Adspeak

In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Rich Battista, Executive Chairman at ADWEEK,  sits down with Steve Koonin, CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, to explore how marketing can transform a sports franchise into a cultural institution. Steve shares how the Hawks built one of the NBA’s most engaged fan bases by focusing on experience, community, and audience relevance rather than relying solely on wins and losses. 

He explains why adding “game experience” as a third business pillar creates loyalty that survives performance fluctuations, how a single piece of content can be repurposed into hundreds of platform-native assets, and why empowering creative teams leads to breakthrough campaigns. The conversation also highlights the power of focus, community investment, and place-based marketing in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. 

What You'll Learn:

• How to position game experience as an advantage when on-court performance lags
• Why audience denial is a business killer
• The three-pillar blueprint for sports marketing
• How to activate younger audiences through platform-native creativity
• Why focus is the marketer's most feared word
• How to build long-term brand equity through controlled risk-taking
• The underrated opportunity in place-based marketing
• How to leverage community impact as a brand platform

About the Guest and Host:

Steve Koonin is the CEO of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, where he oversees the organization's business, financial, and strategic operations. A lifelong Atlantan and accomplished marketing executive, he previously held leadership roles at The Coca-Cola Company and Turner Broadcasting. Since joining the Hawks in 2014, Koonin has transformed the franchise into a leader in fan experience, community impact, and innovation. He is a recipient of the Atlanta Sports Council Lifetime Achievement Award and SportsBusiness Journal's Sports Executive of the Year. 

Rich Battista is a veteran media, entertainment, and sports executive with a distinguished track record as a CEO, board chairman, and business builder. Over his career, he successfully transformed and led multi-billion-dollar public companies including Time Inc. and Gemstar-TV Guide. During an 18-year tenure at Fox, he helped create and grow several highly valuable cable network businesses across entertainment and sports. Today, Rich serves as a board member, advisor, investor, and consultant while also producing film and television projects. 

Guest Resources:

• Steve Koonin on NBA 
• Atlanta Hawks Website

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In this episode of Adspeak, host Mark Stenberg is joined by Lark-Marie Anton, Chief Communications and Brand Officer, and Kristin Roberts, President of Media at USA Today Co., to unpack the company's landmark transition from Gannett to USA Today Co. and what it signals for the future of publishing in the AI era. The conversation explores how unifying more than 200 local media brands under a single trusted identity strengthens audience recognition, advertiser value, and AI attribution. 

Lark-Marie and Kristin discuss the research behind the rebrand, the company's unique local-to-national reach, and how proprietary tools like Deeper Dive help keep audiences engaged within trusted publisher ecosystems. They also examine AI partnerships, evolving search behavior, and why a strong, recognizable brand may be a publisher's most valuable asset in an increasingly AI-driven media landscape. 

What You'll Learn:

• How to leverage brand consolidation as a defensive strategy against AI answer engines 
• Why data-driven brand decisions outweigh aesthetic rebrands
• The "Local-to-National Platform" positioning  for capturing advertiser attention 
• How to embed proprietary AI tools (like Deeper Dive) as brand moats 
• The negotiating leverage principle for AI partnerships
• Why internal narrative alignment matters as much as external branding

About the Guests:

Lark-Marie Anton is Chief Communications and Brand Officer at USA TODAY Co., where she leads communications and brand strategy in support of the company’s mission to strengthen local communities. With more than two decades of experience in strategic communications and integrated marketing, she has held senior leadership roles at Hertz, Verizon, Loews Hotels, and Aura, and previously served in New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration. A recognized communications leader, she serves on multiple nonprofit and educational boards and was named one of Ragan’s Top Women in Communications. 

Kristin Roberts is President of USA TODAY Media, bringing more than 20 years of leadership experience across journalism, media, and business transformation. Before joining USA TODAY, she served as Chief Content Officer at McClatchy, where she led 30 newsrooms and helped develop a new business model for local media. She previously held leadership roles at POLITICO and Reuters, overseeing major political, business, and international coverage. Roberts holds degrees from Georgetown, Columbia, and George Washington University and is actively involved in community leadership in Miami. 

