Brand marketing insights by participants of last week’s Portada Chicago event.
1. Brand Discovery Has Changed: Bring a ‘Retail Last Touch’ Perspective into the Media Planning Process
With the ascent of retail media and other technology-enabled changes to the retail experience, it is critical to “think about how brand discovery has changed,” said Stacie Medley, Sr. Director, Integrated Media & Agency Relations, Kimberly-Clark. Medley is a proponent of bringing a retail last-touch experience into the media-buying and planning process. “I am always learning. You have to learn if you want to be relevant. The walls that are coming down from retail partners create new opportunities. We try to find new opportunities and a way through the complexity.”
Portada’s community of brand marketing executives will be gathering at Portada Los Angeles on June 4, 2026.
2. Brand Marketing Insights: Focus on Media Effectiveness
According to Kimberly-Clark’s Medley, “You need to find a common language in an organization. You need to have an anchor. That anchor is not about the cheapest CPM and media, but may be about paying more and expecting more, and that comes through the effectiveness of the media you are buying, which you measure through attention metrics.” Medley added that it’s critical to consider relevance versus. exposure,” It’s about the people actually engaged versus simple reach,” she noted: “That is why the Soccer World Cup is becoming more of a general market phenomenon, because it’s a cultural phenomenon and people are actually watching it.”
“The Soccer World Cup is becoming more of a general market phenomenon, because it’s a cultural phenomenon and people are actually watching it.“
To incorporate effectiveness instead of reach/exposure metrics into the media planning and buying strategy is related to a wider strategic planning shift, a data strategy shift, and organizational shifts, Medley asserted
3. Both a Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach to Marketing in a Multicultural America is Critical
“Brands need to have a portfolio-wide strategy that includes multicultural audiences from day one,” said Fabricia da Silva, Multi-Cultural Integrated Consumer Experience Manager, US Brown-Forman. To multicultural marketing insiders, the statement almost seems commonplace, but believe it or not, it is still highly necessary to say in brand marketing circles. Amy D’Souza, Integrated Consumer Experience Director, US & Canada, Brown-Forman, added that 30% to 50% of marketing budgets are allocated to media investment, which is why a multicultural lens is needed in media planning and buying. “When multicultural leads the plan, you will see the shift from a business perspective,” D’Souza stated. The panel was moderated by Robert Velez, Vice President, Inclusive Network, Vevo.
“When multicultural leads the plan, you will see the shift from a business perspective.“
John Marson, SVP and Managing Director at Horizon Media, said that it is often not easy to sell the change to a Fortune 500 company’s C-level, and asked Da Silva and D’Souza whether they use metrics to set expectations for the management team. “It is very important to use the same criteria to track progress every year, with the ultimate goal of gaining market share over time”, they asserted. “When everyone wants to win, there is skin in the game,” D’Souza noted.
“When everyone wants to win, there is skin in the game.“
4. Brand Marketing Insights: Cultural Moments Are Critical…
More than ever, cultural relevance and cultural sensitivity are critical factors to today’s brand marketing success. Tentpole events, such as the Oscars or the upcoming 2026 Men’s Soccer World Cup, are major pillars in current brand marketing strategies. These major cultural moments are planned out much in advance. As Sergio Leon, SVP Group Creative Director, VML, pointed out: “Halloween starts in March.” However, non-planned highly relevant cultural moments also need to be taken into account. “For instance, something happens at the Oscars,” Leon noted as an example. “You have to have teams ready to respond to what is happening in the moment”. One such situation, Leon noted, was when, in the recent Oscar Awards Show, Best Supporting Actress nominee Teyana Taylor (often referred to as Tiana) made headlines for her graceful, enthusiastic reaction to losing the award to Amy Madigan.
Sonia Morales, EVP and Head of Agile Planning at Starcom, noted that, in addition to large events, she also sets aside a budget for agile participation in everyday cultural moments. This includes creating content and partnering with creators who help charge brands. Morales’, Leon’s and Horizon Media’s Marson’s session was moderated by Rogerio Alves, SVP, Digital Sales, MEDIACO.
5. …That’s Where Fandom and Sports Come In.
At Portada Chicago, two brand marketers explained how they lean into mass cultural moments through sports events. They were Brian Brown, Director, Lifestyle and Experiential Marketing (Modelo), Constellation Brands, and Dan Cohen, Senior Director & Communications and Brand, Chicago Fire FC.
Brown detailed Constellation Brands’ Modelo’s major foray into college sports. As Brown put it, “it gave the largest beer in America the opportunity to reach a ton of consumers. College sports are unique; they differ from professional sports. There’s whitespace for beer, an opportunity to be the first mover. College sports are huge drinking occasions.” Brown also highlighted the important role of media in college sports as an example. He mentioned that 90% of Ohio State fans don’t go to the stadium, and that is why it is important to reach them as viewers.”
The Chicago Fire’s Dan Cohen noted that Chicago Fire FC has the most diverse fanbase among Chicago’s professional sports teams. 63% of Chicago Fire fans identify as Hispanic. Attendance growth at the Fire stadium has grown by 134% since 2019. “We lean into local roots to reach a diverse fan base,” Cohen said. Most importantly, he noted that “we are a club, not a team, our supporters and fan base are connected to decisions the club makes.” A proof of soccer’s growth in Chicago is that the Chicago Fire is constructing a new, privately funded U.S. $750 million soccer-specific stadium at “The 78” in Chicago’s South Loop, with a 22,000-seat capacity.
” College sports are unique; they differ from professional sports.There’s whitespace for beer, an opportunity to be the first mover.“
6. Media and Creative Agency Need to Work in Synch
It sounds very obvious, but it can not be stressed enough. For brand marketing initiatives to be as effective as possible, it is paramount that creative and media agencies, even if they don’t belong to the same company, work 100% in synch. VML’s Leon said that, since media placements often imply restrictions, it is crucial to be part of the process from the beginning. Starcom’s Morales noted, “Creative can influence media and media can influence creative.” That is why creative and media agencies need to work in synch, which means “getting briefed all at the same time and working on the same timeline.” Horizon Media’s Marson stressed that together the agencies need to identify consumer challenges and communication tasks. Once that is set, everyone at the table, sales, creative, and media, is working in the same boat.”
” Agencies need to identify consumer challenges and communication tasks. Once that is set, everyone at the table, sales, creative, and media, is working in the same boat.“
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