The Brand Forum

Marketecture’s Jeremy Bloom and co-host Josh Palau go deep on what matters to brands. Each week the Brand Forum brings in leading brand marketers to talk advertising, media, and marketing through an insider's lens. The Brand Forum is proud to be sponsored by Comscore, the global leader in measuring and understanding consumer behaviors. Comscore is bringing their collective of Data Divas to the pod, where they will be ‘Dishing’ out unique insights and real-world snackable tips. To learn more about Comscore and the Data Divas – or even apply to be one yourself - check out https://comscore.com/datadivas

The Brand Forum is a business podcast hosted by Jeremy Bloom, with 27 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Jeremy Bloom hosts The Brand Forum, a business show with 27 episodes published.

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  The Brand Forum

  How Melissa Grady Dias Built Iconic Brands and Why Every CMO Thinks Like a CEO

  Aug 5, 202626 min

  Jeremy Bloom and Josh Palau sit down with Melissa Grady Dias, CEO of Measured Wellness and former CMO of Cadillac, to discuss the transition from CMO to CEO, building emotionally connected brands, balancing performance and brand marketing, AI's impact on customer journeys, and the future of marketing leadership. TakeawaysMelissa shares why the best marketers think like business growth leaders.Brand and performance marketing should work together, not compete.Emotional connections create customers who are significantly more valuable.Every customer interaction contributes to a brand's identity.Continuous learning is the most important skill for marketers in the AI era. Chapters00:00 Welcome & Melissa's New CEO Role02:08 What Measured Wellness Does06:57 From CMO to CEO: Biggest Leadership Shift09:43 Brand vs. Performance Marketing12:28 Building a Strong Brand Identity15:26 What Makes a Marketing Campaign Successful17:53 Working with Agency & Media Partners21:11 Melissa's Journey Into Marketing23:04 Why Marketing Really Works25:15 Advice for the Next Generation of Marketers26:23 Closing Thoughts

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  The Brand Forum

  How Etsy Builds Brand Love Through Storytelling, Culture, and Community Alyssa Collier

  Jul 1, 202628 min

  Jeremy Bloom (Marketecture Media co-founder, OhHello.ai founder) and Josh Palau (Media and AdTech executive and America’s favorite plus-one) sit down with Alyssa Collier, Brand Marketing Leader at Etsy, to explore how brands can stand out in a world of shrinking attention spans and endless content. Alyssa shares insights on psychographic marketing, social-first strategies, seller storytelling, cultural trends, and the role of authenticity in building brand loyalty. She also discusses her unique journey from TV sales to Etsy, along with her passions for DJing, figure skating, and podcasting. Takeaways Why psychographics matter more than demographics in modern marketing. How Etsy differentiates itself through handcrafted products and authentic storytelling. The importance of seller stories in building brand trust. How social media and cultural trends influence marketing strategy. Why marketers should focus on attention, community, and emotional connection. Alyssa's career journey from television sales to brand marketing at Etsy. Lessons on balancing creativity, data, and performance marketing. Chapters00:00 Welcome & Introducing Alyssa Collier00:32 Alyssa's Career Journey Into Brand Marketing02:02 Figure Skating, DJing & Life Outside Marketing06:10 The Biggest Challenges Facing Brands Today08:28 Why Etsy's Sellers Are the Brand11:29 Audience-First Marketing Across Every Channel14:06 Psychographics vs. Demographics in Modern Marketing17:31 Using Customer Trends to Shape Brand Strategy19:40 Why Storytelling Drives Brand Loyalty22:24 What Alyssa Is Watching Right Now25:33 Ohio State, New York & Personal Journey27:14 Final Thoughts & Closing Remarks

