Join the FUEL 2026 Brand Planning Conference

Wednesday, April 22, 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM CST

FUEL brings together visionary thinking, connected intelligence, and data-driven insights to explore how brands can create greater impact in an increasingly complex landscape.

Uncover new ways to turn insight into action and accelerate meaningful growth.

AGENDA

SESSION 1:

Opening Remarks &
Remastering the Annual Brand Plan

10:30 AM CST

The annual brand plan: a critical process often plagued by inefficiency and data disconnects. Drawing from our latest survey of pharma executives, this session goes beyond the symptoms to diagnose the root causes of broken planning cycles. Finally, we will unveil a new, AI-powered framework designed specifically to fix this process, and you can learn how this will be changing brand planning this year.

JOHN KENNY
Chief Strategy Officer

SESSION 2:
Influencers in Pharma: Not if, but how

10:45 AM CST

The question is no longer whether influencers belong in pharma marketing, the question is how to activate them effectively and compliantly. This session will unpack where creators fit across disease awareness, branded campaigns, and HCP education, and why they are quickly becoming a must-have channel in modern healthcare marketing. Discover how brands can move from experimentation to strategic integration. From big celebs to micro-influencers to AI creators, we’ll cover it all.

Portrait of Don Matera
DON MATERA
EVP, Managing Director Creative
LAURIE MEEKS
SVP, Social Media
JILLIAN SZACKI
VP, Planning

SESSION 3:
Enablement: Experience Is the New Brand Builder

11:05 AM CST

As breakthrough therapies become more complex, the biggest barrier to adoption is no longer just clinical differentiation, but operational friction. This session unveils a powerful framework for winning in this new reality, showing how brands can build decisive competitive advantage by designing and delivering a seamless therapeutic experience.

tim lewis headshot
TIM LEWIS
EVP, Strategic Development
Oncology & Precision Medicine
MIKE SCHAFFER
VP, Strategic Planning

SESSION 4:
The Omnichannel Renaissance

11:25 AM CST

Omnichannel is evolving, from isolated campaigns to orchestrated experiences across the customer journey. This session explores the forces driving the omnichannel renaissance and how iterative omnichannel strategies and AI-first personalization enable brands to continuously learn, adapt, and deliver more meaningful engagement.

DAN GANDOR
EVP, Head of Omnichannel & Digital Transformation
TRACY KOSSLER
EVP, Managing Director, Omnichannel

SESSION 5:
Beyond SEO: Winning the Generative Search Revolution

11:45 AM CST

The search landscape is undergoing its most significant transformation in a decade. Is your brand ready? This session moves beyond theory to explore what we’re seeing and hearing across the industry as Generative Search Optimization (GEO) reshapes how customers find and interact with you.

JOSIE BLACK
VP, Head of SEO
DUSTIN LEIBACH
VP, SEO

SESSION 6:
The End-to-End AI Agency: A New Marketing Ecosystem

12:05 AM CST

What happens when AI doesn’t just speed up a task, but reshapes the entire agency model? This session explores the structural shift from siloed departments to a unified, AI-driven workflow where insights, creative, and activation are seamlessly integrated. More importantly, hear directly from marketing leaders who are navigating this evolution. They will share firsthand accounts of how this new agency partnership is impacting their roles, their teams, and their brand’s performance, elevating the entire craft of marketing.

JOHN CLARKSON
EVP, AI Agency

SESSION 7:
Closing Remarks

12:25 PM CST

ann-cave
ANN CAVE
President, Full-Service Agencies

Register Now

Register to Attend FUEL 2026