As one of the top running brands in the U.S. since the 1970s, Brooks knows its way around a performance running shoe. Some 50 years later, the company saw an opportunity to enter the lifestyle space and embark on the next phase of its brand evolution.

The idea is to provide for existing fans while reaching new ones who might be looking for a fashionable, comfortable shoe. “We heard from our community that they really wanted to be able to wear Brooks in more moments of their day,” said CMO Melanie Allen. But it also felt like the right moment along the brand’s journey. “We grew to a point where we were starting to say, it’s probably time that the brand can hold the category outside of run,” she said.

We caught up with Brooks Running CMO Melanie Allen and Director of Footwear Merchandising Matt Weiss to discuss the vision behind the launch, its marketing goals, the team’s singular focus on storytelling and the challenges of entering a new category.

Among the CMOs surveyed by Boston Consulting Group in April and May 2025, 79% are confident that generative AI technology will improve their outcomes, up from 71% two years ago. And marketers are backing up their confidence with cash: 71% plan to invest at least $10 million annually in genAI during the next three years, compared with 57% of last year’s respondents.

But in this next phase of AI applications, more sophisticated use cases are surfacing. Most survey respondents have already used AI for language translation, image creation, animated video generation and copy creation. But many marketers are now moving into live-action video generation, predictive analytics applications and using AI for overall growth in addition to efficiency. Here’s a look at the technology’s next wave of use cases.

Lastly, Spanish airline Iberia wanted more control over its campaign planning and creative optimization. To accomplish that goal, it tapped AI personalization platform Clinch to allow advertisers to manage their campaigns—including KPI tracking and updating creative in real time—using a self-serve model. Read how the airline accomplished its goal, delivering significant returns.

Until next week,