Ad Age Marketer's Brief

Evolving a media network to meet growing advertiser demands with Marriott's Chris Norton

Marriott Media Network's Chris Norton discusses how the hotelier is differentiating itself in the crowded field of retail media networks, including through partnerships with United Airlines and Dick's Sporting Goods. The hotel chain's senior VP of marketing capabilities and general manager also talks about Marriott's in-room media channel and why the hotelier is prioritizing measurement. Dig deeper: ~Retail media's growth and the big platforms shaking up retail media trading [https://adage.com/events-awards/year-in-review/2025/aa-best-of-retail-media-walmart-amazon-ana-meta-kroger-hershey-georgia-pacific/] ~Uber's ad chief on becoming a "mindset media company" [https://adage.com/events-awards/ces/aa-uber-advertising-kristi-argyilan/] ~The ANA's industry guidebook on how marketers should organize oversight of retail media [https://adage.com/events-awards/year-in-review/2025/aa-best-of-retail-media-walmart-amazon-ana-meta-kroger-hershey-georgia-pacific/] ~How travel brands are attracting Gen Z [https://adage.com/brand-marketing/travel/aa-travel-brands-attract-customers-amid-declines/]

How agentic AI is reinventing brand customer experience, with Adobe's CMO

Customer experience is changing rapidly in the era of AI, in large part thanks to agentic tools from tech providers like Adobe. Lara Balazs, chief marketing officer of Adobe, is helping major brands—from Dick's Sporting Goods to Xfinity—understand the common pain points in their customer service workflows that can finally be addressed by AI agents. Balazs spoke with Ad Age about the B2B approach and how she is pitching Adobe's agentic tools to marketers as well as the real opportunities that generative technology can offer today.

Why Cannes awards and creativity still matter for CMOs, with Unilever's top marketer

Unilever CMO Leandro Barreto unpacks how he gets the most out of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity every year and why awards and creativity still matter for CMOs. He also discusses the evolution of Dove's enduring 'Real Beauty' campaign and how it inspires the playbook of other Unilever CPG brands such as Vaseline, which has seen success with its 'Vaseline Verified' campaign.

Capitalizing on the women's sports boom with NWSL CMO Rachel Epstein

Rachel Epstein, the newly named chief marketing officer of the National Women's Soccer League, discusses her strategy to make the most of booming interest in women's sports and soccer in particular. Her strategy involves absorbing new fans created by the summer's FIFA World Cup and following the unique pathways to sports fandom often taken by women. She says bigger investments, better athletes and more brand support are critical to growth, but so too is a burgeoning media ecosystem bringing women's sports to the new fan.

Using brand partnerships to market to younger audiences with Netflix VP of global marketing

Netflix VP of global brand marketing and partnerships Magno Herran discusses how the streamer is using brand partnerships and sponsorships to grow its ad business as it heads into the upfronts. He breaks down co-created campaigns with State Farm and other marketers, how Netflix is extending its IP beyond the platform and why reaching younger fans now requires a broader media mix that includes social.