58: Get personal: How one brand engages many mindsets: Insights from Intuit Credit Karma Head of Marketing Natasha Madan

How can one brand voice effectively reach audiences across the financial spectrum—from getting started to building long-term wealth?   By not speaking to everyone in the same way. Brands build trust by adapting, personalizing and differentiating marketing campaigns to reach customers along their journey. In this episode, Natasha Madan, head of marketing at Intuit Credit Karma, shares strategies for adapting a brand's marketing approach to appeal to and maintain loyalty with a vast audience. It starts with understanding what customers care about—their concerns, aspirations and goals—and having the agility to reshape messages around each segment's distinct needs.   AI tools can help turn audience understanding into personalized campaigns by using past performance insights to improve future efforts and creating relevant content faster—but human judgment remains paramount.   "Nothing goes out without that judgment layer," Natasha says.  She shares an example of how AI helps her team synthesize psychographic data to identify nuanced audience segments in three-and-a-half weeks, a process that could typically take six months or longer. These insights help the team segment audiences based on factors such as mindset and age, reach them on preferred platforms, and tailor the message's emotional or functional tone:  Strivers: Younger customers who are just getting started receive information from social platforms and influencers designed to help them take the next leading action in their financial journey.  Planners: Customers focused on saving, increasing rewards and growing wealth receive functional, product-driven messaging that helps the brand stand out in a competitive market.  Natasha emphasizes that she sees the key to meeting more customers where they are is balancing a practical, data-driven strategy with emotional storytelling. For marketing leaders, this episode highlights the value of understanding what different audiences need, where they seek guidance, and ways to make them feel seen on their financial journey.    In this episode, you'll hear:  Strategies to tailor brand experiences to customers' changing goals and priorities  Paths to accelerate audience discovery and campaign learning with AI, guided by human judgment  How psychographic data can help brands reach customers with the right content and channels    Key highlights:  [00:26] Introduction  [02:04] Being a successful matchmaker  [03:27] Natasha's path to Intuit Credit Karma  [06:56] The scope of marketing at Intuit Credit Karma  [10:29] A new brand campaign  [15:49] Reaching Gen Z customers  [17:19] AI's role at Intuit Credit Karma  [22:40] The future of agentic finance  [27:10] Past experience that defines you: Embracing failure  [29:40] Advice to your younger self: Have more fun  [30:05] A topic you're trying to learn more about: Agentic AI  [30:28] Latest curiosities: How AI impacts education  [31:46] Largest potential opportunity: An open mindset    Resources mentioned:    Intuit Credit Karma    Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Natasha and Intuit Credit Karma:  Natasha on LinkedIn  Intuit Credit Karma on LinkedIn    Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Connect with Alan Hart on X  Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads    

How can brands build lasting value and relevance? As brands increasingly see fandoms not as surface-level add-ons but as part of a long-term strategy, many are building value and cultural relevance through authentic connection, thoughtful investment and meaningful engagement with fan communities. In today's episode, Naomi McMahon, EVP of global marketing and partnerships at Universal Music Group, explains strategies that can help brands move beyond one-off projects to build authentic, mutually beneficial relationships with fan communities—and use insights to make more informed decisions about where and how to show up. Drawing on her experience across music, technology, advertising and global organizations, Naomi explains that strong brand-artist collaborations can move beyond transactions to create meaningful, lasting connections. They can do this by: Understanding an artist's world, fan community and broader creative ecosystem before deciding how the brand should show up Giving artists enough creative freedom to use their authentic voice and perspective to shape the relationship Creating authentic experiences across content, live events and other touchpoints that invite participation, not just consumption   Music and fandom are deeply personal, and they can offer marketers a powerful way to understand where culture and communities are heading. Naomi explains how brands can combine cultural signals and audience data with instinct and judgment to identify meaningful opportunities, take calculated risks and show up in ways that feel authentic, instead of chasing every moment.   The episode offers a practical perspective on how brands can move artist collaborations beyond short-term attention to create lasting relationships with audiences and unlock brand value.   In this episode, you'll hear: Ways to build brand collaborations around shared value, instead of one-off exposure Why authenticity is important for long-term audience connections Strategies to use cultural signals and fan insights to make better marketing decisions   Key highlights  [00:00] Introduction ·         [00:00] Concert-going as a teen ·         [00:00] Naomi's path to Universal Music Group ·         [00:00] How UMG helps to shape culture ·         [00:00] Matching artists with the right brands ·         [00:00] Using music to connect brands with the culture at large ·         [00:00] Blending art and science ·         [00:00] Past experience that defines you: Living in Ireland and New York ·         [00:00] Advice to your younger self: Don't wait for permission ·         [00:00] A topic you're trying to learn more about: Longevity ·         [00:00] Latest curiosities: International music trends ·         [00:00] Largest potential opportunity: Leveraging culture on a smaller, local level ·         [00:00] Largest potential threat: Chasing attention instead of lasting relevance   Resources mentioned:   ·         Universal Music Group   Follow the podcast:   ●        Listen on Apple Podcasts   ●        Listen on Amazon Music  ●        Listen on Audible  ●        Listen on iHeart Radio ●        Listen on Spotify     Connect with Naomi and UMG: ·         Naomi on LinkedIn ·         UMG on LinkedIn   Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:    ●         Connect with Alan Hart on X ●         Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn  ●         Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn  ●         Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram  ●         Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube            Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads   

