On Scope: The Marketing Podcast

Rita Ramakrishnan is an executive coach with more than 15 years’ experience leading people strategy and helping neurodivergent executives turn their cognitive differences into competitive advantages. Through the years, she has developed a keen understanding of how team structures can be designed to maximize the strengths of all individuals, but especially those who are neurodivergent.On this episode of On Scope, Rita, who is the founder and CEO at Iksana Consulting, joins host Mike Berberich to discuss what brands and business leaders can do to tap into the superpowers of their neurodivergent workforce, an increasingly critical business imperative, as more than half of gen Z now identify as neurodivergent. Together, Mike and Rita discuss the specific advantages of creating a work environment where neurodivergent employees can thrive, what steps companies can take to create this type of environment, and how those lower down on the corporate ladder can convince leadership that making accommodations for neurodivergent individuals is not about entitlement but rather about maximizing the potential of the entire team.On “News You Might Have Missed,” Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss an article from ADWEEK on the persistent gender wage gap in advertising, with a new study showing women working at ad agencies still earn 5 percent less than their male counterparts, despite ongoing efforts to achieve pay equity. Mike and Ryan acknowledge that this issue probably exists on the brand side, as well, before hypothesizing on why the industry continues to struggle to make progress, highlighting the culture they both experienced when working at agencies and speculating about the need to rethink leadership models in business.If the conversation with Rita has you wondering how to get the most out of your own team, then you’ll want to check out the ANA’s Marketing Training and Development Center, which helps build capabilities through open workshops, both online and in-person, and certification programs. Learn more by visiting us at www.ana.net/mtdc. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Gravity Research’s Joanna Piacenza has a knack for driving enterprise growth through research-backed thought leadership and integrated marketing strategy. As VP of thought leadership and marketing, she excels at translating proprietary research into executive-ready narratives and strategic communications.On this episode of On Scope, Joanna joins host Mike Berberich to share recent research from her organization indicating that 2026 looks to be a year of playing it safe for marketers and explain why that just may be the riskiest move a brand can make.Together, Joanna and Mike cover the role AI has played in marketers opting to play it safer this year, what Joanna is hearing from Fortune 500 executives about their concerns for 2026 that hasn’t shown up in public discourse yet, and her advice for how marketers can take risks without upsetting brand stakeholders.On “This Week in ANA Magazine,” Matthew Schwartz, editor of the publication, joins Mike to spotlight an article on the proliferation of creator partnerships in marketing. Together, the pair underscore some of the best practices needed to make these activations succeed and highlight some of the KPIs marketers should consider.If your business wants real connection, then it’s time to partner with the ANA. Become an official ANA sponsor and you will connect with the brands shaping the future of our industry, from Google and Amazon to Meta and TikTok. You can learn more about the fantastic opportunities available to you by visiting www.ana.net/sponsorship. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Since 2021, when the Supreme Court rejected an NCAA appeal of its antitrust lawsuit, student athletes have been able to receive compensation for licensing their name, image, and likeness (NIL) in business partnerships. This watershed moment not only changed the college sports landscape, but also opened up the door to a new and exciting opportunity for brand advertisers increasingly under pressure to connect with consumers. Now, just five years after that landmark court decision, NIL partnerships are big business, with the total investment in these deals exceeding $2.5 billion in 2025 alone. However, the space is still nascent, with many marketers stumbling to figure out how to best maximize these new partnerships.Ahead of March Madness, Solly Fulp and Grant Jones, both of Learfield — a media, data, and technology services company with an unparalleled footprint in college sports — join the On Scope team to break down everything marketers need to know about the current state and future of NIL partnerships.With host Mike Berberich running point, Solly and Grant cover some of the less obvious characteristics brands should be looking for in student athlete partners, how brands might maintain stability with NIL partners during transfer portal chaos, and their one piece of advice on what every brand marketer needs to be doing to maximize the ROI of their NIL agreements.On “News You Might Have Missed,” Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss a Zappi report that found that an alarming number of women think brands aren’t investing in ads that genuinely reflect them, with many calling the efforts “performative.” The pair speculates about where brands are going wrong on this front and offers some insight into how they might get back on track.NIL changed college sports marketing fast. The brands that will win now are the ones who understand the landscape, set smart standards, and move early. That’s the point of ANA Practices. Members come together to raise the bar in AI, Brand, Media, Measurement, B2B, and more, so teams can lead change instead of chasing it. Check out the resources from the ANA Practices and get involved by visiting www.ana.net/leadership. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