Guest Resources:

• Kirsten Roberts on LinkedIn
• Lark-Marie Anton on LinkedIn
• USA Today Website

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On this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Kim Einan sits down with Jim Cowsert to unpack how AI is transforming advertising without sacrificing creativity, trust, or brand identity. Jim explains how brands can use AI to strengthen insights, improve consistency, and personalize campaigns at scale while still preserving the emotional nuance that only humans can provide.

Together, they explore the dangers of “apathy in using AI,” why generic AI-driven work weakens differentiation, and how brands can build stronger creative briefs by feeding proprietary brand DNA into AI systems. The conversation also covers bias mitigation, human review loops, audience testing, and why skeptical, curious talent will define the future of AI-powered marketing. 

What You'll Learn:

• How to position AI as a creative amplifier, not a replacement
• Why "apathy in using AI" is the real enemy
• The pattern-breaking framework for differentiation
• How to audit and remediate AI bias proactively
• Why brand-specific guardrails are non-negotiable
• The three-to-five-year vision: balancing technology with human touch

About the Guests:

Kim Einan is a proven leader with 25 years of agency experience, known as a brave change agent who pursues opportunities with energy and rigor, and as a supportive coach who creates a safe and inclusive space for her team to grow. As Chief Strategy Officer at OMD, she is passionately dedicated to ensuring alignment between brand and media strategies across the entire marketing ecosystem and inspiring others to re-imagine what’s possible in order to unlock new sources of growth for clients.

Jim Cowsert is the VP of Enterprise Brand, Advertising, and Media at Voya Financial, bringing extensive expertise in creative strategy, AI integration, and brand differentiation within the highly regulated financial services sector. With a focus on leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance creativity while maintaining brand authenticity, Jim has pioneered approaches to AI-enabled production, brand-voice consistency, and risk mitigation within marketing workflows.

Guest Resources:

• Jim Cowsert on LinkedIn
• Voya Financial Website
• Kim Einan on LinkedIn
• OMD Website

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In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Madeline Nelson sits down with Wyclef Jean and Jaeson Ma for a live conversation from BrandWeek about the future of the creator economy. The discussion explores how OpenWav is helping artists break free from streaming algorithms and traditional gatekeepers by enabling direct ownership of fan relationships, data, and revenue. 

Wyclef and Jaeson explain why smaller, highly engaged communities are becoming more valuable than mass audiences, and how independent creators can build sustainable businesses through exclusive content, merchandise, and direct-to-fan experiences. The episode also examines what this shift means for brands seeking more authentic partnerships with creators and niche communities in 2026. 

What You'll Learn:

• How the "1,000 True Fans" model generates more revenue than streaming platforms 
• Why direct-to-fan commerce is the antidote to platform dependency 
• The framework for building authentic engagement beyond clicks
• How on-demand manufacturing and supply chain technology eliminate inventory barriers for independent creators
• Why bigger isn't better in 2026, smaller, intentional communities drive higher monetization
• How brands can partner with OpenWav for competitions, exclusive drops, and co-branded initiatives

About the Guests:

Wyclef Jean is a legendary music artist and engineer with decades of experience navigating the music industry from independent artist to Grammy-winning performer. Known for co-founding The Fugees and pioneering independent production methods, Wyclef brings an invaluable perspective on artist empowerment and creative ownership.

Jaeson Ma is the CEO at OpenWav and a tech investor and entrepreneur who founded ADA Rising, one of the fastest-growing independent digital music labels, and serves as a key architect behind OpenWav, a platform designed to empower artists through direct fan engagement and commerce. With expertise bridging technology, supply chain innovation, and creator economies, Jason has invested in transformative platforms, including early-stage investments in Musical.ly (which became TikTok).

