Wharton Marketing Matters

How do restaurant brands create loyalty when every guest wants something different?

Joel Bulger, CMO of WowWorks, the parent company of Saladworks, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, Frutta Bowls, BarBurrito, The Simple Greek, and Zoup!, explains how the fast-casual restaurant group markets distinct brands while sharing technology, data, supply chains, and operational resources.

He discusses building stronger customer relationships through customizable menus, nutrition filters, digital ordering, and loyalty programs. Bulger also explores using AI to analyze menu performance and personalize offers, co-branding concepts to reach more occasions, and ambassador programs that turn local customers into...

Baby technology is changing how parents monitor sleep, health, and well-being. But how can brands provide meaningful information without creating more anxiety?

Krista Weaver, Vice President and Head of Marketing at Owlet Baby Care, joins Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed to discuss marketing in the fast-growing baby tech category. They explore how Owlet combines FDA-cleared wearable monitoring with parent-first product design, actionable sleep insights, and ongoing customer feedback.

The conversation also examines the power of parent communities and word of mouth, social listening as a driver of product innovation, responsible uses of AI...

How did AG1 turn podcast advertising into a powerful engine for trust and growth?

Paulie Dery, Chief Marketing Officer at AG1, explains why the company invested early in podcast advertising and built long-term relationships with hosts who genuinely use the product. He discusses how AG1 measures both brand impact and conversions, why authenticity is essential to host-read advertising, and how the company protects its premium positioning.

Dery also shares the strategy behind the transition from Athletic Greens to AG1, lessons from his time at YETI, AG1’s expansion into Costco and Target, and ho...

How do you market healthcare in a way that builds trust?

Kate Metzinger, Vice President of Marketing and Physician Outreach at Piedmont Healthcare, discusses her transition from consumer packaged goods to healthcare, why authentic storytelling is more effective than statistics, how marketing can drive growth in a mission-driven organization, and how AI is helping improve both the patient and provider experience.

She also shares lessons on measuring marketing effectiveness, leading organizational change, and applying timeless marketing principles in one of the most trust-driven industries. 

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Most brands compete against other brands. Liquid Death competes against entertainment.

Greg Fass, Vice President of Marketing at Liquid Death, joins Barbara Kahn and Americus Reed to explain how the company builds campaigns designed to “win the internet.” From hiring comedians and creators instead of traditional marketers to developing ideas in a writer’s room environment, Greg shares the unconventional approach behind one of the most talked-about brands in marketing.

They discuss why most people distrust marketing, how humor drives sharing, what brands can learn from entertainment, and the creative process behind some of Liq...

Can a simple idea create an entirely new product category?

Mike Kurtz, Founder of Mike’s Hot Honey, shares the story behind transforming a homemade honey and chili pepper infusion into one of the most recognizable brands in the condiment aisle. Inspired by a memorable pizza experience in Brazil, Kurtz spent years refining his recipe before introducing the product through New York City’s pizza community. He discusses the power of word-of-mouth marketing, building an authentic brand, fostering customer advocacy, and scaling a business while staying connected to its roots. The conversation explores category creation, strategic part...

Rosalie Kennedy, Senior Director of Marketing at Athletic Brewing, discusses how the company helped transform non alcoholic beer from a niche category into a mainstream lifestyle brand. Rosalie shares how Athletic Brewing built cultural relevance around wellness, taste, and social connection, why authenticity matters in a crowded beverage market, and how changing consumer behavior is reshaping the future of beer. The conversation also explores category growth, brand positioning, distribution strategy, and how Athletic Brewing is thinking about younger consumers and evolving drinking habits. 

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Chad Stubbs, Chief Marketing Officer of Ferrero North America, joins Barbara and Americus to discuss how large-scale campaigns, cultural relevance, and innovative marketing strategies—from Super Bowl ads to viral brand moments—are used to build iconic brands and drive consumer engagement.

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Joshua Spanier, Vice President of AI and Marketing Strategy at Google, joins Barbara & Americus to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming marketing from efficiency-driven automation to creative empowerment, redefining customer value, and enabling more personalized, “quest”-based consumer experiences.

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Rosa Rita, Global Chief Marketing Officer at JP Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, explains how data-driven insights and AI-powered personalization are transforming marketing from a reactive function into a proactive, client-centric driver of engagement in asset and wealth management.

