The Speed of Culture Podcast

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with Rachel Thornton, CMO of Adobe Enterprise, live from CES 2026 in Las Vegas. Rachel unpacks how Adobe helps brands move from raw customer data to genuine personalization at scale, why she believes everyone is a creator, and how agentic AI is used in a marketing team. The conversation also covers Adobe's push into sports and fan engagement, the Semrush acquisition, and how to build brand integrity in a world where AI can generate content faster than any team can review it.Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow Rachel Thornton on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with Allison Stransky, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Electronics America, live from CES 2026 in Las Vegas. In this interview, Allison unpacks how Samsung's "AI for All" vision – anchored in its promise to be “Your Companion to AI Living” – is transforming connected living across entertainment, the home, and everyday wellbeing. They discuss how Samsung is shifting from feature-based marketing to selling higher-order benefits, why data has become the ultimate brand differentiator, and how creator content and live commerce are reshaping how the brand reaches consumers. The conversation also explores Samsung's SmartThings ecosystem, the evolving role of the CMO in an AI-driven world, and what it takes to lead transformation inside one of the world's largest technology companies.Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow Allison Stransky on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with Rustom Dastoor, EVP, Head of Marketing and Communications, Americas at Mastercard, live from CES 2026 in Las Vegas. Rustom talks about why most brands are using AI to reinforce what already works rather than unlock what was never possible before. He introduces the concept of technical branding and explains why marketers will soon need to build their brands for AI agents rather than human consumers. The conversation also covers how Mastercard reads 150 billion annual transactions to spot real consumer behavior, why sports has become the most valuable media environment for marketers, and what resilience, and hustle still mean in a technology-saturated world.Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow Rustom Dastoor on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton and Christian Muche, Global President and Co-Founder of POSSIBLE, discuss how an industry-defining event is built from scratch. Christian shares how POSSIBLE came out of a gap he saw in the market during COVID, why Miami Beach became the right home for it, and how the conference has grown into something closer to a year-round platform than an annual gathering. They also touch upon what makes sponsorship activations work, how POSSIBLE Connect is reshaping the buyer-seller relationship, and why Christian believes trust is the most valuable currency in business today. Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow Christian Muche on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with David Grutman, one of the most influential entrepreneurs in modern hospitality. Known for transforming Miami into a global nightlife and dining destination, Grutman shares how social media, authentic relationships, and relentless attention to experience helped him build a hospitality empire. The conversation also explores his investments in emerging consumer brands, his growing entertainment ventures, and why “taking it personal” remains the core philosophy behind everything he builds.Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow David Grutman on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with David A. Steinberg, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Zeta Global. David shares how Zeta built a data and AI platform that now serves 51% of the Fortune 100, why the company sees itself as the disruptor rather than the disrupted in a rapidly shifting martech landscape, and what it took to rearchitect the business around artificial intelligence starting in 2017. The conversation covers the launch of Athena, Zeta's voice-enabled AI copilot built in partnership with OpenAI, the internal transformation required to make AI native to the way teams work, and what the rise of generative search means for how brands reach consumers. David also reflects on his career, his advice for the next generation of marketers, and the mantra he has carried through every crisis.Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow David A. Steinberg on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with Dolores Assalini, Head of Axe US at Unilever. Dolores unpacks how one of the most culturally iconic men's personal care brands is reinventing itself for a new generation. From the launch of their new spray technology to the creator-led campaign History of Overdoing It, she explains how Axe is leaning into humor, social insight, and authenticity to win back cultural relevance. The conversation covers how AI is reshaping product discoverability, why the linear advertising model is officially dead, and what modern brand stewardship looks like when your consumer lives on TikTok.Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow Dolores Assalini on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com

In this episode of The Speed of Culture, recorded live at CES in Las Vegas, Matt Britton sits down with Michael Lacorazza, Chief Marketing Officer at U.S. Bank. Michael shares how U.S. Bank is operationalizing AI across synthetic audiences, personalization, CRM intelligence, and product bundling to drive measurable growth. The conversation explores balancing innovation with risk, building cross-functional buy-in, the cultural power of sports, and why understanding the P&L is the ultimate unlock for modern marketing leaders.Follow Suzy on Twitter: @AskSuzyBizFollow Michael Lacorazza on LinkedInSubscribe to The Speed of Culture on your favorite podcast platform.And if you have a question or suggestions for the show, send us an email at suzy@suzy.com