AI Marketing Transformation

Join us for an insightful conversation with Greg Licciardi, VP of Sponsorships and Partner Programs at the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) — the world's largest marketing association, serving over 50,000 industry professionals — and author of a leading marketing book on AI-driven personalization, as he shares how brands can reach the "holy grail" of marketing: the right person, right message, right time, right environment, and right outcome.

Drawing on his experience working with brands like Goop and observing best-in-class and worst-in-class AI campaigns across the industry, Greg brings a grounded, framework-first perspective on what it actually takes to scale personalization without losing the human and emotional core of a brand.

In this episode, Greg unpacks the five R's framework behind his book, why dynamic, data-driven personalization is reshaping how brands convert customers, and what separates AI campaigns that build trust from those that trigger backlash.

Key Takeaways:

• Data Is the Foundation: The more a brand understands its most valuable customers and partners, the more effective every downstream AI and marketing effort becomes
• Personalization at Scale: Dynamic, behavior-based experiences shorten the path to conversion — but only when built on a strong data foundation
• Own What You Build: Brands should combine external AI tools and platforms with strong internal ownership of data, messaging consistency, and privacy — never fully outsourcing judgment to third parties
• The Human Element Is Non-Negotiable: The biggest risk in AI adoption isn't the technology — it's losing the emotional connection with consumers by leaning too heavily on automation
• Learn From Public Missteps: High-profile AI-generated ad campaigns that felt inauthentic drew heavy criticism — while follow-up campaigns blending agency creative with AI enhancement were far better received
• Three Pillars for Transformation: Establish clear guardrails before scaling AI, protect the human/emotional element of the brand, and ensure AI adoption is communicated holistically across every team and department
• Marketing Is Now a Technology and Finance Discipline: With CMO tenures shortening and every marketing dollar under scrutiny, technical fluency and measurable ROI are now core marketing skills
• Synthetic Data Risks: As AI training data becomes more synthetic, brands risk losing authentic cultural and behavioral nuance — understanding real human context remains essential

Perfect for marketing leaders, CMOs, brand managers, and anyone building AI-enabled marketing strategies who wants a practical framework for scaling personalization responsibly, without sacrificing authenticity.

Greg also shares recommendations on certificate programs and training resources for marketers looking to build AI fluency, along with a look at how brands are managing the balance between AI-generated content and creative authenticity.

"The fruits are in the roots" — a philosophy at the core of using AI to deepen, not replace, genuine customer relationships.

Join us for a compelling conversation about how AI and technology are forcing a structural reset in the marketing agency industry with Ivan Fernandez, a marketing strategist, transformation consultant, and M&A advisor with more than 20 years of experience across global agencies, consultancies, and growth-focused organizations. Ivan has worked with companies including MediaCom and VML, and today advises agency founders on growth, operating models, AI transformation, and long-term value creation in an industry being rapidly reshaped by technology and investment pressures.

In this episode, Ivan breaks down why holding companies are struggling to adapt, how the industry is shifting from labor-based to intelligence-based models, and why trust and data transparency are the real bottlenecks blocking AI transformation in marketing services.

Key Takeaways:

• From Labor to Systems: The agency industry is undergoing a structural reset — moving from people-based models to AI-driven, system-based models, as demonstrated by Publicis acquiring LiveRamp for $2.2 billion
• The Holdco Paradox: Even the best-performing holding companies like Publicis are seeing stock price drops because investors are now comparing them to tech players like Google and Meta, which have significantly higher EBITDA margins
• CMO Tenure Crisis: With CMO tenure averaging just 18 months, meaningful transformation is nearly impossible — Ivan argues CMOs need more time, budget, and cross-functional authority alongside CTOs and Chief Data Officers
• The Consultancy Gap: Agencies lack the talent and structure to sell technology or have C-suite conversations with CFOs and CTOs — a space where Accenture has a natural advantage due to its consultancy roots
• Data Transparency Problem: Most media agencies operate on principal media models with limited data sharing, creating a fundamental trust deficit that blocks the data integration AI transformation requires
• The $6 to $1 Opportunity: For every dollar spent on technology, $6 is spent on services — and services are deeply under-transformed, representing a massive opportunity for AI-driven disruption
• AI Race Not Over: Ivan estimates we are still 3 to 4 years away from seeing clear winners in the AI agency space, with everyone currently building agentic and data integration capabilities simultaneously
• How to Learn Faster: Connect with practitioners, ask quality questions openly, take introductory AI business courses, and follow focused voices across financial, operational, and marketing AI perspectives

