In the Age of AI, Human Ingenuity Matters More Than Ever

Ann Poulose of Epsilon explores cultural complexity, media fragmentation, artificial intelligence, and the human connections reshaping marketing.

In a new episode of The New Mainstream Podcast, Mario Carrasco, Co-Founder of ThinkNow, sits down with Ann Poulose, Director of Growth Operations and Multicultural Media at Epsilon, to discuss the evolution of multicultural marketing and what brands need to remain relevant in an ever-changing marketplace.

Drawing on Ann's experience helping build Starcom Hispanic and its evolution into Tapestry, the conversation explores the relationship between culture, business growth, media fragmentation, and emerging technologies.

Multicultural Marketing Is a Growth Strategy

Throughout her career, Ann has witnessed the industry's shifting interest in multicultural marketing. Investment and attention have fluctuated, but the need to understand culturally diverse audiences remains.

One of the conversation's most important points is the distinction between multicultural marketing and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Although the two concepts can overlap, Ann explains that multicultural marketing serves a specific business purpose: identifying growth opportunities by understanding different consumer communities.

This distinction becomes especially important as brands reassess their priorities and the role of multicultural strategies within their broader business objectives.

Multicultural marketing isn't just about who appears in a campaign. It's about understanding who you're trying to reach and building relevant connections that drive business growth.

There Is No Single Multicultural Consumer

Hispanic, Black, Asian, and other multicultural audiences are often analyzed as distinct segments. Yet within each group exists a wide range of identities, experiences, interests, and perspectives.

During the conversation, Ann reflects on her experience as an Indian American and how personal history influences cultural identity and a sense of belonging.

She also shares experiences outside the advertising industry that reinforced an important lesson: understanding people requires listening first, rather than making assumptions about their lives.

The takeaway is clear: understanding an audience means moving beyond broad demographic categories and recognizing the complexity within each community.

This is particularly relevant as brands seek to develop more precise audience segmentation and communication strategies that reflect how people actually live.

Media Has Changed. Audience Strategy Must Change with It.

When Ann began her career, reaching multicultural audiences often meant working with a more concentrated set of media channels. Today, attention is spread across streaming platforms, social media, content creators, digital communities, and an expanding range of entertainment and information sources.

This fragmentation has made connecting with consumers more complex.

At the same time, advances in data and targeting create new opportunities to understand consumers through additional dimensions, including their interests, behaviors, and passions.

As Mario points out during the conversation, the evolution of audience intelligence makes it possible to address the complexity of multicultural consumers with greater precision.

The challenge is understanding where each audience's attention is, what motivates engagement, and how brands can become relevant in those spaces.

AI Is Evolving. Human Understanding Still Matters.

Ann shares how AI tools have become part of her everyday life, helping her improve productivity and manage tasks more efficiently.

As technology evolves, she believes certain human skills may become even more important.

Curiosity, communication, relationship building, critical thinking, and the ability to ask meaningful questions are among the capabilities she identifies as essential for future leaders.

Artificial intelligence can make information more accessible and improve efficiency. However, Ann argues that knowing what to ask, which perspectives to seek, and how to build relationships will remain valuable.

Technology can expand what we know about audiences, but human curiosity helps us understand why that knowledge matters.

The future of audience intelligence may depend as much on asking better questions as it does on adopting better tools.

The Future of Marketing Starts with Curiosity

Despite all the changes discussed throughout the episode, one idea connects Ann's experiences: curiosity about people.

From her early interest in psychology to her career in multicultural media, her professional journey has been shaped by a desire to understand how people think, behave, and connect.

Her advice to professionals beginning their careers reflects that philosophy: ask questions, seek mentors, learn from different experiences, and remain open to perspectives beyond your own.

For marketers, the lesson is equally relevant.

As audiences become more complex and the media landscape continues to evolve, effective strategies require more than demographic information or sophisticated technology.

They require a willingness to listen, challenge assumptions, and continuously learn.

Because understanding an audience starts with understanding the people behind it.