Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.

Marketing Brew

Coworking

Kelsey Sutton

marketingbrew.com

Each week, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself 

Ashley Shaffer is CMO of Redscout, a Stagwell-owned brand strategy and design consultancy. She’s worked in strategy and leadership roles at brands like Netflix, Ideo, Preacher, and Outerknown.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing?

 I finally finessed my answer to this when I went to work in-house in marketing at Netflix. My mom finally tapped into what I did because I worked for a brand she’d heard of! “You know how Netflix makes all these famous shows and movies, like 

? There are lots of smart people that make those shows and that market those shows so you’ll watch them. I work on making people want to subscribe to and fall in love with Netflix.” That super simple explanation of building brand love and resilience hasn’t failed me.

Earlier this year we partnered on a really unique project with the Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign FC ownership group. The brief was to act as the organization’s fractional CMO, help them find efficiencies, and set a marketing strategy that would help both teams “play offense.” For the Reign, that meant breathing fresh life into their visual brand and setting the strategy for this iconic club to take on the next decade of growth. As a lifelong soccer fan, I couldn’t have designed a dream project better myself.

 I love Ikea’s style—making the utility category fun and famous. If I have to pick one, it would be when they re-created the 

. The first ad campaign I remember paying attention to was the 

 from my childhood, during the 1980s–90s. I’m sure I wasn’t the intended audience, and I had never tasted vodka, but boy, did my Rolling Stone subscription teach me a thing or two about an advertising concept.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile: 

I’m a mom of a three-year-old boy and a three-legged dog. Our dog Baloo despised kids before our son was born. Now they’re brothers and best friends.

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? 

I feel quite optimistic about powerful brands rapidly taking notice of and valuing the female sports fan. The New York Liberty, Angel City FC and the PWHL helped marketers see what they were missing in a female-first fanbase. Sephora landed a landmark partnership with the new WNBA franchise, the Valkyries, while simultaneously becoming a main plot line in the Netflix show, 

. Now, the NBA, NFL, and MLS all have started to deploy partnership strategies that show they understand the female fan.

What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you’d recommend? 

I have to plug my friend and fashion strategy guru Grace Gordon’s substack, 

. Also, as an eager student of sports marketing, I’ve been a fan of 

 since Day One. They’ve built a really attentive community. It’s required listening for anyone with a brand looking to tap into women’s soccer’s meteoric rise.

A portait of the CMO of Redscout, Ashley Shaffer

Coworking with Ashley Shaffer

She’s CMO, Redscout.

Can van der Werff is the executive creative director of Canva, leading the brand’s in-house creative agency. She first joined the company in 2018 as its first-ever brand designer. Prior to joining Canva, she held senior design positions at companies including M+C Saatchi’s design and experience firm Re and Frost Collective.

 It’s so hard to pick just one, but a recent favorite is our “

” campaign. It was by far our boldest and funniest yet. We pushed ourselves creatively, made some big swings, and had a lot of fun doing it, thanks to our amazing partners including director Damien Shatford and the brilliant Lorraine Bracco, who plays this no-nonsense “work therapist” staging an intervention for outdated presentations. The campaign follows a Canva champion on a mission to set her teammate free from using tired, cluttered slides. With Lorraine’s help, he confronts his slide attachment issues and learns that work can actually look and feel a whole lot better. It’s packed with humor and heart, but ultimately it’s about showing that with the right tools, anyone can step out of their comfort zones, and create work that’s visual and they’re truly proud of.

It’s not a traditional campaign per se, but Air New Zealand’s safety videos transformed a boring mandatory airline message into entertaining moments of joy blending Kiwi humor and storytelling. Many other airlines have followed suit since. Most people will remember one they did for 

, but the first was from 2009. It was called “

”—because their prices were so low, so the flight crew were all naked with their flight uniforms body-painted on!

My homeland is a little place called Whakatane in New Zealand, though I’ve called Sydney home for the past 15 years. New Zealand might be on the other side of the world, but I think it really punches well above its weight when it comes to bold creativity, and I try to get back as often as I can to stay connected with the local creatives.

I’m most optimistic about the power of AI in further democratizing design. What we’re seeing is a major shift where AI takes on the repetitive, lower-stakes work, which then frees up designers and marketers to collaborate on the more higher-impact, strategic parts of a project. It’s also broadening who gets to participate in the creative process. With AI, someone in HR, sales, or education can bring an idea to life visually, without needing to be a trained designer, and that unlocks more perspectives, creativity, collaboration, and ultimately, more impact.

My least? The overreliance on performance-driven content at the expense of what makes a brand unique. Metrics matter, but when every piece of creative is optimized into oblivion, we can lose the magic—the emotional connection, the creative storytelling, the boldness that actually makes a brand memorable. Creativity needs room to breathe. Without it, you end up with work that’s technically effective but completely forgettable.

. It’s one of the few podcasts that truly goes behind the veil of a piece of creative and dissects it with openness like what landed, what didn’t and why. The conversations are refreshingly honest, and I always walk away with something tangible to bring into my own work.

A smiling portrait of Cat Van Der Werff, the CFO of Canva.

Coworking with Cat van der Werff

She’s executive creative director, Canva. 

Olga Denysuik is brand marketing manager at Samsung. She has spent more than 15 years working in marketing and communications, working for agencies like WPP’s MediaCom, Havas, and Dentsu and on accounts for brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, and Stellantis.

 I had the chance to work on is one of my favorite ones. It broke every rule—and that’s exactly why it worked. Starring Margaret Qualley and directed by Spike Jonze, it was surreal, unexpected, and emotionally electric. Strategically, it disrupted the formulaic world of fragrance advertising and redefined how a fashion house could express freedom, identity, and boldness. That campaign didn’t just follow culture—it created it. And it reminded all of us that brand storytelling can be as provocative as it is powerful.

I studied classical piano years back and completed the full program in just five years instead of the usual seven. It was an intense and rewarding experience that taught me the discipline of practice, the power of timing, and how to tell a story without words—all of which I now apply to brand strategy. Great brands, like great music, balance structure with emotion to make a lasting impact.

I’m most optimistic about the evolution of influencer marketing into brand cocreation. The strongest brands today aren’t just hiring creators—they’re building long-term relationships that humanize their message and drive relevance. Influence is no longer a channel; it’s a trust-building system.

I’m least optimistic about trend-hopping without brand fit. When brands jump only on viral moments with no strategic tie-in, they might get attention—but rarely get results. Focus builds equity. Distraction burns it.

 with Jim Stengel. It’s a masterclass in leadership, brand-building, and long-term thinking. The conversations go beyond campaigns—they dive into how the world’s top marketers drive growth, build culture, and navigate complexity. For anyone who wants to understand marketing at a strategic level, it’s essential listening.

A portrait of Olga Denysiuk, Brand Marketing Manager of Samsung.

Coworking with Olga Denysiuk

She’s brand marketing manager, Samsung. 

Didier Bizimungu is head of performance marketing, SMB, at Reddit, and has spent a decade working in digital marketing and media, including at software companies like Matterport and Community Brands.

 One of my favorite projects was promoting a niche enterprise software with a total addressable market of just ~200 organizations. We had to get scrappy, from joining Facebook groups to showing up at camping events, to reach the right people. Success was defined by securing just one or two new logos per year. But those wins felt massive because it was truly a full-funnel, team-driven effort. It made me feel connected to every part of the journey—from first touch to closed deal. That’s not typical in my field.

I’m absolutely obsessed with Liquid Death’s content. Their 

 is a masterclass in creative chaos, and is the kind of campaign that reminds you how far the boundaries of advertising can actually stretch when you let imagination lead.

I spend most of my 4am mornings either in a pool, on a trail, or out riding my bike. I’m currently training for a triathlon.

AI—on both fronts. I’m excited about how it can help marketers become more well-rounded and productive. But I’m skeptical of the hype that it’ll reach AGI levels and become a plug-and-play “team member.” We’re not there…yet.

 podcast is a go-to for me. As I spend less time hands-on in-platform, this podcast helps me stay sharp, reminding me of the fundamentals while also highlighting new features and strategies worth testing.

A portrait Didier Bizimungu, Reddit’s head of performance marketing in front of a light green background.

Coworking with Didier Bizimungu

He’s Reddit’s head of performance marketing, SMB. 

John Miller is the founder and president of Scribewise, a professional services marketing agency. He was previously a partner at the PR and branding firm Braithwaite Communications, and he started his career in radio, serving as a longtime radio host covering the Philadelphia Eagles.

In 2020, my company worked with a boutique consulting firm that was full of truly warm, funny and honest humans. But their brand didn’t reflect that. Like most consulting firms, they thought they needed to act seriously all the time. We wanted their brand to be in true alignment with their energy, so we brought it to life with a new look that was unique to them—it was energetic, fun, smart; exactly what working with the team was like. They were willing to take a chance and stand out, which is what marketing is all about.

This is reaching back a bit, but Vonage had a TV ad in 2015 where the tagline was “

” The ad itself was humorous and energetic, but I loved it because of the word “better.” “Better” is such a powerful word; it’s about continually striving. “Better” is better than “best.”

Once upon a time, hundreds of thousands of people valued my opinion on professional football—I hosted an Eagles pre- and post-game radio show from 2000 to 2013. I could never be a full-time sports talk host—so much of it is focused on being as outrageous as possible—but I’ll admit that side of me sometimes creeps into my work.

I’ve been writing and talking about LLMO (large-language model optimization) a lot lately—this is a gold-rush moment. LLMs are changing how people find information, and how brands get found. Yes, you still need technical SEO and schema markup for LLMs to read your content clearly, but the differentiator is the useful, well-written, authentic insight that reflects your expertise; having it published by a media outlet (rather than on your website) is a huge amplifier. Conversely, I thank god we’re not an SEO agency; their days are numbered.

What’s one marketing-related podcast/social account/series you'd recommend? 

I’m not too tuned into podcasts (I’m more of a visual learner), but do have a few book recommendations for you: 

 by Daniel Priestley, which provides a framework for getting prospective clients to practically beg to work with you; 

 by Paul Cash and James Trezona, which makes the case for using stories and emotion in marketing so-called boring businesses; and 

 by Ryan Berman, which was an inspiration for my own book, 

John Miller, founder and president, Scribewise. 

Coworking with John Miller

He’s founder and president, Scribewise. 

Avery Akkineni is chief marketing officer at VaynerX. She was previously president of Vayner3, a VaynerX consultancy, and she worked at VaynerMedia, where she established the agency’s capabilities in the Asia Pacific region.

 One that will always stand out is launching our APAC presence in 2019, initially in Singapore and subsequently in Bangkok, Tokyo, and Sydney. It was a whirlwind few years, and I’m so proud of the amazing culture, fantastic client roster, and culture-driving work we launched during those first few years. From global Olympics campaigns to winning Agency of the Year, it was a critical role for me and for VaynerMedia’s global expansion.

’s movie launch. I love everything about it. It didn’t feel like a campaign; it felt like a 

. The mix of strategic partnerships, unexpected collaborations, and user-generated content brilliance turned marketing into entertainment and made the internet the media plan.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile:

 I share a lot on LinkedIn, but one thing I don’t often share professionally is my renovation passion projects. On any given long weekend, I’m usually working on an interiors project—my favorite creative outlet that has nothing to do with the advertising world!

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least?

 I’m most optimistic about live shopping. At VaynerMedia, we’re obsessed with finding “underpriced attention”—avenues where consumers are spending their time, yet marketing investment hasn’t caught up. We see live commerce as exactly this in 2025. While I was in Asia, we produced incredibly successful commerce-driving livestreams, but it took a few years for this behavior to make its way to the US. Now, we’re seeing this hit the US, driven by key platforms like TikTok and WhatNot, with some promising client results.

I’m least optimistic about the AI doom and gloom. There is a lot of negativity around the potential impact of AI in the world of advertising, and while it’s new and scary, the Internet was once new and scary. There of course will be some risk, but it’s important to embrace this shift, cultivate a growth mindset, and actively test and experiment with AI every day to unlock its full potential.

When it comes to marketing insights, I recommend 

. This show is hosted by former CMO of Procter & Gamble and industry legend, Jim Stengel, and in these weekly episodes, Jim sits down with marketing powerhouses from a wide range of industries as they unveil their career and personal journeys and give listeners an in-depth picture of what it takes to be a marketer. My favorite part is listening to each marketer’s personal journey and how no journey is the same.

. A cultural phenomena in the modern advertising world, the 

 team have really cracked how to capture people’s attention and provide industry news not only efficiently, but with incredible creativity and humor. Kudos to them for literally “breaking” through.

Coworking with Avery Akkineni

She’s CMO, VaynerX. 

Mayte Alquicira is marketing and operations manager, loyalty, at Cinépolis Cinemas USA, a luxury theater brand. She’s also worked as the brand’s guest experience manager and supported the brand’s expansion into international markets.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? 

I help create emotional connections between moviegoers and our brand. My role is all about designing the journeys, from first visit to lifelong loyalty, that make people feel seen, valued, and excited to come back. It’s part storytelling, part strategy, and part data detective work.

Redesigning and upgrading our Cinépolis Rewards program. We took a deeply customer-centric approach grounded in data but brought to life through storytelling and emotional connection. It wasn’t just about points and perks; it was about building a loyalty experience that felt personal, rewarding, and human. The most fulfilling part? Seeing members reengage because the program finally spoke to what they actually value.

. It’s such a bold example of creative crossover: two seemingly unrelated brands coming together in a way that just works. That kind of surprise-and-delight moment is the best proof that when you understand your audience and have a smart creative team, the possibilities are endless. It’s the ultimate flex of efficient, unexpected brand synergy.

I’m a certified yoga instructor! Yoga keeps me grounded and teaches me to approach challenges with curiosity and compassion. I’m currently building an online yoga studio that blends movement with mindfulness, especially for people navigating busy lives.

I’m most optimistic about AI and personalization. When done well, it creates space for more relevant, thoughtful interactions that genuinely improve customer experience.

But I’m least optimistic about AI when it replaces rather than enhances the human touch. Brands risk becoming robotic and indistinguishable if they lose the heart behind the message. Efficiency shouldn’t come at the cost of emotional connection.

 on Instagram. It’s a quick-hit inspiration board for marketers. I also like the podcasts 

 with Guy Raz, which features real stories of entrepreneurs and the power of brand-building, and 

 with Robbie Kellman Baxter—I’m fascinated by subscription models, and this one’s full of insights. And while not directly a marketing podcast, 

 by NPR offers an incredible lens into how audiences perceive media—a great resource for anyone in entertainment marketing.

Marketing Brew Coworking series featuring Mayte Alquicira.