What happens when a retailer builds its omnichannel marketing and retail media strategy in reverse?   In this episode, Tony Rogers, SVP and CMO at Dollar General, shares how the company took an outside-in path to omnichannel growth—building its retail media network offsite and audience-first, before launching an e-commerce business.  Tony explains how an innovative approach that integrates marketing, digital commerce and retail media can help retailers better connect customer needs, advertiser investment and enterprise priorities around shared business goals. He notes how that thinking can also enable teams to respond more quickly to advertiser feedback and advance technology priorities.  He emphasizes that challenging conventional assumptions about how retail media networks should be built can drive incremental reach, business growth and customer loyalty. For marketing and retail leaders, this episode offers a practical case study in rethinking the usual playbook: starting with audience and purpose, organizing around the customer journey, and harnessing the powerful collaboration of marketing and retail media to enable channel growth and deepen loyalty.    In this episode, you'll hear: How uniting marketing, digital, and retail media can accelerate decisions and align teams around the customer  The value of an offsite-first marketing approach to capture incremental reach and strengthen customer loyalty  Strategies for integrating app, website and delivery experiences that can turn retail media into a growth engine    Key highlights:  [00:38] Introduction  [01:55] A recent golfing snafu  [03:05] Tony's path to Dollar General  [07:50] Dollar General's delivery launch  [10:55] Scaling e-commerce operations   [13:25] A different kind of retail media network  [16:45] Past experience that defines you: An impactful family funeral  [19:10] Advice to your younger self: Do less people-pleasing  [21:00] A topic you're trying to learn more about: AI-driven personalization  [24:11] Latest curiosities: Overcoming divisiveness  [26:33] Largest potential threat: Only focusing on marketing in the short-term  [28:30] What AI cannot do: Human empathy    Resources mentioned:    Dollar General    Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Tony and Dollar General:  Tony on LinkedIn  Dollar General on LinkedIn    Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Connect with Alan Hart on X  Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads    

