Adspeak

What makes a brand stand out in a crowded digital landscape, capture attention, and create campaigns that genuinely resonate? It starts with understanding culture, not chasing virality.

In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Lauren Probyn Aouad, VP of Entertainment & Culture Marketing at UTA, sits down with Anthony Po, creator, performance artist, and co-founder of Pufferfish. Recorded live at Brand Week, the conversation explores how creators are redefining brand marketing, why authenticity matters more than strategy alone, and what it takes to turn cultural moments into meaningful audience connections.

The discussion examines why copying viral campaigns rarely works, how brands can recognize the “ick factor” that makes audiences disengage, and why marketers must earn attention before delivering their message. Anthony also shares insights on the growing business opportunities for creators, the importance of involving culturally immersed talent, and how testing content with engaged communities can help refine campaigns before launch.

For marketers looking to connect with digital-native audiences, the conversation offers a valuable reminder: genuine cultural understanding and creativity can accomplish far more than simply chasing the next viral moment.

What You Will Learn:
Why copying a viral campaign's format (not its feeling) guarantees audience rejection and algorithmic punishment
How to identify the "ick factor" that signals to digitally native audiences you're exploiting culture rather than participating in it
The "earn the view first" principle with creating genuine attention
Why hiring people who are actually immersed in culture is non-negotiable for authentic digital content
How to decide whether a campaign should optimize for direct conversion versus long-term brand equity
The value of pre-launching content to small, engaged fan communities for real-time feedback before a public release

About the Guest:
Anthony Po is the co-founder of Pufferfish, a media company specializing in creator-led brand activations and cultural storytelling. With a decade-long background as a content creator across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, including a tenure leading short-form creative at MrBeast, Anthony has mastered the art of building authentic connections with digitally native audiences through innovative, culture-first campaigns.

Host and Guest Resources:
Anthony Po on LinkedIn
Anthony Po Website
Pufferfish Website
ADWEEK Website
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What makes a fashion brand feel authentic, build lasting loyalty, and create campaigns that genuinely move culture? It starts with understanding people, not chasing trends.
In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Lauren Finney Harden brings together three Global Fashion Marketing Leaders: Anne Cambria of Sephora, Elizabeth Money of BÉIS, and Fabiola Torres of Gap. Recorded live at Brand Week, the conversation explores how democratized style, emotional storytelling, and data-informed creativity are reshaping the way brands connect with consumers.

The discussion examines why brands must give communities a voice in shaping trends, how authentic relationships can turn campaigns into cultural moments, and why human stories often resonate more deeply than polished brand messaging. The guests also share how marketers can balance creative instinct with data, build meaningful customer connections in an AI-driven world, and use real-world experiences to strengthen brand loyalty.

For brands working with limited budgets, the conversation offers a valuable reminder: understanding your audience, delivering quality products, and staying true to your identity can be more powerful than chasing the next viral moment.

What You Will Learn:
Why democratization of style means brands must let communities vote on trends, not dictate them
How to engineer virality through emotional storytelling
The "Data as Guardrails" Framework for blending gut instinct with analytics
How to humanize a brand by putting employees, founders, and real customer stories front and center
Why analog and in-person experiences still build stronger loyalty
How small and challenger brands can compete without big budgets

About the Host and Guest:
Fabiola Torres is the Global CMO at Gap and is known for her expertise in building emotional brand connections through creative campaigns. With a background in bridging generational gaps through music, fashion, and style, she has spearheaded viral campaigns like the Cat's Eye collaboration that drove unprecedented engagement and business growth.

Elizabeth Money is the SVP of Brand & Creative at BEIS, bringing over 20 years of experience in the travel and fashion industries. Known for her human-centered approach to brand building, she has transformed BEIS from a DTC startup into a community-driven lifestyle brand by prioritizing authentic consumer connections over data-driven metrics. She also offers practical advice for challenger brands seeking to build genuine loyalty and market presence.

Anne Cambria is SVP of Brand, Retail, and Creative Marketing at Sephora, and she specializes in empowering self-expression through beauty and retail innovation. With a focus on inclusivity and community amplification, she has helped establish Sephora as a diverse beauty authority by centering client voices and experiences.

Lauren Finney Harden is the moderator and a veteran marketing journalist, bringing editorial expertise to discussions on brand strategy and cultural trends. Her perspective bridges the traditional publishing world with modern marketing practices, offering a unique lens on how brands now function as editors themselves in shaping consumer culture and style.

Host and Guest Resources:
Anne Cambria on LinkedIn
Sephora Website
Elizabeth Money on LinkedIn
BÉIS Website
Fabiola Torres on LinkedIn
GAP Website
Lauren Finney Harden on LinkedIn
ADWEEK Website
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What if reaching more people matters more than creating better ads? In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Angela Voss, CEO at Marketing Architects, and Dale Harrison, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at The Insight Collective, challenge conventional marketing wisdom and explore why broad, consistent reach is essential to driving market share growth.

Recorded live at BrandWeek, the conversation examines why hyper-targeting can cause marketers to overlook future customers, how brands can build recall before buyers enter the market, and why overcoming the constant force of forgetting requires sustained audience reach. Angela and Dale also explore how marketers can balance scale with cost efficiency across linear television and connected TV (CTV), using audience-first media buying and AI to reduce unnecessary costs. They discuss why no single measurement model can fully capture television's impact and how combining marketing mix modeling, attribution, and geographic holdout tests can provide a more complete picture of performance.

From smarter media allocation to long-term brand building, this episode offers practical insights into reaching more potential buyers, strengthening brand memory, and creating the conditions for sustainable growth.

What You Will Learn:
Why 2x better creative can't beat 100x greater reach
The "Surface Area of Effectiveness" framework for understanding how reach amplifies even small creative improvements
Why brand awareness only has commercial value when buyers are in-market
How to fight the constant, ongoing force of forgetting
Why hyper-targeting is "agreeing to pay more to ignore your future customers"
How to use AI-driven and audience-first media buying to cut CTV and linear TV costs
Why no single measurement model can prove TV's value

About the Host and Guest:

Dale Harrison is Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at The Insight Collective, bringing an unconventional blend of scientific rigor, technical expertise, and marketing experience. A former experimental physicist with research experience at Los Alamos and MIT, he has also worked across technology, biotech, finance, and executive management. Today, Dale combines hands-on campaign execution with a data-driven approach to marketing strategy. Drawing on his background in econometrics, mathematics, and AI, he develops rigorous experiments and sophisticated marketing models to help businesses understand what works, measure impact, and drive sustainable growth.

Angela Voss is CEO at Marketing Architects, an all-inclusive TV advertising agency specializing in linear and connected television. Drawing on her experience as a performance marketer, Angela champions greater accountability in TV advertising, making high-quality campaigns more accessible while challenging conventional approaches to audience targeting. She translates the evidence-based marketing principles of Byron Sharp and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute into practical strategies that help brands expand their reach, build lasting brand awareness, and drive measurable growth.

Host and Guest Resources:
Dale Harrison on LinkedIn
The Insight Collective Website
Angela Voss LinkedIn
Marketing Architects Website
ADWEEK Website
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What does it take to build a brand that stands out without getting caught in a race to the bottom? In this guest-only episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Paulie Dery, CMO at AG1, and Victoria Lozano, CMO at Crayola, share how brands can move beyond product benefits to create deeper consumer connections and lasting cultural relevance.

Recorded live at BrandWeek, the conversation explores how to protect premium positioning against cheaper alternatives by giving consumers something meaningful to believe in. Paulie and Victoria discuss building authentic communities, embedding products into existing routines to encourage daily habits, and reframing competition around broader battles for time, attention, and lifestyle choices. They also examine how marketers can balance immediate revenue goals with long-term brand investment, align growth targets with executive priorities, and approach AI in ways that strengthen consumer creativity and trust.

From AG1's challenger mindset to Crayola's enduring creative legacy, this episode offers practical lessons on turning brand purpose into everyday behavior, sustainable growth, and deeper consumer loyalty.

What You Will Learn:
How to escape the "race to the bottom" by moving beyond feature-vs-feature comparisons
Why giving consumers something to believe in matters more than listing product specs
The "follow the tracks, don't create them" approach to building authentic community advocacy
How to build daily consumer habits by embedding your product into routines people already have, rather than adding new to-dos
The "magic number" framework for aligning growth targets with C-suite buy-in to fund brand investment
Why marketers should pick bigger competitive battles—reframing rivals as time, attention, or lifestyle competitors rather than category copycats
How to evaluate AI's role in your brand strategy by focusing on whether it enables consumer creativity and trust rather than replacing it

About the Guests:
Victoria Lozano is the Chief Marketing Officer at Crayola, a position she has held for over 16 years, where she has evolved the company from a product-focused manufacturer into a diversified creative ecosystem spanning products, experiences, and content. With deep expertise in brand building, category expansion, and consumer behavior, she has successfully elevated Crayola beyond functional product competition by redefining the brand's role in enabling daily creative habits across both children and adults.

Paulie Dery is the Chief Marketing Officer at AG1, where he leads marketing strategy for a category-defining greens and multivitamin brand. With previous experience building iconic brands at Yeti and Uber, he brings expertise in elevating products beyond functional competition and building authentic community-driven ecosystems.

Host and Guest Resources:
Victoria Lozano on LinkedIn
Crayola Website
Paulie Dery LinkedIn
AG1 Website
ADWEEK Website
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The WNBA’s rapid rise from an overlooked league to a cultural and commercial powerhouse reflects more than just the growing popularity of women’s basketball. It signals a shift in how athletes build their brands, shape their narratives, and fight for the compensation and working conditions they deserve. Sustaining that momentum requires authentic storytelling, responsible media coverage, and a business model that allows players to share in the league’s success.

In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, Mariah Rose, sports content creator, is joined by Lexie Brown, WNBA guard for the Seattle Storm, and together they explore the forces reshaping women’s basketball and the business of women’s sports. They discuss how social media and athlete-led content are transforming fan engagement, why collective bargaining negotiations are critical to fair compensation, and how offseason leagues are creating new opportunities for players.

They also examine the importance of health benefits, retirement security, and expanded roster spots, alongside the commercial potential of emerging markets. Throughout, they explain why authentic athlete storytelling and a growing fan base can help build a more sustainable future for women’s sports.

What You Will Learn:
How athlete-led storytelling is transforming women’s sports marketing
Why WNBA players want compensation tied to league revenue growth
How social media gives athletes greater control over their personal brands
Why rising stars can expand opportunities for the entire league
How offseason leagues support player development and financial stability
Why health benefits, pensions, and roster expansion matter to players
How untapped markets offer new growth opportunities for women’s basketball

About the Guests:
Lexie Brown is a professional basketball player for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA. In her eighth season, she brings firsthand experience to conversations about athlete branding, media representation, and the business of women’s sports. Through authentic social media content, vlogs, and her podcast Full Circle, Brown has helped connect fans with women’s basketball. She is also an advocate for fair compensation, improved player benefits, and better working conditions.

Mariah Rose is a sports content creator and media personality specializing in women’s sports, particularly the WNBA. Through social media and her podcast Full Circle, she helps audiences understand the players, storylines, and business dynamics shaping women’s basketball. Rose is an advocate for authentic storytelling, stronger media representation, and greater visibility for female athletes. Her work explores how personal branding, fan engagement, and sponsorship opportunities are transforming the commercial landscape of women’s sports.

Host and Guest Resources:
Lexie Brown on LinkedIn
Mariah Rose on LinkedIn
ADWEEK Website
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