Madeline Nelson is a music industry executive, entrepreneur, and advocate for independent artists with more than two decades of experience. She is the founder and CEO of Purple Cow Innovation, a women-led agency and consultancy focused on music, entertainment, and brand strategy. Previously, she served as U.S. Head of Independent Label Relations at Amazon Music, overseeing partnerships with hundreds of independent labels and distributors.

Guest Resources:

• Wyclef Jean on Instagram
• Wyclef Jean on LinkedIn
• Jaeson Ma on LinkedIn
• Madeline Nelson on LinkedIn
• OpenWav Website

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In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Zoe Ruderman, Chief Content Officer at ADWEEK, sits down with Brooklyn Peltz Beckham to unpack the unconventional strategy behind building Cloud 23 into a credible, long-term consumer brand. Rather than relying on celebrity hype, Brooklyn spent four years obsessing over product design, packaging, and quality to create a condiment brand built on authenticity and repeat purchase behavior. 

He explains why organic growth matters more than launch spikes, how selective partnerships with brands like Airbnb and Whole Foods strengthened credibility, and why saying no to misaligned opportunities protected long-term brand equity. The conversation also explores founder-led storytelling, experiential marketing, and the importance of designing brands with generational legacy and multi-category expansion in mind from day one. 

What You'll Learn:

• How to resist the vanity project trap by designing every detail yourself
• Why controlled growth beats explosive launches
• The partnership vetting framework that protects brand equity
• How to leverage founder credibility strategically through experiential partnerships 
• The repurchase metric as your north star for success
• Why multi-category expansion with intentional rollout builds dynasty-worthy brands

About the Guest:

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham is the founder and creative director of Cloud 23, a premium condiment brand launched after four years of meticulous product development. With a background in photography and design, Brooklyn brings a distinctly creative approach to brand building, overseeing every detail from bottle design to ingredient sourcing. 

Guest Resources:

• Brooklyn Peltz Beckham on Instagram
• Cloud 23 Website

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In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Ryan Joe sits down with Stacey Hartnett, SVP of Brand and Marketing at Chomps, for a conversation recorded live at Brandweek. They explore the strategic journey of how a "scrappy startup" moved from a purely direct-to-consumer performance marketing play into a powerhouse brand that competes with industry giants. Stacey details how Chomps successfully shifted the perception of meat sticks from "mystery meat" to a high-quality protein staple by obsessing over their community and finding an unexpected primary audience: Zillennial moms.

The discussion dives deep into the mechanics of scaling, including the evolution from functional messaging to emotional storytelling, the role of retail media networks like Amazon, and the brand's bold testing of high-impact cultural moments like Thursday Night Football. Packed with practical insights on research-led pivots and maintaining "social currency," this episode provides a blueprint for any brand looking to expand its reach without losing its core identity.

What You'll Learn:

• How to transition from ROI-focused performance media to long-term branding.
• The strategy behind identifying and leaning into a surprising 70% female audience.
• How to evolve messaging from functional product attributes to emotional connection.
• The role of "experiential" marketing in taking tasks off your consumer’s to-do list.
• Testing high-impact media like the NFL and Dancing with the Stars.
• How to build brand loyalty that withstands the threat of private label competitors.

About the Guests:

Stacey Hartnett is the SVP of Brand and Marketing at Chomps, where she has spent over six years helping scale the brand from a niche D2C player to a major retail presence. With a background starting on the media side, she has been instrumental in navigating Chomps' disciplined growth, overseeing its transition into emotional storytelling and high-impact brand awareness campaigns. Under her leadership, Chomps has cultivated a dedicated community known as the "Champions".

Ryan Joe is the Editor in Chief at ADWEEK and the host of the Adspeak podcast. In his role, he leads the editorial direction of the publication and facilitates high-level conversations focused on the mechanics of power and influence within the advertising and marketing industries. As a seasoned reporter and host, he specializes in reporter-led storytelling, providing listeners with practical "masterclasses" through interviews with the industry's most influential leaders.

