After years of crisis moments that left brand leaders struggling just to keep up, 2025 has been a chance to shine. Between technological leaps and companies looking for new ways to woo fragmented audiences, marketers are bravely rewriting their playbooks — because it seems the only risk is not taking a chance. 

Our 2025 Brand Genius honorees stand out for their willingness to embrace new ideas and go places
their brands have never been seen before. Whether it’s a legacy brand reinventing its business model or a film director putting on a Hollywood-sized pitch for brand collaborators, these 11 marketing leaders are challenging the idea of what brands “should” do and charging forward, trusting their audiences to follow. —Eva Kis

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Michael Mohr

Houseplant & Point Grey

Sharon Price John

CEO, Build-A-Bear Workshop

Jon M. Chu

Film Director | Chief Creative Officer, Weee!

Bozoma Saint John

Founder & CEO, Eve by Boz

Allyson Felix

Founder, Always Alpha

Marian Lee

CMO, Netflix

Kat Cole

CEO, AG1

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham

Founder, Cloud23

WNBA and Its Players

Elizabeth Banks

Actor, Director, Producer Co-owner and CCO, Archer Roose

Kylie Kelce

Host, Not Gonna Lie