Ad Age Marketer's Brief

SkyPop CMO Dave Cohen discusses the protein boom on the beverage aisle, and how the brand uses TikTok and audio sampling in their marketing gameplan. He also discusses how the brand, which formerly went by Don't Quit, positions their protein soda as a product for everyone and not just athletes.

Crunch Fitness CMO Chad Waetzig talks about the brand's recent New Year's campaign "Feel More" and how Crunch is promoting itself as a social destination for younger consumers facing post-pandemic loneliness. He also discusses how Crunch is programming around the rise in GLP-1-medication use and helping customers combat "skinny fat."

TV advertising is increasingly leaning on AI as a prominent tool. Viewers saw this during the Super Bowl with some brands making entirely AI-generated ads. Mark Douglas, president and CEO of MNTN, joins Brandon Doerrer on the Marketer's Brief podcast to discuss AI in TV, misconceptions that first-time TV advertisers often have and how MNTN's AI tools have been a benefit for their business. He also offers advice for navigating the changing landscape.

For the past several years, Columbia Sportswear's marketing was indistinguishable from the rest of the category. It wasn't until August last year that it adopted a much bolder strategy, bringing a distinct edge to all of its campaigns. "Engineered for Whatever" painted a different picture of the great outdoors, positioning it as a cruel and deadly mistress, and Columbia products as armor in a battle against death itself. Since then, the brand has brought that edge to a variety of campaigns. Matt Sutton, senior VP and head of marketing at Columbia Sportswear, joined this week's edition of the Marketer's Brief podcast to discuss this work and advise brands interested in making a similarly drastic pivot.

Gatorade has been a top sports drink for more than six decades, with a spot in Super Bowl history as people bet on the color poured on the winning head coach. Gatorade's Chief Marketing Officer Anuj Bhasin talks about how to maintain authority in the space as new brands crowd the category. Bhasin discusses Gatorade's post-Covid reset, relaunching the classic "Is It In You" advertising campaign, and how being "moment-centric" is bringing Gatorade closer to the sports culture space where the brand typically thrives.

Matt Hocken, head of creative at London-based agency mongoose, discusses the subtle difference between American and British consumers and what the sports and entertainment agency is doing for U.K.-based fans on Super Bowl Sunday. He also shares more general, TikTok marketing advice and gives tips on how American brands can curry favor with U.K. audiences.

New Balance Global Brand President and CMO Chris Davis talks about how fashion partnerships with Sezane and Miu Miu and sports partnerships with the Australian Open and Josh Allen have helped New Balance resonate with everyone from "supermodels in London to dads in Ohio." He also discusses why the brand keeps returning to its 'We' Got Now' brand platform with VML. And he talks about how the sneaker brand's 120-year-history helps New Balance operate like a challenger brand focused on the future.

Retail media is moving beyond scale, and Roundel wants marketers to rethink what performance really means. In this sponsored episode of Marketer's Brief, Ad Age's contributing editor, Natalie Zfat, sits down with Matt Drzewicki, senior vice president and general manager of Roundel, Target's retail media network, to discuss how guest-centric strategies, responsible AI and deeper partnerships are reshaping the retail media landscape.

Drawing insights from CES and early results from Roundel's new Precision Plus offering, Drzewicki explains why relevance is outperforming repetition, how first-party data and closed-loop measurement are helping brands prove incrementality, and why discovery increasingly happens offsite through creators, video and social platforms.

Tune in to hear how AI-powered optimization is improving efficiency across the funnel, the role of storytelling in an always-on shopper journey, and what marketers should prioritize as signal loss and fragmentation accelerate.

Retail media is moving beyond scale, and Roundel wants marketers to rethink what performance really means. In this sponsored episode of Marketer's Brief, Ad Age's contributing editor, Natalie Zfat, sits down with Matt Drzewicki, senior vice president and general manager of Roundel, Target's retail media network, to discuss how guest-centric strategies, responsible AI and deeper partnerships are reshaping the retail media landscape.

Drawing insights from CES and early results from Roundel's new Precision Plus offering, Drzewicki explains why relevance is outperforming repetition, how first-party data and closed-loop measurement are helping brands prove incrementality, and why discovery increasingly happens offsite through creators, video and social platforms.

Tune in to hear how AI-powered optimization is improving efficiency across the funnel, the role of storytelling in an always-on shopper journey, and what marketers should prioritize as signal loss and fragmentation accelerate.

In December, Vineet Mehra formally added growth officer to his chief marketer remit. He's spent much time thinking about how CMOs can maintain relevance by adding a broader business focus to their role. He joins the Marketer's Brief podcast to discuss these thoughts and offer marketers advice, as the rest of the industry wonders if the CMO role will even still matter by 2030. He also discusses opportunities for brands to meet growing financial anxiety among consumers, and new agentic media opportunities.