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Virtual Conference Recap BY Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza | August 04, 2026

Brands That Endure: Authenticity in Action

Companies once made public commitments to ethics and responsibility, but it became “acceptable, and maybe even a little trendy, for brands to quietly neglect those commitments,” said Sandra Moerch, global head of content and customer marketing Autodesk, which makes industrial design software. “That behavior just won’t cut it anymore. Authenticity is making a comeback because people are craving honest and pure and authentic transactions again.”During a panel discussion on brands’ enduring authenticity at From Day One’s July virtual conference on brand strategy, Moerch and a panel of additional marketing leaders spoke about the risks and rewards of brand realness.Marketers have to reach outside their own department to achieve authenticity in their messages. “Some of our best ideas really come from our sales teams, our engineers, our product management field teams, and most importantly, our customers,” said Diana Sanicki, head of North American marketing at construction technology company Doka. “We regularly talk with them and visit job sites, and those conversations help us create marketing that’s relevant instead of promotional.” Journalist Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza moderated the session among marketing leaders (photo by From Day One)Even the most global and wide-reaching brands need some level of localization to achieve authenticity, said Emma Riley, director of marketing and growth for the Americas Global at creative firm AKQA. “Backstory,” the Levi’s commercial that debuted during the 2026 Superbowl, features shots of the brand’s iconic back pockets and red tab on musicians, dancers, rock climbers, and even cartoons, with cameos from Grammy-winning rapper and singer Doechii and Woody from Toy Story, and a nod to the iconic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A.. Riley said that these “influencers speak to who it is that we needed to talk to, but they are true. They are who they are. They really use the product.” Even Woody.‘Customers Don’t Buy the Story You Tell About Yourself’Customers aren’t looking for a sales pitch. They want an experience, like Levi’s can offer, or, as is more common in the B2B world, they want a solution.Yet customers aren’t always aware of the problems they have, said Todd Brown, VP of marketing for the financial institutions group at Fiserv, “not until they read a piece of thought leadership or they hear from someone on the team about a new solution.” Fiserv, which makes the technology underlying much of the financial services industry, expands mostly by selling into its existing customer base, so Brown must deliver a constant drip of education and customer testimonials. When a client has a particular need, they know Fiserv can meet it. “The best advocates for us are our clients who are telling the stories about the impact our partnership has not only on their business, but also on the communities they serve,” he said.Authenticity requires giving up some amount of control over the message and presentation of your brand—attaching your logo to a celebrity or handing the mic to a customer carries inherent risk. But any authentic relationship requires vulnerability. Believability begins with deferring to the customer point of view, which means letting the buyers  say it for themselves. “Customers don’t buy the story you tell about yourself. They believe the story your customers and employees tell about you,” Sanicki said. “Years ago, companies owned the message, and today the customers own the conversation.”Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is an independent journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about business and the world of work. Her work has appeared in the Economist, the BBC, The Washington Post, Inc., and Business Insider, among others. She is the recipient of a Virginia Press Association award for business and financial journalism. She is the host of How to Be Anything, the podcast about people with unusual jobs.(Photo by julief514/iStock)

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Virtual Conference Recap BY Ade Akin | July 20, 2026

