The Human Element: A Carat Podcast

In this episode Abran Maldonado, Cofounder of Create Labs Ventures; Kanene Ayo Holder, AI Integration Manager for DEIGPT, Create Labs Ventures; Mark Prince, SVP, Head of Economic Empowerment, dentsu; and Michael Liu, EVP Head of Innovation, Carat join us to cover two big topics in the industry, Diversity and AI, and the responsibility and significance of both working together for marketers to reshape brand and consumer engagement.

In this special episode of the pod, we are joined by industry leading AI practitioners to discuss the power and opportunities that Artificial Intelligence has on the advertising and media industry, and the massive responsibility required to future proof the balance of human + machine.

In this episode, Joanna Hawkes, EVP Head of Strategy at Carat US, and Jon Manka, Director of Audience & Insights at dentsu Media US, join us for a mid-year check-in on our annual consumer insights and media trends predictions, and what we can expect for the second half of the year.

Mike Law, CEO at Carat North America, Cara Lewis, Chief Investment Officer at dentsu US, and Mark Jones, Client President at Carat, sit down to cover all things Cannes Lions, the annual international festival of creativity, from key themes, the impact of the festival on brands and media, and what to expect to see in the second half of the year.

In this special edition of the pod, and in honor of Pride month, some amazing people within the dentsu LGBTQIA+ community join us to not only celebrate Pride but to reflect on the opportunities and challenges within our industry.

Michael Liu, SVP Head of Innovation at Carat; Sarah Stringer, EVP Head of US Media partnerships at dentsu; and Connor McKinney, Senior Director Strategy & Planning at Carat, join us in a conversation as we wrap up this year's SXSW conference and discuss what's next for brands following the 9-day event that invited digital creatives to discuss forward-focused.

After three years, we are back in-person at CES, the annual trade show showcasing the latest products and technologies within the consumer electronics industry. In this episode Sarah Stringer, EVP Head of US Media partnerships at dentsu, and Michael Liu, SVP Head of Innovation at Carat, join us to wrap up the CES week and discuss the future of tech and innovation and what's next in media.

In this episode Richard Shotton, author of The Choice Factory focused on applying behavioural science to advertising, and Sean Healy, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Carat, join us to discuss Media Decarbonization, bringing dentsu's programs from theory to practice, and the consumer behavior changes that are influencing the work.

In this episode Brittany Rubinsky, VP Digital Investment Partnerships & Brand Assurance at Carat, and Don McLean, Director of Gaming at dentsu, join us to discuss the semi-annual gaming convention, TwitchCon, and what's next for advertisers in gaming.

We're back with a special edition of the pod with Victoria Sjardin, VP of Marketing Excellence at Kraft Heinz International, and Diana Bojaj, Chief Media Officer at Carat US, to discuss Carat's recent propriety research, the Brand EQ report, and the critical relationship between brand emotional intelligence and business growth.

In reflection of this past Pride Month we have a very special edition of the pod featuring some of the amazing people within the dentsu LGBTQIA+ community and allies to share what Pride Month means to them, how brands can authentically connect with the community all year round, and advice for rising talent.

We sit down with Martin Porter, EVP OOH Lead, and Marc Bartholomew, SVP Group Director OOH, at dentsu to talk about the influence, impact and innovation of OOH for marketers.

In this special edition of the pod we sit down with Diana Bojaj, newly appointed Chief Media Officer; Stephanie Russell, Chief Client Officer; and Mike Law, CEO, of Carat US, to discuss their inspiration, the next gen of media experts, and the future for Carat.

Cara Lewis, Chief Investment Officer; Jennifer Hungerbuhler, EVP, Head of Local & Audio Investment; and Dave Sederbaum, EVP, Head of National Video at dentsu sit down to discuss the road to Upfronts including the shifts in consumer behavior, transparency & measurement, national & local investment, DEI and partnerships and more.

To celebrate Women's History Month, we have a special edition of the pod featuring some of the many amazing women across dentsu. They share their views on the opportunities and challenges of being a woman in business today, and how they plan to #breakthebias.