What separates a good idea from good creative work?  For Jo Shoesmith, chief creative officer at Amazon, it's curiosity—the willingness to look again, to find the idea within the idea and recognize potential hiding in plain sight.  In this episode, Jo draws on her agency experience and her current role leading Amazon's creative organization to explain how leaders can operate as both builders and curators—building systems that can help a global brand move with speed and continuity, then applying judgment and taste to determine which ideas best represent the brand and which stories are worth telling. This balance can give teams room to experiment while preserving brand continuity.  Jo's instinct to look past the obvious and find what resonates comes through in her work on Amazon's iconic 2023 "Joy Ride" advertisement. Her team recognized genuine chemistry among its three stars and trusted their unscripted joy to carry a story with no spoken dialogue. The result was a simple, emotionally resonant portrayal of friendship and aging that connected with people far beyond its intended audience.  To help bring other great ideas to life, AI can help curious creatives remove friction, but acting on every idea isn't the goal. Human judgment and taste still determine which ideas to pursue, and which will resonate.  For creative and marketing leaders, Jo's lesson is clear: Curiosity is key to identifying an idea's potential, building systems that help it grow and knowing when it is right for the brand. As AI makes it possible to explore and execute more possibilities, those human capabilities become even more important.    In this episode, you'll hear:  How curiosity can help creative leaders recognize potential and build on areas others might overlook   Ways marketing teams can use AI to expand creative possibilities without replacing human judgment and taste  Strategies to build and curate brands that move fast, feel human and make a lasting emotional impact    Key highlights:  [00:20] Introduction  [01:50] Growing up in rural Australia  [03:00] Jo's path to Amazon  [06:30] The scope of the CCO role at Amazon  [07:35] Being both a builder and a curator  [09:25] Embracing AI as a creative  [12:50] Making Amazon's iconic 2023 "Joy Ride" ad  [15:35] Past experience that defines you: Growing up with a strong single mother  [16:50] Advice to your younger self: Become a builder  [18:05] A topic you're trying to learn more about: Role expansion to media and production  [18:40] Latest curiosities: Identifying small, simple ideas for new creations  [19:35] Largest potential opportunity: Everyone is a business owner  [20:50] What AI cannot replicate: Strong internal company culture    Resources mentioned:    Amazon    Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Jo and Amazon:  Jo on LinkedIn  Amazon on LinkedIn   Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Connect with Alan Hart on X  Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads

How can brands preserve what sets them apart as AI transformation brings more speed and scale to marketing content production, The answer starts with smart parameters and guardrails that keep human insight and creativity at the center.  In this episode, Meghan Gendelman, chief marketing officer (CMO) of business-to-business (B2B) at Canva, explores how marketing teams can use AI while prioritizing and protecting what technology cannot create: authenticity. Human marketers bring a genuine understanding of what their customers know, feel and believe about a brand. Meghan emphasizes that by first establishing clear, human-led guardrails and parameters such as brand systems, kits and templates, teams can harness AI more effectively to deploy creative, engaging marketing content at scale.  Meghan further shares how Canva's B2B offerings help businesses put this authenticity-first approach into practice. By making it easier to adapt, localize and customize content at scale, Canva allows marketing teams more freedom to focus on customer relevance and brand expression. Meghan also discusses how leaders can help teams adapt as AI changes marketing work by:  Challenging existing processes and rethinking how work gets done  Testing new possibilities with a beginner's mindset  Turning innovative ideas into action with practical boundaries  By balancing freedom and discipline when using AI, your brand can stay authentic while meeting growing content demands. 

How can a brand stay distinctive globally, while earning relevance in each individual market it serves?  Consistency is only part of the challenge. Because local presence shapes global perception, brands should strive to understand local customers, respond to market conditions and provide value to communities.   In this episode, Mastercard's Rustom Dastoor, executive vice president and head of marketing and communications for the Americas, draws on his experiences marketing across four continents to explore what it takes to build and sustain a global brand.  He explains why the strongest global brands don't simply operate in local markets—they invest in them. By using local insight to inform decisions, collaborating with regional ecosystems and investing in talent, brands can contribute to communities, rather than extract from them, to demonstrate their distinct values.  Rustom also offers behind-the-scenes insights into what has kept Mastercard's "Priceless" campaign relevant worldwide for nearly 30 years: He believes in maintaining the universal insight—"there are some things in life money can't buy"—while adapting how it shows up across markets, cultures, channels and more. In other words, "Priceless" stays timeless by refusing to stand still.  For marketing leaders, this conversation offers a valuable perspective on earning local relevance and strengthening global distinction.     In this episode, you'll hear:  Strategies for deploying brand experiences that can flex across countries and cultures  How to keep a long-running campaign fresh without losing its core value  Ways marketing can turn customer understanding into better business choices, from offerings to pricing    Key highlights:  [00:30] Introduction  [01:30] A pit stop in Zurich  [02:30] Rustom's path to Mastercard  [04:00] Marketing on multiple continents  [06:00] Driving B2B2C excellence at Mastercard   [08:00] The evolution of global brands  [09:45] Mastercard's iconic "Priceless" campaign  [10:55] Strategies for successful localization  [14:50] Past experience that defines you: Living across multiple cultures  [16:20] Advice to your younger self: Release control  [17:20] A topic you're trying to learn more about: Squash and swimming  [18:05] Latest curiosities: Humanity's perseverance  [19:10] Largest potential opportunity: AI's impact on marketing  [20:40] What AI cannot do: The value and impact of people    Resources mentioned:    Mastercard    Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Rustom and Mastercard:  Rustom on LinkedIn  Mastercard on LinkedIn    Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Connect with Alan Hart on X  Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads    

