Philip dials in from London to chat with “marketing mercenary” Michael Miraflor, who’s fresh off his eighth year at Cannes Lions. And after the LinkedIn Thought Leader Industrial Complex weighed in on this year’s event, he is ready to share some thoughts. In this episode, we dissect how the prestigious festival has fractured into three simultaneous conferences, each serving different masters in an industry grappling with AI anxiety, platform consolidation, and the eternal tension between craft and commercialism. Listen now if you’re also wondering, what does creativity even mean anymore?

• Cannes Lions 2025 operated as three distinct conferences simultaneously, reflecting the industry's cultural fragmentation between traditional creativity, advertising channels and platforms, and bougie networking events.
• AI seemingly dominated every conversation, with industry professionals making dark jokes about replacement theory.
• Retail media networks and tech platforms have fundamentally altered the festival's ecosystem and vibe, creating productive tension between creative celebration and commercial necessity.
• Post-festival controversies surrounding AI usage highlight our industry's evolving discourse over the role of authenticity and efficiency in creative work.
• “If you took away all of the tech companies and platforms and big agencies from the beach, what would Cannes Lions be reduced to? I don't know if it would even make enough money to sustain still having that award ceremony in 2025." – Michael Miraflor
• "It was inevitable that every other conversation that you would have would become one about AI replacement theory to a certain extent. Or, you know, jokes about how this year feels like we're all on the Titanic." – Michael Miraflor
• "I find it interesting that a lot of the criticism comes from people who have jobs in creativity that I think are quite elite jobs. In my field, I feel like we're all quite lucky to be where we are…We can be critical, and I think my job has been to be critical... But I also think that we all have some element of privilege to be able to do that kind of work." – Phillip Jackson

• The Cannes Lions AI Controversies
• MrBeast thumbnail app controversy

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This week, we revisit “The Uncorkening.” A spoken-word version of our Insiders essay of the same name, this episode is one of our most popular. In it, we question some of the factors that have led to the decline of DTC and how pent-up frustration with products that cost more without delivering on their promise will soon be a vestige of a bygone era. 

It’s been three years since the episode’s first airing, but the content still resonates. This could largely be attributed to many “digitally native darlings” still struggling to maintain their positioning in a crowded market. One possible exception could be Warby Parker, a brand that has successfully evolved into an omnichannel, omnipresent brand, effectively retaining the high product quality, service, and experience that many shoppers have come to love. 

When we discuss the struggles of DTC brands, what comes to mind for you?

• “The Uncorkening” is a latent criticism that was stymied by the loudest voices in an ecosystem who didn’t feel that they had permission to speak up, has now been unleashed
• DTC models (particularly VC-backed IPO exits) have proven unsuccessful. The original promise was that DTC would remove middlemen and form a direct connection with the consumer; meanwhile, eCommerce is nothing but middlemen.  
• Many products don't live up to the hype. Another factor of The Uncorkening in DTC is that the loudest voices and advocates for DTC have often silenced criticism by playing a trump card—to critique a small brand is to criticize the founder behind the brand.
• The loudest DTC voices have quieted. As capital outcomes wither for those who had built their reputations on the examination of the DTC space, the loudest voices were silenced. Due in large part to The Great Resignation and the inaccessibility of capital in the current state of the markets, many of the most visible DTC acolytes have moved on to new projects or industries.
• What will The Uncorkening make us not want to buy next?

• Nate Poulin’s tweet outlining 12 DTC IPOs
• Immi ratings and reviews (since this essay’s launch, Immi’s score has increased to 3.4) 

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Optimove’s Pini Yakuel has a mission: Free the marketer. In this final episode, Phillip and Pini bring theory into practice with Rachel Parker from FDJ United (formerly Kindred), who orchestrated a three-year organizational metamorphosis to shed their assembly-line model for the positionless approach – and become much better suited for tomorrow.

If episodes 1-4 were the philosophy, today, we bring you the playbook. Ready to set your marketing department free? Listen to the Decoded season 4 finale now. 