Perfect for agency founders, marketing consultants, holding company executives, CMOs, and anyone navigating the intersection of AI transformation, agency business models, and marketing services.

Ivan also references tools he uses daily including OpenAI, Perplexity, Notion, Grammarly, Canva, and Fiscal AI — a financial intelligence platform he uses to track holding company performance, EBITDA, shareholder trends, and market movements across the industry.

"We are in a period of change. Make sure that you have partners that you can trust to take you on that journey. Be ready — it's going to be a bumpy ride, but we're going to get to the end together." — Ivan Fernandez

Join us for an insightful conversation with Teresa Fusaro, Global Senior Director of GenAI Creativity and seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of marketing, technology, and AI transformation, as she shares the realities of leading creative AI transformation at a global scale across some of the world's most iconic consumer brands.

Having supported Nestlé, Adidas, and Reckitt through their digital transformation journeys, Teresa brings a grounded, human-first perspective on what it truly takes to embed AI into a global organization — not just as a technology shift, but as a cultural and governance evolution.

In this episode, Teresa unpacks how Reckitt built its Responsible AI Principles framework, why people and resistance to change remain the biggest obstacle in any transformation, and how a groundbreaking digital twins pilot with Google for Lysol is redefining what ethical AI-generated video looks like in advertising.

Key Takeaways:

• People Over Technology: The biggest barrier to AI transformation is never the tech — it's human resistance and fear of replacement. Leaders must communicate the why before pushing the how
• Responsible AI as a Living Framework: Ethical principles must evolve alongside technology. Reckitt's fairness and inclusivity guidelines were revisited and adapted when AI video generation became production-ready
• Digital Twins as an Ethical Solution: Rather than going fully synthetic, Reckitt pioneered a model using real, fairly compensated actors as AI-amplified avatars — setting a new industry standard for ethical AI video
• Global Governance, Local Flexibility: Enterprise AI programs must have a strong global core while remaining adaptable to local regulations, consumer perceptions, and market realities
• Brain Capital is the New Competitive Edge: As AI becomes universally available, what differentiates companies will be human capabilities — creativity, adaptability, complex problem solving, and resilience
• Brands Taking Back Creative Control: Just as brands built in-house media teams 20 years ago, a similar revolution is underway in creative production — brands are reclaiming transparency and control over their content
• The Evolving Role of Agencies: Agencies still own the big idea and the creative vision — but brands are demanding more visibility into how content is developed and which AI tools are being used

Perfect for marketing leaders, creative directors, digital transformation executives, and consumer goods professionals looking to understand how to build responsible, scalable, and human-centered AI programs across global organizations.

Teresa also shares her personal tech stack, highlighting tools like Notebook LM and Lovable as game-changers for productivity and presentation building, along with her go-to learning resources for staying ahead in the AI space.

"AI is no longer a competitive advantage — all companies will have it in some form. The difference will lie in brain capital: how good companies are at fostering creativity, adaptability, and complex problem solving in their people." — Teresa Fusaro

Join us for a forward-thinking conversation with Victor Madueno, Senior Director at FDI Consulting and globally recognized leader in digital assets, AI, and blockchain, as he explores the powerful convergence of two transformational technologies reshaping business and society.

With over 20 years of experience advising businesses, governments, and financial institutions across the Middle East and globally, Victor shares how AI and blockchain are not competing forces — they are complementary pillars of the next digital economy.