With more than 20 years of experience working as an executive at NBC, MTV Networks, and major advertising agencies with accounts such as Miller Lite, Uncle Ben’s, and Dole Foods, Dr. Mara Einstein knows a thing or two about media and marketing. Now working as a self-proclaimed marketing critic, Dr. Einstein, who authored the book, HOODWINKED: How Marketers Use The Same Tactics As Cults, believes marketers have become way too focused on the digitally driven attention economy, often to the detriment of their own brands.On this episode of On Scope, Dr. Einstein joins host Mike Berberich to outline exactly why it is that she thinks attention at all costs is a net negative for the marketing practice. She covers why thinking about digital as a strategy instead of a tactic is misguided, how marketers might convince executives that harder-to-measure analog channels viewed more favorably by consumers might be worth a larger investment, and shares the fascinating story of a cosmetic brand that moved off social media entirely and saw a huge surge in business as a result.On “News You Might Have Missed,” Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss a new GetResponse survey of more than 2,400 consumers indicating that they think new customers get all the love from brands, despite most brands reporting a 50/50 split on spending on new customers versus retaining existing ones. The pair hypothesize about what brands are doing to enhance existing relationships with consumers and express skepticism that the tactics are truly about building the relationship rather than just trying to upsell. They also note a huge disconnect in the number of consumers who are interested in high-end luxury programs and the number of brands that offer them.Dr. Mara Einstein feels strongly that digital fixation is pulling brands off course. If you agree with that assessment, it’s time to rethink your team’s approach. The ANA Talent and Marketing Operations Practice helps you develop sharper skills, build stronger teams, and identify smarter ways of working, while still delivering stellar business results. Explore the resources and start getting smarter by visiting www.ana.net/talent. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Arun Kumar is an accomplished global data and marketing leader with a proven track record of setting strategies and developing products that stimulate business growth while reducing costs. He’s an accomplished public speaker, an advisory board member, and the author of The Data Deluge: Making Marketing Work Better for Brands and People.On this episode of On Scope, the Global Head of Data and AI at Accenture Song joins the show to discuss how marketers can reclaim their data and digital destiny and take back marketing. Along with host Mike Berberich, the conversation begins by an examining an emerging marketing conundrum: Why the industry has ceded virtually all control of its channels to tech giants. From there, the duo discusses how the industry found itself in this unfortunate position and how it might work its way out, why an ongoing lack of coordination between customer service and marketing departments leaves consumers with less-than-ideal brand experiences, and why marketers need to rethink their approach to leveraging data and aim to find a happy medium between broadcast messaging and hyper personalization efforts that often leave consumers feeling — well — a bit creeped out.On “News You Might Have Missed,” Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss an article from Fast Company on the “zombie internet” and a new social media platform developed exclusively for agentic AI bots. They explain why they’re incredulous at the idea that a social media platform built exclusively for chatbots would have any long-term appeal for humans and speculate about the consequences such a thing would have on the advertising ecosystem.Speaking of the zombie internet, it sure is a confusing time for marketers trying to wrap their head around emerging technology, especially when evaluating what is worth their time and what isn’t. You can cut through the noise and better understand where your time and money is best spent with tools from the ANA’s Technology Practice. Check out the practical frameworks, real-world case studies, and peer guidance available to help you make smarter tech choices by visiting www.ana.net/technology. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Every year at the conclusion of the Super Bowl, Zappi conducts a real-time analysis of the ads, generating a robust report on which commercials performed well, which missed the mark, and the lessons marketers can learn from both.Zappi CMO Nataly Kelly joined the On Scope team in ANA Studios to breakdown this year’s analysis, covering all the key takeaways from Super Bowl LX’s slate of ads. Along with host Mike Berberich, Nataly covers which commercials were the best performing across key categories, what this year’s batch of winning ads all have in common, and what brand marketers can learn from another, lesser known tentpole marketing moment that is historically much more effective at connecting with consumers.On “This Week in ANA Magazine,” Mike and ANA Magazine editor Matthew Schwartz discuss a new article on emerging trends within brand-celebrity partnerships. The duo outlines how the traditional model of celebrity endorsements has been completely upended, what the new model looks like, and how brand marketers of all kinds can apply these lessons to their own efforts.We all love a great Super Bowl spot. But on Monday morning, the question is simple: How does this build the brand? The ANA Brand Practice helps you turn creative moments into measurable brand growth, with practical tools, research, and brand leaders who’ve been there. Explore all the resources available to you by visiting www.ana.net/brand. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

This Sunday, marketing’s biggest event returns. No, we’re not referring to that event. We’re talking about the Puppy Bowl, obviously. Ahead of this momentous occasion, Twyla Huang-DiSimone, an award-winning partnership marketing executive with more than 20 years of multiplatform media experience, joins the show to discuss why the Puppy Bowl is now a more intriguing advertising opportunity than the Super Bowl.As SVP of revenue marketing at Warner Bros. Discovery, Twyla oversees go-to-market, cross-portfolio positioning for the most exciting and adorable event of the year. She joins On Scope host Mike Berberich for a deep dive into the contextual marketing gold mine that is the Puppy Bowl. Together, the duo covers the history of the Puppy Bowl, how Twyla approaches brand partnerships to ensure all creative is consistent with the tone of the event, how she manages to keep things fresh with brand partners returning year after year, and her advice for any marketer looking to bring the power of contextual advertising to their own brand. On “News You Might Have Missed,” Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss a Marketing Week survey that shows an alarming number of marketing professionals feel overwhelmed, undervalued, exhausted, and unfulfilled. Mike and Ryan ponder whether the marketing industry itself is at least partly to blame for the conditions that are causing people to feel this way.If this conversation about the Puppy Bowl has you feeling inspired to enhance your own media efforts, then you’ll want to attend the 2026 ANA Media Conference, being held from March 25 to 27 in Nashville, Tenn. While there, you’ll hear from experts at Wyndham, Walmart, LEGO, and Keurig Dr Pepper about how they’ve developed media strategies that drive real business results, with insights on how you can do the same. Check out the full agenda and register to attend by visiting www.ana.net/2026media. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Faith Popcorn is a futurist to the Fortune 500, best-selling author, and renowned global speaker. The New York Times once dubbed her “the trend oracle” and Fortune has hailed her as the “Nostradamus of marketing.” On this episode of On Scope, she joins the show to give an exclusive look at what she believes the future of marketing will look like.Along with host Mike Berberich, Faith discusses what brands commonly get wrong when thinking about the future, her views on the idea of an “AI apocalypse,” and her shocking prediction for what marketing will look like in ten years. On “Research Roundup,” Mike sits down with Bill Zengel, SVP of business marketing at the ANA, to review “The Confident B2B Marketer,” a new research report that highlights the qualities that encompass a confident marketer, including the ability to accurately measure the financial performance of marketing efforts. Unfortunately, only 39 percent of marketers currently meet the standards of the confident marketer. Mike and Bill outline the ways in which the other 61 percent of individuals in our industry can join them.Faith Popcorn is a marketing icon, but she’s not the only one. Brand Masters | ICONS brings together CMOs and brand leaders from Applebee’s, McDonald’s, Canva, YETI, Rocket Companies, and more to share how these enduring brands capture imagination and loyalty for long-term growth. Taking place May 18 to 20 in Los Angeles, Calif., this conference will provide the pathway to turning your own brand into an icon. Check out the full agenda and register by visiting www.ana.net/brandmasters. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

On the season two premier of On Scope, ANA CEO Bob Liodice returns to discuss the skills and traits that marketers will need in 2026 and beyond. Along with host Mike Berberich, Bob covers the reasons why he is optimistic about the future of marketing, despite growing concerns related to AI and the economy; why he believes brand building is the premier pathway to shareholder growth and how marketers can sell executives on the need for brand investment; the biggest challenge facing each aspect of the marketing industry in 2026; and one thing every marketer has to do in 2026. On “Marketing News You Might Have Missed,” Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss an op-ed by Mark Ritson on a phenomenon he dubbed “maximiniflation,” or the process in which brands maximize the price of their product while minimizing the size. The practice has growing consequences for brands, as consumers grow angrier and begin to hold businesses accountable with their wallets. Mike and Ryan discuss some alternative pricing strategies brands might consider instead of leaning into this unpopular trend.If your business wants real connection, then it’s time to partner with the ANA. Become an official ANA sponsor and you will connect with the brands shaping the future of our industry, from Google and Amazon to Meta and TikTok. You can learn more about the fantastic opportunities available to you by visiting www.ana.net/sponsorship.The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

