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  • Why Athletes Are Becoming the Media Companies of Tomorrow: Insights from 4 Sports Marketing Leaders

    Women's sports are gaining unprecedented momentum, but how can brands turn that growing attention into meaningful partnerships that deliver lasting cultural and commercial value? It starts with authenticity, collaboration, and a deeper understanding of the communities they serve.


    In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host LaTecia Johnson, Founder and CEO of INGENIUS, brings together three Sports Marketing Leaders: Shayne Odum, Director of Global Partnerships & Media Sales at Phoenix Suns, and former Director of Corporate Partnership and Sales at Atlanta Dream; Naz Hillmon, Forward with the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA; and Connor Thompson, Senior Manager, Energy at Reebok. Recorded live at Brand Week, the conversation explores how athlete partnerships, brand collaborations, and the growing influence of women's sports are reshaping the marketing landscape.


    The discussion examines why athletes are increasingly becoming media companies in their own right, how brands can move beyond transactional endorsements to build authentic relationships, and why cultural relevance requires more than simply attaching a logo to a sporting event. The speakers also explore the importance of community pillars in evaluating brand alignment, giving athletes greater control over their storytelling, and creating partnerships that reflect shared values.


    What You'll Learn:

    • How to build brand partnerships rooted in authenticity rather than chasing cultural trends
    • The "Community Pillars" framework teams can use to vet whether a partnership truly fits their identity
    • Why athletes must control their own narrative and content to build lasting trust with their audience
    • How to turn one-off activations into long-term, trust-based collaborations
    • The shift from awareness-based marketing to measurable "return on influence"
    • Why intentionality and follow-through, not just big budgets, are what separate real brand investment from empty gestures


    About the Host and Guest:


    Naz Hillmon is a professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, currently in her fourth year with the organization. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and a University of Michigan graduate, Hillmon has established herself as a dynamic athlete and emerging brand partner.


    Shayne Odum is the former Director of Partnerships and Sales for the Atlanta Dream and currently the Director of Global Partnerships and Media Sales at the Phoenix Suns. Shane brings a background in sports marketing and community-focused brand strategy. With expertise in building meaningful partnerships that align with organizational values, Shane shares strategic approaches to evaluating brand collaborations through the lens of community pillars: growing the game of basketball, empowering girls and women, and equity for all.


    Connor Thompson is Senior Manager of Energy at Reebok, overseeing brand campaigns, product collaborations, and cultural partnerships that drive brand perception and equity. With four years at the brand, Thompson articulates Reebok's strategy of creating authentic, long-term relationships with athletes and creators rather than chasing trends.


    LaTecia Johnson is CEO and Founder of INGENIUS, a platform building social commerce programs that connect brands, athletes, and creators as the media companies of the future. Her expertise centers on mapping cultural trends and evaluating the relevance and ROI of brand partnerships in the evolving creator economy.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Naz Hillmon on Instagram
    • Shayne Odum on LinkedIn
    • Connor Thompson on LinkedIn
    • LaTecia Johnson on LinkedIn
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
  • From ROAS to Real Results: Benoit Vatere and Bryan Leach on the Future of Performance Marketing

    What if CPG brands could measure the true impact of digital promotions in real time, rather than relying on sales figures that may not tell the whole story? The answer starts with incrementality, not ROAS.


    In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Bryan Leach, Founder and CEO at Ibotta, sits down with Benoit Vatere, Chief Media & Digital Commerce Officer at Liquid Death, to explore how performance marketing principles are transforming promotional ROI. Recorded live at Brandweek, the conversation examines how brands can bring greater accountability to retail media and in-store promotions through real-time data, matched-audience testing, and more rigorous measurement.

    The discussion unpacks why conventional ROAS can overstate promotional effectiveness, how to identify genuinely incremental sales, and why third-party verification matters. Benoit also shares insights into optimizing promotional spend across retail channels, reducing customer churn, growing household penetration, and reallocating budgets based on emerging sales signals rather than quarterly recaps.


