Campaign Chemistry

By Campaign USBusiness News

Campaign Chemistry episodes

June 22 Campaign Cannes Global Podcast, Ep. 1: ‘Take time to absorb the work and the conversations’
The Campaign team looks forward to Cannes Lions in this preview episode about the festival, which runs from 22 to 26 June.
Editors from our sites around the world give their tips for the festival and discuss everything that’s going on at Campaign House, our dedicated venue at Cannes. Plus they talk about how the Lions award entry rules have changed this year, the work from their region that they would like to see win and the mood in the ad industry.
Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief of Campaign, hosts the podcast, alongside Maisie McCabe, editor of Campaign UK, Nikita Mishra, editor of Campaign Asia, Jameson Fleming, editorial director of Campaign US, Vinita Bhatia, editor of Campaign India, and Chris Powell, co-editor of Campaign Canada.
This is the first of three Cannes global podcast episodes. The second episode will be recorded at Campaign House and published during the festival and the final episode will look back on Cannes and be released the following week.
See the full agenda for Campaign House here.

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29 min
June 18 Campaign Chemistry: Chili's Grill and Bar's Jesse Johnson
In this conversation, Jesse Johnson, VP of marketing at Chili's Grill and Bar, discusses the brand's innovative marketing strategies, operational excellence and successful campaigns that have contributed to its turnaround. He highlights the importance of understanding consumer insights, the synergy between marketing and operations and the role of celebrity partnerships in enhancing brand authenticity. Johnson also shares insights into future campaigns and the brand's ongoing momentum in the competitive restaurant industry. Get ready to dig in.

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32 min
June 11 Campaign Chemistry: Land O’Lakes’ Heather Malenshek
When most people think of Land O’Lakes, they think of the butter in their fridge. But the reality is a $17 billion agribusiness powerhouse that feeds 100 million animals a day and touches every single point of the food value chain.
In this episode, Heather Malenshek, SVP and CMO of Land O’Lakes, sits down to look beyond the dairy aisle. She dives deep into the company’s unique cooperative model, the delicate balance of marketing across both B2B and B2C landscapes and why legacy brands hold a unique kind of cultural power.
Malenshek also breaks down the Modern Rural Collective and Repicturing Rural initiative — a partnership with Getty Images born out of the stunning stat that two-thirds of rural Americans feel entirely misunderstood by mainstream advertisers. From busting myths about rural entrepreneurship to changing how the media portrays modern agriculture, Malenshek shares how Land O'Lakes is rewriting the narrative of America’s heartland.

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40 min
June 05 Campaign Chemistry: Day One Agency's Josh Rosenberg
Day One Agency’s efforts to capture Gen Z’s attention with Adam Levine-inspired Chipotle campaigns and Webby-winning Converse launches have paid off: the midsize agency reported a 7.4% revenue increase for 2025. For CEO Josh Rosenberg, the key isn’t about chasing every fleeting TikTok trend, it’s about radical listening.
In this episode, Josh sits down to discuss the delicate balance of keeping legacy brands like L.L. Bean modern without losing their core identity, and how they turned a viral internet meme into a massive, community-driven campaign for Chipotle. He breaks down why true authenticity is a brand's ultimate defense in the age of AI, how Day One’s new editorial work helps clients navigate an increasingly complex cultural landscape and what the agency’s signature "Day One Orange" says about their approach to fresh storytelling.

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20 min
May 29 Campaign Chemistry: Mekanism co-founders Jason Harris, Tommy Means, and director Tony Benna
When Andre Ricciardi was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer, he didn’t want a somber eulogy or a tragic retrospective. He wanted to be called an "idiot" for not going with his friend, Lee, to get a potentially lifesaving colonoscopy a year earlier.

In this episode, we sit down with Mekanism co-founders — CEO Jason Harris and Chief Creative Officer Tommy Means, and Andre is an Idiot director Tony Benna, who also worked alongside Andre at the creative agency, to discuss the documentary and the "Colonoscopy Reminder" campaign they launched to support the film and raise awareness of the illness, The film is a masterclass in "humor in adversity," born from Andre’s own desire to use his final days to shout a message from the rooftops: get your colonoscopy.

We explore the emotional tightrope of filming a friend’s final act, the cultural impact the project had on their agency, and the incredible reception at Sundance. From the absurdity of the title to the life-saving advocacy work now being done in Andre's name, this conversation proves that while death might be a taboo subject, laughter is often the best way to start the conversation. It’s a story of legacy, the power of creative storytelling, and the profound community bonds that form when we face our darkest moments with a smile.

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36 min
May 21 Campaign Chemistry: Laurie Lam, E.l.f. Beauty
In this conversation, E.l.f. Beauty’s Chief Brand Officer, Laurie Lam, gives us a glimpse into the foundation behind the foundation-maker, taking us through some of the innovative marketing strategies and campaigns that have defined the disruptive beauty brand's success and fueled its growth to a nearly $2 billion a year business.
Lam shares insights into the company’s unconventional history, its commitment to listening to consumer feedback, and how it taps into strategic partnerships and collaborations with notable figures onscreen, online and in real life to enhance its mission and brand relevance. We also discuss the role community engagement, social responsibility, and diversity plays in E.l.f.'s creative and advocacy work, and Lam shares advice for aspiring beauty professionals navigating the evolving landscape of the beauty industry.
In a climate where many brands are just saving face with performative initiatives, E.l.f. continues to put its best one on while unapologetically tackling important issues that are not so e.l.fing pretty.