In the season one finale of On Scope, host Mike Berberich and show producer Ryan Dinger reflect on some of the most valuable marketing lessons guests shared in 2025. From balancing short-term tactics with long-term brand building to navigating AI adoption and responsible marketing, you’ll hear valuable insights from former Mastercard CMO Raja Rajamannar, Deloitte Digital’s Maggie Gross, eos’s Soyoung Kang, and more.If your business wants real connection, then it’s time to partner with the ANA. Become an official ANA sponsor and you will connect with the brands shaping the future of our industry, from Google and Amazon to Meta and TikTok. You can learn more about the fantastic opportunities available to you by visiting www.ana.net/sponsorship.The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Caitlin Blewett is a fierce believer that bold brands build strong businesses. As the CMO at Genpact — named one of the World’s Best Employers by Forbes for three years straight — she understands how important internal branding can be to driving healthy and productive cultures. Caitlin joins the On Scope podcast to give listeners a behind-the-scenes look at her company’s practical approach to AI implementation, which is powering both their cultural and bottom-line success.Along with host Mike Berberich, Caitlin covers the signals she and her team look for when determining if a function of the business is ready for AI implementation, how marketers can approach maintaining brand differentiation in AI’s growing “sea of sameness,” and how employees of all levels can work to convince leaders caught up in the AI hype cycle that a thoughtful approach is more beneficial.On This Week in ANA Magazine, magazine editor Matthew Schwartz, joins Mike to outline the ways in which several B2B brands are once again borrowing from a B2C playbook by leaning into influencer marketing. Matthew shares real-world examples and best practices for business marketers to keep in mind.The ANA Technology Practice helps marketers make smarter choices about AI and marketing tech, with practical tools, guidance, and peer insights to drive real business impact. Because the right tech doesn’t just automate marketing — it amplifies it. Explore all of the ANA’s technology resources by visiting www.ana.net/technology. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Brand Finance’s Alfred DuPuy is a brand strategy and valuation executive with more than 15 years of experience driving revenue growth, enhancing client relationships, and leading high impact global teams. He is on an ongoing mission to provide clarity to marketers, brand owners, and investors by quantifying the financial value of brands. As a part of that mission, he joins the On Scope podcast to help marketers understand why they’re thinking about brand value all wrong. Along with host Mike Berberich, Alfred dives into how the concept and formula for brand valuation have both changed over the years, why brand value is viewed as something that is ephemeral until it is time for a merger or acquisition, and how the misconceptions business leaders have about brand value are actively hurting their bottom line. On the debut of a new segment called Measurement Defined, Kevin Svenningsen, SVP of Measurement for Marketers at the ANA, joins Mike to define and discuss five key retail media terms every marketer needs to know, including “percentage of new buyers,” “upsell,” and more. Now that you have a better understanding of all the elements that make up your brand’s value, it’s time to drive that value up with the ANA’s Brand-Building Certificate Program. It’s on-demand, self-paced, and taught by marketers who’ve actually built the brands you admire. Explore the program and get started by visiting www.ana.net/brandcertificate. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Danilo Tauro has built a career on his ability to connect people and processes to emerging technologies that drive growth and future-proof business strategies. A veteran who has worked with leading organizations like P&G, Amazon, and Uber, he now serves as a senior advisor at McKinsey & Co. and managing partner of the brand-new VC firm, CartographAI. With years of experience evaluating emerging MarTech tools, Danilo shares his best tips and insights for how marketers can spot both red and green flags when it comes to assessing tech solutions. Along with host Mike Berberich, Danilo covers how marketers can go beyond the vendor demo and see what is actually useful about a tech tool or platform and how it suits their specific needs, his top five questions to ask tech vendors when evaluating new tools, and how marketers can be a better partner for tech solution providers. On Marketing News You Might Have Missed, Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss new Gartner research that indicates only 5 percent of marketers are realizing significant gains on business outcomes with their generative AI efforts, speculating that the technology’s promise of complete industry overhaul might be overblown. Want even more tips to better evaluate and select MarTech tools for your brand? Check out the ANA’s Technology Practice, which helps marketers make smarter choices about AI and other technologies by providing practical tools, guidance, and peer insights. Explore the portfolio of resources by visiting www.ana.net/technology. