Neuberger Berman

Jason Young: Marketing Is Marketing, Full Stop

Jason Young, vice president and head of marketing strategy for US Pharma at Novartis and juror on the Effectiveness jury for The Drum B2B Awards, argues that consumer and B2B marketing are not fundamentally different. He says marketing is a science focused on human behavior change and that brands must balance performance and brand marketing while explaining that balance to budget holders. Young views AI as primarily a tool for process efficiency and freeing marketers to do more human-driven work. He advises curiosity and discipline as key qualities for future marketing leaders.

Kirti Naik: Speed Isn't Strategy, Judgment Matters

Kirti Naik, Neuberger’s global head of brand experience and juror on The Drum B2B Awards Industry jury, argues that while AI lowers the cost of marketing intelligence and execution, speed and scale do not replace human strategic judgment. She says AI can optimize existing work but humans must decide what to create. Naik emphasises the complementary relationship between brand and performance marketing, describes marketing as a perpetual learning loop, and urges organisations to treat marketing as an enterprise capability rather than a campaign function. For 2026 she recommends investing in client intelligence — the ability to connect first-party data, market signals, behavioural insights and human observation into a single decision-making engine. She also stresses that B2B buying is human and that marketing should be involved earlier in strategic decisions.

Investor Sees Long-Term Gains Amid U.S.-Iran Conflict

Investor Steve Eisman told CNBC's Joe Kernen on Squawk Box that investors should ignore the U.S.-Iran war and that he would not change any trades, calling the conflict a potential long-term positive for markets. Eisman said oil prices rose on the news but expected them to normalize in months if the situation 'goes well.' The article reports that the U.S., in a joint attack with Israel, struck Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, prompting retaliatory attacks from Tehran. Historical data from Barclays' trading desk is cited showing the S&P 500 is on average unchanged the day after similar geopolitical events and that stocks tend to recover within a month, though higher oil prices and regional escalation could prolong market pressure.