How can marketing leaders balance rapid change, emerging technology and brand purpose to drive lasting growth and loyalty across a portfolio of iconic brands? Anton Vincent, president of Mars Snacking North America & Global Ice Cream, shares what it looks like to lead with purpose across a suite of powerhouse brands spanning confections, pet care and food. He discusses how Mars balances ambitious growth with a real commitment to responsibility, ensuring that business success and positive societal impact go hand in hand. Anton also underscores the strategic value of developing talent and enabling people to move across different business areas to encourage agility and fresh thinking. He shares why creativity remains essential for brands—especially as technology and analytics redefine what's possible—and highlights the discipline required to uphold quality and brand integrity in a crowded, fast-moving marketplace. Throughout the conversation, Anton stresses that enduring relevance and brand loyalty come from continuous learning and a clear understanding of both consumers and culture.   In this episode, you'll learn:  Why centering business growth with real purpose can create a lasting impact at scale   How ideas supported by data and fueled by originality can capture and hold people's attention in today's crowded market   Ways to build agile teams and nurture authentic brands to stay relevant in a constantly changing world    Key highlights:  [00:00] Introduction  [01:30] Basketball talk  [04:30] Anton's path to Mars  [08:00] The scope of Mars  [10:20] Alan's love to Hubba Bubba  [12:20] Scale versus independence of brands  [14:05] The Mars talent strategy  [15:40] Navigating the evolving marketing ecosystem  [18:20] Marketing that adapts to change  [20:30] Notable recent work  [22:05] An experience that defines you: Top Secret Popcorn recall  [26:00] Advice to your younger self: Slow down  [28:30] A topic marketers need to learn more about: Connecting creativity with technology  [33:45] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers today: Constant learning    Resources mentioned:    Mars Snacking  SNICKERS NFL Bedtime with Josh Allen    Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Anton Vincent and Mars Snacking: Anton Vincent on LinkedIn  Mars on LinkedIn  Mars on Instagram  Mars on YouTube    Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Alan Hart on X  Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Deloitte Digital on Threads    

How can a well-known B2B brand move beyond what customers think they already know?  In this episode, Kimberly Storin, CMO of Zoom, explains how marketing teams can shift brand perceptions and influence B2B buyer journeys by bringing together brand marketing, demand generation, content, and customer advocacy.   Brand perception takes shape differently today. As more buyers begin their brand research using AI tools and zero-click search, buyers often form preferences and decisions before they ever engage with a brand directly. Marketers today may see only a small portion of the buyer journey and not know when they're under consideration.   For Kimberly, this means brands need to do more than generate awareness and demand: They need to shape how buyers understand the brand, what it offers and where it can create value. As she puts it, "brand equals demand."  Marketers can accomplish this by building trust, showing up in the right places, and answering buyers' questions in the less visible stages of decision-making through efforts such as answer engine optimization (AEO). Kimberly further explores how AI-driven discovery creates distinct purchasing paths for human buyers and AI agents—paths that require different content and experiences designed for each.   This episode offers a practical perspective on how marketers can reshape perception, stay relevant across an increasingly fragmented journey, and connect brand building to business growth—even when buyers form opinions before the brand knows they are in the market.    In this episode, you'll hear:  Strategies to connect brand building with demand generation, so marketing efforts shifts perception and drive action  Why answering buyer questions before sales teams enter the conversation is now a core B2B journey expectation  Ways to widen marketing's view of the buyer journey and shift investment towards what works better    Key highlights:  [00:00] Introduction  [01:05] Growing up with chief financial officer (CFO) and designer parents  [02:15] Kim's path to Zoom  [03:35] Bringing marketing and communications together  [06:40] Keeping up with an evolving buyer journey  [07:30] Why brand equals demand  [10:10] Zoom Ahead's campaign strategy  [13:10] Past experience that defines you: Powerful mentorship  [15:35] Advice to your younger self: Prioritize sleep for health  [16:00] A topic you're trying to learn more about: Pilates  [16:45] Latest curiosities: Balancing AI and human connection  [18:40] Largest potential threat: Inability to pivot as search habits change    Resources mentioned:    Zoom    Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Kimberly and Zoom:  Kimberly on LinkedIn  Zoom on LinkedIn    Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Connect with Alan Hart on X  Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads      

