Would you go to an AI art museum powered by a Large Nature Model (LNM)?

We did! This week, Nic brings Matt along for a room-by-room account of his visit to DATALAND in LA. We cover L'Oréal's scent collars, an immersive rainforest, and a massive robot arm painting a masterpiece inspired by biometric visitor data!

For anyone building immersive brand experiences, the question worth asking is: how do you make participation feel meaningful? DATALAND is pushing the envelope on that right now.

Also, Brands In Play won Gold and Listener's Choice in the Creativity & Marketing category at the Signal Awards. To everyone who voted, listened, and helped us make this show each week: thank you!

Follow Us:

Host:
Nic Hill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/

Guest Host:
Matt Daly - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalymatt/

Producer / Editor
Edward Regue - https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/

#brandsinplay #dataland

Gaming IP is showing up in some pretty unexpected places this week, and brands are getting creative with how they use it.

This week on the news, Nic and Matt kick off the week with Xbox building XP to push its franchises further into entertainment, merch, live experiences and brand partnerships. Rivian turned Ghostbusters into an in-car Halloween activation. Street Fighter took over Times Square.

Balenciaga made VALORANT’s Viper its first digital ambassador. And Samsung is bringing Roblox experiences into the real world. We also spend some time on the AI side of game development, with Google, Epic and Xbox all making moves, and then the NBA’s Miami Heat’s collaboration with the new GTA6 brings Vice City to the stadium. Matt created his own NBA x gaming crossovers for Nic to react to.

A lot packed into this one, but that’s the thread running through all of it: This is where culture is forming, and the smartest marketers know it. Another week of gaming, brands and some pretty wild creative ideas.

Watch or listen to the full conversation on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts.

#brandsinplay #xbox #ghostbusters #rivian #streetfighter #brandpartnerships

Follow Us:

Co-Hosts:
Nic Hill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
Matt Daly - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalymatt/

Producer / Editor
Edward Regue - https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/

#brandsinplay

If there's one thing gamers hate, it's having their game interrupted by an ad. And when you're a brand trying to reach that audience, getting it wrong can do more harm than good.

This week, Nic Hill and Matt Daly sit down with Bryce Showalter, who leads gaming at JBL and knows both sides of the conversation, having spent years as a professional gamer and streamer himself.
We talk about how JBL is building its place in gaming through e-sports, Fortnite, Roblox, Overwolf and partnerships with creators like Clix. Bryce also makes a pretty interesting argument for why creators are becoming more valuable to brands than traditional esports sponsorships.

There's a lot here about earning credibility with gamers, knowing when advertising becomes an interruption, and why having someone who understands gaming making decisions inside a brand can change everything.

And of course, when you're JBL, there's one advantage you can build a whole strategy around: Sound Is Survival.

One last thing!

Today and tomorrow are the last days to vote for Brands In Play in the Signal Listener's Choice Award, where we're nominated in the Creativity & Marketing category!

We're incredibly grateful to everyone who's supported the show and helped us get this far. If you've enjoyed listening to Nic and Matt, we'd really appreciate one last push!

Voting closes October 15.

Vote for Brands In Play: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/creativity-marketing

Watch or listen to Episode 95 of Brands In Play.

Follow Bryce Showalter - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryceshowalter/

Follow Harman International - https://www.linkedin.com/company/harman-international/home/

Follow Us:

Co-Hosts:
Nic Hill - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/
Matt Daly - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalymatt/

Producer / Editor
Edward Regue - https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/

Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/

#brandsinplay