Internationalists of the Year
Mike Nelson: The Delicate Art of Brand Evolution
For nearly two centuries, Martin Guitar has balanced craftsmanship with innovation. Mike Nelson explains why enduring brands don’t choose between heritage and progress—they learn how to honor both. Marketing has always celebrated the new. New technologies. New platforms. New audiences. New ways of reaching consumers. Yet some of the world’s most admired brands have endured […]
The 2026 Internationalists of the Year
The story of this year’s Internationalists is the evolution of marketing leadership itself. The most influential marketers today are not simply building brands. They are helping people navigate complexity, creating confidence in uncertain times, building communities around shared passions, humanizing technology, and finding new ways for organizations to create meaningful value. The 2026 Internationalists of […]
At 50, Habitat for Humanity Looks Forward: Opening the Door to What Comes Next
Fifty years after its founding, Habitat for Humanity stands at a rare intersection of legacy and urgency. What began as a bold experiment in community-driven housing has grown into a global movement that has helped more than 65 million people access safe, decent, and affordable homes. Yet, as Habitat marks this milestone, the organization is […]
Why Media Excellence Now Means Doing Less — and Doing It Better
Adam Benaroya on strategic simplification, reach plus relevance, and the growing challenge of retail media measurement. In a marketing industry increasingly defined by dashboards, data layers, and expanding channel choices, Adam Benaroya has been advocating something refreshingly counterintuitive: strategic simplification. Over the course of his career — spanning leadership roles at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Johnson […]
The Longevity Blind Spot: What Better Not Younger Reveals About Marketing in a New Age-Inclusive Economy
Founder Sonsoles Gonzalez on brand evolution, ageism in marketing, and why the industry must rethink its assumptions about relevance, confidence, and growth. For decades, marketing has quietly operated on an outdated timeline. Career momentum peaks early. Innovation belongs to youth. And women, in particular, are often treated as if their relevance fades just as their […]
Reinventing Retail Marketing: Dr. Jan Flemming’s Blueprint for the Future
Retail media is no longer just the fastest-growing channel in advertising — it’s evolving into one of the most consequential. Global retail media investment is expected to reach $200 billion by 2027, with European spend now outpacing growth in the broader digital ad market. Retailers, once seen as media bystanders, are becoming full-funnel customer platforms […]
Breaking Barriers: Bridget Sponsky on Ally’s Bold Play for Equity and Innovation
Few brands in financial services are known for cultural relevance. But Ally Financial, under the brand leadership of Bridget Sponsky, is rewriting that narrative. In 2022, Ally stunned the marketing world by announcing its 50/50 Pledge: a promise to invest equally in men’s and women’s sports media within five years. For decades, women’s sports received […]
Visit Sweden’s Nils Persson on Bold Ideas, Big Impact, and the Future of Marketing
How Visit Sweden’s CMO turns national branding into lessons every marketer can use. When most people think of destination marketing, they imagine glossy brochures and aspirational taglines. Nils Persson, Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Sweden, has rewritten that playbook entirely. Under his leadership, Sweden’s national brand has become a global case study in how creativity, […]
Colin Westcott-Pitt: Building a Billion-Dollar Brand on Brilliant Basics…
When Colin Westcott-Pitt joined Glanbia Performance Nutrition nearly a decade ago, he brought with him a portfolio of some of the world’s most memorable beverage campaigns—from Dos Equis’ legendary Most Interesting Man to Heineken’s digital-first innovations. But at Glanbia, the mission was different. The focus shifted from refreshment to results: helping people everywhere achieve their […]
How IBM’s Joe Prota Is Reimagining Brand Marketing for a New Era…
In a world of constant transformation, few brands embody longevity and reinvention like IBM. Once known for mainframes and ThinkPads, today’s IBM is leading in hybrid cloud, AI, and quantum computing—while continuing to stand for trust, innovation, and global leadership. At the helm of IBM’s brand marketing is Joseph (Joe) Prota, whose mission is to […]