Conference Agenda

OPENING REMARKS AND HOUSEKEEPING

Ravi Dhar

George Rogers Clark Professor of Management and Marketing Yale School of Management

BUILDING A CHALLENGER BRAND INSIDE AN ICON: LESSONS FROM PATAGONIA PROVISIONS

Launching a fundamentally new business inside a beloved legacy brand is harder than it looks, especially when the category and consumer behavior are completely different. In this session, Jen Berliner, Head of Brand & Innovation at Patagonia Provisions, will share how Patagonia is scaling a food business inside an iconic apparel brand. Drawing on Patagonia Provisions’ evolution—from initial concept to the acquisition and integration of a mission-driven food startup to the challenges of operating in a high-frequency, consumer-led category—Jen will explore the tensions between brand halo and category reality, values and velocity, and purpose and performance. Learn how Patagonia Provisions is rethinking its brand purpose and positioning to thrive as a challenger food brand inside a global icon

Jen Berliner

Head of Brand and Innovation Patagonia Provisions

BEYOND THE LOGO: HOW LENOVO USES SPORTS PARTNERSHIPS TO DEMONSTRATE REAL PERFORMANCE

Sports partnerships today require more than just brand visibility, and Lenovo is proving how its technology can become a competitive advantage rather than mere trackside presence. In this session, Emily Ketchen, SVP and CMO of Lenovo’s Intelligent Device Group and International Markets, will share how the company’s partnerships with Formula 1®, FIFA, and Ducati Corse go far deeper than sponsorships by embedding Lenovo’s full technology stack into the sports’ global events, race operations, and elite performance environments. Find out how AI-powered devices, data-center solutions, and high-performance compute are driving broadcast innovation at the upcoming FIFA World Cup 26™, real-time telemetry and media delivery in F1®, and championship-winning engineering insights for the Ducati Lenovo Team. Learn how these partnerships strengthen Lenovo’s brand, accelerate B2B relevance, and turn the world’s biggest sports stages into living demonstrations of technological power.

Emily Ketchen

SVP and CMO, Intelligent Devices Group and International Markets Lenovo

LEAPFROGGING THE COMPETITION: HOW GREEN GOBBLER UPENDED THE CATEGORY LEADERS

PurposeBuiltBrands acquired Green Gobbler to challenge long-standing category drain leaders Drano and Liquid Plumr.  The task looked daunting:  the two brands dominated the category with more than a 50% share combined, and Green Gobbler was a distant third. That said, Green Gobbler knew it represented a better, safer solution for families and the environment, was a scrappier brand, and boasted a distinctive asset -- its Green Gobbler character.  The thing about drains is that every household has one.  So we made Green Gobbler the guy people turn to when they have a clog.  It worked. "Let the Gobbler Get it" got it, overtaking Liquid Plumr to become the #2 brand in the category.

Jon Bellante

Chief Marketing Officer Purpose Built Brands

THE ECONOMICS OF CONSUMER TRENDS

Consumer behavior is changing faster than ever—and the economic forces driving these shifts can make or break marketing strategies. In this dynamic session, Bricklin Dwyer, Managing Director and Head of the Chase Center for Economic Intelligence at JPMorgan Chase, will reveal how economic trends shape consumer confidence, spending habits, and brand loyalty. Discover what the latest data tells us about where consumers are headed, and how marketers can anticipate these changes to stay relevant and drive growth.

Bricklin Dwyer

Center for Economic Intelligence JPMorgan Chase

UNLOCKING THE POWER OF QUANTUM MARKETING

Marketing today is at the brink of unprecedented disruption. An explosion of game-changing new technologies, data and cultural shifts will render traditional marketing frameworks and strategies ineffective and turn the function upside-down. Facing an existential crisis, the industry has already seen many CMO roles eliminated and the practice itself fragmented. Marketing must now be completely reimagined and reinvented for the immediate future. Quantum marketing is the new frontier for marketers because we’re entering a realm where the classical rules fail to apply.

Raja Rajamannar

Senior Fellow, Former Chief Marketing & Communications Officer Mastercard

HOW AI IS REDEFINING MARKETING TALENT

The future of marketing will be defined not by whether AI takes jobs, but by how marketers harness it to make their work more impactful, creative, and strategic. Far from being the enemy, AI is the ultimate accelerator—helping marketers lift ideas they couldn’t lift before, move faster with them, and take them further than ever imagined. In this session, a leading professor and top marketers will explore how AI is ushering in massive augmentation—not replacement—across the industry. Together, they’ll share how AI is transforming roles at every level, what skills marketers need to thrive, and why this shift is creating exciting new opportunities for the next generation of marketing talent.

Moderator Kyle Jensen

Professor in the Practice Yale School of Management

THE POWER OF MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT

In an age of message saturation, genuine connection is the ultimate currency. This essential panel brings together industry leaders to dissect how modern brands can cut through the noise and foster authentic consumer loyalty. Discover how to strategically deploy compelling storytelling, innovative advertising formats, and trusted delivery channels—from premium entertainment to tactile brand interactions and direct mail. Walk away with the blueprint for creating content that captivates, builds lasting loyalty, and drives measurable action across every screen, platform, mailbox.

Moderator: Jennie Liu

Executive Director & Lecturer in the Practice of Management Yale Center for Customer Insights

CLOSING REMARKS