Building a Brand That Earns Trust and Loyalty Across Every Channel

A stop outside an Ashley Home Store during a 90-day tour of U.S. markets crystallized a troubling trend for John Mask: lower-income shoppers were no longer showing up in furniture stores.Mask, the EVP of sales and marketing at Ashley Furniture, shared that the solution to that problem is a two-step process that starts with building trust with customers before selling the product. He spoke during a fireside chat at From Day One’s July virtual conference, in conversation with Seattle Times business reporter, Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton. Mask shared how Ashley Furniture navigates a crowded marketplace, evolving consumer expectations, and the transformative role of AI in marketing. The fireside chat covered everything from global expansion to the return of traditional mailers. Yet, the central theme remained clear: cultivating brand loyalty today requires building trust, sharing stories, and engaging with consumers wherever they are; across all channels.A Saturated Landscape and the Shift to ValueMask started the conversation by identifying the greatest challenge facing today’s marketers: saturation. Thanks to the democratization of marketing tools such as social media, anyone can now reach customers on a one-to-one basis. “It’s become more crowded because more people can actually talk to that consumer,” he said. Consequently, standing out becomes essential within such crowded marketplaces.A fundamental shift in consumer behavior compounds this new reality. Mask says he has observed customers moving from a price-based mindset to a value-based approach when making purchases. “What can I get for the cost, as opposed to what’s the lowest cost that I can find out there?” he elaborated. This is particularly pronounced in a K-shaped economy, where lower-income consumers are short on cash and middle-to-high-income shoppers, the “five to eight consumer” on an income scale, drive the market. These potential customers have disposable income but expect quality, story, and a clear value proposition from the companies they shop with.Marketing Across ChannelsAshley Furniture’s staggering reach includes running operations in 23 countries, over 1,000 branded stores, and partnerships with over 24,000 retailers, he says. Operating on this scale demands a more nuanced approach to omnichannel marketing. John Mask, EVP of sales & marketing at Ashley Furniture, spoke during the virtual session (company photo)“We have a saying that we like to have our feet in many canoes,” Mask said as he described the company’s strategy of serving consumers wherever they may be. The company utilizes brick-and-mortar stores, e-retail platforms like Amazon and Wayfair, big-box partners, rental channels, and international markets. Importantly, tailored content drives each specific marketing channel. Although big-box locations emphasize pricing above all else, the company’s dedicated showrooms prioritize aesthetics, atmosphere, and narrative. Additionally, traditional advertising avenues like print media and billboards are undergoing a notable resurgence, offering fresh opportunities to capture consumer attention amidst increasingly crowded digital spaces.Storytelling and the Customer LifecycleA layered approach to storytelling is at the heart of Ashley Furniture’s marketing strategy. Mask outlined their strategy for constructing brand narratives that look past simple product characteristics and pricing to focus instead on the deeper emotional connections people form with furniture; how it makes them feel, how it fits into their homes, and whether it meets their functional needs. This is especially important when appealing to different customer demographics. Younger consumers, for example, are increasingly interested in sustainability and what a company stands for.This storytelling is woven into what Mask calls life cycle marketing. Furniture purchases are tied to major life events such as having a baby, transitioning a child to a “big kid” bedroom, getting married, or buying a house. Ashley aims to build a relationship that spans generations by engaging consumers across these milestones. “We want a consumer to know at every touchpoint they’re going to get the best service from Ashley,” he added. The payoff is clear: loyal patrons become returning customers and bring in their children, creating a multigenerational brand loyalty that dramatically lowers acquisition costs.AI in Marketing: From Content Creation to Agentic SearchMask also shared how AI is changing the marketing landscape. “We can truly create campaigns that are foundational, and then use AI to create customizations in the individuals that are in the ads, in the backgrounds of those rooms,” he said. This enables the company to tailor messaging for different geographies, showing the same product in a rural setting versus an urban one, without needing a massive marketing team.The bigger shift is how consumers now discover products, he says. He pointed to the rise of agentic engine optimization (AEO), the AI-powered successor to traditional SEO. “We’ve seen a 45% increase over the last month alone in terms of traffic based on searches started with some sort of an agent via Perplexity, ChatGPT, or any of the other services that are out there,” he said.With personalized AI agents increasingly serving as the primary tool for consumer search, brands must organize their data to feed these engines and shape the sources they reference for recommendations. Mask cautioned that if your brand is not visible to AI, “they just may never find you.”Building Trust in a Two-Step ProcessDespite all the talk about technology and marketing channels, Mask returned repeatedly to the foundational importance of trust. He described a two-step process: “Do I trust you, and then what do you have to offer me as a result of the fact that I trust you?” Consumers need to know who a company is, how it engages with communities, and what it stands for before considering product features. This applies especially to the younger demographic, who place greater emphasis on the principles a business stands for and its commitment to eco-friendly practices.Mask’s advice to other marketing leaders was hands-on: “Go out and test.” He highlights the value of conducting A/B tests on emerging platforms, listening more than talking, and actively engaging in forums to discover what consumers truly desire. In an interest-based economy where consumers are constantly bombarded with choices, the brands that succeed will be those that earn trust, tell compelling stories, and meet customers where they are; whether that’s in a store, on a social platform, or through an AI agent.Ade Akin covers artificial intelligence, workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by ismagilov/iStock)

