Inside Sprite, McDonald's, and Dude Wipes: Branding That Sticks

Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5 Oil Change and former CMO of Pearl Vision, joins Barbara Kahn to discuss how brands can forge emotional connections with consumers by embracing human truth, strategic partnerships, and creative platforms like “Clive”—all while balancing modern marketing tools such as AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chris Kelly, Senior Reporter at Marketing Dive, joins Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed to share behind-the-scenes insights into recent brand campaigns—from Sprite’s culturally nuanced partnership with Jalen Hurts to McDonald’s targeted approach in the Chicken Wars, and the unexpected rise of Dude Wipes—highlighting how companies craft relevance through identity, humor, and deep consumer understanding.Ask ChatGPT Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merill Hollander, founder of the contemporary fine jewelry brand Fiametta, joins Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed to discuss how she entered the traditionally insular jewelry industry to create a bold, identity-driven collection centered on lab-grown diamonds, sustainability, and empowering self-purchase for modern consumers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adobe's Vice President of Marketing and Communications and Chief Communications Officer, Stacy Martinet, speaks with Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed about the company’s transformation from its PDF roots to a global leader in creativity and digital experience solutions, offering insight into Adobe’s strategic reinvention, generative AI integration, and data-driven consumer behavior research like its latest findings on Prime Day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A highlight from Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed's conversation with Damian Valdes, Global Consumer Product Marketing Lead at Spotify, discussing how the company designs personalized, tech-driven listening experiences, the evolution of music consumption, and the future role of AI and identity in marketing digital products. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Damian Valdes, Global Consumer Product Marketing Lead at Spotify, joins Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed, to explore how Spotify designs personalized, tech-driven listening experiences, the evolution of music consumption, and the future role of AI and identity in marketing digital products. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lauren Sudworth, Head of Brand and Content at PhotoRoom, joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed to talk about AI photo editing, the digital photo landscape, the metaverse, and more. They are also joined by Annie Reardon, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Ludo, to discuss the Ludo founding story, loyalty rewards, rebranding the company, and gamification. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eshan Ponnadurai, the Head of Meta’s Consumer Marketing, joins Barbara Kahn & Dr. Americus Reed to discuss his background in the industry, how Meta connects with consumers, and WhatsApp's campaign with F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. They are also joined by Sara Saunders, Chief Marketing Officer at Sazerac, to talk about their TikTok campaign for Fireball whiskey, responsible digital advertising, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ashley Cummings, Owner of Content Connect, and SaaS content writer, joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed to talk about her "March Brandness" campaign, and the use of AI in marketing and crisis response. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cheryl Guerin, EVP of Global Brand Strategy & Innovation at Mastercard joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed to talk about the changes in branding at Mastercard over time, the strategy behind removing the name of the company in their logo, the Mastercard "Priceless" campaign and experiential marketing, and the pace of change in the marketing landscape for brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.