Podcasts

Empowering Gen Z through Sustainability and Innovation with Michelle Crossan-Matos

Aug 10, 2023
Feb 27, 2025
 • 
 min read

“I would say in my DNA, I'm a marketer. I love consumers. I love to understand their dreams, their hopes, their pains, and how we brands can really help them live their best lives.”
— Michelle Crossan-Matos

Hailing from humble beginnings in Scotland, Michelle Crossan-Matos has discipline. In fact, it’s one of the things she credits with allowing her to fully harness her creativity and take Samsung Electronics America’s marketing team to the next level.

Whether she’s studying leadership at the crack of dawn or finding new ways to engage with customers at the 837X experience (an interactive space where consumers can see the latest Samsung innovations), she’s always taking steps to learn more about emerging audiences–especially Gen Z—and she doesn’t stop.

On this throwback episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, hear from the inspiring Michelle Crossan-Matos about Samsung's consumer marketing transformation, which focuses on Gen Z, innovation, sustainability, the metaverse, Web3, and AI.

Check out the key takeaways of this episode or the transcript below to learn more about Michelle’s inspiring initiatives:

  • Empowering Gen Z: From her earliest days, Michelle has been influenced by legacy brands that have transformed her world through their inspirational content. She passionately believes that these brands serve as catalysts for young minds to dream big.
  • Sustainability Matters: Discover how legacy brands bear the vital responsibility of making a positive impact on our environment. Learn how conscious consumerism resonates with Gen Z, and see how Samsung is leading the way, seamlessly integrating sustainability with personalized technology.
  • Discipline for Creativity: Whether it’s her 5am wakeup call each morning, or insisting on utilizing data to drive creativity, Michelle believes that working within a framework produces innovative and trustworthy results.
  • Future-Forward Insights: Delve into the intriguing realm of Web3, The Metaverse, and AI. Explore how the gamification and socialization of these innovations could hold the key for legacy brands to connect deeply with the generations of tomorrow.
See Suzy in Action
Book a Demo today
See Suzy in action. Learn how Suzy can boost your business.

Related resources

Podcasts
Intelligent Beauty: How Ulta Beauty uses AI personalization to power loyalty and relevance at scale

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with Kelly Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer at Ulta Beauty, live from CES 2026 in Las Vegas. In this interview, Kelly unpacks how Ulta Beauty’s loyalty program and personalization engine drive nearly all sales. They also discuss why motivation-based marketing segmentation has replaced traditional demographics, and how AI-powered personalization in beauty and wellness retail shapes everything from recommendations to creative execution. The conversation further explores Ulta Beauty’s omnichannel customer journey, its evolving beauty and wellness retail strategy, and how Adobe CDP and Adobe Firefly creative automation support marketing at scale.

Speed of Culture
AI
Technology
Feb 24, 2026
Feb 24, 2026
 • 
 min read
Podcasts
Hard Reset: How Lenovo is redefining AI PCs, edge computing, and trust

In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Matt Britton sits down with Milo Speranzo, Chief Marketing Officer for Lenovo North America, live from CES 2026 in Las Vegas. Milo breaks down what it took to deliver Lenovo’s sold-out Sphere showcase, the product story behind AI PCs, servers, wearables, and Motorola, and why edge computing AI privacy now shapes a new hardware refresh cycle. The conversation also explores the Lenovo FIFA World Cup partnership, FootballAI analytics, and Milo’s leadership mantra for 2026: learn, iterate, and be a goldfish.

Speed of Culture
AI
Technology
Feb 17, 2026
Feb 23, 2026
 • 
 min read
True Blue: How Levi's remains an American original with contemporary cachet
Podcasts
True Blue: How Levi's remains an American original with contemporary cachet

In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits down with Kenny Mitchell, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Levi Strauss & Co., to unpack how Levi’s balances 170 years of history with the urgency of modern culture. Kenny shares how Levi’s marketing strategy is evolving through cultural partnerships like the Beyoncé REIMAGINE campaign, the Shaboozey Men’s Icons campaign, and the Nike Levi’s collaboration. This conversation explores how an iconic global brand stays relevant through culture-led brand growth, data, AI-powered personalization, and disciplined leadership.

AI
Marketing
Speed of Culture
Dec 2, 2025
Feb 18, 2026
 • 
 min read
View all