Guest Resources:

• Stacey Hartnett LinkedIn
• Chomps Official Website
• Ryan Joe LinkedIn

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In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Jennifer Meehan joins 55+ creators Stewart Reynolds (Brittlestar) and Granny Guns for a sharp conversation on one of marketing’s biggest blind spots: older audiences. Despite controlling nearly half of global spending power, the 55+ demographic receives only a fraction of advertising investment. The discussion explores why older creators consistently outperform younger influencers in authenticity, trust, and cross-generational appeal. 

Stewart and Granny Guns explain how genuine creator-brand alignment drives stronger engagement and purchase intent, while Jennifer highlights the industry’s outdated assumptions around aging consumers. The episode also examines how poor representation of older adults in advertising erodes trust and limits brand relevance. From redefining “aging” as “longevity” to embracing intergenerational influence, the conversation offers marketers a practical roadmap for connecting with audiences that brands have underestimated for far too long. 

What You'll Learn:

• Why 55+ audiences control nearly 50% of global spending power but receive only 5-10% of marketing budget allocation
• How to leverage older creators for intergenerational influence
• The trust multiplier effect
• How to identify brand-creator alignment as the foundation of influencer marketing 
• Why representation in advertising directly impacts brand trust erosion
• The strategic repositioning framework

About the Guests:

Jennifer Meehan is an EVP of Brand Marketing at Edelman, specializing in demographic trends, consumer behavior, and inclusive marketing practices. With expertise in trust research and generational marketing, she has identified critical blind spots in how brands approach older audiences. 

Granny Guns is a fitness influencer and sponsored athlete, recognized as the most followed older female athlete in fitness and the oldest sponsored female athlete globally. With 4.5 million followers across platforms, she transformed her fitness journey, starting at age 58 into a powerful multi-generational movement that resonates with audiences from teens to retirees. 

Stewart Reynolds (Brittlestar) is a content creator and digital entertainer who has built a multi-generational audience of millions through humor, family-centric storytelling, and universal entertainment across platforms like Vine, TikTok, and Instagram. Launching his career at age 43, he pioneered the "pub joke" approach to content, humor accessible to grandparents, kids, and everyone in between, proving that age is no barrier to viral influence and cross-demographic reach.

Guest Resources: 

• Granny Guns on Instagram
• Stewart Reynolds on LinkedIn
• Jennifer Meehan on LinkedIn
• Edelman Website

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In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Jenny Rooney speaks with Jason White (Board Member at Caldera Arts), Lina Polimeni (SVP and CMO at Eli Lilly and Company), and Nita Danielle (Content Creator and Influencer) about how health brands can earn trust in a skeptical, consumer-driven world. The conversation explores why pharmaceutical marketing must move beyond clinical messaging toward authentic storytelling, cultural relevance, and human-centered brand building. 

The guests discuss how AI can support personalization and operational efficiency without sacrificing authenticity, and why brands should participate in unexpected cultural spaces like sports, fashion, and entertainment to make health conversations feel more natural. They also examine the growing role of creators in destigmatizing wellness topics through honest, relatable storytelling. Packed with insights on positioning, personalization, and purpose-driven branding, this episode offers a modern blueprint for building health brands that consumers genuinely connect with. 

What You'll Learn:

• How to position your health brand beyond category limitations
• Why AI should enhance authenticity, not replace it 
• The "Unexpected but Necessary" cultural placement strategy
• How to use creators and influencers to destigmatize health conversations
• The first-party data and personalization framework for pharma 
• How 21 years of brand consistency reveals sustainable competitive advantage

About the Guests:

Lina Polimeni is the SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Eli Lilly Consumer Division, bringing over 21 years of expertise in pharmaceutical marketing and brand transformation. With a background spanning from sales to digital marketing innovation, she has pioneered patient-centric strategies that reposition Lilly as a medicine company focused on human wellness rather than product transactions.