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37 min
May 14 Campaign Chemistry: Marie Stafford and Emma Chiu, VML Intelligence
In a world that feels increasingly messy and contradictory, how do brands find a clear path forward? This week, we sit down with Marie Stafford and Emma Chiu, global directors at VML Intelligence, to explore the findings of their annual Future 100 report.
The conversation dives deep into the cultural phenomenon of "dysoptimism," a state where consumers are bracing for a dystopian future while simultaneously craving practical reasons to stay hopeful. From the cyclical nature of fashion trends to the rise of "blunt communication," we discuss why brand honesty is the ultimate currency in a post-truth era. We also look at the role of AI in storytelling, emphasizing that while technology is a powerful tool, true creativity remains a fundamentally human endeavor. It’s an essential look at how brands can navigate the complex, contradictory, and deeply human landscape of tomorrow.

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34 min
May 11 Closing the loop in CTV with PayPal Ads, a podcast presented by PayPal Ads
In this episode, we explore how PayPal Ads is transforming CTV from a black box into a revenue-driving channel by tying ad exposure directly to verified purchases. With its new Curated Ads offering and PayPal Ads ID solution, PayPal introduces financial-grade data and deterministic identity, giving marketers and CFOs something they have long lacked: clear, cross-platform proof of real business impact.

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25 min
May 06 Campaign Chemistry Rewind: Revisiting our conversation with NBCU's Karen Kovacs
On this weeks edition of Campaign Chemistry Rewind, we revisit an episode featuring NBCU's Karen Kovacs, which originally aired in April 2025.

With the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics on the horizon, NBCUniversal is preparing for one of its biggest upfront seasons yet. In this episode, Luz Corona sits down with Karen Kovacs to unpack NBCU’s multi-platform strategy — from the cultural dominance of Bravo to the growing importance of Telemundo in reaching Hispanic audiences. They also discuss lessons from past campaigns, how news continues to anchor audience trust and why emerging sports talent may be the future of brand storytelling.

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32 min
April 30Campaign Chemistry: Hyatt’s Ana Tomicevic
In an era when we are more connected yet more distracted than ever, the greatest luxury isn’t just a five-star suite — it’s quality time.
This week on Campaign Chemistry, we sit down with Anna Tomicevic, VP of global brands for Hyatt’s Inclusive Collection. With a career spanning from Marriott to overseeing 11 distinct brands at Hyatt, Tomicevic has a front-row seat to the shifting tides of the travel industry.
From the rise of “zero-proof” cocktails for Gen Z to the integration of AI in trip planning, Tomicevic shares how Hyatt is moving beyond “table stakes” hospitality to curate experiences that actually matter — whether that’s sound healing, swimming with turtles or leaning into the conversation card trend to facilitate conversation. We also dig into the brand’s Time Here Is Worth More campaign, inspired by Hyatt’s Time Rich Report, which revealed a staggering 82% of travelers are craving more quality time.
The sound bite
"We are in the industry of happiness."
The key takeaways
AI is transforming the discovery phase across travel. Consumers are increasingly turning to generative AI such as ChatGPT for travel inspiration and initial research. Marketers must monitor how their brands show up in these AI-driven search engines and reshape their top-of-funnel discovery strategies accordingly.

Anchor complex portfolios with a master brand. Managing 11 different brands within a single portfolio can dilute messaging. Hyatt used its loyalty program, World of Hyatt, as a powerful master umbrella to connect these diverse offerings and present a clear, unified value proposition to the consumer.

Do the research. Hyatt didn’t guess what its consumers wanted; the brand partnered with Wakefield Research to uncover hard data points (i.e., 82% of people crave more quality time and they spend over 17 hours a week mindlessly scrolling on screens) and it directly fueled its Time Rich campaign.

A great marketing campaign shouldn’t just be an advertisement. It should actively reshape the product experience. Hyatt used the Time Rich campaign as a platform to physically alter on-property guest experiences, focusing on real-world presence and connection.

Audit and amplify what you already do well. Sometimes you don’t need to invent a new product; you just need to market the existing ones better. Through an internal audit, Hyatt discovered incredible, on-brand experiences already happening at their properties — like swimming with turtles or sound therapy under a sacred tree — that it simply wasn’t talking about enough.

Use strategic partnerships to enhance the brand mission. To execute its goal of fostering human connection, Hyatt is developing specific partnership pillars. For example, the hospitality brand is partnering with a brand to introduce “connection cards” with conversational prompts at their resorts, actively giving guests a tool to put their phones down and connect.

Adapt to generational behavioral shifts. While all-inclusive resorts are famous for free alcohol, younger generations are shifting toward lower alcohol consumption. Forward-thinking marketers track these demographic shifts and adapt their offerings, which is why Hyatt is actively expanding its “zero-proof” beverage space to meet this new consumer demand.

Meet the consumer where they are. Recognizing that modern travelers rely heavily on community forums, Hyatt began testing native ad placements on Reddit to insert itself authentically into the travel discovery conversation.

With 70% of U.S. households streaming their content, CTV is a vital channel for lifestyle and travel brands. Hyatt leaned heavily into CTV for its recent campaign and saw massive engagement, hitting a 99% video completion rate.

Standard search bars can be limiting and frustrating. By upgrading its website with an AI-powered search function, Hyatt allowed users to search by specific desires — such as “lazy river” or “golf course” — reducing friction in the booking process and catering to highly specific traveler intent.

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40 min

About Campaign Chemistry

From the publisher's feed

On Campaign Chemistry, a podcast from Campaign US, we pick the brains of creative alchemists, business wizards and marketing geniuses behind the world’s greatest brands.