Marketing Beyond with Alan B. Hart

Lingokids Chief Marketing and Chief Operating officer (CMO and COO) Mikael Journo shares how he skillfully blends data-driven strategies with intuitive decision-making to strike a perfect balance between brand building and performance marketing. Drawing from his extensive career experience, Mikael discusses the challenges of marketing to modern parents and highlights how Lingokids—the leading interactive app for children ages 2–8—addresses their worries.

When a recent study revealed that 75% of millennial parents feel guilty about their child's screen time, Mikael and his team saw an opportunity to lean in and shift the conversation. They did so by producing "The Trial," a film that directly confronts this issue and aims to ease parental guilt. Mikael also shares the thought process around the risks involved in the film and launch campaign, outlines the production process, and discusses the results that exceeded the brands expectations.

In this episode, you'll learn:

The importance of balancing intuition and brand building with data and performance marketing

Challenges and strategies for marketing to modern parents

Why and how Lingokids created a brand film

Key highlights:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:30] The podcast's first shark wrestler

[02:50] Mikael's path to Lingokids

[08:30] The scope of Lingokids

[11:05] Marketing as a growth driver

[13:35] Balancing the dual roles of CMO and COO

[16:25] Marketing to modern-day parents

[18:30] "The Trial" brand film campaign

[25:45] Navigating challenging subject matter

[29:05] A big bet that paid off

[31:10] An experience that defines you

[34:00] Advice to your younger self

[34:50] A topic marketers need to learn more about

[36:15] Trends and subcultures to watch

[39:40] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers today

Resources mentioned:

Chief marketing officer (CMO) Andy Levey pulls back the curtain on experiential marketing at the Museum of Illusions (MOI) across the world, revealing the clever strategies that keep audiences coming back long after opening day. With more than 20 years of marketing experience across entertainment, hospitality and lifestyle, Andy's unconventional career path is as intriguing as the illusions he now promotes.

By building strong relationships with local groups and businesses, MOI positions itself as an important part of every community it launches in. One benefit of making those connections is they extend MOI's reach to audiences who might otherwise be outside the museum's marketing budget or traditional targets. Andy and his team focus especially on engaging Gen Z by designing video-first and shareable experiences, inspiring user-generated content, and partnering with social media influencers to spark excitement and create a powerful FOMO (fear of missing out) that drives repeat visits, online sharing and lasting brand loyalty.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How using influencers, user-generated content and a video-first strategy can help brands authentically connect with Gen Z and drive meaningful engagement

The importance of building a strong local market presence for earning trust, collaborating more effectively, and standing out as a valued community contributor

How smarter data collection can power more effective marketing decisions and foster influential relationships

Key highlights:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:35] From banking to the circus

[07:45] What is the Museum of Illusions?

[10:55] Strategies to reach Gen Z

[13:25] Andy's approach to experiential marketing

[15:30] "Establishing the base"

[17:45] The data collection strategy

[19:30] Maintaining energy after the opening

[21:05] Brand collaborations

[26:50] An experience that defines you: Living abroad and beginning in a startup

[30:40] Advice to your younger self: Find your voice earlier

[31:45] A topic marketers need to learn more about: AI implementation

[33:20] A topic marketers need to learn more about: Gen Z internet culture

[36:00] Largest opportunity or threat to marketers today: Entertain and deliver

Resources mentioned:

Ford is using advanced data and analytics to make smarter, more personalized decisions that connect and benefit both its dealers and drivers. Mark Sucrese, head of marketing technology and dealer platforms at Ford Motor Company, shares why he believes effective marketing leadership in the automotive industry depends on combining customer insight, adaptable technology and responsible innovation.

Mark discusses how his team enhances both dealer and customer experiences by leveraging technology to strengthen brand connections throughout the customer life cycle. He explains the need to strategically manage customer data in a B2B2C environment and describes Ford's focus on achieving small, high-impact wins—particularly through hyperpersonalized experiences enabled by advances in AI.

