Nuveen CMO Tara Giuliano touts “credible adjacency” over influencer marketing

“We invest in what I call ‘credible adjacency’ rather than influencer marketing,” said Tara Giuliano, chief marketing officer, in an interview at 2026 Cannes Lions.

As a global investment firm, Nuveen is careful about its celebrity and creator partnerships. “We have to do a lot of due diligence on any alignment strategy that we have,” she said.

One of its recent partnerships has been with Mark Wahlberg’s Municipal apparel company.

Giuliano, whose brother died by suicide amid financial distress, also spoke about her sense of purpose in helping people secure their future.