Great Minds

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio. Joining us is Laurel Burton, CEO of Instrument, a design and technology company whose work includes Nike, Oura, Google, and Nordstrom. Laurel shares why she pushes back on the language of AI efficiency, how Instrument builds technology into its work from day one, and what delivering Nordstrom’s brand tools directly into its team’s hands looked like. We also discuss creative judgment, the responsibility of leading an agency through change, and why she believes the future still depends on people making things together.

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio. Joining us is Emeka Okafor Jr., Senior Product Director at Dropbox, who leads product for its applied AI division. Emeka shares how his work across research, consulting, Instagram, and Instacart shaped his approach to building products, and how Dropbox is expanding beyond storing files to help customers work with them. We discuss learning from existing user behavior, keeping people in control when AI takes action, and making sure a company’s brand story reflects what its product can deliver.

Joining us is Abhay Singhal, co-founder and CEO of InMobi Advertising. Abhay explains what he means by agentic advertising and where early experiments with conversational ads are taking the industry. We discuss the data and infrastructure brands need to prepare, how to set limits on autonomous decisions, and why investment should follow demonstrated results. He also shares why marketers may be expecting too much in the short term while underestimating the longer-term change.

Joining us is Leah Malone, Chief Revenue Officer at Pixability, a YouTube advertising intelligence company. Leah shares how brands can find relevant creators beyond subscriber counts, approach YouTube viewing on television screens, and distinguish content improved by AI tools from low-value videos generated entirely by AI. We also discuss which campaign decisions need human judgment and what her experience at The Onion and Foursquare taught her about recognizing a lasting industry shift.

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio. Joining us is Madeline Schofield, VP, Experience Strategy and Executive Marketing at Salesforce, fresh from Dreamforce. Madeline shares how her team designs different experiences for developers and senior executives, assesses success through both data and conversations with sales leaders, and carries the event’s story into the months that follow. We also discuss why curiosity matters when building marketing teams and how AI can free up time for deeper creative and strategic thinking.

Welcome to Great Minds, recorded live at Advertising Week New York 2026 in the Salesforce Podcast Studio. Joining us is Will Cohen, CEO and co-founder of Downtime, whose background in retail media led him to build a business around customer participation. Will shares how the company works with retailer loyalty programs, the challenge of distinguishing meaningful feedback from behavior driven by incentives, and his thoughts on using AI to personalize advertising while preserving a human connection.

Today, we're joined by Pauline, CEO of Gradient Experience, an experiential agency working across luxury, spirits, beauty, and technology. We talk about how experiences have moved closer to the center of the marketing mix, what brands should expect from them, and how to measure their value. Pauline also shares examples of how a strong experience can become a larger brand program, with a focus on making sure the creative work delivers on the business goals behind it.

In this final episode of Great Minds, Otis Williams, the founder and last surviving member of The Temptations, takes us on a journey through the legendary group’s history. From his early days in Texarkana to the vibrant music scene of Detroit, Otis shares how the group evolved from the Distants to Motown superstars. He reflects on pivotal moments, including the addition of David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, their breakthrough with “My Girl,” and the challenges of navigating fame, racial discrimination, and industry changes. With personal anecdotes, insights into their global impact, and reflections on the group’s enduring legacy, this episode is a must-listen for music lovers and Motown enthusiasts alike.

On this first episode of two, Great Minds is pleased to be joined by Shelly Berger, manager of legendary American vocal group The Temptations. Shelly discusses the early days of the group, their Detroit origins, their place in popular culture, and what made (and continues to make) their music so special.

Don’t miss this part one of two! It’s a must-listen!

On this very special episode of Great Minds, we’re pleased to welcome the legendary Smokey Robinson to the show. Smokey walks us through his incredible career in this must-listen episode.