Model or efficiency? That’s the incorrect query for entrepreneurs to ask, based on Nick Fairbairn.
Reside from the Advertising Vanguard stage at Brandweek 2026 in Atlanta, Jenny Rooney sits down with Chime SVP of Development Nick Fairbairn to unpack why model elevate and direct-response accountability belong in the identical system.
Additionally they talk about why shopping for an AI device doesn’t quantity to AI transformation, and why scrappy artistic could do extra brand-building work than entrepreneurs wish to admit.
Nick additionally will get into TV’s messy shift from linear to streaming, government conversations round model funding and why creators ought to maybe be part of each channel.
What you’ll study:
- Why AI adoption wants lively management as an alternative of ready for groups to determine it out themselves
- Why shopping for one other AI device hardly ever adjustments how a advertising and marketing group really works
- How Nick measures TV with the rigor of a efficiency channel
- Why model elevate and direct-response accountability ought to sit in the identical dialog
- How information can flip a defensive funds dialogue right into a stronger case for model funding
- Why lower-production testimonial artistic can nonetheless transfer model fairness and consideration
- Why Nick thinks creators ought to finally change into a part of each advertising and marketing channel
- This episode is a part of a particular vidcast collection that was recorded reside throughout Brandweek 2026 and introduced in partnership with Tatari.
About our visitor:
Nick Fairbairn is senior vp of progress at Chime, the place he leads a broad progress group spanning paid media, natural progress, go-to-market, lifecycle, product, engineering and onboarding.
His profession began in media shopping for, together with tv and radio, earlier than he moved into company entrepreneurship after which brand-side advertising and marketing. Alongside the best way, he’s labored at ProFlowers, helped construct acquisition at Greenback Shave Membership throughout the DTC period, led startup progress and later joined Chime to construct its product advertising and marketing capabilities earlier than transferring into his present progress function.
Episode highlights:
[08:49] Shopping for an AI Device Is Not Transformation — Nick is candid about getting AI incorrect. He says he has made the error of shopping for instruments out of the field and assuming they’d work, solely to find that software program alone adjustments little or no. Actual transformation takes use-case testing, product understanding, intentional workflow design and folks prepared to vary how they work. The acquisition is the straightforward half. Adoption is the precise job.