The conversation underscores the importance of balancing the art and science of marketing, embracing experimentation, and integrating decisioning models with robust data and flexible technology. Adopting a thoughtful, measured approach to AI and new technologies is becoming essential for responsible, future-ready marketing leadership.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How Ford uses smart decisioning to transform diverse data into highly personalized customer experiences

Why embracing experimentation and learning quickly from failure can accelerate growth and innovation

Which technology trends Mark believes could reshape the automotive industry's future

Key highlights:

[00:00] Introduction

[00:55] Celebrities: They're just like us

[02:45] Mark's path to Ford

[05:05] The scope of his dual role

[06:10] Managing data in the B2B2C model

[07:20] Personalization and the data needed to power it

[08:55] Leadership lessons

[10:15] Perspectives on decisioning

[12:25] A measured approach to AI integrations

[14:30] The future of technology for the automotive industry

[16:05] An experience that defines you: A hard career truth

[17:10] Advice to your younger self: Embrace a "fast fail" mindset

[18:00] A topic marketers need to learn more about: Take a tech approach

[18:55] Subcultures and trends to follow: Overlanding

[19:50] Largest opportunity and threat to marketers today: AI adoption and resistance

Resources mentioned:

Michael Schanker, chief marketing officer (CMO) at OneTrust, shares ways that marketing leaders can rethink their approaches to governance in an era defined by rapid advances in AI and increasing complexity around data responsibility.

OneTrust is a global software company that provides a platform for data governance, security, privacy and compliance. As it moves into the emerging category of governing AI, Michael draws on his sales experience to explain the importance OneTrust places on deeply understanding the evolving needs and potential risks facing their customers. He candidly describes OneTrust's journey to create a unified narrative across its product suite, emphasizing that AI governance is not just about compliance, but about protecting brand trust and enabling innovation at speed.

Michael encourages marketers to avoid complacency, challenge old habits, and continuously ask themselves if their current approaches fit into a changing world. He also highlights the importance of empathy, continuous learning, and adopting responsible AI practices internally before advising others. For marketing leaders, Michael issues a call to drive change with curiosity, data and a commitment to responsible growth.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Strategies for modern governance that can help you act fast while protecting trust

Why questioning "business as usual" can keep you ahead of the competition

The importance of deeply understanding your customers' evolving needs

Key highlights:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:00] Human Google alerts

[02:25] Micheal's path to OneTrust

[07:30] His first nine months in the role

[08:50] Marketing a new category

[10:10] What is AI governance?

[13:45] AI governance in practice

[15:05] AI at OneTrust

[16:50] The stakes are high

[18:35] "Enabling innovation through the responsible use of data and AI"

[19:55] An experience that defines you: Being the son of an artist and an engineer

[21:30] Advice to your younger self: Take more pictures

[22:40] A topic marketers need to learn more about: Innovative AI use cases

[24:25] Subcultures and trends to follow: Storytelling trends in media

[27:35] Largest opportunity and threat to marketers today: Complacency

Resources mentioned:

Justin Schwartz, commercial IT leader at Marathon Petroleum, shares how his team is bringing people and technology together to drive meaningful change across the business. He highlights that understanding the needs of different users, from field staff to traders, is key to shaping effective solutions—and emphasizes the importance of starting with the real business problem rather than simply chasing new technology.

Justin explains how field experiments with AI agents are helping his team learn in real time and improve performance, all while keeping humans at the center of innovation. He encourages leaders navigating rapid transformation to build an inclusive culture, engage teams early, and manage change with transparency and curiosity. Justin also notes that the pace of technology is only increasing, and that actively absorbing information and quickly adopting new ways of working is essential for long-term success.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why engaging your people first, pinpointing real business challenges and designing solutions with clear value are crucial for leading successful transformation

Ways to accelerate progress by making experimentation a habit, learning alongside your teams and quickly applying new insights

Strategies to build a resilient team that is equipped to handle rapid transformation together

Key highlights:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:00] Zone defense: Four kids under 12

[02:00] Justin's path to Marathon

[02:40] The scope of Marathon

[03:30] Transformation throughout Justin's career

[04:50] Doing "transformation" right

[06:00] Justin's favorite transformation

[07:50] Fostering culture during transformation

[10:10] Experimenting with AI agents

[11:40] Staying human-centric

[13:20] An experience that defines you: Learning from challenges

[15:20] Advice to your younger self: Focus on listening

[16:20] A topic marketers need to learn more about: Deeper understandings

[17:10] Subcultures and trends to follow: Human elements of digital transformation

[18:20] Largest opportunity and threat to marketers today: The rate of change

Resources mentioned: