The Ad Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Moving From Grassroots to National Scale | Starr Edwards, Bitchin' Sauce, CEO Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Relying entirely on traditional retail pathways can expose emerging food brands to high slotting fee barriers and logistical disruptions.

In this episode, Dylan Conroy interviews Starr Edwards, Founder and CEO of Bitchin' Sauce, to examine the operational framework for scaling a bootstrapped community recipe into 7,000 grocery store locations worldwide.

The Farmers Market Engine: How tracking early velocity data gives founders the proof of concept needed to attract top big-box retail buyers.
The Mechanics of Cold Pressure: Adopting High-Pressure Processing (HPP) to address high-altitude shipping limitations without adding artificial chemical preservatives.
Proactive Human Resources Design: An inside look at the "Bitchin' Kids" program, showing how company-supported childcare options help manage workforce turnover.
Multi-Category Brand Extensions: The business strategy for moving into complementary product lines to capture valuable grocery real estate.

Starr Edwards is an experienced consumer-products creator and the Founder and CEO of Bitchin' Sauce, where she directs international grocery expansion, ingredient compliance, and community-positioning assets.

Connect with Starr Edwards on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/starr-edwards/

Explore the Bitchin' Sauce Clean-Label Framework: https://bitchinsauce.com/

Optimize your multi-channel digital media performance with Strike Social: https://strikesocial.com/guaranteed-paid-social-media-ads-outcomes/

Follow host Dylan Conroy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanconroy/

Hollywood Storytelling Frameworks for Enterprise Brands | Andrew Panay, Panay Films, Filmmaker Founder & CEO Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Relying on traditional commercial templates often leads to forgettable ad campaigns that fail to hold consumer interest in an over-saturated digital marketplace.

In this episode, Dylan Conroy interviews Andrew Panay, Founder and CEO of Panay Films, to unpack the operational blueprint for applying a cinematic storytelling lens to global brand distribution.

The Filmmaker-Talent Alignment: Why shifting from work-for-hire contracts to co-creative artist partnerships unlocks authentic, high-impact celebrity campaigns.
The Tactile Hook Blueprint: How Panay Films condensed complex Microsoft hardware engineering down to a single sensory logline that drove immediate conversions.
Packaging Corporate Origins: Applying the classic cinematic hero's journey framework to turn corporate historical struggles into engaging branded content.
Setting Generative Guardrails: Why elite creative leaders restrict automated software systems to post-production workflows to defend against content copying.

Andrew Panay is a prominent film producer and the Founder and CEO of Panay Films, directing high-tier branded content execution and artist-led commercial pipelines for market giants like Microsoft and T-Mobile.

Connect with Andrew Panay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewpanay/

Explore the Panay Films Production Catalog: https://panayfilms.com/

Scale your cross-channel performance media spend with Strike Social: https://strikesocial.com/guaranteed-performance-marketing/

Follow host Dylan Conroy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanconroy/

Designing Macro Tourism Infrastructure and Sustainable Growth Frameworks | Sanju Luidens, Aruba Tourism Authority, CMO Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

Operating a primary economic vertical under standard public-sector constraints introduces significant market timing friction and structural risk for developing regions.

In this episode, Dylan Conroy sits down with Sanju Luidens, Chief Marketing Officer of the Aruba Tourism Authority, to break down the institutional framework for privatizing national marketing systems and implementing high-value destination management.

The Privatization Playbook: The core mechanics behind the 2010 decoupling of the ATA from government funding pipelines to establish complete fiscal speed.

Shifting from DMO to DMMO: Why sustainable long-term economic growth requires moving past broad product promotion into comprehensive infrastructure management.

High-Intent Aviation Engineering: The exact mix of hotel room metrics, passenger histories, and flight yields required to secure major airline routes.

Strategic Audience Filtering: How embedding behavioral expectations directly into top-of-funnel marketing assets drives a 50% five-year customer retention loop.

Sanju Luidens is an international brand strategist and the Chief Marketing Officer at the Aruba Tourism Authority. She directs the sovereign brand execution, public advocacy, and environmental carrying capacity strategies that safeguard Aruba's primary GDP vertical.

Connect with Sanju Luidens on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjuluidens/

Explore the Aruba Tourism Authority Framework: https://www.aruba.com/

Automate your performance media channels with Strike Social: https://strikesocial.com/guaranteed-paid-social-media-ads-outcomes/

Follow host Dylan Conroy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanconroy/

Escaping the Agency Holding Company Trap | Swapnil Patel, Attention Arc, Co-President Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

The structural gap within massive agency holding companies frequently leaves mid-market enterprise brands suffering from diluted attention and inefficient media allocation.

In this episode, Dylan Conroy sits down with Swapnil Patel, Co-President of Attention Arc, at their Manhattan office to map out the blueprint for unfragmented media execution and modern attribution networks.

The Agency Holding Company Trap: Discover how mid-market enterprise brands lose critical senior attention inside massive corporate agency rosters.

The Architecture of Deterministic Attribution: Learn how paid smart TV ACR data converts traditional probabilistic TV media tracking models into clear 1:1 conversion matches.

Operational UX Engineering: Re-evaluating the historical growth strategy behind the Domino’s Pizza Tracker to reveal how frontline product immersion unlocks customer retention.

Managing Agentic AI Workflows: Moving past artificial marketing hype to deploy agile data coagulation systems balanced by human strategic synthesis.

Swapnil Patel is an elite media executive and the Co-President of Attention Arc within the global Cheil Network. Leveraging deep operational experience across legacy agency networks like CPB and McKinney, Patel masterminds complex multi-layered media frameworks for Fortune 500 accounts.

Connect with Swapnil Patel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swappatel/

Learn more about Attention Arc: https://attentionarc.com/

Optimize your performance media budgets with Strike Social: https://strikesocial.com/guaranteed-paid-social-media-ads-outcomes/

Follow host Dylan Conroy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanconroy/

Enterprise Data Governance and AI Risks | Dane Kunkel, Horizon Media, SVP, Performance & Transformation Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

Standard media execution models face steep performance drops due to fragmented campaign tool dashboards and manual button-clicking busywork.

In this episode, Dylan Conroy sits down with Dane Kunkel, SVP of Performance & Transformation at Horizon Media, to map out the workflow automation and data security frameworks needed to scale modern agency performance.

Strategic themes analyzed include:

Transitioning media buying teams from manual entry tasks into strategic Strategy Optimization roles.
Establishing strict data governance frameworks to safely onboard external AI tools.
Bypassing platform black boxes with specialized multi-channel enterprise strategies.
Using low-code natural language interfaces to build personalized dashboard trackers.
Lowering overall customer acquisition costs through organic content testing loops.

Dane Kunkel is the SVP of Performance & Transformation at Horizon Media, building enterprise controlled AI workflows and cross-platform verification networks to support leading brands.

Connect with the Guest & Partners:

Connect with Dane Kunkel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kunkeldane/
Explore Horizon Media’s Performance Frameworks: https://www.horizonmedia.com/
Optimize Automated Paid Media Scale with Strike Social: https://strikesocial.com/guaranteed-paid-social-media-ads-outcomes/
Follow Host Dylan Conroy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanconroy/

How can marketing operations leads ensure consistency of output when teams use low-code AI tools to build custom dashboards?
- Ensuring consistency requires setting up clear enterprise controls and validation guidelines to verify custom analytics code before deployment. While natural language interfaces let operators build custom tracking views quickly, unmanaged tool creation can introduce data compliance errors.
  Operations leads should track platform usage metrics and pull successful prototypes back into a centralized database environment, giving teams local operational flexibility while preserving overall brand safety and uniform client reporting.
Why does data governance act as the primary rate-limiter for enterprise AI tool onboarding?
- Data governance limits onboarding speed because connecting multi-channel data systems with external AI models introduces data leaks and compliance risks for proprietary brand metrics.
  Enterprise organizations process massive amounts of first-party consumer files that cannot be uploaded to public models without violating privacy rules. Overcoming this roadblock requires tech directors to construct isolated database connections and clear governance guardrails, ensuring that internal automation speeds do not compromise data privacy.

⁠Nisha Morris ⁠- Chief Marketing and Communications Officer - ⁠City of Hope Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Nisha Morris is a highly accomplished executive in the fields of healthcare, public service, and global technology. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States.
Professional Career
City of Hope (2018–Present): Since joining the organization, she has held multiple leadership roles, including Vice President of Marketing and Communications for City of Hope Orange County and Senior Vice President of Communications. She recently expanded her role to oversee national and regional brand strategy across five metropolitan markets.

