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Welcome back to The Brief by Kuro House—the podcast that keeps your marketing edge razor sharp. Today, we’re diving into five stories that show just how fast the industry is evolving, from challenger brand tactics to the latest in ad tech. If you want to know what’s really moving the needle right now, stay tuned.
Let’s kick things off with a masterclass in challenger brand strategy from Adweek’s latest Marketing Vanguard podcast, featuring BodyArmor CMO Tom Gargiulo. BodyArmor’s rise is all about creative scrappiness—think building a disruptor brand in a category dominated by giants like Gatorade. Tom opens up his playbook on everything from leveraging athlete-first partnerships to executing a brand rebirth that resonates with both consumers and retail partners. The secret sauce? Using Coca-Cola’s world-class marketing resources not just to outspend, but to modernize visual identity, simplify messaging, and clearly communicate what makes BodyArmor different. Instead of expensive league deals, BodyArmor partners with rising stars like Jalen Brunson and Connor McDavid—capturing authenticity and building equity before these athletes hit superstardom. This approach, paired with high-engagement media partners like Barstool Sports and Dude Perfect, delivers organic content integration and 4-5x ROI compared to traditional TV. Tom’s leadership philosophy is equally refreshing: humor, radical transparency, and earned autonomy. If results slip, he steps in with coaching, but otherwise, his team has the space to own their work. For anyone looking to punch above their weight class, this is a blueprint worth studying.
Next, let’s talk about the “renaissance moment” happening across media and creative, as described by Omnicom Media’s CEO Florian Adamski in an interview with Adweek. Following Omnicom’s $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group and the absorption of much of IPG Mediabrands, Adamski is steering a newly reshaped organization. His vision? Agency as a platform. At the ADWEEK House during CES, Adamski explained that today’s clients are seeking two things above all: top-tier talent and a modern, flexible approach. The retirement of some divisions and the integration of new talent is fueling what Adamski calls a renaissance—where client fatigue with old models is driving demand for innovation and fresh thinking across the board. If you’re watching agency land, keep an eye on how Omnicom’s platform approach influences everything from creative output to client relationships.
Staying at CES, Adweek’s coverage highlights a fascinating shift: AI is stepping out of the screen and into the real world. This year’s show sprawled across 13 venues in Las Vegas, with over 3,500 exhibitors and more than 140,000 attendees. But what really stood out wasn’t the flashy product launches—it was the tangible ways AI is moving from pure software to integrated hardware. Think robots, wearables, and devices that bring machine intelligence into our daily routines. The technology on display made attendees stop and say, “Okay, that’s new.” The implication for marketers? The future isn’t just digital; it’s physical, and brands will need to rethink how they engage consumers in a world where AI is embedded in everything from home devices to retail experiences.
Another major CES theme, according to Adweek’s AI, Tech & Money newsletter, is uncertainty—especially around the role of AI in search, creative production, and media trading. Attendees were buzzing about how AI-driven search is upending the open web, slashing publisher traffic and revenues. Meanwhile, the industry is grappling with the evolving role of AI in both content creation and media buying, all against a backdrop of geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty. Marketers are asking tough questions: How do you maintain brand safety and control in this new landscape? How do you balance experimentation with risk? The consensus is that there are more questions than answers right now, but the stakes for getting it right have never been higher.
Finally, let’s talk about the newsletter economy—specifically, Beehiiv’s big bet on scaling its email ads business. As reported by Adweek, Beehiiv is doubling the size of its in-house advertising team in the first half of 2026. CEO Tyler Denk says the move is all about helping creators monetize their newsletters more effectively. Beehiiv’s ad network allows creators to generate passive revenue by opting in, and advertising already accounts for about 10% of the company’s 110-person workforce. With plans to bring in hundreds of thousands of advertisers, Beehiiv is investing in a future where email remains a powerful, monetizable channel for creators and brands alike.
That’s it for today’s Brief. Whether you’re building a challenger brand, navigating agency reinvention, exploring AI’s real-world impact, wrestling with industry uncertainty, or scaling your email monetization, there’s never been a more exciting—or complex—time to be in marketing. Stay curious, keep experimenting, and we’ll catch you tomorrow with more insights to keep you ahead of the curve.
