Ad Age Marketer's Brief

The Association of National Advertisers recently launched a probe of programmatic media buying, and unlike such efforts in the past, has hired an investigative firm to follow the money. Even so, ANA CEO Bob Liodice says the goal isn’t to find wrongdoing or get the Justice Department involved. He also talks about signs of hope for industry social media regulation and better marketer-agency relations.

The head of marketing at the high-performance brand talks about athlete partnerships, a recent rebrand and the Super Bowl.

Testimonials from ‘regulars’ and a love song from a superstar superfan, is bringing the casual restaurant chain back from the pandemic blues.

Rafik Lawendy shares plans for the newly acquired Planters brand.

Brian Povinelli, senior VP at the hotel chain, talks about Marriott’s first NFT collection, how people are traveling, and what the omicron variant means for hospitality.

Danielle Brown discusses a new campaign for Pepperidge Farm's Milano brand.

Ad Age reporters break down our annual Marketers of the Year list, a ranking of 10 companies with business results driven by breakthrough advertising and smart strategic thinking. We dig into why each company made the list, which includes a few surprises.

The secrets of maintaining a healthy relationship in the C-suite from the top marketer at Pernod Ricard, Pam Forbus, and the woman who hired her, CEO Ann Mukherjee, who is a former CMO.

Albertsons’ Kristi Argyilan talks about the evolution of shopper marketing and shifting consumer behavior amid product price increases.

EBay's head of fashion Charis Marquez talks about consumer behavior amid supply chain issues and what the online marketplace has in store for holiday

Marketing exec Erika White discusses Affirm's new holiday campaign, consumer adoption, and where the brand might show up in 2022.

The newest Roomba robot vacuum cleaner is so smart it can learn how to navigate floors, remember specific rooms and even detect and avoid pet waste. Kiran Smith, CMO of parent company iRobot, joins the pod to detail how the brand is going to market, including with a new campaign that gives the revolutionary vacuum a personality.

New CMO Dhanusha Sivajee talks about expanded offerings and digitizing Angi’s customer experience

Samantha Maltin, executive VP and chief marketing officer of Sesame Workshop, discusses how the nonprofit covers topics including racial justice on “Sesame Street,” and shares details on its new collaboration with Stephen Curry’s Curry Brand.

Flavors are making their way onto new dishes such as Mapo beans rather than tofu, or pecorino cheese and pepper topping potatoes, not just Cacio e pepe pasta. Claire Conaghan, associate director at Datassential, joins Marketer’s Brief to discuss food trends including fall favorite pumpkin spice and how Thanksgiving recipes might evolve this year.

CMO Marissa Jarratt talks about new marketing partners such as Philly band Froggy, changing consumer behavior and the possibility of a pumpkin spice latte-flavored Slurpee.

Vinay Shahani, VP marketing at Lexus, talks about luxury car marketing trends and how the brand is trying to appeal to younger buyers, including with a new campaign that looks more like a music video than a traditional ad. He also shares how and why Lexus started using TikTok earlier this year.

Army Enterprise Marketing CMO Major General Alex Fink shares how a sophisticated data practice and next-gen talent are fueling successful recruitment strategies at the largest and oldest branch of the U.S. Military.

Co-founder Jacq Tatelman talks about how the brand doubled its sales this back-to-school season and other expansion efforts, including a collab with Target.

Marissa Freeman, the chief marketing officer of Union Square Hospitality Group, discusses ways the industry can use data to improve experiences for diners, how the company’s restaurants are marketing safety messages, and other plans including new restaurant openings.