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Dan Cataldi, Founder of Groov, joins Barbara and Americus to explain how the company uses iPhone-based 3D scanning to create custom inserts, why proprietary data and speed matter for defensibility, and how brand identity and packaging help build long-term advantage.

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Marcelo Kertesz, Chief Marketing Officer of Manscaped, explains how the brand leveraged humor, premium design, omnichannel distribution, and a breakout Super Bowl campaign to challenge legacy competitors and redefine modern masculinity in the global grooming market.

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Beverly Jackson, Vice President of Brand and Product Marketing at Zillow, joins Barbara & Americus to explain how the company’s two-sided marketplace, consumer-first philosophy, and campaigns like “Someday Starts Today” leverage data, AI-driven tools, and brand storytelling to reduce uncertainty, build trust, and modernize the home buying and renting experience.

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Kristine Segrist, Global Head of Consumer and Product Marketing at Canva, joins Barbara and Americus to explain how the company empowers millions to bring ideas to life through accessible design tools, human-centered AI, and a mission-driven approach to creativity at scale.

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Jeanine Poggi, Editor-in-Chief of Advertising Age, joins Barbara & Americus to discuss the evolution of high-stakes advertising, exploring the rise of AI-generated creative and the surprising emergence of healthcare and pharmaceutical brands during the year’s biggest televised event.

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Stacey Andrade-Wells, Chief Marketing Officer of Liquid I.V., shares how her background at Procter & Gamble and Unilever shaped a data-driven, purpose-led approach to building a culturally relevant hydration brand and executing its first Super Bowl advertising moment.

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Chris O’Neill, CEO of GrowthLoop, joins Barbara and Americus to explore how compound marketing, agentic AI, and data-driven experimentation are redefining marketing workflows and customer experiences, using his insights from decades of leadership across technology, data, and brand-driven growth.

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Jorge Samayoa, Chief Marketing Officer of HelloFresh, joins Barbara & Americus to explain how the brand uses consumer data, personalization, and a focus on real, home-cooked food to drive growth, reduce friction, and meet evolving health and lifestyle needs.

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Highlights of interviews with Hannah Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Resy, an American Express company, and Merill Hollander, founder of the contemporary fine jewelry brand Fiametta, as they discuss leveraging technology, curated experiences, and sustainability to connect with modern consumers and transform traditionally insular industries.

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Highlights from interviews with Ryan Heuser, Senior Vice President of Experiential at Liquid Death, on the brand’s origins, Eagles partnership, and experiential strategy, alongside insights from David Picioski, Head of Global Brand Partnerships and Collaborations at Wilson Sporting Goods Co., covering Wilson’s NBA partnership, player relationships, Caitlin Clark ambassadorship, and technology-driven product innovation.

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Highlights of interviews with Toby Espinosa, Vice President of Ads at DoorDash, discussing scaling a startup into a global marketplace and the future of retail media innovation, and Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5 Oil Change and former CMO of Pearle Vision, exploring emotional branding through authenticity and creativity.

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Emma Barker Bonomo, Editorial Director at Time, joins Barbara & Americus to discuss how the magazine curates its annual Best Inventions list, highlighting the criteria, trends, and global significance behind the most impactful innovations of the year.

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This “Best of 2025” episode highlights insights from Shannon Shae Montoya, Global Head of B2B Marketing, Sponsorships, and Events at Yahoo; Toby Espinosa, Vice President of Ads at DoorDash; Adam Kornblum, Chief Creative Officer at L’Oréal; and Merill Hollander, founder of Fiametta, as they discuss how data-driven creativity, storytelling, and bold experimentation are shaping the future of marketing, retail media, beauty, and fine jewelry.

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Highlights from Barbara & Americus' conversations with Connor Blakley, founder of Youth Logic, about effective Gen Z engagement, and Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer and author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, who discussed practical frameworks for reducing anxiety and communicating with clarity and confidence.

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Annie Barrett, Vice President of Marketing for Adidas Originals, Basketball and Partnerships, and Sean Bruich, Senior Vice President of AI, Engineering and Data Science at Amgen, share insights on how iconic brand storytelling and rapidly evolving AI capabilities intersect to drive authenticity, collaboration, and transformative innovation across industries.

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Peter Adams, Senior Writer at Marketing Dive, joins Barbara Kahn to explore how economic bifurcation, evolving loyalty drivers, and rapid advances in AI are forcing marketers to rethink strategies, adapt to cultural moments, and navigate an increasingly complex industry landscape.