    What You Will Learn:

    • Why incrementality provides a clearer picture of promotional performance than ROAS alone
    • How matched-audience testing identifies genuinely incremental sales
    • How cost per incremental dollar helps protect margins
    • Why churn reduction can improve household penetration
    • How real-time measurement enables smarter budget allocation
    • Why independent verification builds trust in retail media results


    About the Host and Guest:

    Bryan Leach is the Founder and CEO of Ibotta (NYSE: IBTA), a leading performance marketing platform delivering digital promotions to over 200 million consumers. Under his leadership, Ibotta’s app has surpassed 50 million downloads and powers digital offer programs for major brands, including Walmart, DoorDash, and Instacart. In 2024, he led Ibotta through the largest tech IPO in Colorado history. A frequent commentator on AI and CPG performance marketing, Bryan previously practiced law at Bartlit Beck LLP and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter.


    Benoit Vatere is the Chief Media & Digital Commerce Officer at Liquid Death and is known for his expertise in performance marketing and digital promotions within the CPG industry. With a background in digital-first brand building, he has pioneered innovative approaches to measuring incremental sales and ROI in retail environments.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Benoit Vatere on LinkedIn
    • Liquid Death Website
    • Bryan Leach on LinkedIn
    • Ibotta Website
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
  • Avoiding The Ick Factor: Anthony Po and Lauren Probyn Aouad on Getting Authenticity Right

    What makes a brand stand out in a crowded digital landscape, capture attention, and create campaigns that genuinely resonate? It starts with understanding culture, not chasing virality.


    In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Lauren Probyn Aouad, VP of Entertainment & Culture Marketing at UTA, sits down with Anthony Po, creator, performance artist, and co-founder of Pufferfish. Recorded live at Brand Week, the conversation explores how creators are redefining brand marketing, why authenticity matters more than strategy alone, and what it takes to turn cultural moments into meaningful audience connections.


    The discussion examines why copying viral campaigns rarely works, how brands can recognize the “ick factor” that makes audiences disengage, and why marketers must earn attention before delivering their message. Anthony also shares insights on the growing business opportunities for creators, the importance of involving culturally immersed talent, and how testing content with engaged communities can help refine campaigns before launch.


    For marketers looking to connect with digital-native audiences, the conversation offers a valuable reminder: genuine cultural understanding and creativity can accomplish far more than simply chasing the next viral moment.


    What You Will Learn:

    • Why copying a viral campaign's format (not its feeling) guarantees audience rejection and algorithmic punishment
    • How to identify the "ick factor" that signals to digitally native audiences you're exploiting culture rather than participating in it
    • The "earn the view first" principle with creating genuine attention
    • Why hiring people who are actually immersed in culture is non-negotiable for authentic digital content
    • How to decide whether a campaign should optimize for direct conversion versus long-term brand equity
    • The value of pre-launching content to small, engaged fan communities for real-time feedback before a public release


    About the Guest:

    Anthony Po is the co-founder of Pufferfish, a media company specializing in creator-led brand activations and cultural storytelling. With a decade-long background as a content creator across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, including a tenure leading short-form creative at MrBeast, Anthony has mastered the art of building authentic connections with digitally native audiences through innovative, culture-first campaigns.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Anthony Po on LinkedIn
    • Anthony Po Website
    • Pufferfish Website
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 min
  • Beyond Virality: How Three Global Fashion Marketing Leaders Create Brands People Care About

    What makes a fashion brand feel authentic, build lasting loyalty, and create campaigns that genuinely move culture? It starts with understanding people, not chasing trends.

    In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Lauren Finney Harden brings together three Global Fashion Marketing Leaders: Anne Cambria of Sephora, Elizabeth Money of BÉIS, and Fabiola Torres of Gap. Recorded live at Brand Week, the conversation explores how democratized style, emotional storytelling, and data-informed creativity are reshaping the way brands connect with consumers.


    The discussion examines why brands must give communities a voice in shaping trends, how authentic relationships can turn campaigns into cultural moments, and why human stories often resonate more deeply than polished brand messaging. The guests also share how marketers can balance creative instinct with data, build meaningful customer connections in an AI-driven world, and use real-world experiences to strengthen brand loyalty.


    For brands working with limited budgets, the conversation offers a valuable reminder: understanding your audience, delivering quality products, and staying true to your identity can be more powerful than chasing the next viral moment.