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Paul Boruta is a two-time startup founder and advertising industry veteran with a deep passion for AI and marketing technology. In 2017, he founded Slingwave to tackle some of the most complex challenges in marketing analytics, attribution, and media optimization to empower businesses in making informed marketing investment decisions. He joins the show to break down incrementality in marketing and discuss how to set up experiments that actually work. Along with host Mike Berberich, Paul covers why the industry is wrong to be so fixated on multi-touch attribution, how organizations can use incrementality to their advantage, and what the difference is between interesting datapoints and those that are meaningful to driving business outcomes. On Marketing News You Might Have Missed, Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss a blockbuster podcast partnership between Spotify and Netflix, speculating on what the new deal means for brands partnering with content creators and debating whether this news means every brand needs to be in the podcast space or not. If our conversation with Paul has you itching to turn every marketing test into campaign traction, then you need to check out the ANA’s Certified ANA Marketing Professional (CAMP) program. Through a series of self-paced training modules, you’ll learn the frameworks, analytics, and real-world skills to turn your data insights into activations that drive tangible business growth. Learn more about how you can get certified by visiting www.ana.net/camp. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

With more than 20 years working for major brands like MasterCard all the way down to new startups, Jay Mandel has seen it all in marketing. With a career spent helping companies and leaders move past performative marketing into accountable, purpose-driven systems that align people and profit, he has his finger squarely on the pulse of our industry. And that’s why marketers should take notice when he sounds alarm bells, like he did earlier this year when he wrote that the burnout marketers are currently experiencing is due to industry-wide structural failures. Jay, who is the founder of the Marketing Accountability Council, joins the On Scope podcast to discuss the growing trend of marketers feeling burnt out or disenfranchised, often focusing on performative work tasks versus those that drive real results. Along with host Mike Berberich, Jay unpacks how our industry arrived at this moment, why modern marketing feels more like a grift than a means for building relationships with customers, and how both marketing leaders and those that report up to them can address and repair these issues. On This Week in ANA Magazine, editor Matthew Schwartz joins Mike to discuss a new article on the ins and outs of zero click search, an emerging and increasingly important trend that marketers need to be on top of. Matthew shares some tips for how marketers might prepare for this new AI-powered search reality. If your marketing efforts are starting to feel stale, it’s time for some new inspiration. ANA National Industry Conferences put you in the room with the CMOs and marketing leaders who are creating real progress for our industry and driving tangible growth for their brands. See what’s coming up on the 2026 calendar by visiting www.ana.net/conferences. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].

Earlier this year, The Ad Council launched its “Agree to Agree” campaign, which seeks to reduce gun violence affecting children and teens by fostering common ground and civil dialogue. As Ro Patrick, VP at The Ad Council, explains, the campaign was born from research that showed both gun owners and non-gun owners alike felt strongly about the need to protect children from gun violence. Ro joins the On Scope podcast to discuss how the campaign came to life and what other brands can learn from The Ad Council’s research-based approach of addressing a social issue in a time of high political tension and division. Along with host Mike Berberich, Ro covers how she and her team were able to depoliticize the messaging around gun violence, how other brands might approach identifying social issues they can take a stand on without getting caught in the political fray, and the importance of building coalitions and amplifying existing voices as a strategy for brands entering into these types of conversations. On Marketing News You Might Have Missed, Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss a WPP Media report that found 84 percent of purchases are made by people already biased toward a brand, highlighting the importance of long-term brand building and challenging assumptions about the actual effectiveness of performance marketing. Want to turn brand trust into your biggest advantage? Check out ANA’s Marketing Data Principles, your blueprint for using data ethically and driving growth the right way. You can learn more by visiting www.ana.net/DataPrinciples. The On Scope team would love to hear from you! If you have a topic or guest idea, you can email them at [email protected].