In this episode, Victor breaks down how agentic AI demands a new layer of trust that blockchain uniquely provides, why most companies are adapting instead of truly transforming, and how individuals and organizations can unlock the full potential of AI by changing not just their tools — but their mindset.

Key Takeaways:

• AI + Blockchain = Trust: As AI agents operate autonomously and transact with digital assets, blockchain's immutable ledger provides the security and traceability layer enterprises need to operate confidently
• Adaptation vs. Transformation: Most companies are fitting AI into existing operating models — a critical mistake. True transformation means redesigning workflows from scratch around AI's full capabilities
• Prompting with Purpose: Heavy AI users don't treat it like Google. They build long, context-rich prompts, iterate continuously, and know exactly what outcome they're driving toward
• Experience is the New Edge: Senior professionals with decades of domain expertise can elevate AI output from 80% to 99% quality — making experience more valuable than ever in an AI-first world
• The $1B One-Person Company: Agentic AI is making it possible to build high-value businesses with minimal headcount, fundamentally disrupting traditional enterprise cost structures
• Mindset Over Toolset: Competitiveness in the AI era comes down to the hours you invest in exploration and practice — those who put in the time will outpace those who don't
• Humanity in AI: The next frontier is bringing human values, emotion, and authentic decision-making into AI systems — not just efficiency

Perfect for business leaders, digital transformation executives, blockchain enthusiasts, and marketing and technology professionals looking to understand where AI is truly heading — and how to position themselves ahead of the curve.

Victor also references resources including free AI courses, hands-on experimentation with Claude, Cursor, and Lovable, and the importance of building your own agents to accelerate learning.

"If we look at AI and the capabilities that it has and a complete new architecture, and we try to redesign our operating models towards that as a benefit — we will start seeing way more benefits." — Victor Madueno

Lasse Rouhiainen— keynote speaker, AI advisor to companies and governments, and author of Dominate AI Before It Dominates You — breaks down exactly where most businesses are getting AI wrong and what to do instead.

From the four levels of AI adoption (most companies are stuck at level one) to why small companies have a real shot at outpacing giants right now, this conversation is as practical as it gets. We also get into the geopolitics of AI, the growing inequality gap, and why the next two years will be unlike anything we've seen.

If you're a leader trying to figure out where to actually start — this one's for you.

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about AI transformation in the marketing and agency world with Fergus Dyer-Smith, Chief Product Officer at MSQ and CEO of M3 Labs. With a background rooted in product development, Fergus and his team build and deploy AI tools — including Assist, BrandCheck, Preflight, and Wave — for enterprise clients like WPP, Google, and Toyota. Fergus shares hard-won insights on what it actually takes to get AI working at scale inside large organisations.

In this episode, Fergus reveals why agencies were the first — not the last — sector to be disrupted by AI, and what that means for the future of the industry. He discusses why 90% of AI pilots fail and how companies can flip the script, the unique advantage mid-size agencies have over holding groups, and how human relationships remain the most defensible moat in an AI-driven world.

The Agency Paradox: Agencies are service-based businesses that many assumed AI would hit last — yet they are being disrupted first, creating both risk and enormous opportunity for those who move fast.

The 90% Pilot Failure Rate: Most pilots fail because companies ask "how do we get AI deployed?" instead of "what problems can AI solve?" The 10% that work are now driving budget increases across the board.

The Mid-Size Advantage: Large holding groups have firepower but lack agility. Mid-size agencies can move fast enough to deploy new tooling while still having the resources to compete.

The Human Moat: As AI output becomes commoditised, relationships, trust, and the ability to co-evolve with clients become the true differentiators — things AI cannot replace.

The Interface Question: From voice-to-text to agentic systems like OpenClaw, the very concept of how humans interact with technology is being redefined — and it could reshape entire business models.

Perfect for CMOs, CTOs, agency leaders, and business executives navigating AI transformation, particularly those managing large teams through cultural and technological change.

Fergus also shares his personal AI stack — including Claude, Cursor, Perplexity, Gemini, and Whisper Flow — and why staying on top of AI today means choosing a few trusted channels and committing to the pace.

