Marriott Media Network's Chris Norton discusses how the hotelier is differentiating itself in the crowded field of retail media networks, including through partnerships with United Airlines and Dick's Sporting Goods. The hotel chain's senior VP of marketing capabilities and general manager also talks about Marriott's in-room media channel and why the hotelier is prioritizing measurement.

Dig deeper:

~Retail media's growth and the big platforms shaking up retail media trading

~Uber's ad chief on becoming a "mindset media company"

~The ANA's industry guidebook on how marketers should organize oversight of retail media

~How travel brands are attracting Gen Z

Customer experience is changing rapidly in the era of AI, in large part thanks to agentic tools from tech providers like Adobe. Lara Balazs, chief marketing officer of Adobe, is helping major brands—from Dick's Sporting Goods to Xfinity—understand the common pain points in their customer service workflows that can finally be addressed by AI agents. Balazs spoke with Ad Age about the B2B approach and how she is pitching Adobe's agentic tools to marketers as well as the real opportunities that generative technology can offer today.

Unilever CMO Leandro Barreto unpacks how he gets the most out of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity every year and why awards and creativity still matter for CMOs. He also discusses the evolution of Dove's enduring 'Real Beauty' campaign and how it inspires the playbook of other Unilever CPG brands such as Vaseline, which has seen success with its 'Vaseline Verified' campaign.