• Small, cautious steps often fail where comprehensive transformation succeeds.
• Anonymous surveys revealed FDJ’s teams were dissatisfied with assembly-line processes and hungry for broader responsibilities.
• AI enables faster delivery, leading to more opportunities for internal praise and success – and big boosts to team morale.
• Expertise still matters, but it's about expanding capabilities rather than rigid specialization.

• Learn more about FDJ United (Française des Jeux)

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A replay from VISIONS Summit: NYC featuring Future Commerce Co-Founder Phillip Jackson

What happens when you bury the essence of an entire civilization fifty feet underground? Live from VISIONS Summit: NYC, Future Commerce co-founder Phillip Jackson takes us on an archaeological journey through time capsules—from the monuments of the Westinghouse's World's Fair to NASA's Golden Record floating through space. Through the lens of these cultural artifacts, we explore a provocative thesis: that commerce is culture, and in five thousand years, only brands will survive to tell our story.

• Commerce is culture: What we buy literally buys us back, shaping who we become as individuals and societies
• Brands as time capsules: Companies like Westinghouse and Panasonic have created some of history's most comprehensive cultural documents through their time capsule projects, and brands are the most central figures in these critical containers
• The psychology of consumption: Repeated exposure through performance marketing mirrors the spreading activation theory that drives curiosity and attitude formation
• Cultural permanence: In an era of synthetic reality and AI, time capsules may represent the last authentic artifacts of human civilization

• More from VISIONS Summit: NYC
• Westinghouse Time Capsules (1938 & 1968) - World's Fair, Flushing Meadows, Queens
• Time Capsule location in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
• Panasonic (Matsushita Electric) Time Capsule EXPO '70
• NASA's Voyager Golden Record Project
• The "Story of the Westinghouse Time Capsule" book
• Voyager Golden Record contents and images
• The supermarket image on the Voyager Golden Record

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Welcome to Future Commerce Rewind, where we compare stories in commerce today to episodes from the archives. This week, we’re playing back VISIONS speaker Justin Breton’s 2024 episode on Walmart Realm.

When Walmart entered immersive digital experiences, it wasn’t chasing hype—it was rethinking how the brand shows up in everyday digital life. In this rewind from August 2024, Justin Breton, Director of Brand Experiences, shares how Walmart Realm launched as a gamified marketplace blending culture, commerce, and creativity.

Since then, Walmart has scaled its virtual ambitions with “Walmart Discovered” on Roblox, real-world commerce in gaming, and the debut of “Walmart Unlimited.” What began as an experiment is now central to Walmart’s immersive commerce strategy.

• Walmart Realm was never about conversions; it was about discovery. Today, Walmart's investments in platforms like Roblox and Spatial have validated that focus, with real-world commerce now integrated directly into those ecosystems.
• Justin avoided the term "metaverse," even when it was a buzzword. Instead, his team focused on familiarity and ritual, and that framing holds up. The strategy now connects digital shoppers with creators, brands, and immersive experiences they already love.
• Walmart has scaled its creator-driven experiences, including collaborations with Drew Barrymore and Netflix, helping drive co-created virtual spaces that reflect real-world partnerships.
• The early embrace of immersive storytelling now informs Walmart’s content commerce and livestreaming efforts, with shoppable moments and branded narrative arcs that feel more like cultural touchpoints than retail plays.
• With new initiatives like Walmart Unlimited and its expanded Spatial footprint, Walmart is setting the stage for a generation of consumers who see shopping as play, story, and community.
• Justin joined the lineup of speakers at VISIONS Summit: NYC this summer. Subscribe to our newsletters and check out our recap on Insiders to catch highlights from the event.

• Explore Walmart Realm
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Positionless marketing isn’t just a framework—it’s a return to how work once was: flexible, intuitive, and deeply human. In this episode, Phillip, Pini, and Optimove’s VP of Product, Shai Frank, unpack how cultural mindset, military experience, and generative AI converge to create teams that move with speed and creativity.