    What You Will Learn:

    • Why democratization of style means brands must let communities vote on trends, not dictate them
    • How to engineer virality through emotional storytelling
    • The "Data as Guardrails" Framework for blending gut instinct with analytics
    • How to humanize a brand by putting employees, founders, and real customer stories front and center
    • Why analog and in-person experiences still build stronger loyalty
    • How small and challenger brands can compete without big budgets


    About the Host and Guest:

    Fabiola Torres is the Global CMO at Gap and is known for her expertise in building emotional brand connections through creative campaigns. With a background in bridging generational gaps through music, fashion, and style, she has spearheaded viral campaigns like the Cat's Eye collaboration that drove unprecedented engagement and business growth.


    Elizabeth Money is the SVP of Brand & Creative at BEIS, bringing over 20 years of experience in the travel and fashion industries. Known for her human-centered approach to brand building, she has transformed BEIS from a DTC startup into a community-driven lifestyle brand by prioritizing authentic consumer connections over data-driven metrics. She also offers practical advice for challenger brands seeking to build genuine loyalty and market presence.


    Anne Cambria is SVP of Brand, Retail, and Creative Marketing at Sephora, and she specializes in empowering self-expression through beauty and retail innovation. With a focus on inclusivity and community amplification, she has helped establish Sephora as a diverse beauty authority by centering client voices and experiences.


    Lauren Finney Harden is the moderator and a veteran marketing journalist, bringing editorial expertise to discussions on brand strategy and cultural trends. Her perspective bridges the traditional publishing world with modern marketing practices, offering a unique lens on how brands now function as editors themselves in shaping consumer culture and style.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Anne Cambria on LinkedIn
    • Sephora Website
    • Elizabeth Money on LinkedIn
    • BÉIS Website
    • Fabiola Torres on LinkedIn
    • GAP Website
    • Lauren Finney Harden on LinkedIn
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
  • Why Reach Beats Creative: Angela Voss and Dale Harrison on the Marketing Math That Matters

    What if reaching more people matters more than creating better ads? In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Angela Voss, CEO at Marketing Architects, and Dale Harrison, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at The Insight Collective, challenge conventional marketing wisdom and explore why broad, consistent reach is essential to driving market share growth.


    Recorded live at BrandWeek, the conversation examines why hyper-targeting can cause marketers to overlook future customers, how brands can build recall before buyers enter the market, and why overcoming the constant force of forgetting requires sustained audience reach. Angela and Dale also explore how marketers can balance scale with cost efficiency across linear television and connected TV (CTV), using audience-first media buying and AI to reduce unnecessary costs. They discuss why no single measurement model can fully capture television's impact and how combining marketing mix modeling, attribution, and geographic holdout tests can provide a more complete picture of performance.


    From smarter media allocation to long-term brand building, this episode offers practical insights into reaching more potential buyers, strengthening brand memory, and creating the conditions for sustainable growth.


    What You Will Learn:

    • Why 2x better creative can't beat 100x greater reach
    • The "Surface Area of Effectiveness" framework for understanding how reach amplifies even small creative improvements
    • Why brand awareness only has commercial value when buyers are in-market
    • How to fight the constant, ongoing force of forgetting
    • Why hyper-targeting is "agreeing to pay more to ignore your future customers"
    • How to use AI-driven and audience-first media buying to cut CTV and linear TV costs
    • Why no single measurement model can prove TV's value


    About the Host and Guest:


    Dale Harrison is Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at The Insight Collective, bringing an unconventional blend of scientific rigor, technical expertise, and marketing experience. A former experimental physicist with research experience at Los Alamos and MIT, he has also worked across technology, biotech, finance, and executive management. Today, Dale combines hands-on campaign execution with a data-driven approach to marketing strategy. Drawing on his background in econometrics, mathematics, and AI, he develops rigorous experiments and sophisticated marketing models to help businesses understand what works, measure impact, and drive sustainable growth.


    Angela Voss is CEO at Marketing Architects, an all-inclusive TV advertising agency specializing in linear and connected television. Drawing on her experience as a performance marketer, Angela champions greater accountability in TV advertising, making high-quality campaigns more accessible while challenging conventional approaches to audience targeting. She translates the evidence-based marketing principles of Byron Sharp and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute into practical strategies that help brands expand their reach, build lasting brand awareness, and drive measurable growth.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Dale Harrison on LinkedIn
    • The Insight Collective Website
    • Angela Voss LinkedIn
    • Marketing Architects Website
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    18 min
  • Purpose Over Product: The Brand-Building Playbook of Paulie Dery and Victoria Lozano

    What does it take to build a brand that stands out without getting caught in a race to the bottom? In this guest-only episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Paulie Dery, CMO at AG1, and Victoria Lozano, CMO at Crayola, share how brands can move beyond product benefits to create deeper consumer connections and lasting cultural relevance.


