Wharton Marketing Matters

Hosted by The Wharton School

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Episodes

307

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Marketing Matters is hosted by Wharton marketing professors Barbara Kahn and Dr. Americus Reed, II. Each week they discuss marketing and advertising trends, consumer behavior, data and analytics, the latest in retail marketing, brand-building, and much more with their expert guests. Episodes are recorded at the Wharton School. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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60 recent

June 4, 202630 min

Creating a Category: Mike Kurtz, Founder of Mike’s Hot Honey, on Brand Building, Community, and Growth

Can a simple idea create an entirely new product category? Mike Kurtz, Founder of Mike’s Hot Honey, shares the story behind transforming a homemade honey and chili pepper infusion into one of the most recognizable brands in the condiment aisle. Inspired by a memorable pizza experience in Brazil, Kurtz spent years refining his recipe before introducing the product through New York City’s pizza community. He discusses the power of word-of-mouth marketing, building an authentic brand, fostering customer advocacy, and scaling a business while staying connected to its roots. The conversation explores category creation, strategic partnerships, product innovation, and why community remains one of the strongest competitive advantages a brand can have. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 21, 202630 min

Athletic Brewing’s Senior Director of Marketing, Rosalie Kennedy

Rosalie Kennedy, Senior Director of Marketing at Athletic Brewing, discusses how the company helped transform non alcoholic beer from a niche category into a mainstream lifestyle brand. Rosalie shares how Athletic Brewing built cultural relevance around wellness, taste, and social connection, why authenticity matters in a crowded beverage market, and how changing consumer behavior is reshaping the future of beer. The conversation also explores category growth, brand positioning, distribution strategy, and how Athletic Brewing is thinking about younger consumers and evolving drinking habits.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 23, 202631 min

Ferrero NA's CMO, Chad Stubbs

Chad Stubbs, Chief Marketing Officer of Ferrero North America, joins Barbara and Americus to discuss how large-scale campaigns, cultural relevance, and innovative marketing strategies—from Super Bowl ads to viral brand moments—are used to build iconic brands and drive consumer engagement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 9, 202633 min

Google's Vice President of AI and Marketing Strategy, Joshua Spanier

Joshua Spanier, Vice President of AI and Marketing Strategy at Google, joins Barbara & Americus to discuss how artificial intelligence is transforming marketing from efficiency-driven automation to creative empowerment, redefining customer value, and enabling more personalized, “quest”-based consumer experiences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March 27, 202628 min

JP Morgan Asset & Wealth Management's CMO, Rosa Rita

Rosa Rita, Global Chief Marketing Officer at JP Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, explains how data-driven insights and AI-powered personalization are transforming marketing from a reactive function into a proactive, client-centric driver of engagement in asset and wealth management. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March 12, 202628 min

Groov Founder Dan Cataldi on Reinventing Custom Orthotics

Dan Cataldi, Founder of Groov, joins Barbara and Americus to explain how the company uses iPhone-based 3D scanning to create custom inserts, why proprietary data and speed matter for defensibility, and how brand identity and packaging help build long-term advantage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 26, 202634 min

Manscaped CMO, Marcelo Kertész

Marcelo Kertesz, Chief Marketing Officer of Manscaped, explains how the brand leveraged humor, premium design, omnichannel distribution, and a breakout Super Bowl campaign to challenge legacy competitors and redefine modern masculinity in the global grooming market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 19, 202635 min

Zillow's VP of Brand and Product Marketing, Beverly Jackson

Beverly Jackson, Vice President of Brand and Product Marketing at Zillow, joins Barbara & Americus to explain how the company’s two-sided marketplace, consumer-first philosophy, and campaigns like “Someday Starts Today” leverage data, AI-driven tools, and brand storytelling to reduce uncertainty, build trust, and modernize the home buying and renting experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 12, 202629 min

Canva's Global Head of Consumer and Product Marketing, Kristine Segrist

Kristine Segrist, Global Head of Consumer and Product Marketing at Canva, joins Barbara and Americus to explain how the company empowers millions to bring ideas to life through accessible design tools, human-centered AI, and a mission-driven approach to creativity at scale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

February 5, 202629 min

Ad Age Editor-in-Chief, Jeanine Poggi

Jeanine Poggi, Editor-in-Chief of Advertising Age, joins Barbara & Americus to discuss the evolution of high-stakes advertising, exploring the rise of AI-generated creative and the surprising emergence of healthcare and pharmaceutical brands during the year’s biggest televised event. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.