Marquee Brands vs Marriott International

Roots Corporation Agrees to Go Private in Transaction Led by Marquee Brands

Roots Corporation Agrees to Go Private in Transaction Led by Marquee Brands, in Partnership with Canadian Retail Leaders Joseph Mimran

Journey as Destination: Reinventing Travel Marketing

Adweek's Adspeak podcast episode (hosted by Jenny Rooney) brings together Sheretha Bell (Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau), Eliot Hamlisch (Amtrak) and Brad Hiranaga (Marriott International) to discuss how travel brands are shifting from destination-focused marketing to experiences that emphasize personalization, cultural relevance and values-driven travel. Topics include personalization, first‑party data and loyalty ecosystems, the influence of AI and ChatGPT on travel discovery, examples like Amtrak’s social strategy, Atlanta’s handwritten postcard activation, and Marriott’s Bonvoy loyalty scale. The episode explores combining technology and data with creative and human-led activations to drive engagement, loyalty and revenue in hospitality and transportation marketing.

• Adweek published an Adspeak podcast episode hosted by Jenny Rooney featuring Sheretha Bell, Eliot Hamlisch and Brad Hiranaga.
• Guests discussed personalization, first‑party data, loyalty ecosystems, and the growing influence of AI and ChatGPT on travel discovery.
• Brad Hiranaga is global SVP of brand and design experiences at Marriott International and highlighted Marriott’s Bonvoy ecosystem across 10,000+ properties.

AI as Gatekeeper of Brand Visibility

An ADWEEK House Cannes Lions sunset panel co-hosted with Adobe examined how conversational AI is changing brand discovery and why brand fundamentals — consistency, trust, and clear messaging — matter more as consumers encounter brands through AI summaries and chat interfaces. Marketing leaders from Adobe, IKEA, Marriott International and Unilever argued brands must define a "conversational brand," ensure consistent claims across channels, invest in internal skills and processes, and treat AI as another channel for delivering intent-led experiences (citing Marriott’s Ask Bonvoy beta). The discussion emphasized that machines will surface brands that display reliable patterns across touchpoints, and inconsistent language or claims can cause AI systems to exclude a product from recommendations.

• An ADWEEK House Cannes Lions sunset series panel on brand discovery was co-hosted with Adobe.
• Speakers included Rachel Thornton (CMO of enterprise, Adobe), Linda Ha (Deputy CMO, IKEA Retail), Andy Kauffman (Chief Commercial Officer, U.S. & Canada, Marriott International) and Selina Sykes (VP, Marketing Transformation & Social-First, Unilever).
• Panelists said consumers increasingly learn about brands via conversational AI summaries and chat interfaces rather than clicking through search results.