    Recorded live at BrandWeek, the conversation explores how to protect premium positioning against cheaper alternatives by giving consumers something meaningful to believe in. Paulie and Victoria discuss building authentic communities, embedding products into existing routines to encourage daily habits, and reframing competition around broader battles for time, attention, and lifestyle choices. They also examine how marketers can balance immediate revenue goals with long-term brand investment, align growth targets with executive priorities, and approach AI in ways that strengthen consumer creativity and trust.


    From AG1's challenger mindset to Crayola's enduring creative legacy, this episode offers practical lessons on turning brand purpose into everyday behavior, sustainable growth, and deeper consumer loyalty.


    What You Will Learn:

    • How to escape the "race to the bottom" by moving beyond feature-vs-feature comparisons
    • Why giving consumers something to believe in matters more than listing product specs
    • The "follow the tracks, don't create them" approach to building authentic community advocacy
    • How to build daily consumer habits by embedding your product into routines people already have, rather than adding new to-dos
    • The "magic number" framework for aligning growth targets with C-suite buy-in to fund brand investment
    • Why marketers should pick bigger competitive battles—reframing rivals as time, attention, or lifestyle competitors rather than category copycats
    • How to evaluate AI's role in your brand strategy by focusing on whether it enables consumer creativity and trust rather than replacing it


    About the Guests:

    Victoria Lozano is the Chief Marketing Officer at Crayola, a position she has held for over 16 years, where she has evolved the company from a product-focused manufacturer into a diversified creative ecosystem spanning products, experiences, and content. With deep expertise in brand building, category expansion, and consumer behavior, she has successfully elevated Crayola beyond functional product competition by redefining the brand's role in enabling daily creative habits across both children and adults.


    Paulie Dery is the Chief Marketing Officer at AG1, where he leads marketing strategy for a category-defining greens and multivitamin brand. With previous experience building iconic brands at Yeti and Uber, he brings expertise in elevating products beyond functional competition and building authentic community-driven ecosystems.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Victoria Lozano on LinkedIn
    • Crayola Website
    • Paulie Dery LinkedIn
    • AG1 Website
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    29 min
  • The WNBA’s Business Revolution: Lexie Brown and Mariah Rose on What Comes Next

    The WNBA’s rapid rise from an overlooked league to a cultural and commercial powerhouse reflects more than just the growing popularity of women’s basketball. It signals a shift in how athletes build their brands, shape their narratives, and fight for the compensation and working conditions they deserve. Sustaining that momentum requires authentic storytelling, responsible media coverage, and a business model that allows players to share in the league’s success.


    In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Mariah Rose, sports content creator, is joined by Lexie Brown, WNBA guard for the Seattle Storm, and together they explore the forces reshaping women’s basketball and the business of women’s sports. They discuss how social media and athlete-led content are transforming fan engagement, why collective bargaining negotiations are critical to fair compensation, and how offseason leagues are creating new opportunities for players.


    They also examine the importance of health benefits, retirement security, and expanded roster spots, alongside the commercial potential of emerging markets. Throughout, they explain why authentic athlete storytelling and a growing fan base can help build a more sustainable future for women’s sports.


    What You Will Learn:

    • How athlete-led storytelling is transforming women’s sports marketing
    • Why WNBA players want compensation tied to league revenue growth
    • How social media gives athletes greater control over their personal brands
    • Why rising stars can expand opportunities for the entire league
    • How offseason leagues support player development and financial stability
    • Why health benefits, pensions, and roster expansion matter to players
    • How untapped markets offer new growth opportunities for women’s basketball


    About the Guests:

    Lexie Brown is a professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA. In her eighth season, she brings firsthand experience to conversations about athlete branding, media representation, and the business of women’s sports. Through authentic social media content, vlogs, and her podcast Full Circle, Brown has helped connect fans with women’s basketball. She is also an advocate for fair compensation, improved player benefits, and better working conditions.


