Episode 91: Stories That Make Sense with Rhonda Hiatt

Part of our "Badass Women in Media" series brought to you by our amazing sponsor Equativ. Rhonda Hiatt (Global CEO of M+C Saatchi Consulting) reveals why chasing trends is killing brands and how "Cultural Power" wins instead. She breaks down how to spot fads versus real cultural shifts, why not every brand needs a social purpose, and how to authentically connect with invisible demographics like the powerful 50+ female audience using the Cultural Power Index. Stop chasing trends that backfire—this is your framework for staying relevant without abandoning your core identity.About Rhonda Hiatt: Rhonda Hiatt is an executive leader with 20+ years of global consulting experience. As the Global CEO of M+C Saatchi Consulting, Rhonda leads the strategic direction, operational management and client partnerships that drive commercial impact. Rhonda has a deep expertise that continues to grow the network’s brand experience, retail innovation officer, especially delivering growth strategies for clients including McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Toyota, Lexus, Nike, Fruit of the Loom, Ashley Furniture, Google, and more. Prior to M+C Saatchi, Rhonda was Executive Director, Brand Strategy; Analytics at Interbrand, where she focused on retail and CPG clients. Rhonda has been recognized in Design Retail’s 40 Under 40 for her contributions to the retail industry and has been honored as one of Consulting Magazine’s Top Consultants for Excellence in Client Services. She is a member of Chief, a private network focused on connecting and supporting women executive leaders. Rhonda is also a member of PTTOW!, an invite-only community for today’s most creative and inspiring CEOs, CMOs, and icons from 70 major industries, which are shaping our culture.About M+C Saatchi Consulting: M+C Saatchi Group is a global creative solutions company and the world’s largest independent creative network, across 6 regions and 23 countries. We are creators and curators of Cultural Power. Cultural Power is the advantage we create for our clients, helping them harness cultural forces to fuel desire, drive demand and deliver brand growth. At M+C Saatchi Consulting, we don’t just react to change—we create it. Our Experience, Technology; Consulting experts partner with brands to navigate complexity, harness data, and build meaningful connections that drive business growth. Through audience intelligence, cutting-edge customer experiences, and bold strategic innovation, we turn insight into impact and brands into cultural forces.Discover more at mcsaatchiconsulting.comThis episode has been brought to you by Equativ. Equativ is a global, end-to-end media platform empowering advertisers and publishers to achieve real outcomes by uniting premium inventory, dynamic creative formats, and engaged audiences with advanced curation and AI-powered ad tech across all channels. Purpose-built for the attention economy, Equativ delivers quality, engagement, and performance while prioritizing respectful, user-centric ad experiences. With a team of over 750 professionals across 19 countries, Equativ combines global scale with deep local expertise. Learn more at Equativ.com.Website: https://www.equativ.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/equativ/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/equativ__/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@equativ