"Humans are fundamentally lazy — they like to pass work off onto other people. But that's actually an opportunity: yes, we want to own our data and our rails, but can you come in and build it and manage it for us?" — Fergus Dyer-Smith

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about strategic AI implementation and organizational transformation with David Vivancos, serial entrepreneur and AI advisor. With five digital startups co-founded since 1995, six published books including Artificracia, and over a decade advising 35+ global brands on AI transformation including Keenfolks, David shares hard-won insights on what actually works in enterprise AI adoption.

In this episode, David reveals the critical mistakes executives make when implementing AI—from CTOs who ignore the people side of transformation to CMOs who plan too far ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape. He discusses why 90% of AI pilots fail to deliver ROI and shares his framework for successful implementation: quality data, the right partners, measuring progress in weeks not months, and building core AI capabilities in-house when it creates competitive advantage.

The People Mistake: CTOs fail by not involving HR early—technology without human adoption creates friction. Successful AI transformation requires working side-by-side with employees, not just offering training courses.

The Speed Paradox: CMOs plan too far ahead in a landscape where "what was science fiction two weeks ago is reality today." Small iterative tests beat long-term roadmaps in fast-moving AI markets.

The 90% Pilot Failure Rate: Most pilots fail because companies treat AI as a superficial layer over legacy systems instead of addressing foundational elements first.

Build vs. Buy Decision: For unique data and competitive differentiation, build in-house AI capabilities. For generic use cases, leverage hyperscalers like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Execution Over Planning: Success comes from quality data, choosing the right implementation partners, measuring in weeks not months, and getting people on board before building.

Perfect for CTOs, CMOs, business leaders, and executives navigating AI transformation in enterprise environments, particularly in banking, CPG, pharma, and telecom sectors.

David also discusses the importance of mixing senior employee experience with AI tools, balancing in-house development with external platforms, and why successful organisations create small agile AI teams that move fast and scale effectively.

"You need to see what data you send to these hyperscalers. If you send too much internal data, it's going to be tricky. There should be a mix—and if you're a big company, I fully recommend having some things in-house."— David Vivancos

Episode Description

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation about strategic AI implementation and organizational transformation with David Vivancos, serial entrepreneur and AI advisor. With five digital startups co-founded since 1995, six published books including Artificracia, and over a decade advising 35+ global brands on AI transformation including Keenfolks, David shares hard-won insights on what actually works in enterprise AI adoption.

In this episode, David reveals the critical mistakes executives make when implementing AI—from CTOs who ignore the people side of transformation to CMOs who plan too far ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape. He discusses why 90% of AI pilots fail to deliver ROI and shares his framework for successful implementation: quality data, the right partners, measuring progress in weeks not months, and building core AI capabilities in-house when it creates competitive advantage.

The People Mistake: CTOs fail by not involving HR early—technology without human adoption creates friction. Successful AI transformation requires working side-by-side with employees, not just offering training courses.

The Speed Paradox: CMOs plan too far ahead in a landscape where "what was science fiction two weeks ago is reality today." Small iterative tests beat long-term roadmaps in fast-moving AI markets.

The 90% Pilot Failure Rate: Most pilots fail because companies treat AI as a superficial layer over legacy systems instead of addressing foundational elements first.

Build vs. Buy Decision: For unique data and competitive differentiation, build in-house AI capabilities. For generic use cases, leverage hyperscalers like OpenAI and Anthropic.

Execution Over Planning: Success comes from quality data, choosing the right implementation partners, measuring in weeks not months, and getting people on board before building.

Perfect for CTOs, CMOs, business leaders, and executives navigating AI transformation in enterprise environments, particularly in banking, CPG, pharma, and telecom sectors.

David also discusses the importance of mixing senior employee experience with AI tools, balancing in-house development with external platforms, and why successful organisations create small agile AI teams that move fast and scale effectively.