    Mariah Rose is a sports content creator and media personality specializing in women’s sports, particularly the WNBA. Through social media and her podcast Full Circle, she helps audiences understand the players, storylines, and business dynamics shaping women’s basketball. Rose is an advocate for authentic storytelling, stronger media representation, and greater visibility for female athletes. Her work explores how personal branding, fan engagement, and sponsorship opportunities are transforming the commercial landscape of women’s sports.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Lexie Brown on LinkedIn
    • Mariah Rose on LinkedIn
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    42 min
  • 4 Creative and Marketing Leaders on Turning Legacy Brands Into Cultural Icons

    What does it take to reinvent a legacy brand without losing what made it iconic?


    In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Brittaney Keifer brings together four creative and marketing leaders to explore how established brands can move beyond outdated perceptions and build renewed cultural relevance. Amanda Earley, Jaime Robinson, Christy Hoskins, and Jessica Henrichs share lessons from rebranding La-Z-Boy and Brawny, including the importance of understanding a brand’s history, leaning into authentic strengths, and ensuring product innovation can support the promises made by a new identity.


    The conversation examines how creative partnerships can unlock stronger ideas, why consumer and stakeholder involvement can help prevent backlash, and how social platforms provide a valuable space to test new directions before making bigger commitments. From evolving familiar brand characters to creating culturally relevant activations, the panel reveals how brands can make change feel natural rather than disruptive. For marketers navigating the challenges of refreshing a household name, this episode offers practical insights into balancing heritage, innovation, consumer trust, and creative risk.


    What You Will Learn:

    • How to reposition a brand stuck in nostalgia by mining your own history
    • Why product innovation must precede any brand refresh
    • The "lean into your strengths" principle: La-Z-Boy's breakthrough
    • How to pressure-test beloved brand icons
    • Why earned, culturally-tapped activations should precede a full rebrand
    • How to future-proof against backlash by involving consumers
    • Why social media is the lowest-risk place to test how a legacy mascot or character should evolve before committing to broader campaigns


    About the Guests:

    Amanda Earley is a brand and business leader who specializes in building brands, teams, and growth strategies through a combination of consumer insight, data-driven decision-making, and creative thinking. As Brand Director at Brawny, she has led product innovation, commercialization, marketing campaigns, and business revitalization. Known for bringing people together around bold ideas, Amanda combines strategic vision with hands-on cross-functional leadership.


    Jaime Robinson is an Emmy-winning entrepreneur and creative leader whose work has earned nearly 40 Cannes Lions, including multiple Grand Prix and Golds. She is a Co-Founder and former CCO of JOAN Creative, where the agency was recognized as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies and earned Agency of the Year honors from Adweek and Campaign. A former ECD at Wieden+Kennedy New York and Pereira O’Dell, Jaime has also served on The One Club Board and as a Cannes and D&AD jury president.


    Christy Hoskins is a transformational marketing leader, growth driver, and culture builder with more than 20 years of experience across market-leading CPG, consumer durables, and retail companies. Her expertise spans brand building, consumer-driven strategy, business planning, portfolio strategy, customer experience, innovation, P&L management, and advertising. Christy is passionate about leading with vision, building future-focused organizations, and developing strong, engaged teams grounded in purpose, continuous learning, and compassion.


    Jessica Henrichs is CEO of DonerColle Partners, where she leads and helps brands navigate transformation, drive purposeful change, and accelerate growth. Since joining Colle McVoy in 2021, she has reshaped the agency’s model, invested in emerging capabilities, and built high-performing teams, earning recognition including the 2024 Adweek 50 and 2026 Campaign US Inspiring Women. Previously, Jessica spent more than a decade at Digitas, developing award-winning, data-powered creative strategies that earned over 100 honors, including a Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Data.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Amanda Earley on LinkedIn
    • Jaime Robinson on LinkedIn
    • Christy Hoskins on LinkedIn
    • Jessica Henrichs on LinkedIn
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  • Reinventing Retail Icons: Ken Ohashi and Marisa Thalberg on Making Legacy Brands Relevant

    Legacy retail brands have something that newer brands can only dream of: decades of recognition, emotional connection, and cultural history. But turning that heritage into modern relevance requires more than nostalgia. It takes clear positioning, product reinvention, bold creative decisions, and a strong partnership between marketing and leadership.


