Ad Age Marketer's Brief

Ad Age senior agency reporter Lindsay Rittenhouse goes inside the growing trend of brand-agency marriage counseling. Rather than jumping straight into a costly and time-intensive agency review, consultancies are increasingly suggesting services that evaluate the existing relationship, and potentially improve both the agency and brand’s practices. Plus, Group Black is changing its name to Portrait Media Group. In an exclusive interview with Ad Age, co-founder Bonin Bough explained the reason as well as the company’s future path. And one change for future CMOs is the rise of test-running roles before committing full-time. Read more on how to get noticed for interim marketing positions. Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode: ~Inside brand-agency marriage counselling ~The stats on client-agency tenure ~Google won’t be forced to sell Chrome ~What Kraft Heinz’s reorganization means for its future ~Keep up with the latest account reviews ~Buy tickets to Ad Age’s Business of Brands conferenc

Kertesz reflects on three years in the CMO role, including how media placements have become a form of creative messaging and how the DTC-born brand is embracing multichannel marketing. Plus, how the brand's “Send Face Pics Instead” went viral.

Ad Age reporters Erika Wheless and Gillian Follett break down the brand lessons from the recent Cracker Barrel and American Eagle dramas: How can marketers better prepare for social pushback, what to know about official brand responses and how the brand-consumer relationship is changing on social media. Plus, AI ad networks are beginning to emerge, which place paid content in chatbots such as ChatGPT. Dig into the debate between maintaining chat quality and monetizing the technology. And Svedka has resurrected its Fembot character in a plea for people to put down their phones and go out with friends. Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode: ~The latest on the Cracker Barrel rebrand saga ~Refresh yourself on American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign backlash ~Inside E.l.f. Cosmetics’ Matt Rife social campaign ~Keep up with the latest account reviews ~Buy tickets to Ad Age’s Business of Brands conference ~Listen to Hinge’s CMO talk connecting with Gen Z

Jackie Jantos, Hinge’s president and CMO, shares tips for winning with Gen Z and how Hinge has been able to see growth when other dating apps are seeing declines

In Ad Age’s Marketer’s Brief podcast, CMX’s Parbinder Dhariwal shares how CVS connects brands with health-focused shoppers to drive growth.

Ad Age Creativity Editor Tim Nudd reveals the creativity trends of 2025 so far, including the impact of AI on brand marketing, the resurgence of experiential activations and the secret to an effective modern Super Bowl campaign. Plus, data reveals the impact of AI search on brand's website visits—some categories are seeing a lift while others are staying flat. Dig deeper into the differentiators. And E.l.f. Cosmetics finds itself the latest subject of consumer scrutiny after partnering with controversial comedian Matt Rife. Find out where experts are saying the brand went wrong. Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode: ~Tim's list of the top ads of 2025 so far ~Coca-Cola's AI-generated holiday campaign ~Google's not-so-good Olympics AI ad ~Walton Goggins' Doritos porn spoof ~Apply to join Ad Age's Small Agency Network ~Keep track of agency account reviews here

Ed Beadle, Honda VP of digital services and marketing, reveals how the automaker is getting more efficient with its marketing and how his background as a media strategist and Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master shapes his approach and leadership style.

Alvaro Luque talks tariffs, media mix and his guacamole recipe

Cash App targeted movie theaters for its recent campaign starring Timothée Chalamet

How the free-spirited light beer brand became Gallo's first beer investment

Creative Director Ryan Weaver talks about removing the stigma and increasing accessibility

CMO Vanessa Wallace talks about her ‘fun, fast, furious first year’ at the lingerie brand

Matt Graham talks AI and food and flavor trends on the latest episode of the Marketer’s Brief Podcast

Rokt’s Sophie Donoghue shares how AI and real-time targeting at the transaction moment help brands drive growth and performance in 2025

Nissan's U.S. CMO Allyson Witherspoon on the brand's comeback attempt and how she deals with burnout.

CMO Laura Jones talks about 90s-era prices, Super Bowl advertising and in-house agencies

Snap CMO Grace Kao talks sponsored snaps, AI and Cannes on the Marketer's Brief.

We take the temperature on the marketing job market with Michael Wright, founder of executive search firm Taligence. What industries are hiring? What is the future of the CMO role? Why are companies not hiring agency execs as CMOs? We cover that and more.

The company just debuted its first intimate care line

Stateside Brands President Matt Quigley discusses the fast-growing ready-to-drink brand.