Anticipating what comes next

Change is nothing new for media companies, with major platform shifts shaking things up every couple of years, said Dan Gardner, co-founder and executive chairman of Code and Theory. “It’s literally the same pattern since the Internet was started for media companies, but it’s usually mainly hurt them or disrupted them,” he explained.

This time around with AI, however, Gardner predicts that every industry will be affected. That said, he sees a silver lining. “Things are changing, and that is both a disruptive moment and a huge opportunity.”

Monson sees investment in top-of-funnel and middle-of-funnel marketing becoming even more crucial. “It’s expensive, and it takes a lot of time to build brand preference. But if you’re not building brand preference with a consumer, then you’re stuck with whatever the preference of the chatbots is going to be, and you don’t have as much control over that model,” he said.

Along those lines, getting consumers into the brand’s loyalty ecosystem is a top priority for Hendrick. “And of course, delivering on the experience, because you know all of that other stuff literally doesn’t matter if they have a bad experience with your product,” she said.

Ending on a hopeful note, D’Arcy said that a positive outcome of this period of rapid change could be a renewed appreciation for the human and community aspects of marketing. “And hopefully a pride and a return to craft as everything becomes automated.”

Featured Conversation Leaders

• Richard Case, VP of Growth Marketing, GoodRx
• Paul D’Arcy, CMO, Moloco
• Julie Foster, SVP and Managing Director, EA Experiences
• Dan Gardner, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Code and Theory
• Jane Hendrick, Managing VP, Global Integrated Marketing, Marriott International
• Liz Kneebone, VP, Community Programs and Development, ADWEEK
• Stacy Malone, VP, Global Business Marketing, Pinterest
• Kyle Monson, Founding Partner, Codeword