With the 2026 FIFA World Cup ready to kick off, brands are gearing up for one of the most anticipated marketing opportunities of the year. But with activations ranging from out-of-home display to IRL activations, measuring the success of these branded efforts will be a challenge. That’s where Greg Joseph, VP of inventory development at StackAdapt, comes in.

On this bonus episode of On Scope, Greg joins host Mike Berberich to discuss how marketers are fully leveraging the unprecedented scale, energy, and geographic distribution of the tournament. Together, the duo cover:

- Best practices for brand marketers to determine which markets they should target and which might not be worth the investment.

- How to maximize brand impact when there are so many different markets and competing cultural norms converging for the World Cup.

- Broad approaches brand marketers should consider to layer over top their more localized activations.

Listeners will learn how brands can move beyond traditional broadcast thinking and instead embrace omnichannel, programmatic approaches that connect with consumers throughout their real, physical, and digital journeys, whether the target audience is from commuting and attending a match, watching on TV, or both.

Have a topic or guest suggestion for On Scope? Let us know by emailing us at onscope@ana.net.

On a special bonus episode of On Scope, Alex Josephson, VP of BrandWorks at LinkedIn, went live on LinkedIn with host Mike Berberich for a deep dive on how marketing and business professionals can turn personal branding into a powerful growth driver. Along with questions from the audience, Mike and Alex discussed best practices for growing the personal brand of executives and frontline employees, how companies can systematize professional brand development, and what you can do to build your own personal brand without coming off as — well — cringe.

Dr. Marcus Collins, an author and clinical professor of marketing at the University of Michigan, is an expert on culture and how it influences human behavior. As both an academic and a practitioner, his strategies and creative contributions have led to hugely successful activations for clients like McDonald’s, Google, and even pop superstar Beyoncé.

On this episode of On Scope, Marcus joins host Mike Berberich to unpack why brands so often misinterpret culture and how marketers can move from chasing popularity to facilitating meaningful connection with consumers. Together, Mike and Marcus explore why understanding brand purpose — or brand conviction, as Marcus prefers to call it — is so crucial to successfully engaging in culture, why treating culture as a monolith flattens nuance and strips marketing of authenticity, the biggest lessons Marcus learned while spearheading Beyoncé’s digital strategy, and how employees lower down on the corporate ladder can positively affect their own company’s internal culture.

On “News You Might Have Missed,” Mike and show producer Ryan Dinger discuss a report from ADWEEK that Spotify is debuting carousel ads and branded playlist takeovers on its app. This news from Spotify, plus pricing trends on platforms like Netflix, has Mike and Ryan wondering if we’re witnessing the death of premium content, with consumers seemingly being nudged toward ad-supported experiences. The pair highlight some potential concerns for advertisers in this new reality — including how audiences entering ad tiers may be resentful, more sensitive to interruption, and less tolerant of lazy or repetitive creative — and offer some thoughts on how brands might engage these spaces without incurring consumer ire.

As you’ll learn during this episode, culture moves quickly, and the cost of getting it wrong is real. The best marketers build stronger cultural instincts by learning from people who are doing the work at the highest level. ANA National Industry Conferences put marketers in the room with CMOs and senior leaders shaping what’s next, with practical takeaways and connections that carry beyond the event. Check out the full lineup of upcoming conferences by visiting www.ana.net/conferences.

Have a topic idea or guest suggestion for On Scope? Let us know by emailing onscope@ana.net.