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  The Brand Forum

  From Lay’s to Activia: Linda Bethea on Building Iconic Consumer Brands

  May 20, 202631 min

  Linda Bethea joins Jeremy Bloom (Marketecture Media co-founder, OhHello.ai founder) and Josh Palau (Media and AdTech executive and America’s favorite plus-one) on The Brand Forum to share lessons from leading some of the world’s biggest food and beverage brands, including Lay’s, Captain Morgan, Activia, and Danone North America. From brand positioning and storytelling to AI search, consumer behavior, and the myth of brand loyalty, Linda breaks down what it really takes to build memorable brands in today’s crowded landscape. She also shares personal stories from her career, insights on marketing leadership, and the meaningful work she does with Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley. Takeaways - Brand positioning starts with deeply understanding people and their behaviors. - Great storytelling creates emotional connections that consumers remember. - Brand loyalty is less important than mental and physical availability. - AI search is changing how brands are discovered online. - Strong creativity is essential to stand out in a crowded media landscape. - The best agency partners act as true extensions of the brand team. - Curiosity is one of the most important traits for marketers today. - Great ideas can come from anywhere, including family conversations. - Modern consumers live in a constant loop of discovery across platforms. - Marketing success comes from balancing art and science. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Linda Bethea and her career across iconic brands 01:40 Why Lay’s remains Linda’s favorite brand experience 04:27 How consumer ideas can inspire real marketing campaigns 06:15 The fundamentals of successful brand positioning 09:00 Repositioning Activia from “regularity” to modern gut health 10:41 Why storytelling matters more than facts and figures 12:28 The biggest challenge marketers face today: attention 14:38 Linda’s controversial take on brand loyalty 17:00 Balancing art, science, and creative excellence in marketing 18:08 Building stronger partnerships with agencies and media teams 22:08 How AI search is transforming brand discovery 24:46 Linda’s work with Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley 27:44 How Linda found her path into marketing 30:35 Career advice for the next generation of marketers

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  The Brand Forum

  Fandom as Currency: The Passions and Purchasing Power of the WNBA

  May 5, 202623 min

  At Marketecture Live III in New York City, Caiti Donovan, Head of Growth Strategy, WNBA, joined Damian Garbaccio, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, Affinity Solutions, to break down how women’s sports fans are reshaping culture, commerce, and brand strategy. From first-party data to fan segmentation and the rise of purpose-driven fandom, this conversation dives into how the WNBA is building one of the most engaged audiences in sports and turning passion into measurable business impact. Takeaways Women’s sports fans go deep, not wide, creating stronger engagement and loyalty Fandom is measured across consumption spending and interaction NIL and athlete visibility are fueling massive audience growth The curious fan is now a key growth driver for the WNBA First-party data is becoming the most valuable asset in sports marketing Purpose-driven fandom directly influences purchasing behavior Female audiences and younger fans are rapidly entering the ecosystem Behavioral data is more powerful than demographics for targeting Brand partnerships succeed when aligned with fan values Women’s sports are proving to be a real and growing business opportunity Chapters 00:00 Opening and introduction to fandom as a currency 01:30 What makes women’s sports fans unique 03:30 How the WNBA measures fandom consumption, spend, and engagement 05:30 Key growth drivers behind the WNBA surge 08:00 The 3C fan segmentation: core, casual, curious 10:45 The rise and importance of the curious fan 13:40 Using first-party data to power brand partnerships 16:00 The Henry segment and behavioral targeting 18:30 How the WNBA compares to other leagues in data strategy 20:20 Turning fan data into real business outcomes

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  The Brand Forum

  Building a Retail Media Network with Heart Inside Ace Hardware

  Apr 30, 202624 min

  Molly Hjelm, Corporate Vice President of Retail Media at Ace Hardware Corporation, joins Jeremy Bloom (Marketecture Media co-founder, OhHello.ai founder) and Josh Palau (Media and AdTech executive and America’s favorite plus-one) to share how she built Red Vest Media from the ground up. She dives into the power of first-party data, the strength of Ace’s co op model, and how local personalization competes with massive retail media networks. From loyalty data to in-store experience, this conversation explores what it takes to scale while staying authentic. Takeaways Ace Hardware combines national scale with hyperlocal personalization Strong first-party data is the foundation of effective retail media Most sales still happen in-store, making physical experience critical Simplicity and seamless integration matter most to advertisers Listening to customers drives faster and better product development Retail media success depends on measurable and real-time results Co op structure can be a competitive advantage, not a limitation Chapters 00:01 Introduction to Molly Hjelm and Red Vest Media 00:31 Why Ace Hardware’s model stands out in retail 01:31 Molly’s background and building the network 02:30 The scale and reach of Ace Hardware 03:13 How local ownership creates authenticity 04:54 Staying human in a digital and automated world 06:48 Ace’s core value proposition 08:35 Growth of e-commerce and delivery partnerships 10:10 Challenges of building a retail media network 12:27 Launch strategy and leveraging partnerships 13:46 Standing out in a crowded retail media space 15:47 Advice for marketers building platforms 17:00 The importance of knowing your customer 19:01 Building for the next generation 21:25 Molly’s journey into retail data and marketing 23:35 Personal insights and closing thoughts

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