As AI reshapes how buyers discover, evaluate, and engage with brands, marketing leaders are under growing pressure to deliver both long-term brand value and short-term pipeline impact. In this session, Allyson Barr, CMO of ActiveState, will explore how marketing teams can balance brand and performance priorities while navigating rapid business change, shifting customer expectations, and increasing pressure to prove ROI. Drawing on her experience leading marketing through rebrand, product expansion, and AI-driven disruption, she will share practical insight into how teams can stay focused on the foundations that drive sustainable growth. Key discussion points: • The false choice: Why "brand vs. performance" is the wrong debate and how to treat them as one system instead of competing budget lines • The measurement trap: Why attribution models systematically undervalue brand investment, and how to build a case for spend that doesn't show up in last-click reporting • The budget conversation: A practical model for allocating spend across brand and performance based on category maturity and buying cycle