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Marketing Vanguard
Retrain Travel: Reimagining the Rail Experience with Eliot Hamlisch, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Amtrak
What if you could transform a legacy transportation brand into a modern hospitality experience? In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jenny Rooney sits down with Eliot Hamlisch, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Amtrak, to explore their bold new "Retrain Travel" campaign, strategic shift toward younger audiences, and innovative brand partnerships. Whether you're leading a heritage brand's transformation or seeking to balance government oversight with commercial success, this conversation offers valuable insights into modernizing customer experience while honoring established brand equity. Tune in to discover how Amtrak is reimagining train travel for the next generation through enhanced amenities, sustainability initiatives, and experiential marketing.
Amtrak's transformation from a transportation company to a hospitality brand showcases how legacy organizations can reimagine their customer experience and market positioning.
In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jenny Rooney speaks with Eliot Hamlisch, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Amtrak, about the company's strategic shift to experiential travel, their new "Retrain Travel" campaign, and how they're modernizing the 50-year-old brand for a new generation of travelers.
What You'll Learn:
- How to transform a legacy transportation brand into a modern hospitality experience
- Why balancing awareness and lower-funnel marketing is crucial for attracting new customer segments
- The strategic approach to selecting and empowering agency partners to push creative boundaries
- How to leverage brand collaborations and partnerships to enhance customer experience
- Why investing in physical product innovation (like the next-gen Acela) is crucial for brand transformation
- How to position sustainable travel options without exploiting competitors' challenges
- The framework for integrating AI into customer service while maintaining human-centric experiences
- How to balance government oversight with commercial innovation in a public-private organization
Unlocking the Creator Economy with Awin
Did you know influencer marketing drives twice as many sales as display advertising, with a 37% higher retention rate?
Awin helps brands harness this potential with tailored influencer management solutions that drive measurable results. Whether you're looking to grow your creator roster, foster long-term relationships, or track full-funnel performance, Awin’s expertise and platform integrations make it easy to scale campaigns and optimize impact.
With partnerships across CreatorIQ, LTK, ShopMy, and more, brands gain access to powerful discovery tools and seamless tracking capabilities, ensuring transparency and efficiency at every stage.
Here’s how brands can maximize their influencer marketing:
- Find the right creators – Access a diverse network of influencers, even in niche markets.
- Track performance with full transparency – Measure impact from awareness to conversions in real time.
- Incentivize influencers effectively – Commission-based rewards through affiliate links and coupon codes keep creators engaged.
- Blend influencer & affiliate marketing seamlessly – Awin’s integrations create a streamlined, results-driven approach
Unlock the full potential of influencer marketing. Visit awin.link/adweek to start building high-impact partnerships today!
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160. How Crocs Turned "Ugly" Into Cultural Cool ft. CMO Terence Reilly
23:06||Season 1, Ep. 160How do you make a brand that’s perceived as “uncool” a cultural moment? Terence Reilly, CMO of Crocs, reveals his playbook in this episode of Marketing Vanguard. He reveals how he transformed a meme product into a global phenomenon, why embracing risk and "failing fast" is essential to breaking culture, and the strategies behind building authentic brand narratives in an age of AI and collaboration fatigue. Terence Reilly is Chief Marketing Officer at Crocs, renowned for his expertise in brand transformation, cultural relevance and innovative marketing strategy. With a background spanning financial services, retail and consumer goods (including leadership roles at Stanley, Footaction, and Famous Footwear), Terence has a proven track record of being able to elevate iconic brands through bold creative risks and collaborative partnerships. His strategic vision has contributed to making Stanley and Crocs household names globally, with his Stanley car-fire TikTok campaign generating $50 million in additional revenue and 100 million views. His unique marketing insights make him a valuable voice for any marketer (regardless of experience) who’s looking to navigate brand transformation successfully. What You'll Learn:How to flip negative brand perception into a competitive advantage by leaning into criticismWhy the "drive it like you stole it" philosophy for scaling wins fast, and the story behind the iconic Michael Jackson momentWhy collaboration fatigue is real and how to recapture your brand's own narrativeThe power of empowering frontline insights to drive viral moments and the truth about the Crocs-Post Malone moment How to create proprietary eponyms that make your brand synonymous with the categoryThe non-linear career path that builds better marketers
159. If You Can Sell Insurance, You Can Sell Anything ft. Tory Pachis of Amica Insurance
29:44||Season 1, Ep. 159The power of word-of-mouth and referral-based marketing takes on a whole new meaning in this episode of Marketing Vanguard. Tune in as Amica Insurance EVP and CMO, Tory Pachis, reveals how their Rhode Island–based challenger brand competes against massive incumbents by doubling down on empathy, service, and human-led experiences while building relevance with younger consumers.Tory is Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at Amica Insurance, the nation's oldest mutual automobile insurance company with 119 years of heritage. With 27 years of experience in the insurance industry and previous leadership roles at Travelers Insurance and Hanover Insurance, Tory brings deep expertise in brand transformation, direct-to-consumer marketing, and building customer loyalty in highly competitive categories. His work modernizing Amica's brand platform while preserving its legendary customer loyalty culture makes his perspectives essential listening for marketing leaders seeking to balance heritage with innovation. What You'll Learn:How to leverage brand heritage as a competitive moatWhy share of voice matters more than market share in commoditized categoriesThe "consumer as hero" creative frameworkHow to use AI for product discovery, not just operational efficiencyThe player-coach leadership model for scaling transformative changeWhy do direct distribution models require different marketing investments
