Industry heavyweights Gary Vaynerchuk, Scott Galloway and Will.i.am discuss the strategies and changes required to ensure the industry’s continued success and relevance.
Vaynerchuk’s call for change
Gary Vaynerchuk of Vayner Media has heralded a rallying cry to “liberate” creatives from the tyranny of a process he feels is characterized by suppression. He links this to employee unhappiness and staff turnover. Vaynerchuk longs for agencies and brands to break free from the “matching luggage” approach to social media and instead engage in more meaningful work in a space where most of our audiences reside. His quest is to shine a light on the power of social media, which has resulted largely in an anti-TV screed. The dichotomy is that we cite social media as having the power to overturn democracies, yet we treat it as an afterthought in the world of advertising.
Vaynerchuk is a passionate advocate who might benefit by offering brands a meaningful path forward to further his cause.
The Bud Light backlash
Scott Galloway, the irreverent professor of marketing at NYU (whom I greatly admire, full disclosure), opened the session by posing the question we’ve all been pondering: How is it that the individual at Bud Light, who sent a personalized Bud Light to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, ended up losing their job due to the subsequent “anti-woke” backlash? We claim that our industry thrives on risk-taking and courageous creativity, yet we fail to live up to those ideals. It’s a perplexing situation that brings us back to a recurring theme throughout the festival: these are perilous times, particularly in the United States, and brands must tread carefully.
AI’s Real-Time Demo
Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas fame founded FYI.AI to unleash the creative potential of AI. Instead of cowering in its wake, he embraced it with the enthusiasm of all those who are “hypercreatives”. FYI is an AI-based project collaboration platform that offers end-to-end encryption. Will.i.am delivered an incredible real-time demonstration at the Palais, creating song lyrics and a screenplay on the spot.
Quote of the Day
“It’s going to be freaking awesome.” – Will.i.am
Karen Howe
