Mars’ Ron Amram on the Future of Retail Media, AI Search Shifts, and Creative That Wins

Ron Amram, Global Head of Media at Mars and former Heineken media leader, joins Jeremy Bloom (Marketecture Media co-founder, OhHello.ai founder) and Josh Palau (Media and AdTech executive and America’s favorite plus-one) to unpack what brand building looks like heading into 2026. Ron explains how marketing has become more complex due to fragmentation and disconnected measurement, and why winning now requires starting from category and audience behavior rather than brand-first planning.

Takeaways

• Agents are changing how people plan their vacations.

• People are increasingly relying on search engines for travel planning.

• AI tools like Gemini and ChatGPT are curating travel activities.

• The recommendation sources are shifting from traditional platforms to AI.

• Consumer behavior is being significantly affected by these changes.

• CPG companies will also feel the impact of these trends.

• Travel planning is becoming more personalized through AI.

• The role of traditional travel agencies is evolving.

• AI is blocking traditional behaviors in travel planning.

• Understanding these changes is crucial for businesses. 

Chapters

00:01 Welcome and Ron’s background

01:42  Biggest brand-building challenges now vs. 10–15 years ago

03:58 Portfolio strategy through category and audience lenses

06:29 Favorite brands and what makes them great

10:08 The overlooked power of audio signatures

12:17 How Ron brings partners into planning

15:03 Walled gardens, measurement, and budget reality

17:32 Future-shaping trends: retail media and AI

22:02 Start, bench, cut: channel, audience, creative

24:23 Practical AI uses for marketers today

26:42 Career path from biology to media leadership

29:02 Proof marketing works: American Idol sponsorship