The hardest part of marketing today may not be demonstrating value or creating more ideas. It may be knowing which activities deserve your attention.  As Khurrum Malik, VP of business and product marketing at Walmart Connect, explains: more tools, channels, media types and AI capabilities can lead to overemphasizing activity. When teams confuse activity with progress, it's difficult to stay focused on what drives impact.   In this episode, Khurrum shows how the strongest marketing organizations stay focused on what matters: connecting creativity to commerce, creating demand through brand storytelling, capturing it through search and commerce, and proving incremental impact. He also makes the case that customer experience should remain at the center of that work, emphasizing that—as AI changes how marketers operate—trust, human judgment and accountability still matter.  The episode is especially relevant for marketing leaders who want to cut through complexity, keep teams aligned on impact, and lead with transparency and experimentation while fueling durable growth.    In this episode, you'll hear:  Strategies to connect brand storytelling with search and commerce to drive demand  How to keep teams focused on priorities that drive growth  Why leading through change depends on building trust and accountability    Key highlights:  [00:00] Introduction  [01:10] Using AI at home  [02:30] Khurrum's path to Walmart Connect  [04:40] Walmart Connect's scope  [06:25] How advertising platforms are evolving  [12:55] Three core principles of success  [15:00] What's next for Walmart Connect  [17:40] Past experience that defines you: Moving a lot as a child  [18:30] Advice to your younger self: Adopt an editorial mindset  [20:25] A topic you're trying to learn more about: Delivering value across the C-suite  [21:40] Latest curiosities: Balancing AI and human creativity  [23:15] Largest potential threat: Inability to focus as channels expand    Resources mentioned:    Walmart Connect    Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Khurrum and Walmart Connect:  Khurrum on LinkedIn  Walmart Connect on LinkedIn    Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Connect with Alan Hart on X  Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads    

Fandom is evolving from passive consumption to active participation, creating new opportunities for brands to connect with consumers in authentic ways. In this episode, Andrea Hopelain, GM and senior vice president of global marketing at Electronic Arts (EA), shares how brands can leverage fandom by showing up where today's consumers are already creating, connecting, and building community. She explains what marketers can learn from this model and how they can take advantage of this space.  While Andrea believes brand reach still matters, she says meeting consumers in participatory spaces can take the connection to the next level. The conversation also explores how marketing teams can harness live signals, audience behavior, and social interaction insights to create fan experiences that feel more personalized, culturally grounded, and natural to the people they want to reach. Andrea says the biggest opportunities come from building with audiences, not just broadcasting to them.    Key highlights:  [00:00] Introduction  [01:20] Leadership lessons learned on the soccer pitch  [02:30] Andrea's path to EA  [04:45] The evolution of fandom  [07:05] Brand marketing opportunities in fandoms  [08:45] EA as a platform  [10:20] Live data integration in gaming  [11:45] Past experience that defines you: Moving a lot as a child  [12:50] Advice to your younger self: Understand the bottom line   [14:50] A topic you're trying to learn more about: Nurturing plants  [15:45] Latest curiosities: Balancing AI and human judgment  [17:10] Largest potential opportunity: Community and belonging    Resources mentioned:    EA    Follow the podcast:    Listen on Apple Podcasts    Listen on Amazon Music   Listen on Audible   Listen on iHeart Radio  Listen on Spotify      Connect with Andrea and EA:  Andrea on LinkedIn  EA on LinkedIn    Connect with Alan Hart and Deloitte Digital:     Connect with Alan Hart on X  Connect with Alan Hart on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on LinkedIn   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Instagram   Connect with Deloitte Digital on YouTube   Connect with Deloitte Digital on Threads