In this second and last exclusive episode of the pod – dentsu @ CES Unscripted - we're still focused on finding ways to inject humanity and insight into modern marketing, but with attention on CES, the annual trade show showcasing the latest products and technologies within the consumer electronics industry. In this episode Val Vacante, Director of Strategy- Product Experience & Innovation at Merkle, Sarah Stringer, EVP Head of US Media Partnerships at dentsu, and Michael Liu, SVP, Head of Innovation at Carat US, join us to wrap up the virtual CES week and discuss the future of tech and innovation in media.

We're kicking off the year with an exclusive episode of the pod – which we are calling dentsu @ CES Unscripted. We're still focused on finding ways to inject humanity and insight into modern marketing, but with attention on CES, the annual trade show showcasing the latest products and technologies within the consumer electronics industry. In this episode Brian Cooley, Editor at Large at CNET, and Brad Alperin, SVP Integrated Strategy Lead at dentsu, join us to discuss what we are beginning to see on the CES show floor (virtually) and hedging some bets on the future of tech.

Your Human Element host and producer are back with their fourth annual year-end podcast reflecting on the wonderful guests who have joined us and (of course) some holiday memories along the way.

In this special edition of the pod, we sit down with Mike Law, newly appointed Carat US CEO about his career journey, inspiration and early priorities for Carat US.

John Buzzell, Lead Enterprise BD at Unreal Engine, Epic Games and Michael Liu, VP Director, Innovation & Strategy at Carat US join us to discuss all things digital humans, from a limitless creator culture to implications for society, brands and the advertising industry.

In honor of Pride Month this June, we have a very special edition of the pod featuring some of the amazing people within the dentsu LGBTQIA+ community, to not only celebrate Pride but to reflect on the opportunities and challenges within our industry.

Mike Law, President; Cara Lewis, EVP Head of US Investment; and Dave Sederbaum EVP, Head of Video Investment, at Amplifi US part of dentsu, join us to share how brands should be leaning into this year's Upfronts, DE&I within the TV landscape and some bold predictions for the future of the marketplace.

We're joined by Bethanie Blanchard, Strategy Lead, and Annika Barrett, Strategy Director, at Carat Australia to take us through the team's recent review of the beauty category, from the most drastic shifts in consumer behavior to tech acceleration and cultural reckoning.

Gaurav Shirole, Director Ad Measurement at Roku, and Brad Stockton, VP National Video Innovation at Amplifi, part of dentsu US, join us to share insight around March Madness, the shifts in consumer consumption and what it means for brands reaching today's active sports viewers.

Joe Anthony, Chief Hero at Hero Collective; Alexis Tirado, Head of Multicultural Branded at Buzzfeed; and Haley Paas, CSO at Carat US join us to discuss the role of community and what it takes for brands to make the long-term in roads to authentically connect in culture.

In this episode of The Human Element our CMO and dedicated, unwavering and irreplicable podcast host, Robert Schwartz, shares his favorite episodes and podcast memories from the past two years with producer, Jason, and co-host, Chelsea.

To celebrate International Women's Day, we have a special edition of the pod featuring some of the many amazing women across Carat and dentsu.  They share their views on the opportunities and challenges of being a woman in business today, and what they #ChooseToChallenge.

For the 100th episode of The Human Element we revisit the single most important issue we have covered over the past two years: diversity, equity, and inclusion in marketing. Christena Pyle, Chief Equity Officer for Dentsu Americas, joins us to talk about the progress and remaining challenges for marketers and agencies alike.

Alex Heath, Reporter at The Information, joins us again for a scan across the big tech landscape including Facebook and Apple's burgeoning feud, Clubhouse hype vs. reality and so much more.

Michael Liu, VP, Director of Innovation & Mobile at Carat and Sarah Stringer, EVP Head of US Media Partnerships at dentsu discuss the impact of virtual CES & the topics that owned the “show floor.”

Your Human Element hosts and producer are back with their third annual “Christmas Fish,” year-end podcast reflecting on the wonderful guests who have joined us and (of course) some holiday memories along the way.

We are joined by Danni Wright, National Head of Strategy & Connections Planning at Carat Australia; Dan Calladine, Head of Media Futures at Carat Global; and James Allen, SVP Head of Strategy at Carat US to review our marketing and media trends and predictions for 2021.

We sit down with Nate Shurilla, Global Director of Commerce & Voice at iProspect and based in our Tokyo offices, to discuss the impacts of the pandemic on commerce, how brands should be building trust and authenticity, and the growing influence of voice on marketing.