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Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5 Oil Change and former CMO of Pearle Vision, joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed, II to discuss emotional branding through authenticity and creativity, while Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer, author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, and host of Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast, explains how to overcome anxiety, structure ideas, and communicate clearly under pressure.

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L’Oréal’s Chief Creative Officer, Adam Kornblum, joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed, II to share how storytelling and experimentation fuel innovation across top beauty brands. Merill Hollander, founder of the contemporary fine jewelry brand Fiametta, tells Barbara and Americus how her company is redefining fine jewelry with lab-grown diamonds and a bold, self-expressive approach.

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Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spencer Spirit Holdings and head of Spirit Halloween, joins hosts Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed, II to discuss the business of seasonal retail—from scaling over 1,500 pop-up stores across North America to using AI, social media, and immersive experiences to sustain year-round engagement—and how the brand is now extending its magic into the Christmas market.

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Sean Bruich, Senior Vice President of AI, Engineering and Data Science at Amgen, joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed, II to discuss how AI’s rapid evolution is transforming industries—not by replacing humans, but by creating new opportunities that blend human expertise with advanced technology to drive innovation and efficiency.

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Shannon Shae Montoya, Global Head of B2B Marketing, Sponsorships, and Events at Yahoo, joins Barbara Kahn to discuss how Yahoo uses data, creativity, and nostalgia to craft immersive campaigns that connect with new generations. Plus, Toby Espinosa, Vice President of Ads at DoorDash, talks with Dr. Americus Reed, II about scaling the company from startup to global marketplace and the future of retail media innovation.

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Adam Kornblum, Chief Creative Officer for U.S. Brands at L’Oréal, joins Barbara Kahn & Dr. Americus Reed, II to share how he drives disruptive creativity across 17 brands, from the viral CeraVe Super Bowl campaign to the global youth innovation competition Brandstorm, illustrating how storytelling, experimentation, and an entrepreneurial mindset fuel innovation at L’Oréal.

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Annie Barrett, Vice President of Marketing for Adidas Originals, Basketball and Partnerships, joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed, II to share how the brand’s Superstar campaign celebrates the shoe’s evolution from sport innovation to cultural icon, while highlighting Adidas’ focus on authenticity, collaboration, and global brand storytelling.

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Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer, author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, and Host of Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast, joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed to explain how professionals can overcome anxiety, build communication frameworks, and handle spontaneous conversations with clarity and confidence.

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Shannon Shae Montoya, Global Head of B2B Marketing, Sponsorships, and Events at Yahoo, joins Barbara Kahn to explore how Yahoo leverages data, creativity, and nostalgia to craft experiential marketing campaigns that leave lasting impressions—revitalizing the brand for new generations and reinforcing its relevance across digital and physical spaces.

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Highlights of interviews with Ryan Heuser, SVP of Experiential at Liquid Death, discussing the company’s origins, its brand partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles, its approach to experiential marketing, and how its strategy sets it apart from other brands in the category, as well as with Jordan Yob, Senior Brand Marketing Manager at Saucony, on the brand’s heritage, the importance of staying consumer-focused, and the “Marathumb Challenge.”

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Daphne Howland, Senior Reporter at Retail Dive, joins Barbara and Americus to discuss the risks and rewards of legacy brand reinvention, from Cracker Barrel’s controversial logo change to Gap’s viral cultural campaigns and Victoria’s Secret’s ongoing identity reset, offering insights into how companies can balance tradition, modern trends, and consumer expectations.

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Toby Espinosa, Vice President of Ads at DoorDash, joins Dr. Americus Reed to discuss his journey from the company’s early days to its rapid growth into a global marketplace, offering lessons on sales, scaling complex ecosystems, and the future of retail media innovation.

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Highlights of Wharton Marketing Matters episodes featuring Connor Blakley, founder of Youth Logic, discussing the origins of his company, how to effectively reach Gen Z, and the missteps brands often make with this generation, and David Picioski, Head of Global Brand Partnerships and Collaborations at Wilson Sporting Goods Co., who shares insights on Wilson’s partnership with the NBA, relationships with players, the brand’s ambassadorship with Caitlin Clark, and the role of technology in product innovation.

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Hannah Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Resy, an American Express company, joins Barbara Kahn to share how her team leverages technology, partnerships, and curated experiences to connect diners with top restaurants, support hospitality businesses, and enhance customer engagement in an evolving dining landscape.

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