Time For A Reset Marketing Podcast: Insights from Global Brand Marketers
Welcome to Time for a Reset, the marketing podcast that gets behind the thinking of the industry’s sharpest leaders who are shaping the world’s most iconic brands.
We ask the big questions: What does it take to drive real change? How do you stay ahead when the ground keeps shifting?
From changing consumer expectations to marketing’s growing role on the board agenda, each episode digs into what matters now and what’s coming next.
Expect smart conversations, practical takeaways, and a fresh perspective on what it means to lead in today’s marketing landscape.
New episodes drop regularly.
Tune in, reset your thinking, and get ready to turn strategy into action.
Time For A Reset Marketing Podcast: Insights from Global Brand Marketers
93 - The Importance of Brand Safety in an Increasingly Polarised Media Landscape
New episode of Time for a Reset, brought to you by Overline.
"Keep your knowledge curve ahead of your action curve - it's a real discipline, and it's not easy because there's so much happening. Don't read about OpenAI - go use it. Don't read about TikTok - get on TikTok, which is bewildering, and obviously, the algorithm sucks you in.” Norm Johnston, SVP and Global Head of Advertising at News Corp.
On this episode of Time for a Reset: Insights from Global Brand Marketers, brought to you by Overline, Fiona Davis welcomes Norm Johnston, SVP and Global Head of Advertising Strategy at News Corp, for a candid conversation about why it’s time to reset how we think about brand safety, AI, and premium content in marketing.
Norm draws on his extensive experience across agencies, publishing, and strategy to show how leading brands are navigating the challenges of blocked news content, AI-driven validation, and evolving publisher-advertiser partnerships.
This episode is packed with bold ideas and practical strategies for CMOs and marketing leaders seeking to engage audiences in premium, brand-safe environments.
🎧 In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why 54% of blocked news content is actually brand-safe and how AI can unlock it
- How AI is reshaping publisher-advertiser relationships and driving new business models
- The business case for advertising in premium news environments to reach high-value audiences
- How publishers innovate with shoppable content and retail media without compromising editorial integrity
- Why quality journalism remains critical for both democracy and marketing effectiveness
- How marketers can combine AI automation with high-touch creative experiences
This one’s for marketers ready to pivot from basic digital advertising to human-centric, brand-safe, and future-ready strategies.
Norm Johnston is a digital marketing pioneer and a thought leader in the global marketing space. He began his career in 1995 at Modem Media, the agency behind the first banner ad. He led Modem’s international expansion in London, then held global leadership roles at Mindshare, including Chief Digital and Strategy Officer. Norm later served as Global CEO of Unruly, now a Nexxen company, and is currently SVP, Head of Global Advertising Strategy at News Corp. A published author and industry thought leader, he lives in London with his family.