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Brand heat means nothing without this
Inside the key takeaways at TLS Day 1
Zihan Lyu
May 29, 2025
Hi there!
A big start to The Lead Summit.
Day 1 made one thing clear: brands are done chasing hype without proof. Whether it was partnership strategy, retail reinvention, or performance-driven rebrands, the sessions circled a single theme — every move needs to earn its impact.
Here's what you might’ve missed — and what to catch today.
🧠 Day 1 Download
🤔 Rethinking Partnerships: Why Brand Heat Isn’t Enough
With Brian Berger (Mack Weldon), Keri Taub (Bloomingdale’s), Lori Singer (Parlux), Julee Wilson (Cosmopolitan), Suzy Davidkhanian (eMarketer)
In one of the most layered sessions of the day, three powerhouse brands shared how they're evolving their partnership strategies — and what success really looks like in 2025.
💥 Brian Berger (Mack Weldon) said it best:
“We always try and define what the objectives are — and how we’re going to measure whether or not this is successful.”
He didn’t stop there. He made a critical point too many brands miss: attribution alignment is the difference between momentum and mediocrity. Without it, even the most exciting brand collabs become a guessing game.
👉 That’s exactly where Fospha comes in.
Fospha gives marketers the full-funnel visibility they need to measure the impact of brand and content partnerships — from top-of-funnel buzz to bottom-line results. Whether it’s co-branded content, a product drop, or an IRL event, Fospha’s attribution solution shows how it actually moves the needle on revenue, retention, and reach.
📌 Meanwhile, Keri Taub (Bloomingdale’s) shared the three filters she uses to vet any potential partnership:
Brand Fit – Does it feel natural for both sides?
Customer Relevance – Will it excite and engage the audience?
Business Value – Does it drive measurable outcomes?
She also warned that short-term sales don’t tell the whole story — pointing to brand energy, traffic, and creative lift as critical KPIs.
🎤 And from Lori Singer (Parlux):
Authenticity is everything. When launching celeb-led brands like Paris Hilton’s new fragrance line, the first priority is making sure the story fits where the talent is now — not just where they’ve been. DTC launches are key for control, but in-store partnerships like Ulta remain vital for touch-and-feel moments.
✅ Across the board, one message rang clear:
The best partnerships don’t just “feel” aligned — they’re measurable, scalable, and set up for long-term value.
📉 Still using gut feel to measure your brand partnerships? It might be time to talk to Fospha.
🌱 Purpose, Product, and Proof: What Belkin’s CEO Wants You to Know
Session: Align Product Innovation and Marketing with Consumer Needs Through Data, Research and Ecosystem Mindset
When you ship tens of millions of products a year, how do you stay innovative and sustainable without losing sight of what your brand actually stands for?
That’s the balance Belkin’s CEO Steve Malony is trying to strike — and it starts with owning the missteps.
“We put a little too much effort into [a competing brand], and it didn’t work out. But it taught us to stay true to what we are: design-led, quality-driven, and environmentally responsible.”
 Source: Kerry Flynn’s LinkedIn | From removing plastic from packaging to pushing 90% post-consumer recycled materials in charging products, Belkin is setting new standards in environmental accountability — without sacrificing customer experience. Malony was clear: sustainability isn’t a bolt-on, it’s core to the product journey. He also touched on Belkin’s evolving retail strategy: smarter in-store demos, real-time merchandising, and blending physical + digital for a seamless shopper experience. But the challenge? Educating customers across multiple touchpoints — without overwhelming them. That’s where data fluency comes in. |
📌 One of Belkin’s most-visited pages? Not a product listing — but their education hub. Proof that great marketing still starts with helping people understand.
💬 On the ground and want to connect?
The ClickZ team is at the summit, speaking with brands about AI, measurement, and content performance. We’re collecting insights for post-event coverage — and we’d like yours in it.
🧠 Repositioning Meets Performance: Inside OLAPLEX’s Website Overhaul
Alexandra Alessi (VP, Brand.com, OLAPLEX) & Marko Bon (President, Domaine)
What happens when you rebrand your entire company and rebuild the site from scratch — all on a tight budget, tight timeline, and with a lean team?
That’s exactly what OLAPLEX pulled off, with one north star: simplify the experience, without diluting the brand.
🧵 Alexandra Alessi broke down the dual challenge:
🏗️ The outcome? |  Source: Mairi-Claire Tay’s LinkedIn |
🛒 One of the biggest wins? A 20-second drop in time-to-checkout by redesigning the mobile cart experience to reduce friction, not add distractions.
📉 But the biggest challenge wasn’t technical — it was human.
“Everyone has a stake in the brand site — creative, marketing, PR, execs — so we had to get aligned fast,” Alessi said.
“And when in doubt? Build for flexibility. Don’t paint yourself into a corner.”
🌍 Shopify Markets played a key role too, helping OLAPLEX serve seven global regions with tailored content, currencies, and languages — all managed by a single central team.
👀 What the Team’s Sharing
A few live takeaways the team shared on LinkedIn during the event — straight from the floor.
🔥 Hot Takes From the Ground
🌟 What's Coming Up Today at TLS
The DTC track is officially taking center stage.
📍 The DTC Symposium is live today — a new program built for founders, operators, and growth leads steering consumer brands through scale, setbacks, and strategy resets in 2025. Sessions go deep on topics like scaling lean tech stacks, building identity through content, and moving the needle beyond paid.
🎤 Also happening today: The Startup Pitch Competition.
Eight early-stage consumer brands will take the stage to pitch their story, strategy, and growth plan — all in six minutes or less.
📲 Like what you’re seeing?
🍷 Join Us for Drinks — TODAY!
ClickZ is hosting an exclusive drinks gathering this evening to close out The Lead Summit—and we’d love to see you there.
We’re bringing together some of the smartest minds in commerce for one evening of sharp conversation and good wine in NYC’s FiDi district.
⏱ Today | 4:30 PM
📍 FiDi, NYC (exact location shared after RSVP)
Spots are limited—grab yours below.
🎟️ Grab Your Day 2 Tickets — On Us
As an official partner of The Lead Summit, ClickZ is excited to extend a special offer to our Unofficially Lead Summit readers:
✅ Work at a brand or retailer? You can attend for FREE.
Just add our name “ClickZ” in the “how did you hear about us?” field when registering.
💼 Not a brand or retailer? We’ve got you covered too.
Enjoy Day 2!
The Unofficially Lead Summit Team
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