Listen to decode how technology and ambition together can strip away organizational friction, empower self-sufficient marketers, and dramatically improve customer experience. It’s not about removing roles—it’s about removing blockers.

1. Positionless marketing is more cultural than structural. It’s not about tearing down departments—it’s about cultivating people who take initiative without waiting for permission. That mindset, modeled after Israeli military culture, is what truly drives speed and creativity.
2. "Big-headedness" is a feature, not a flaw. Shai introduces the idea of “big-headed” employees—those who embrace ambition without being told—as essential to modern teams. In fast-paced orgs, initiative is a strategic asset.
3. Creative execution is no longer gated. With tools like Optimove's Canvas and embedded brand controls, marketers can produce polished, on-brand campaigns without relying entirely on designers or developers.
4. CRM is shifting from broadcast to orchestration. Instead of blasting segments, marketers can now trigger context-aware journeys that consider history, behavior, and optimal timing—raising the bar for customer experience.
5. AI isn’t about acceleration alone—it’s about ambition. When friction is removed from creative and technical processes, teams don’t just move faster—they aim higher.

• “Being small-headed means you’re just an order-taker. A big-headed person says, ‘You asked for A and B, but I saw it also needed C and D, so I did that—and prepped for E.’ That’s what we look for.” – Pini Yakuel
• “Who said the first message should be the one you send? We don’t want to serve the first—we want to serve the best.” – Shai Frank
• “If it used to take eight weeks to get a campaign out, now it might take two days. That frees up time to actually be creative.” – Shai Frank
• “If you don’t create good customer experiences, people will leave. This isn’t a moral imperative—it’s survival.” – Shai Frank

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Bestselling author and journalist Jo Piazza is best known as the host of the Under the Influence podcast, which boasts over 25 million downloads. Piazza is the author of the upcoming thriller Everyone is Lying to You, which dissects the rise of ‘trad wife’ influencers and the multi-billion-dollar industry built on selling idealized domesticity.

Drawing on her background in investigative journalism, which has covered everyone from Donald Trump to mommy bloggers, Piazza reveals how traditional values have become the latest form of performance marketing.

• "Everyone is lying to you. They're creating a magazine; they're creating a TV show. Most of this is not their real life. When you look at it like it's actually media and not a glimpse into someone's window, I think then you can let go of some of the guilt and the shame, but you're still going to buy the shit." - Jo Piazza [10:40]
• "The funniest thing about trad wives is they're encouraging all of these women to quit their jobs and rely on a man. I'm like, where are all these rich men that just want to make enough money to support a family? The average male income is something around $60,000 and the average American household spends $70,000. So the math does not add up in this equation." - Jo Piazza [19:12]
• "You can now rent entire houses for your influencer content. You can rent out a house with the beautiful kitchen and the pristine countertops. You can even rent a bathroom that's beautiful for your get-ready-with-me routine. And then [you can] shoot all of your content in it for one day. It's not your actual freaking house, but no one knows that." - Jo Piazza [13:31]
• "We're all brands. We're all trying to create something online. I'm very honest about this. I want people to buy my damn books. And so that means I have to post on social media." - Jo Piazza [26:35]

• Order Everyone Is Lying to You by Jo Piazza
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Organizations love to optimize—but often forget what, or who, they’re optimizing for. When teams are built around internal structures rather than customer outcomes, even the best strategies become slow to adapt.

Author and data analyst Neil Hoyne and Pini Yakuel explore how behavioral rigidity, not technical limitations, holds most companies back. Drawing from principles in Neil Hoyne’s book, Converted, they argue for a shift toward systems that favor adaptability, exploration, and proximity to the customer. Because in a world shaped by AI, the real competitive edge is not just speed—it’s staying meaningfully connected to the people you serve.