Jason White is a Board Member at Caldera Arts, and he specializes in transformative brand strategy and creative campaigns that spark cultural conversations. Jason has also served as the President at Wieden + Kennedy. With a career built on redefining consumer relationships, from his early work on Pepsi to acclaimed campaigns like "Thank You Mom" for P&G, he brings a consumer-centric lens to the pharmaceutical industry.

Nita Danielle is a full-time content creator and influencer focused on style, fashion, confidence, motherhood, and health and wellness storytelling. With a dedicated audience that values her authentic, non-linear approach to personal journeys, she brings creator credibility to healthcare brand partnerships.

Guest Resources: 

• Nita Danielle on Instagram
• Lina Polimeni on LinkedIn
• Eli Lilly and Company Website
• Jason White on LinkedIn
• Caldera Arts Website

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In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Jenny Rooney sits down with Josh Dean, Founder of Dean and Daughters, and former Global VP of Johnnie Walker at Diageo,  to unpack how Johnnie Walker has remained culturally relevant for more than two centuries while attracting a new generation of consumers. Josh explains how the iconic “Keep Walking” platform serves as a creative north star, enabling authentic collaborations across music, fashion, entertainment, and sports without diluting brand equity. 

From partnerships with Squid Game and Olivier Rousteing to campaigns featuring Sabrina Carpenter, the conversation explores culture-first marketing, selective brand partnerships, and how legacy brands can balance heritage with innovation to drive long-term growth and consumer connection. 

What You'll Learn:

• How to position heritage as momentum, not nostalgia
• The culture-first partnership framework
• Why the product should take a backseat in culture-driven campaigns
• How to turn cultural moments into commercial runways
• The role of internal alignment in executing ambitious collaborations
• How to turn down opportunities strategically

About the Guest:

Josh Dean is the Founder of Dean and Daughters and a former Global VP of Johnnie Walker at Diageo. He brings over a decade of brand-building expertise from his tenure at Unilever and subsequent roles at Tommy John and S'well. Known for his strategic approach to brand culture and creative innovation, Josh specializes in driving long-term sustainable growth through purposeful storytelling and authentic partnerships.

Guest Resources:

• Josh Dean on LinkedIn
• Dean and Daughters on LinkedIn

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In this solo episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Richelle Batuigas challenges one of marketing’s biggest assumptions: that likes, views, and impressions reflect real success. Drawing on her work as EVP at Viral Nation, she introduces the Cultural Relevance Score, a practical framework designed to measure what actually drives business outcomes.

Richelle breaks down how marketers can move beyond vanity metrics by tracking awareness, affinity, and velocity in a competitive context. She explains why legacy measures like earned media value fall short and how cultural alignment directly influences revenue and conversion.

The episode also explores how AI-powered insights and structured data systems can transform social strategy into a repeatable, performance-driven engine. With a clear, actionable playbook, Richelle shows how brands can diagnose what resonates, optimize in real time, and finally connect social media efforts to measurable ROI.

What You'll Learn:

• How to replace vanity metrics with the Culture Quotient Score
• Why impressions, views, and reach don't predict business impact
• The direct link between cultural relevance and revenue
• How to build a diagnostic data foundation using AI and historical content 
• The tactical playbook approach to social strategy, using real-time dashboards, daily tracking, and attribute analysis 
• How to integrate social measurement into advanced analytics

About the Host:

 Richelle Batuigas is the EVP of  Business Intelligence and Data Strategy at Viral Nation. She is recognized for her expertise in social media measurement and performance optimization. With a 12-year background in measuring complex marketing challenges, she has pioneered the Culture Quotient Score, a proprietary metric designed to move beyond vanity metrics and align social media performance with meaningful business outcomes.

Guest Resources: 

• Richelle Batuigas on LinkedIn
• Viral Nation Website 

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