"You need to see what data you send to these hyperscalers. If you send too much internal data, it's going to be tricky. There should be a mix—and if you're a big company, I fully recommend having some things in-house."— David Vivancos

Key Takeaways

Join us for an illuminating conversation about how AI is revolutionizing creative development and marketing in the consumer packaged goods sector with Elena Espinoza, Marketing Director at Lipton ICE-T Latam. With 17 years of experience across CPG and pharma industries, Elena shares how she's leading AI-driven marketing transformation through the PepsiCo-Unilever joint venture.

In this episode, Elena reveals how her team transformed creative development from week-long agency processes to just five minutes using ethically-trained AI tools like Adobe Firefly and Copilot. She discusses moving from traditional agency workflows with multiple layers to direct in-house collaboration with creative teams, using AI for storyboarding, talent casting, and pre-production planning.

Key Takeaways:

• Speed in Creative Development: Moving from week-long briefing and agency processes to creating concepts in minutes with in-house teams trained on AI tools
• AI in Production: Using Firefly to create final storyboard images, identify talent characteristics, and plan shoots—Elena's team completed a Latin America campaign where casting was done based on AI-generated images
• Campaign Results: In one Brazil campaign, using only six assets over eight weeks, the team delivered their targets in reach, engagement, and frequency three weeks early because the assets performed so well with the algorithm
• Quality Over Quantity in Digital: For Meta campaigns focused on awareness and reach, fewer optimized assets often work better than many assets, with proper attention to wear-out monitoring
• Human Necessity: AI is a tool and resource, not a replacement—humans are still needed for insights, human truths, passion, and the feeling behind brands. AI answers can feel "cold" without human refinement
• Multi-Market Reality: AI helps with standardization and translation, but local teams are essential for adapting language, slang, and cultural nuances across different Spanish-speaking countries and Brazil
• Learning Approach: Start by trying AI tools on non-critical tasks first, access internal training if available at your company, and be curious about embracing change

Perfect for marketing leaders, brand managers, creative directors, and executives in CPG, retail, or any consumer-facing industry looking to implement AI-driven creative workflows.

Elena also shares resources including internal Copilot and Firefly training at PepsiCo and Unilever, "She Runs on AI" community addressing feminine perspectives in AI, and free resources available on YouTube, Spotify, and platforms like Sector.

"AI is a tool, is a resource that we have. It's not someone that's replacing my creative design team or my agency or the managers that work with me, because we still need humans to be behind the human truths, the insights, even the feeling that you get and the passion." - Elena Spinoza

Discover how one of the world's largest retailers is embedding AI across every customer touchpoint. In this episode, Montserrat Padierna, Customer Insights and Analytics Lead at Walmart Canada, reveals how AI is revolutionizing retail customer experience, personalization, and operational efficiency.

What You'll Learn:

🔹 AI-Driven Customer Intelligence - How Walmart Canada uses sentiment analysis and predictive analytics to understand customer behavior at scale and optimize seasonal assortments across regional preferences

🔹 Personalization Done Right - The framework for ethical, privacy-conscious personalization that delights customers without crossing boundaries

🔹 "My Assistant" Success Story - Inside look at Walmart's generative AI tool transforming productivity for head office associates, from data triage to deep research synthesis

🔹 Change Management Blueprint - Why 55% of employees feel untrained despite leadership efforts, and Montserrat's proven approach to AI adoption across 20+ year retail veterans

🔹 The Weaver Concept - How experienced employees become your secret weapon in AI transformation by connecting deep business knowledge with new technology capabilities

Montserrat brings 20+ years leading customer-centric digital innovation and omni-channel transformation. Her practical insights on building AI stacks, navigating data fragmentation, and turning insights into action provide an actionable roadmap for retail and CX leaders.

Perfect for: Marketing leaders, retail executives, customer experience professionals, data analytics teams, and anyone driving AI transformation initiatives.

Key Topics: AI in retail, customer experience transformation, predictive analytics, personalization at scale, change management, generative AI tools, data modeling, omnichannel strategy