158. Mastering Human Centred-Marketing in an AI-Driven World ft. Lauren Weinberg of Supergoop!
33:33||Season 1, Ep. 158What if AI could bring more humanity to marketing, instead of taking away from it? In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, Lauren Weinberg, CMO of Supergoop! and veteran CMO at Square, Intuit and Peloton, reveals why brand authenticity matters more than ever in an AI-driven world, how CMOs should lead their teams through rapid technological transformation and the key strategies to balance budget discipline with bold creative thinking.Lauren is an accomplished Chief Marketing Officer with extensive experience leading marketing transformations at industry-leading companies including Square, Intuit and Peloton. Currently serving as the CMO of Supergoop!, Lauren brings expertise in brand strategy, growth marketing and AI integration, offering a unique perspective that bridges creative storytelling with data-driven decision-making. Her proven track record of driving growth while maintaining P&L sensibility, combined with her advisory role at Emory University's Data Science and Decision Department, makes her a trusted voice for senior marketing leaders navigating digital transformation. What You'll Learn:How to position AI as a catalyst for brand authenticity rather than automationThe strategy-first framework for saying "no" in high-intensity environmentsWhy P&L sensibility is now non-negotiable for CMO credibilityThe three C's of hiring for an AI-driven future - conviction, courage and curiosityHow to create organizational AI literacy without overburdening teamsWhy CMOs should shift from efficiency conversations to strategic AI conversations with the C-suite
157. How Keisha Taylor Starr Turned ION Into a Women's Sports Powerhouse in 24 Months
25:46||Season 1, Ep. 157EVP, GM, or CMO - why pick one when you can be all 3? In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, Keisha Taylor Starr, EVP, CMO, and General Manager of Scripps Networks, proves that intersectionality and a diverse skill set can take your marketing game to the next level. Tune in for their discussion on how strategic repositioning can drive record-breaking audience engagement, why marketers must balance creative risk with financial rigor and the leadership moves required to shape an industry built for diverse voices. Keisha Taylor Starr is Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and General Manager of Scripps Networks at The E.W. Scripps Company, bringing expertise in media marketing, brand strategy, and P&L management. With a career spanning agency work at BBDO, leadership roles at CNN, Turner Broadcasting, and Warner Bros. Discovery, as well as experience in collegiate sports marketing, she has consistently driven innovative transformations across news, entertainment, and sports properties. Her leadership in ION's rebrand into a general entertainment network with pioneering women's sports programming has resulted in record-breaking audience engagement and Google TV's most-watched free live channel designation in 2024, demonstrating how CMOs can balance creative vision with financial accountability.What You'll Learn:How to transition from CMO to General Manager by gaining P&L ownershipWhy sports franchises are essential programming investmentsThe strategy behind rebranding a legacy network for new audiencesHow to balance creative ambition with financial rigor as a CMOThe importance of diverse representation in leadership and decision-makingHow to expand sports definition and create inclusive programming
156. The Tech Titans Rewriting the Rules of Growth Marketing ft. the CMOs of Meta, Instacart, and Chime
28:02||Season 1, Ep. 156A new age of Super Bowl marketing has dawned upon us, and it’s time to embrace it. In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, marketing leaders from Meta, Instacart, and Chime reveal how their brands are redefining Super Bowl marketing by prioritizing social-first strategies, earned media, and authentic creator partnerships over traditional metrics. Tune in to learn why the biggest marketing opportunities now live in subcultures and algorithmic feeds and how to tap into conversations happening off-screen.What You'll Learn:How to shift from awareness metrics to earned social conversation as your primary Super Bowl success measureWhy a social-first strategy is non-negotiable and why niche communities outperform monoculture campaignsHow to design ads that crack culture through hyperbole and surpriseThe strategic partnership framework beyond logo placementHow to unlock innovation by protecting brand fundamentals while experimenting relentlesslyWhy in-house creative teams, powered by AI, can deliver portfolio-defining work at a fraction of agency costsThe non-negotiable marketing-product alignment tactic
155. Refusing to Become Irrelevant: Victoria Lozano on her Crayola Journey
