Uncommon Thinking

On this panel presented by Spotify, Ann Piper, Head of Sales for the Americas at Spotify, joins Angela Steele, Chief Client Officer, U.S. at WPP Media; Wes Harris, Director of Marketing for YouTube TV at Google; and Juliet Litman, Director of Talent and Operations at Spotify Podcast Studios to explore how fandom continues between games and episodes. Fans turn to trusted voices to debate, discover and keep the conversation going, creating opportunities for brands to contribute.
In this episode of Uncommon Thinking, live at Advertising Week New York 2026, we explore what makes those partnerships welcome. From YouTube TV’s recurring segments with Bill Simmons to Ally’s investment in women’s sports, the discussion examines how brands can support the experiences fans care about and become part of their everyday routines.

On the panel presented by Paramount Advertising, Mary Kate Callen, SVP, Global Ad Marketing & Intelligence at Paramount Advertising, sits down with Neil Greskiewicz, VP, Sales, Paramount Advertising, Dayo Harewood, SVP, Creative, Brand Studio, Paramount Media Labs, and Amanda Evans, Head of Brand, Insights & Partnerships, Wayfair, to discuss Wayfair's partnership with the NFL on CBS.

On the panel presented by InstaCart Ads, the Deputy Editor, Commerce at Ad Week, Lauren Johnson, sits down with Instacart Head of Commercial Marketing, Stephanie Paturzo Swingle, and Belgian Boys CEO, Anouck Gotlib, to discuss how retail media built its reputation on measurable, lower-funnel performance. But something bigger is happening.
In this episode of Uncommon Thinking live at Advertising Week New York 2026, we sit down to unpack what's driving this shift and what it looks like to partner on creative storytelling. Commerce media has evolved from a conversion channel into a full-funnel layer — with the targeting infrastructure and creative capabilities to inform the entire media mix, from awareness all the way through to purchase.

Whatever size of marketing budget you spend, proving ROI has never mattered more. But how do leading marketers, tech experts and media agencies go about it? In Measurement Masterminds, we bring together experts from across the measurement ecosystem, and ask key questions about their specialist subjects, to highlight the metrics that hold up best. You’ll hear from brands large and small, leading martech firms and measurement specialists. And you’ll get the answers you need for when you’re in the ROI hot seat.In Measurement Masterminds, each guest steps into the spotlight to answer the questions marketers really want answered about measurement. It’s our opportunity to dig into proving value on limited budgets, embedding measurement into the marketing tech stack, and identifying the most credible metrics in an era defined by data and AI.
 
Presented by LinkedIn.

There is no doubt that 2026 will be defined by global moments across music, sport and tech, but Aligning your brand with cultural moments does not always guarantee relevance, despite the scale. In a world where audiences are fragmented and attention is fleeting, the brands that win aren’t the loudest, they’re the most culturally fluent.This session will unpack how tapping into fandoms (the engaged audiences behind culture’s biggest moments) can drive measurable attention, relevance and business outcomes.Learn how to move beyond sponsorships and into the centre of the conversation.
 
Presented by Vevo.

The sound-off era is over. Screens are fading, and brands still chasing clicks are falling behind. In this session we preview new research from 5,000+ consumers, 100+ advertisers, and 30+ experts on the shift reshaping media: audio as modern life’s connective tissue - earning attention and emotion. With voice-first AI, audio becomes the primary interface, where trust and taste still matter and brands can show up without interrupting. Leave with why audio+ is essential for sustainable brand impact—and how Spotify leads today.
 
Presented by Spotify.

From Advertising Week New York 2025:
In a time of shrinking budgets and sky-high expectations, marketers are under pressure to deliver better creative that goes the distance — breaking through with impact, clicks, and sustaining them over longer periods of time. We’ll explore real-world campaigns, categories, and brands that achieve long wear-in and lasting impact — and what they’re doing right.

From Advertising Week New York 2025:
Join us for a conversation with Allegra Krishnan, Chief Loyalty & Engagement Officer at McDonald's; Tracy-Ann Lim, Chief Media Officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co and Nora Princiotti, Staff Writer at The Ringer. Moderated by Bridget Evans, Global Head of Business Marketing at Spotify, the panel will explore how brands and creators lean into communities that drive culture. Jenny Haggard, Global Brand Strategy Lead for Thought Leadership at Spotify, will open the session, framing how loyalty, storytelling and fandom drive measurement.

From Advertising Week 2025:
Data has reshaped the way brands connect with consumers, evolving how brands personalize experiences, foster long-term loyalty, and measure business impact. This conversation will explore the strategies shaping the next frontier of relevance, attribution, and value at scale as brands and advertisers meet the demands of a complex advertising landscape.

In a landscape where everyone’s chasing cultural relevance, music remains the most immediate and emotionally resonant signal of what’s next. This fireside chat explores how brands can move beyond transactional media buys to build real equity by investing in the creators driving culture forward. With deep roots in cross-cultural music scenes and a platform built to spotlight emerging talent, SoundCloud offers advertisers a more authentic path into culture,especially with Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences who engage with music as identity, not background noise.