The Brand Forum

The Invisible Work of Leadership: Blair Brady on CMO Success, Team Narratives, and AI Transformation

Blair Brady, Co-Founder and CEO of WITH, joins Jeremy Bloom (Marketecture Media co-founder, OhHello.ai founder) and Josh Palau (Media and AdTech executive and America’s favorite plus-one) to discuss the invisible work of leadership, building effective leadership narratives, balancing brand and performance marketing, and navigating AI-driven organizational change. Learn how today's marketing leaders can create clarity, align teams, and prepare for the future of the CMO role. Takeaways - New leaders should establish their leadership narrative before beginning a listening tour. - Teams don't just want to be heard, they want to be led with clarity and consistency. - Leaders must define both a leadership narrative and a team narrative to drive alignment. - Creating "air cover" for teams is a critical but often overlooked leadership responsibility. - Successful organizations balance short-term performance goals with long-term brand building. - Teams trapped in a "survive the day" culture struggle to create sustainable growth. - AI transformation should be treated as a people and operating model challenge, not just a technology initiative. - Effective AI adoption requires alignment across technology, talent, capabilities, ways of working, and external partners. - Future CMOs will need broader business experience and cross-functional expertise. - The most successful leaders continuously adapt because no one has all the answers in today's rapidly changing environment. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and welcome 00:48 Blair Brady introduces WITH 01:28 The advisory gap for CMOs and senior marketers 02:24 Understanding invisible leadership work 03:08 Why leadership narratives matter 04:10 The risk of leading with listening alone 05:33 Communicating leadership style and expectations 06:00 Leadership lessons from organizational transitions 08:25 Marketing the marketing team 09:16 Creating organizational clarity 10:26 The balance between brand and performance 11:28 The importance of long-term brand building 12:22 Avoiding a short-term mindset 13:06 Systems that create strategic focus 14:41 The "what" and the "how" framework 15:34 How AI is reshaping organizations 16:16 AI as a people and operations challenge 17:49 The four pillars of AI transformation 18:55 Breaking down silos for success 19:13 How Blair found her niche 20:09 Preparing future CMOs for success 21:39 Why marketing leadership is increasingly complex 22:35 Acting as an unbiased advisor 23:06 Closing thoughts and sign-off

From Lay’s to Activia: Linda Bethea on Building Iconic Consumer Brands

Linda Bethea joins Jeremy Bloom (Marketecture Media co-founder, OhHello.ai founder) and Josh Palau (Media and AdTech executive and America’s favorite plus-one) on The Brand Forum to share lessons from leading some of the world’s biggest food and beverage brands, including Lay’s, Captain Morgan, Activia, and Danone North America. From brand positioning and storytelling to AI search, consumer behavior, and the myth of brand loyalty, Linda breaks down what it really takes to build memorable brands in today’s crowded landscape. She also shares personal stories from her career, insights on marketing leadership, and the meaningful work she does with Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley. Takeaways - Brand positioning starts with deeply understanding people and their behaviors. - Great storytelling creates emotional connections that consumers remember. - Brand loyalty is less important than mental and physical availability. - AI search is changing how brands are discovered online. - Strong creativity is essential to stand out in a crowded media landscape. - The best agency partners act as true extensions of the brand team. - Curiosity is one of the most important traits for marketers today. - Great ideas can come from anywhere, including family conversations. - Modern consumers live in a constant loop of discovery across platforms. - Marketing success comes from balancing art and science. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Linda Bethea and her career across iconic brands 01:40 Why Lay’s remains Linda’s favorite brand experience 04:27 How consumer ideas can inspire real marketing campaigns 06:15 The fundamentals of successful brand positioning 09:00 Repositioning Activia from “regularity” to modern gut health 10:41 Why storytelling matters more than facts and figures 12:28 The biggest challenge marketers face today: attention 14:38 Linda’s controversial take on brand loyalty 17:00 Balancing art, science, and creative excellence in marketing 18:08 Building stronger partnerships with agencies and media teams 22:08 How AI search is transforming brand discovery 24:46 Linda’s work with Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley 27:44 How Linda found her path into marketing 30:35 Career advice for the next generation of marketers