15:43||Season 1, Ep. 155Surely a legacy brand like Crayola has done all it could to grow, right? Wrong. In this episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast, recorded live at Brandweek in Atlanta in November 2025, Victoria Lozano, former CMO of Crayola, proves that the growth work of even the most iconic brands can and should never stop. From how nostalgia can be leveraged to the advantage of expanding into unexpected categories, this conversation covers it all. Victoria Lozano, former Chief Marketing Officer of Crayola, is renowned for her expertise in brand strategy, category expansion and omnichannel marketing across iconic consumer brands. With a career spanning Fortune 500 CPG companies including HBC, beverages and confectionery, she has built a diverse track record in product innovation, location-based entertainment, and educational strategy. Her work at Crayola demonstrates how legacy brands can evolve, redefine brand categories, unlock new consumer segments and build enduring marketing strategies that transcend traditional product boundaries, all while maintaining emotional resonance. What You'll Learn:How to merge nostalgia with future-forward relevanceWhy a CMO's role with high-awareness brands requires category expansionThe framework for segmented messaging across stakeholder groupsHow to unlock hidden revenue streams in plain sight, like recognizing that 57% of Crayola purchases are made by adults without childrenThe power of branded sensory identity as a defensible competitive advantageWhy ecosystem thinking matters more than individual business unit performance
154. Benoit Vatere's Case for Keeping Liquid Death Dangerous at Scale
19:14||Season 1, Ep. 154How can you sell water in a can successfully, without making it a gimmick? In this live episode of Marketing Vanguard from Brandweek Atlanta, host Jenny Rooney sits down with Benoit Vatere, Chief Media Officer at Liquid Death, to explore how he, as a non-traditional entrepreneur with an engineering background, is scaling a cult beverage brand through unconventional media strategy, retail partnerships and aggressive upper-funnel investment while protecting the brand's core mystique.Benoit Vatere is Chief Media Officer at Liquid Death, where he drives growth strategy and media planning for one of the most distinctive brands in the beverage industry. With a background as an entrepreneur and engineer who spent 25 years building ad tech products in Los Angeles, Benoit brings unique expertise in bridging creator marketing, retail commerce and consumer conversion. His work at Liquid Death demonstrates how data-driven media strategy, disciplined creative positioning and deep retailer partnerships can scale challenger brands into category leaders while maintaining distinctive brand equityWhat You'll Learn:How to shift from DTC obsession to retail-first strategyThe frequency-over-reach principle for mental availabilityHow to build a tech stack that bridges awareness to retail conversionWhy a CEO-CMO creates organizational competitive advantageThe conquest strategy in competitive categoriesHow to maintain brand mystique while scaling
153. The Art of Making Fintech Cool with Catherine Ferdon of Coinbase
32:04||Season 1, Ep. 153Taking risks and having them pay off in an industry as regulated as fintech can seem like an impossible task. But Coinbase’s success in bold and unique marketing proves it isn’t. In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, Coinbase CMO, Catherine Ferdon, reveals why bold creativity matters when it comes to marketing intangibles, how to build financial brands that don't feel sterile and the key strategies behind Coinbase's high-profile Super Bowl and Oscars campaigns.Catherine Ferdon is the Chief Marketing Officer at Coinbase, bringing nearly fifteen years of fintech expertise to one of crypto's most established brands. With a background spanning Square, Cash App and Afterpay, she has built her career giving voice to complex financial products through bold, unconventional creativity. Her work exemplifies how CMOs can translate intangible, complex products into compelling narratives that drive mainstream adoption - a critical lesson for marketers navigating emerging technologies and regulatory constraints.What You'll Learn:Why understanding intangible products in depth is the key to marketing them successfullyThe risk-taking framework for breakthrough creativityWhy educational complexity requires participatory, not didactic marketingHow to design media moments for their environmentThe leadership principle of strong opinions, softly heldWhy AI amplifies human creativity rather than replacing it
152. How Atlanta Became the Hub of Marketing in the US ft. Alex Gonzalez
20:15||Season 1, Ep. 152Atlanta, a paradise for CMOs with 70% of Fortune 500 companies, thousands of startups, and immense talent, is often underestimated. Live from Brandweek, Alex Gonzalez, Metro Atlanta Chamber's Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer, explains why Atlanta is a top marketing hub and how brand positioning can shape a city's economic future on this episode of Marketing Vanguard.Alex Gonzales is the Chief Innovation and Marketing Officer at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, leading efforts to brand Atlanta as a premier destination for talent, business and innovation. With a background spanning finance, business development and corporate marketing at industry leaders like GE, Chubb Insurance and Equifax, Alex brings deep expertise in transforming marketing strategies for Fortune 500 organizations and emerging tech ecosystems. His work establishing the "Atlanta Where You Belong" brand and fostering the Atlanta Growth Collective has positioned the region as a model for regional marketing and innovation ecosystems. What You'll Learn:How to leverage a CMO advisory council to build authentic city branding by assembling chief marketersWhy "place branding" requires defining emotional belonging, not just economic benefitsThe talent flywheel strategy and making the most of the city’s academic ecosystemHow to position B2B companies as part of your city's DNAWhy the startup ecosystem infrastructure (Atlanta Tech Village, Russell Innovation Center, South Downtown development) should be central to city marketingThe multi-geography branding challenge and how to solve it