1. When roles become identities, organizations lose flexibility. Over-specialization makes it harder for teams to respond to evolving customer needs.
2. Behavioral defaults—not tech—often slow teams down. Loyalty to familiar workflows or team structures can block innovation, even when tools are available.
3. AI works best when aligned with real customer strategy. It’s not a shortcut or a strategy in itself—it’s a multiplier for what actually matters.
4. Customer-centricity requires outcome-driven teams. Structuring around internal functions, rather than external impact, leads to misaligned incentives.
5. Small shifts in ownership create big changes in experience. Empowering teams to work across silos—even partially—brings them closer to the customer, and closer to results.

• [00:13:50] “Marketing teams don’t just bake bread—they are bread. It’s not just what they do; it’s who they’ve become. So when the shift happens—when the customer wants cupcakes instead—they miss it entirely. Because they weren’t watching the customer. They were defending the bread.” – Neil Hoyne
• [00:21:13] “If your strategy is ‘use AI better than the competition,’ you don’t have a strategy.” – Neil Hoyne
• [00:25:46] “Accelerate what already works. Tactics are multipliers, not miracles.” – Pini
• [00:46:47] “Positionless isn’t binary. Can you let a team own 10% of something, start to finish?” – Pini Yakuel
• [00:51:39] “We’ve gone too far into specialization. It’s time to bring back the craftsman.” – Neil Hoyne

• Learn more about Optimove’s platforms
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• Read Converted by Neil Hoyne
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Join us for a live session from The Whalies in LA with Bryan Cano, Head of Marketing at True Classic, on a recent meteoric rise to an $850M valuation. Bryan reveals how True Classic is democratizing AI adoption across their organization by turning every employee into a technology architect and maintaining human empathy that drives authentic brand connection. We explore how tactical innovation serves a grander vision: transforming from a men's apparel company into a cultural force that builds confidence and community for decades.

Maybe AI Can Make Us More Human

Key takeaways:

• AI democratization beats top-down mandates: True Classic's most successful AI implementations emerged organically from employees identifying their own repetitive tasks, then building weekend solutions that eliminated Monday-morning drudgery
• The three-pillar AI framework: An approach that includes Generative (content creation), Operational (workflow automation), and Insights (proactive business intelligence) provides a comprehensive structure for organizational AI adoption
• Century-scale vision transcends tactics: Brands seeking longevity must graduate from channel arbitrage to culture creation. By moving beyond riding existing cultural waves to generating entirely new categories, they can win and keep customers for years
• Empathy becomes a competitive advantage: As AI handles data analysis, human intuition and emotional intelligence become the irreplaceable differentiators in brand strategy and customer connection
• [00:17:20] “AI isn’t going to eliminate our jobs. It’s going to push our brains to the absolute limits. We’ll have to use our imagination more than we ever have.” – Brian Lange
• [00:17:49] “It’s going to make us more empathetic… As marketers, we’ve obsessed over the data. AI lets us return to thinking about the customer—their life stage, their needs, their emotions.” – Bryan Cano
• [00:27:09] “Just how Apple made technology accessible, we want to do the same for style and confidence. We want it to be effortless.” – Bryan Cano

Associated Links:

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• Learn more about Triple Whale
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1. AI is now the default creative and analytical partner—prompting, planning, and predicting across workflows.
2. The boundary between job functions is vanishing. Designers analyze data, data scientists shape stories. You no longer need to be a specialist to do specialized tasks.
3. Context collapse is real. But AI is rapidly learning how to avoid it.
4. Generalists who can flex across roles (with help from AI) are the new MVPs.
5. Curiosity beats credentials. The only requirement is a mindset that’s open, iterative, and unbothered by a little ambiguity.

• “It gives you back hours and hours and hours of time... and it’s $100 a month. That’s ridiculous.” – Pini Yakuel
• “I used to look for excuses to use AI. Now it’s part of my all-day, every-day routine.” – Phillip
• “You can’t be creative if you can’t lie. And now the computer can lie.” – Pini Yakuel
• “Instead of having positions, we’ll have roles. You might be 80% designer—but you’ll need to do data too.” – Pini Yakuel
• “Hire for attitude, not skill. New skills can always be acquired if you have the right mindset.” – Pini Yakuel

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