Marketing in the Madness

We’re kicking off a brand new Marketing in the Madness series recorded live at Shoptalk Luxe Abu Dhabi.

Picture this: a podcast studio on the beach at Emirates Palace, sunshine and some of the sharpest minds in luxury retail talking candidly about AI, loyalty programmes, omnichannel and what the future of commerce actually looks like.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing short, sharp, insight-packed conversations with senior leaders from brands including eBay, Monica Vinader, Hilton and more - basically, the people genuinely shaping what’s next across luxury, retail and tech.

And we’re starting strong.

In our first episode of this series, Katie Street sits down with Amit Keswani Manghnani, Chief Omnichannel & AI Officer at Chalhoub Group, a 70+ year luxury powerhouse operating across the GCC, Europe and beyond.

Here’s what they cover:

00:00 - Welcome to Shoptalk Luxe Abu Dhabi
01:12 - Introducing the new Marketing in the Madness series
02:05 - Meet Amit Kawani & the scale of Chalhoub Group
04:30 - What it really takes to make AI work in retail
08:15 - Building predictive models & “next best action” strategies
11:40 - AI in action: Meet Layla, the beauty chatbot driving 2x basket uplift
15:20 - Loyalty, payments & creating stickier customer relationships
19:10 - Why seamless omnichannel is now table stakes
22:45 - The future of commerce over the next 3–5 years

And because this series is part of our partnership with Shoptalk Luxe, if conversations like this one spark ideas, you’ll definitely want to be in the room next time! 

Shoptalk Europe 2026 is already shaping up to be HUGE. If retail, tech and innovation sit anywhere in your world, now’s the time to get your ticket and get it in the diary here: 
https://europe.shoptalk.com/home?utm_source=mediapartner&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=marketing-in-the-madness-podcast

 

Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of the series.

 

Connect with us:
Amit Keswani Manghnani
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amitkeswanim/

Katie Street 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestreet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetmate/

Marketing in the Madness 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketing-in-the-madness-podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketinginthemadness/

Street Agency
https://street.agency/
https://www.instagram.com/street.agency/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/streetagency/

White ponytail, black sunglasses and fingerless gloves. 
You immediately think of Karl Lagerfeld. That's the power of a strong personal brand.

Mirjam Schuele, SVP of Marketing at Karl Lagerfeld and our host Katie Street explore how one of fashion’s most iconic personal brands became a global house built on accessibility, authenticity and cultural relevance.

From reinventing Chanel and Fendi to launching his own label, Karl built more than collections - he built a recognisable identity and a world people wanted to be part of.

Here’s what we cover:

Karl Lagerfeld: The man who became the brand

Why he chose to build his own label after Chanel & Fendi

“Masstige”: Making luxury more accessible without losing prestige

The H&M collaboration that changed fashion forever

Authenticity, provocation and why people gravitated to Karl

Building a personal brand before building a business

What happened after Karl passed away

Protecting a legacy while evolving for a new generation

Why community and emotional connection now matter more than polish

This conversation explores how luxury can be inclusive without losing its edge and what today’s brands can learn from a man (and legend) who understood identity, accessibility and cultural timing long before they became marketing buzzwords.

If you’re interested in brand building, personal branding at scale, luxury marketing, or community-driven growth then this conversation is for you.

Enjoyed the episode? Click subscribe so you never miss the conversations shaping the future of marketing, tech and brand growth.

Subscribe to the podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2UUIgMdZ6FdSCrux5BY7PI?si=c48bdbecb5be4a6e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-in-the-madness/id1688996981

Connect with us:
Mirjam Schuele
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirjam-schuele-6b405054/

Katie Street 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestreet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetmate/

Marketing in the Madness 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketing-in-the-madness-podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketinginthemadness/

Karl Lagerfeld didn’t just design fashion, he was the brand.

Katie Street sits down with Mirjam Schuele, SVP of Marketing at Karl Lagerfeld, live from the brand’s Amsterdam headquarters, to unpack how Karl built one of the most iconic personal brands in history, long before “personal branding” was even a concept.

Together, they explore:

How Karl Lagerfeld deliberately built an unmistakable personal brand

Why accessibility and “masstige” were central to his vision

How the brand has evolved since Karl’s passing and how his legacy lives on

What modern marketers can learn from Karl’s fearless authenticity

The role of people, culture and community in marketing today

Why authenticity will matter even more in an AI-driven future

As Karl himself famously said: “Embrace the present and invent the future.”

Listen now and learn how one man became larger than life and how you can apply those lessons to your own brand.

Connect with us:
Mirjam Schuele
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirjam-schuele-6b405054/

Katie Street
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestreet/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetmate/

Marketing in the Madness
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketing-in-the-madness-podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketinginthemadness/

Street Agency
https://street.agency/
https://www.instagram.com/street.agency/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/streetagency/

Some of the most effective marketing in history didn’t come from chasing attention, but from understanding people. 

In this mini episode, Katie Street sits down with behavioural scientist (still one of the best job titles out there) and author Richard Shotton to unpack why that Guinness decision worked so well, and what it reveals about how people really make decisions.

Setup of the Guinness story: brand heritage, long period without advertising, and why their marketing became interesting

Introduction of “Good things come to those who wait” and the idea of leaning into a product flaw (waiting for a pint)

Explanation of the pratfall effect, including Elliot Aronson’s 1966 experiment and why admitting flaws increases appeal.

Discussion of the stolen thunder effect and how admitting weaknesses builds trust and persuasion. 

Enjoyed the episode? Click subscribe so you never miss the conversations shaping the future of marketing, tech and brand growth.

Connect with us:
Richard Shotton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-shotton/

Katie Street 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestreet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetmate/

Marketing in the Madness 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketing-in-the-madness-podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketinginthemadness/

Richard Shotton, bestselling author of The Choice Factory and Hacking the Human Mind, joins Marketing in the Madness podcast to unpack how behavioural science actually works in modern marketing.

Richard shares practical, evidence-based insights from 130+ years of behavioural research, breaking down why people make the decisions they do and how marketers can work with human psychology rather than against it.

In this episode, we cover:
- Why behavioural science is essential for marketers today
- How brands like Guinness used psychological biases to drive growth
- The Pratfall Effect and why admitting flaws builds trust
- Why abstract marketing language fails (and what works instead)
- How AI and ChatGPT change marketing decisions and where humans still matter
- The most important behavioural biases every marketer should understand
- How to remove friction and increase conversion without more persuasion

Enjoyed the episode? Click subscribe so you never miss the conversations shaping the future of marketing, tech and brand growth.

Subscribe to the podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2UUIgMdZ6FdSCrux5BY7PI?si=c48bdbecb5be4a6e
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marketing-in-the-madness/id1688996981

Connect with us:
Richard Shotton
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-shotton/

Katie Street 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiestreet/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetmate/

Marketing in the Madness 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketing-in-the-madness-podcast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marketinginthemadness/