Wharton Marketing Matters

Highlights of interviews with Hannah Kelly, Chief Marketing Officer at Resy, an American Express company, and Merill Hollander, founder of the contemporary fine jewelry brand Fiametta, as they discuss leveraging technology, curated experiences, and sustainability to connect with modern consumers and transform traditionally insular industries.

Highlights from interviews with Ryan Heuser, Senior Vice President of Experiential at Liquid Death, on the brand’s origins, Eagles partnership, and experiential strategy, alongside insights from David Picioski, Head of Global Brand Partnerships and Collaborations at Wilson Sporting Goods Co., covering Wilson’s NBA partnership, player relationships, Caitlin Clark ambassadorship, and technology-driven product innovation.

Highlights of interviews with Toby Espinosa, Vice President of Ads at DoorDash, discussing scaling a startup into a global marketplace and the future of retail media innovation, and Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5 Oil Change and former CMO of Pearle Vision, exploring emotional branding through authenticity and creativity.

Emma Barker Bonomo, Editorial Director at Time, joins Barbara & Americus to discuss how the magazine curates its annual Best Inventions list, highlighting the criteria, trends, and global significance behind the most impactful innovations of the year.

This “Best of 2025” episode highlights insights from Shannon Shae Montoya, Global Head of B2B Marketing, Sponsorships, and Events at Yahoo; Toby Espinosa, Vice President of Ads at DoorDash; Adam Kornblum, Chief Creative Officer at L’Oréal; and Merill Hollander, founder of Fiametta, as they discuss how data-driven creativity, storytelling, and bold experimentation are shaping the future of marketing, retail media, beauty, and fine jewelry.

Highlights from Barbara & Americus' conversations with Connor Blakley, founder of Youth Logic, about effective Gen Z engagement, and Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer and author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, who discussed practical frameworks for reducing anxiety and communicating with clarity and confidence.

Annie Barrett, Vice President of Marketing for Adidas Originals, Basketball and Partnerships, and Sean Bruich, Senior Vice President of AI, Engineering and Data Science at Amgen, share insights on how iconic brand storytelling and rapidly evolving AI capabilities intersect to drive authenticity, collaboration, and transformative innovation across industries.

Peter Adams, Senior Writer at Marketing Dive, joins Barbara Kahn to explore how economic bifurcation, evolving loyalty drivers, and rapid advances in AI are forcing marketers to rethink strategies, adapt to cultural moments, and navigate an increasingly complex industry landscape.

Doug Zarkin, Chief Marketing Officer at Take 5 Oil Change and former CMO of Pearle Vision, joins Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed, II to discuss emotional branding through authenticity and creativity, while Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer, author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter, and host of Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast, explains how to overcome anxiety, structure ideas, and communicate clearly under pressure.