IN CLEAR FOCUS: Nick Valenti, CEO of NYC and San Diego-based agency Mādin, shares successful marketing strategies for bringing European sports to American audiences. Nick discusses launching San Diego FC without traditional brand assets and reveals how their Chrome Ball Tour unified 18 cities. Nick also reveals the strategy behind the "Sensory Overload" campaign for the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix and reflects on why emotional brand storytelling and community-building are crucial for sports marketing.

IN CLEAR FOCUS: Tom Woodnutt of Feeling Mutual discusses the evolution of online qualitative research. Tom explains how asynchronous methods yield authentic insights by allowing participants to share in real-world contexts without the social pressure of focus groups. He explores maintaining engagement, AI's impact on research, and the “qual at scale” trend. While embracing AI as a powerful tool, Tom emphasizes the irreplaceable human intuition that makes great qualitative research possible.

IN CLEAR FOCUS: Strategic foresight consultants Scott Smith and Susan Cox-Smith discuss Foom, an immersive strategic simulation for exploring AI futures. Unlike static scenario planning, Foom creates environments where teams experience real-time consequences of decisions. As participants navigate progress toward Artificial General Intelligence, this "escape room for strategy" reveals insights about decision-making, coalition-building, and managing uncertainty in emerging technology landscapes.