This week we took some time to speak with a few of our Carat US team members to share what they are most thankful for in this challenging year and are most looking forward to this Thanksgiving.

In this very special episode of the pod, Fiona Lloyd, Managing Director and Global Client President, and Sean Healy, Global CSO at Carat join us to talk about the launch of Carat's most significant research study ever, identifying the most emotionally intelligent brands for 2020.

This week The Human Element hosts Robert Schwartz, Global CMO, and Chelsea Radovanovic, Director of Marketing, and Producer Jason Oberholtzer attempt to make a few predictions about one of the most historic US elections. While the predictions across the presidential, senate, house and select ballot initiatives are serious - the tone of our little crew is not.

We invited a new perspective into the pod this week as Donna Halper, Boston-Based Historian, Radio Consultant and an Associate Professor of Communications joined us to discuss the evolution of radio, this political moment for her communications students, media ethics, and the moment that helped define her career: discovering the band Rush.

Dylan Collins, CEO at SuperAwesome, joins us again for a discussion of recent developments in kids digital media and privacy, the implications for advertisers and social platforms alike, and the recent news that SuperAwesome is joining the Epic Games family.

In this special edition we gathered Stef Michalak, Creator and Producer of The Michalaks YouTube channel, Denia Souli-Vounisiou, Client Account Director at Carat UK; and Amy Bryant-Jeffries, Partnerships Director at Gleamfutures. They joined us to discuss our recent proprietary report about unlocking growth through influencer marketing and digital-first talent.

This week Erin Schmidt, Chief Strategy and Client Service Officer at Branded Entertainment Network, joins us to share her perspective on the biggest shifts in content development and distribution, building trust with consumers through human insight, and how her mom led her into the marketing business.

In this episode Mike Law, US President at Amplifi; Martha Matthews, SVP Group Director Local at Carat, and Eric Bryant, VP Director of Local Media Activation at 360i join us to discuss the implications of the upcoming US election on brands, from inventory and pricing to market pressures, all based on our weekly, proprietary 2020 political briefings.

Melissa Hobley, CMO at OkCupid, joins us to discuss the business of love. From shifts in the online dating landscape to leveraging human insight to build genuine experiences and connections, Melissa shares her perspective on all elements of marketing.

Dan Calladine, Global Head of Media Futures and Haley Paas, EVP, Head of US Strategy and Insights at Carat sit down with us to revisit some of the media trends and predictions we initially had for 2020. (Hint: a few things have changed since January).

JiYoung Kim, Chief Digital Officer at Carat USA, sits down with us for a chat on all things digital. From marketer's biggest concerns of the moment, balancing performance and brand strategies, and how to handle advertising during the upcoming election.

Alex Heath, Reporter at The Information who covers all things Facebook and its competitors, joins us for a special edition of the pod as we talk about Facebook's past few months, how employees have texted internally, where they go next, and what on the earth the government may have in mind for them. (Oh, plus a TikTok update!)

Xavier Jernigan, Head of Cultural Partnerships at Spotify and host of the podcast, The Window, joins us to share an insider look at podcasting, his approach to servant leadership, and advice for CMOs in an era of social unrest.

Alex Lieberman, Founder & CEO at Morning Brew, joins us for a special episode of The Human Element to discuss the responsibilities of a new media company, supporting journalism, the real challenges of boycotts - and leading a company through it all.

Samir Sheth, Head of Content at Morning Brew, joins us to continue our discussion on race and equality in marketing and media. We talk about social media boycotts and the role of media companies to better serve underrepresented communities.

It's been a very, very heavy few months, so we decided we could all use a lighter hearted episode. So, our Human Element hosts and producer sat down to do just that - and this is what happened...

Nandi Welch, Head of Business Strategy at Rupture Studio and Ed Cotton, Creative Strategist and Consultant and former CSO at BSSP, join us to continue our discussion of race and equality within the marketing industry.

In this episode Elekia Akhuetie, Media Account Director at Gyro UK, and Venya Wijegoonewardene, Strategy Partner at Carat UK, both co-founders of the REPRESENT diversity network within Dentsu UK, join us to continue our discussion of race and equality we must have across the industry.