New Forbes podcast series unpacks the strategy, risks, and cultural impact behind the world's most talked-about marketing campaigns

Season 1 examines one of the most closely watched marketing stories in recent years: Coca-Cola and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in advertising

Forbes today launched Season One of a new original marketing podcast series called “A Different Take,” hosted and led by Linda Boff, President of Forbes CMO Network and CEO of Said Differently.

Widely recognized as one of marketing’s most influential marketing executives, Boff spent two decades leading marketing at General Electric, where she helped redefine how a global industrial company shows up in culture. In “A Different Take,” Boff brings that perspective to candid conversations with the executives, creatives, and innovators behind marketing's biggest successes—and its most valuable lessons.

The inaugural season examines one of the most closely watched marketing stories in recent years: Coca-Cola and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in advertising.

“Great work is rarely linear; it's the result of a thousand small decisions and constant pivots. Our new podcast, 'A Different Take" was created to examine iconic brands, products, and advertising launches from every angle by inviting disparate internal brand and external perspectives into the conversation,” said Linda Boff, President of the Forbes CMO Network. “We deliberately chose Coca-Cola and its attention-getting Holiday AI campaign as our kick-off season to unpack how one of the world's most iconic brands reimagined a beloved holiday tradition with fortitude and modernity.”

“A Different Take” takes a case-study approach, examining one iconic brand or breakthrough innovation each season.

Across four episodes, Boff and her guests unpack how one of the world’s most recognizable brands balances legacy with reinvention. Boff will interview guests to discuss every angle, from daring creative experiments to tech-fueled storytelling to break down what soared, what stumbled, and what marketers can learn.

Season 1 Episodes:

• Episode 1: "The AI Gamble: How Coca-Cola Got Here"

AI wasn't an overnight experiment for Coca-Cola. With Jason Zada, Founder of Secret Level, Boff explores the years of experimentation behind the brand's AI efforts, the public reaction to AI-generated creative, and what brands and creators can learn about balancing innovation, creativity and cultural relevance.

• Episode 2: “Santa Meets Silicon: The Story Behind Coca-Cola’s AI Campaign”

Featuring Manolo Arroyo, EVP & Chief Marketing and Customer Commercial Officer at The Coca-Cola Company, this episode examines how Coca-Cola developed and launched its AI-powered holiday campaign and how creative leadership evaluates when emerging technology enhances—not diminishes—the craft of storytelling.

• Episode 3: “AI Ads & Audience Trust: The Coca-Cola Test Case”- With Joshua Davis, Founder of Storyline Labs, Boff explores whether society is moving from skepticism to acceptance of AI and what marketers can learn as technology evolves faster than cultural norms and expectations.
• Episode 4: “Marketing, Rewritten: Life After the First AI Holiday Campaigns”

Featuring PJ Pereira, Founder of Silverside AI, this episode looks at the lasting impact of Coca-Cola's AI holiday campaign and how AI is redefining creative excellence.

This podcast arrives at a moment when marketers face unprecedented technological and cultural change. Through real-world case studies and firsthand perspectives, “A Different Take” offers an insider’s playbook to the real stories behind marketing’s biggest hits and misses - what makes some soar while others stumble. Tune in to find out.

Season one is now available and can be found on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, iHeart, Stitcher, Pandora, Amazon Music/Aubible and Deezer

Contact:

PR@Forbes.com