Human Thread: Emotional Content—When Does It Become Too Much in Marketing?

Dr. Andrew Hughes returns to the "Human Thread" series to help Forest and Leah tackle one of marketing’s most delicate frontiers: emotion. Where’s the line between resonance and manipulation? Together, they unpack how emotion captures attention, why overload leads to burnout, and how brands can use emotion responsibly in an always-on digital world.

Expect to hear about:

• The Amygdala Effect: How emotional triggers hijack attention
• Emotional Overload: What happens when every ad makes you feel too much
• Sensory vs. Emotional Fatigue: Why today’s marketing feels “too loud”
• Ethics & Emotional Profiling: When empathy becomes exploitation
• Brand Takeaways: Designing emotion that connects—without crossing the line

What is High Stakes Growth?

High Stakes Growth™ takes you inside the boldest decisions behind today’s most exciting consumer brands. We bring you candid conversations with the founders and CMOs who built them—unpacking the high-stakes moments, tough calls, and game-changing strategies that made these brands what they are today. No fluff. No surface-level insights. Just real stories from the leaders who made it happen. Hosted by Forest Bronzan and Leah Lloyd, they bring a combined four decades of consumer brand expertise to these conversations.