Fandom as Currency: The Passions and Purchasing Power of the WNBA

At Marketecture Live III in New York City, Caiti Donovan, Head of Growth Strategy, WNBA, joined Damian Garbaccio, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, Affinity Solutions, to break down how women’s sports fans are reshaping culture, commerce, and brand strategy. From first-party data to fan segmentation and the rise of purpose-driven fandom, this conversation dives into how the WNBA is building one of the most engaged audiences in sports and turning passion into measurable business impact. Takeaways * Women’s sports fans go deep, not wide, creating stronger engagement and loyalty * Fandom is measured across consumption spending and interaction * NIL and athlete visibility are fueling massive audience growth * The curious fan is now a key growth driver for the WNBA * First-party data is becoming the most valuable asset in sports marketing * Purpose-driven fandom directly influences purchasing behavior * Female audiences and younger fans are rapidly entering the ecosystem * Behavioral data is more powerful than demographics for targeting * Brand partnerships succeed when aligned with fan values * Women’s sports are proving to be a real and growing business opportunity Chapters 00:00 Opening and introduction to fandom as a currency 01:30 What makes women’s sports fans unique 03:30 How the WNBA measures fandom consumption, spend, and engagement 05:30 Key growth drivers behind the WNBA surge 08:00 The 3C fan segmentation: core, casual, curious 10:45 The rise and importance of the curious fan 13:40 Using first-party data to power brand partnerships 16:00 The Henry segment and behavioral targeting 18:30 How the WNBA compares to other leagues in data strategy 20:20 Turning fan data into real business outcomes

Building a Retail Media Network with Heart Inside Ace Hardware

Molly Hjelm, Corporate Vice President of Retail Media at Ace Hardware Corporation, joins Jeremy Bloom (Marketecture Media co-founder, OhHello.ai founder) and Josh Palau (Media and AdTech executive and America’s favorite plus-one) to share how she built Red Vest Media from the ground up. She dives into the power of first-party data, the strength of Ace’s co op model, and how local personalization competes with massive retail media networks. From loyalty data to in-store experience, this conversation explores what it takes to scale while staying authentic. Takeaways * Ace Hardware combines national scale with hyperlocal personalization * Strong first-party data is the foundation of effective retail media * Most sales still happen in-store, making physical experience critical * Simplicity and seamless integration matter most to advertisers * Listening to customers drives faster and better product development * Retail media success depends on measurable and real-time results * Co op structure can be a competitive advantage, not a limitation Chapters 00:01 Introduction to Molly Hjelm and Red Vest Media 00:31 Why Ace Hardware’s model stands out in retail 01:31 Molly’s background and building the network 02:30 The scale and reach of Ace Hardware 03:13 How local ownership creates authenticity 04:54 Staying human in a digital and automated world 06:48 Ace’s core value proposition 08:35 Growth of e-commerce and delivery partnerships 10:10 Challenges of building a retail media network 12:27 Launch strategy and leveraging partnerships 13:46 Standing out in a crowded retail media space 15:47 Advice for marketers building platforms 17:00 The importance of knowing your customer 19:01 Building for the next generation 21:25 Molly’s journey into retail data and marketing 23:35 Personal insights and closing thoughts

GLP-1s, AI, and How to Reposition a Brand at Scale

At Marketecture Live III in New York City, Harry Kargman, Founder and CEO of Kargo, sat down with Julie Rice, Chief Experience Officer at WeightWatchers, to explore how legacy brands can evolve in a rapidly changing world. From the rise of GLP-1 medications to the role of AI in personalization, Julie shares how WeightWatchers is blending behavioral science, community, and technology to drive real, lasting change. The conversation dives into experience design, brand loyalty, and the balance between data and human intuition in modern marketing. Takeaways * Behavioral change is the missing link that makes GLP-1 medications effective long-term * Community and human connection remain powerful drivers of retention * Great products create loyalty, and marketing amplifies it * AI should enhance personalization without replacing human experience * Balancing data with intuition leads to better brand decisions * Legacy brands win by evolving while honoring their core audience Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Marketecture Live 3 and speakers 01:05 Julie Rice’s background and building SoulCycle 01:54 Why she joined WeightWatchers and the reinvention opportunity 02:37 The role of GLP-1s and behavioral change 04:42 Designing experiences that drive retention and loyalty 06:41 Beyond medication: building sustainable habits 08:50 Creating confidence and long-term lifestyle change 11:05 Challenges of modernizing a legacy brand 13:36 Listening to customers vs relying only on data 14:10 Balancing intuition with analytics 20:01 AI, personalization, and human connection 24:19 Brand vs performance marketing balance 21:22 Final thoughts on the product first growth strategy