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What Our Attendees are Saying

Jordan Baker(Attendee) profile picture

“The panels were phenomenal. The breakout sessions were incredibly insightful. I got the opportunity to speak with countless HR leaders who are dedicated to improving people’s lives. I walked away feeling excited about my own future in the business world, knowing that many of today’s people leaders are striving for a more diverse, engaged, and inclusive workforce.”

– Jordan Baker, Emplify
Desiree Booker(Attendee) profile picture

“Thank you, From Day One, for such an important conversation on diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and social impact.”

– Desiree Booker, ColorVizion Lab
Kim Vu(Attendee) profile picture

“Timely and much needed convo about the importance of removing the stigma and providing accessible mental health resources for all employees.”

– Kim Vu, Remitly
Florangela Davila(Attendee) profile picture

“Great discussion about leadership, accountability, transparency and equity. Thanks for having me, From Day One.”

– Florangela Davila, KNKX 88.5 FM
Cory Hewett(Attendee) profile picture

“De-stigmatizing mental health illnesses, engaging stakeholders, arriving at mutually defined definitions for equity, and preventing burnout—these are important topics that I’m delighted are being discussed at the From Day One conference.”

– Cory Hewett, Gimme Vending Inc.
Trisha Stezzi(Attendee) profile picture

“Thank you for bringing speakers and influencers into one space so we can all continue our work scaling up the impact we make in our organizations and in the world!”

– Trisha Stezzi, Significance LLC
Vivian Greentree(Attendee) profile picture

“From Day One provided a full day of phenomenal learning opportunities and best practices in creating & nurturing corporate values while building purposeful relationships with employees, clients, & communities.”

– Vivian Greentree, Fiserv
Chip Maxwell(Attendee) profile picture

“We always enjoy and are impressed by your events, and this was no exception.”

– Chip Maxwell, Emplify
Katy Romero(Attendee) profile picture

“We really enjoyed the event yesterday— such an engaged group of attendees and the content was excellent. I'm feeling great about our decision to partner with FD1 this year.”

– Katy Romero, One Medical
Kayleen Perkins(Attendee) profile picture

“The From Day One Conference in Seattle was filled with people who want to make a positive impact in their company, and build an inclusive culture around diversity and inclusion. Thank you to all the panelists and speakers for sharing their expertise and insights. I'm looking forward to next year's event!”

– Kayleen Perkins, Seattle Children's
Michaela Ayers(Attendee) profile picture

“I had the pleasure of attending From Day One. My favorite session, Getting Bias Out of Our Systems, was such a powerful conversation between local thought leaders.”

– Michaela Ayers, Nourish Events
Sarah J. Rodehorst(Attendee) profile picture

“Inspiring speakers and powerful conversations. Loved meeting so many talented people driving change in their organizations. Thank you From Day One! I look forward to next year’s event!”

– Sarah J. Rodehorst, ePerkz
Angela Prater(Attendee) profile picture

“I had the distinct pleasure of attending From Day One Seattle. The Getting Bias Out of Our Systems discussion was inspirational and eye-opening.”

– Angela Prater, Confluence Health
Joel Stupka(Attendee) profile picture

“From Day One did an amazing job of providing an exceptional experience for both the attendees and vendors. I mean, we had whale sharks and giant manta rays gracefully swimming by on the other side of the hall from our booth!”

– Joel Stupka, SkillCycle
Alexis Hauk(Attendee) profile picture

“Last week I had the honor of moderating a panel on healthy work environments at the From Day One conference in Atlanta. I was so inspired by what these experts had to say about the timely and important topics of mental health in the workplace and the value of nurturing a culture of psychological safety.”

– Alexis Hauk, Emory University