Allison Sitzman — Vice President of Brand Strategy, Shutterstock
Published:
I think there’s not necessarily an obligation for brands in all cases to take a stance against a culturally relevant moment, but I think the intelligence—the cultural intelligence, kind of EQ and then CQ, if you will—I think is important for all brands to remember. They really, really need to hyper-focus on what their audiences care about and are focused on… when you do that in a little bit of a way that can come off as inauthentic… or, worse, tone-deaf because you’re myopically focused on what your brand wants to communicate—that’s when you’re seeing that you’ve got the 65.5% of brands saying they’ve faced a backlash.
What does Allison Sitzman say on The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström?
Allison Sitzman, Vice President of Brand Strategy, Shutterstock, says: This interview with Allison Sitzman, Vice President of Brand Strategy at Shutterstock, diagnoses an "impact gap" where rising ad spend yields declining customer impact and offers remedies: develop cultural intelligence, prioritize emotional resonance in creative, and use AI as a tool to de-risk bolder work. Sitzman also outlines how to translate creative value into business metrics to earn C-suite support, arguing that smarter, braver creative — not higher volume — will close the gap.
From: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström
Cite as: Allison Sitzman. (2026). On The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström. Retrieved from https://research.agilebrandguide.com/insights/allison-sitzman-i-think-theres-not-necessarily-an-obligation-for-brands-in