    In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Marisa Thalberg, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Catalyst Brands, sits down with Ken Ohashi, Brand CEO of Brooks Brothers and Eddie Bauer to explore the strategies behind transforming iconic retail brands. They discuss how to reposition struggling businesses, uncover new opportunities by listening to real customer behavior, and balance heritage with the need to evolve. Ken and Marisa also explore Eddie Bauer's shift from technical outdoor gear to a lifestyle brand, the role of cultural influencers, and why small, trusted teams can make better creative decisions. Throughout, they share lessons on building authentic brands that turn skeptical customers into loyal ones.


    What You Will Learn:

    • How to turn around a bankrupt heritage brand
    • Why creative decisions should avoid "committee thinking"
    • The "off the mountain" repositioning framework Eddie Bauer used
    • How to find hidden brand momentum by mining real customer behavior
    • Why talking "up to" middle-America consumers builds trust and authenticity
    • How strategic star power can be used as a cultural amplifier
    • The importance of building CEO-CMO trust early


    About the Guests:

    Marisa Thalberg is a globally recognized business strategist and brand-building innovator, known for inspiring teams to take brands to new heights of consumer resonance, cultural relevance, and business performance. A pioneer of digital, social, and eCommerce marketing, she has orchestrated blockbuster product launches, unexpected cultural moments, and moved with uncommon ease between industries like beauty and QSR, retail and CPG, brand and performance marketing, mass and prestige.


    Ken Ohashi is Brand CEO of Brooks Brothers and Eddie Bauer, with more than 25 years of experience across fashion, consumer products, retail, and business development. He led Brooks Brothers through its acquisition and transformed the iconic brand to profitability in less than two years. Previously, Ohashi served as President of International and Global Retail at Authentic Brands Group, overseeing brand management, business development, and marketing across its international portfolio. He also held senior leadership roles at Aéropostale.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Ken Ohashi on LinkedIn
    • Brooks Brothers Website
    • Marisa Thalberg on LinkedIn
    • Catalyst Brands Website
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  • 7 Billion Impressions Without Paid Media: Fanta’s Halloween Strategy: Ibrahim Khan, Global VP of Marketing at Fanta

    Halloween is no longer just a seasonal celebration. For brands, it can become a powerful cultural platform for building relevance, generating engagement, and creating long-term brand assets.


    In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Rebecca Stewart sits down with Ibrahim Khan, Global Vice President of Marketing at Fanta, to explore how Fanta turned Halloween into a global brand moment and generated more than 7 billion impressions through fan-generated content without paid media spend.


    The conversation explores how Fanta identified an opportunity to build ownership around Halloween, harnessed TikTok and community creativity, and partnered with Universal Pictures and Blumhouse to create collectible horror-themed cans. Ibrahim also explains how product design can become a storytelling platform, how to balance brand authenticity with licensed IP, and why giving audiences creative freedom can drive deeper engagement. He shares the long-term thinking behind turning a successful seasonal campaign into a recurring global franchise that builds anticipation and cultural relevance year after year.


    What You'll Learn:

    • How to identify a "white space" holiday moment competitors have left unclaimed and build ownership around it
    • Why letting fans create content can generate more impressions than any paid campaign
    • The "constructive tension" principle for balancing a licensor's IP integrity with your own brand's authenticity
    • How to select characters or creative assets that flex across generations and 50+ global markets without losing relevance
    • Why product design itself (not just advertising) can become the most scalable storytelling platform a brand has
    • The long-game playbook for turning a single viral moment into a recurring, expectation-building annual tradition


    About the Guest:

    Ibrahim Khan leads global strategy and marketing for Fanta, bringing more than a decade of experience at Coca-Cola across diverse markets. Previously, he served as Senior Marketing Director for Sparkling Flavors in Greater China & Mongolia, overseeing Fanta, Sprite, and Schweppes. His career also includes leading marketing for Sprite in its largest global market, managing sparkling portfolios across ASEAN, and driving brand strategy for Coca-Cola and Fanta across Thailand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Ibrahim specializes in global brand management, digital transformation, and creating consumer experiences that resonate across cultures.


    Host and Guest Resources:

    • Ibrahim Khan on LinkedIn
    • Fanta Website
    • ADWEEK Website

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 min

About Adspeak

From the publisher's feed

Love it or hate it, the advertising and marketing industry is the ultimate broker of power and influence in the world today. Adspeak, hosted by ADWEEK editor in chief Ryan Joe, brings to life stories…

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