This week I was down at MAD//Fest again. As an event full of people from the marketing and PR industry it is one I enjoy, something completely different from my usual fare.
Most of my year I spend time at collections conferences, financial conferences with rooms full of people talking about numbers… customers yes, but still back to the numbers. In fact I suspect many may be quite happy to say ‘yes I am quite proud of my spreadsheet ability’ (I know I would… lol).
MAD//Fest London is not that room.
It is a festival built by and for creative people. Designers, marketers, advertisers, brand strategists and cultural commentators, they are all there. These folks spend most of there time figuring out how people work, how to make things resonate, get people engaged, to find the cultural moment and design around it.
It is not we don’t to it, but it is a different muscle, and as is clear from the event, one they work out on a lot. Frankly they are really very good at it and is exactly why I keep coming back. There is always stuff to watch and learn. So for this year, here are the themes that stuck with me.
The AI Backlash. There was definite pushback in the room against AI and AI hype. It felt different to last year. Yes people are still talking about AI, how it can be transformative, but when there is cheering when it is said AI cannot do creative… you get the sense there is a vocal resistance movement building.
The message… you still need creative people. Humans are a must have to create ideas that haven’t been thought of yet… just get AI to do the mundane stuff.
AI raises the bar of mediocre. AI is great. Great at good enough, but not great at brilliant. It excels at writing an average ad, that generate generic copy or design, but to generate that unique moment of impact, it struggles.
AI raises the floor, not the ceiling….
And, now everyone can do it, the public can tell, and spot it’s AI. To stand out we now need to be better, be unique. The message, human quirkiness is in demand, a skill that have maybe been under valued, but now and in the future will be in high demand.
A polarisation of content and talent. Of course we can’t all be in the top 1-10% for everything, and despite the whoops and cheers, good enough is 90% of what is produced…
This will likely mean more polarisation between good and average talent, the best ‘rockstar’ A-listers and the rest a jobbing actors with side hustles… I fear this is the case.
The take away, find your human niche and be the best at it. The world is online, global and the market long tailed, there is a market that will pay good money for the best… the only challenge, finding out what your niche is. (I am still working on perfecting my toasted sandwiches btw…)
Culture wins. Against this backdrop there was a lot of talk about finding cultural resonance. After all if we can all generate, designs and content, the differentiator becomes that human based insight to connect with… other humans.
Culture is a fickle and moving thing. Something that evolves and often hard to predict. Yes, it can be nudged in areas, but humans are complex, reflecting what people care about is not easy.
AI is of course, great at predicting and reflecting past patterns. It is arguably better than humans. Authentically, resonating with communities about issues the moment, today, and the future? Probably need to outsource to a human, who is part of that world.
This is something I see too, closer to home. In analysing existing reports and data, AI excels… pulling together, and joining disparate reports, events to interpret for future implications, get the human involved for unique insights (another area to focus for excellence maybe?)
Playing the part. Listening to the journalists, media leaders, brand advocates, marketing evangelists and business leaders, it also struck me just how much of a role we all play in this wider ecosystem.
Sometimes we are aware of it, but often we are are not.
I mean does the brand synergy of a product placement, with celebrity endorsement, at key sporting events really matter? Does it change the world?
As someone who at school, thought owning a Samsonite briefcase was trendy, I am obviously not the best person to comment… but objectively the answer is no. It is just like that spreadsheet may not be innovative or ground breaking, even though I feel quite differently.
We all have different perspectives and for us it is important. The bigger picture it has a role in a wider ecosystem of humanity.
I suppose it is a good job someone is interested, and excels (pardon the pun) to try to make it the best… but it feels like it is also important to keep a little perspective too.
This is a after all – a part we play, not the play itself.
So all in all an interesting week, some important themes and reflections for back in the office Monday. This is the reason I enjoy the event so much, it is always great to get out of your own little echo chamber.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Addendum: AI Governance: The Regulators Are Coming. Yes even in marketing land governance and regulation for AI is coming. The theme, if you use AI in your processes, you/your business still owns the process, outcomes and accountability… sounds strangely familiar to what the FCA said this week too.
