzz and market share, including experience at Samsung and Macy's. He brings a perspective on why major brands struggle to move at the speed of culture, why social needs to be more than another content channel, and how the way marketing organizations operate can become their biggest obstacle.And here's the question at the heart of our conversation: What if the thing holding your brand back isn't the marketing strategy, but the organization responsible for executing it?

My guest today is Chris Shaw, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer at NTT Research, the Silicon Valley Research Arm of NTT, one of the world's largest technology and business solutions providers. At NTT Research, Chris helps bridge the gap between foundational science and real-world impact, translating work in areas like quantum physics, cryptography, and medical informatics into stories and strategies the marketplace can understand and embrace. Chris is also a serial entrepreneur, helped lead one of the early social media-focused agencies, and is the founder of an AI marketing startup Fymmer.com

My guest today is Frank 'MF' Hamlin, former EVP and Chief Customer Officer at GameStop, where he was in the C-suite during a pandemic-era short squeeze. Before GameStop, Frank built an impressive career across retail, e-commerce, and music, holding senior leadership roles at Guitar Center and Tailored Brands after nearly a decade in Nashville with Arista Records and Sony Music Publishing. He is also the author of Skinny Dipping at Low Tide, a darkly funny novel inspired by the boardroom politics, activist investors, and sheer insanity of watching market forces reshape a company in real time.

My guest today has spent her career at the intersection of marketing, media, education, and ideas. Ruth Mortimer is the Global President at Advertising Week, where she helps shape the brand's thought leadership agenda and education business. Now, before Advertising Week, Ruth held leadership roles at Econsultancy, the Festival of Marketing, and Centaur Marketing. She's also a former editor of Marketing Week, an award-winning business columnist and has spent years creating conversations with some of the most interesting voices in business and culture. My favorite part of Ruth's background may have absolutely nothing to do with marketing. Before all this, she was an archaeologist, specializing in the Middle East and working in Southeast Turkey. We're going to talk about marketing, but with someone who literally used to dig for a living, I'm pretty sure we can go a little deeper than the usual marketing conversation.

My guest today is Sarah Evans, partner and head of PR at Zen Media. Sarah is a true pioneer in digital communications, having helped create the hashtag JournChat in 2008, founded Sevans PR, and spent the last two decades helping brands see around the corner before the rest of the market catches up. Today she leads Zen Media's PR practice, an AI visibility strategy, and was named one of Propel's top 100 PR tech leaders worldwide in 2025.

My guest today is Nicole Rex, Vice President of Global Marketing Campaigns and Core Content at Dell Technologies. A journalist by training and a marketer by trade, Nicole has spent more than 25 years demonstrating that great storytelling isn't just creative, it's a business advantage. During her almost 20 years at Dell, she has led the company's internal creative agency, run experiential marketing, and held roles across social impact, content marketing, brand and creative development. Today, she sits at the intersection of global campaigns, brand and creative, focused on one very big question: How do you scale world-class content without losing the craft and quality?