⁠Patrick Dillon⁠ - Founder and CEO - WISE Digital Partners Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Patrick Dillon is a prominent serial entrepreneur, growth consultant, and the Founder and CEO of WISE Digital Partners, a full-service digital marketing agency that has twice been named to the prestigious Inc. Magazine 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. Over a highly successful twenty-year career, Patrick has founded more than ten companies across marketing, SaaS, and the service industries, directly consulting with more than 5,000 business owners on their growth strategies. His ventures have included Deal Current Network (a private-label Groupon alternative acquired by Lee Enterprises) and Lightpost Digital. A member of the Forbes Agency Council, Patrick is highly regarded for his disruptive stance on business scaling and is the author of the upcoming book, Referrals Are Not the Answer—where he challenges the traditional reliance on word-of-mouth marketing in favor of predictable, data-driven customer acquisition systems.

Nerissa Sardi - Founder - CMO Exchange Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

Nerissa Sardi is a prominent marketing executive, advisor, and community builder specializing in B2B marketing leadership, community growth, and organizational design.

Here is a short overview of her background and key roles:

Club CMO: She serves as the Executive Director of Club CMO (formerly The CMO Club), a major global member organization that connects chief marketing officers and senior brand executives for peer-to-peer networking, knowledge sharing, and professional development in a non-sales environment. In this role, she works closely with marketing leaders across top-tier global brands to foster community and address the modern challenges of marketing transformation.
Sardi Consulting: She is the Principal and Founder of Sardi Consulting, where she acts as a strategic advisor and fractional/interim marketing leader for select mid- to large-sized enterprise CEOs and CMOs. Her consultancy focuses on strategic planning, marketing team development, AI adoption, and organizational design.
Prior Marketing Leadership: Throughout her career, Sardi has held various high-level marketing roles across industries, including tech, healthcare, and education. Her previous roles include serving as Head of Marketing at Medici, Vice President of Marketing at MedSpring Urgent Care, and VP of Marketing for Galileo Learning.

Scaling Infrastructure at the Speed of Culture | Lisa Zlotnick, Shein, Head of Brand PR US Marketing Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

How do global digital commerce leaders ditch standard multi-month planning cycles to scale brand communication and supply chains alongside real-time culture?

This episode features Lisa Zlotnick, Head of Brand PR at SHEIN, detailing the operational frameworks that power real-time retail execution.

Discover how to replace slow predictive planning horizons with data-backed micro-batch testing loops, move from transactional influencer marketing to collaborative product co-creation, and manage large-scale corporate narratives under constant market pressure.

Strategic concepts broken down in this episode:

The structural math behind micro-batch product testing frameworks (100–200 SKUs) to remove overproduction liabilities.
Scaling first-party database feedback channels to capture over 20,000 responses within a single weekend flight.
The design of decentralized collegiate affiliate structures, featuring a deep look at a $26 million community network.
De-siloing performance marketing funnels and brand messaging pipelines to build sustainable corporate growth.
Leveraging real-time live commerce solutions to establish regular interactive connections with Gen Z consumer bases.

Guest Profile: Lisa Zlotnick is the Head of Brand PR at SHEIN, possessing nearly a decade of foundational communications experience leading media relations for iconic brands like Nintendo of America.

Connect with the Strategy Engine:

Lisa Zlotnick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisazlotnick/
SHEIN Platform: https://www.shein.com
Host Dylan Conroy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanconroy/
Drive Measurable Marketing Automation ROI via Strike Social: https://strikesocial.com/guaranteed-paid-social-media-ads-outcomes/

Scaling Algorithmic Customer Acquisition | Nicole Collins, 213Deli, Co-Founder Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

The modern performance marketing framework is broken, driven down by rising customer acquisition costs and the steady decay of organic reach on traditional networks.

In this episode, Nicole Collins, co-founder of 213Deli and former founding team member at Ipsy, outlines the structural adjustments brands must make to thrive within algorithmic social media marketplaces.

Deconstructing early-stage subscription e-commerce architectures and evaluating their viability in today's fragmented digital ecosystems.
Analyzing operational frameworks from mature Chinese live commerce networks and their domestic application gaps.
Mitigating systemic startup risk through rigorous, transparent audits of co-founder operational alignment.
Scaling enterprise distribution pathways in a post-follower economy dominated by algorithmic platform rules.

Nicole Collins is an enterprise retail tech executive with over twenty years of experience designing high-intent discovery platforms and cross-border commercial channels.

Connect with Nicole Collins on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/collinsinla/

Explore 213Deli’s Infrastructure: https://www.213deli.com/

Optimize your enterprise paid media deployment via Strike Social: https://strikesocial.com/guaranteed-paid-social-media-ads-outcomes/

Follow Host Dylan Conroy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanconroy/