By Anna Hensel  •  February 12, 2026  •

Ivy Liu

But what Amina Pasha, chief marketing officer at Thrive Market, is most interested in when it comes to AI is how the emerging technology will impact consumer trust and discovery. Thrive Market is an online grocery market that operates through a membership model. By paying a membership fee, shoppers get access to a hyper-curated catalog of products that they can filter through based on diet, lifestyle or other attributes like a preference for organic and non-GMO foods. Thrive Market now has more than 1.7 million members, and building a credible, transparent and consistent eexperience is paramount to both acquiring new members and retaining existing ones.

The biggest challenges marketers today, she added, “is staying genuinely in touch with how fast consumer behavior is shifting, especially with the rise of AI-driven discovery and community-led platforms like Reddit.”

Pasha is one of the upcoming speakers at Modern Retail’s Marketing Summit, taking place April 20-22 in Huntington Beach, California. At the event, Pasha’s session will explore why brands can no longer “hack” their way to durable growth as algorithms fragment and AI reshapes discovery. Rather, she believes that building trust is the ultimate differentiator in an AI-driven world. But how brands can do so is an open-ended question, especially in a world where consumers expectations are higher, and they have more brands to choose from than ever before.

Modern Retail surveyed Pasha ahead of the event to discuss her priorities for the year, her take on what it takes for a brand to win today and her favorite recent campaigns that didn’t come from Thrive Market.

What marketing goals and initiatives are you focused on for 2026? 

“Our biggest goal is to keep our mission as our true North Star — expanding access to healthy, affordable groceries for more families and health-conscious members at a time when grocery prices are rising and consumer sentiment is under pressure. Equally important is ensuring those members stay deeply engaged through a truly differentiated, personalized experience that only Thrive Market can deliver.

2026 is a pivotal year. ‘Healthy’ is being redefined by consumers, and that makes staying close to our members more important than ever. We’re investing in a deeper understanding of how people are embracing health today and meeting them where they are. That means evolving our proposition, expanding our assortment, and upgrading the end-to-end experience so we’re not just keeping pace with expectations, but instead actively shaping what healthy living looks like next.”

How would you describe your brand’s approach to marketing? 

“Marketing today is no longer just campaigns or channels; it’s everything a consumer sees, touches and experiences. We’re at an inflection point with AI, platforms like ChatGPT, and communities like Reddit reshaping how trust is built and how decisions are made. The consumer bar has never been higher. Our job is to ensure that every interaction across product, content, service and technology not only meets member expectations, but consistently exceeds them and builds trust. That means moving beyond words and messaging, and focusing on building enduring platforms and experiences that genuinely improve quality of life. This transformation in marketing is what excites me most as it makes us not better marketers, but better brand leaders.”

Do you have a favorite marketing campaign or initiative you’ve worked on at your company? 

“My favorites are always our mission-led initiatives. Last year, we raised real-time donations for families impacted by the L.A. fires, targeting support directly to affected ZIP codes. This year, we’re applying the same principles to raise funds for communities impacted by major storms. As an essential healthy grocery business, our responsibility goes beyond everyday convenience. In moments of real need, showing up for our members and communities matters even more, and those initiatives are when our mission truly comes to life.”

What do you feel like is the biggest challenge marketers face today?  

“The biggest challenge is staying genuinely in touch with how fast consumer behavior is shifting, especially with the rise of AI-driven discovery and community-led platforms like Reddit. We have to ask ourselves every day: How are we delivering more value to our consumers? Winning today requires next-level consumer centricity, including actively listening, deeply understanding behavioral and psychological shifts, and designing experiences that feel meaningfully better, not just incrementally improved.”

Is there a recent campaign you saw from another brand that made you instantly think, “I wish I had done that?” 

“While the industry remains fixated on the $7 million price tag of a Super Bowl spot, the real innovation is happening in the margins. Chipotle’s decision to bypass the big game in favor of mission and consumer value via Instagram Reels wasn’t just a budget play; it was a masterclass in brand alignment. At a time when consumers are feeling the squeeze of inflation, seeing a brand pivot from ‘buying the room’ to ‘filling the plate’ is incredibly refreshing. It reflects a shift we prioritize in our own mission: choosing tangible action first.  In 2026, authenticity isn’t found in a commercial, it’s found in the value you actually return to your community — and I loved this insight.”

Say you are at a cocktail party with a bunch of other marketers — what are the first things you want to ask them about? 

“I’d like to know how they’re rethinking discovery and trust in an AI-first world. What are they learning from direct consumer conversations? How are they testing faster, listening better and deciding what to do — or, rather, what not to do — in an AI-first world?”