By Stephanie Murphy, Senior Director of Strategy & Behavioral Science
Insights and reflections from the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference, Orlando (October 2025), where AI, culture, and creativity collided—and marketers were reminded what really drives growth: meaning.
The Future of Marketing (and Ourselves)
Marketers descended on Orlando talking about AI, efficiency, and measurement—but the undercurrent was unmistakably human. Every speaker, from WPP to LVMH, circled the same truth: growth doesn’t come from chasing the algorithm; it comes from understanding why people care at all.
The sessions blurred lines between creativity and computation, luxury and accessibility, data and gut. The smartest brands weren’t chasing speed—they were reclaiming meaning.
1. AI’s Human Reckoning
AI dominated the main stage, but not as a tech story—as a humanity test.
Shelley Palmer reminded everyone that “AI is already militarized,” meaning we’re living inside a machine ecosystem we didn’t build but must now learn to navigate. Publicis reframed credibility for the modern era: it’s no longer something you earn or buy — it’s something you engineer. Human connection, though, remains beautifully unprogrammable.
WPP’s Mark Read called this “the programmatic moment all over again.” The caution was clear: don’t confuse productivity for progress.
Across sessions, a new success equation surfaced: Data + Experience + Gut = Growth.
It’s the strategist’s trifecta—quant meets craft meets instinct. The brands that win will be those who automate what’s mechanical so they can humanize what matters.
“AI should amplify human creativity, not anesthetize it.”
2. Culture as Currency
Culture isn’t a channel anymore—it’s the marketplace itself.
NBCUniversal + Bravo showcased how omnipresence builds familiarity. Their State Farm partnership proved authenticity doesn’t come from a single message but from showing up wherever life happens—from Bravocon to Coachella to TwitchCon.
Meta’s session with creator Haylee Baylee reminded us that influence is no longer top-down — it’s peer-to-peer and personality-driven. (Bonus: I earned serious street cred with my teen/tween when they heard she was there.) Her take on “culture as curiosity” captured what social now really is — not just scrolling, but studying.
“Sharing is social currency—the new signal of identity.”
3. Luxury, Experience, and the New 4 Cs
LVMH reframed luxury for a culture that’s over exclusivity and hungry for experience. Their model:
- Craft → Exceptional
- Customer → Elated
- Creativity → Extraordinary
- Culture → Elevated
Luxury today isn’t about gatekeeping—it’s about creating emotional theater. Every store, every drop, every detail becomes a stage for human delight.
The NFL shared a parallel playbook. Its “Helmets Off” campaign humanized players, while Flag Football expanded access globally. Both brands—one selling leather goods, one selling gridiron glory—proved the same point: empathy scales.
“Luxury isn’t about exclusivity anymore—it’s about emotional theater.”
4. Brand Truth in the Era of Speed
Todd Kaplan from Kraft Heinz backed that up with a stat worth underlining: 95% of decisions are made emotionally. That’s not just a line for creative briefs — it’s a behavioral truth we live by. It’s the same foundation behind our Nudgenomics framework: emotion drives choice, logic simply catches up.
Kraft Heinz’s Todd Kaplan talked about building brands in a Pointillism world—every small dot of consistency forming a bigger picture of trust. His rally cry: “Be about the and, not the or.” Protect heritage and push modernity.
Heinz’s “Fries Campaign” with Uber Eats showed how cultural wit keeps a century-old brand young. The lesson: speed of culture is meaningless without clarity of truth.
Amazon Ads extended that thought—shopping is no longer a funnel but a highway of micro-moments. Consumers screenshot, search, and buy anywhere. The implication: if every moment can be commerce, then every interaction must earn it.
Brands can’t afford to “wait in the wings.” They need to own one clear occasion or emotional role within their portfolio—and execute it relentlessly.
“Speed of culture means nothing without clarity of truth.”
5. Cross-Session Takeaways
- Data, experience, and gut aren’t rivals—they’re copilots.
- Growth can’t be bought through scale; it must be built through meaning.
- Credibility may be engineered, but authenticity can’t be automated.
- Sharing is still the highest form of social currency.
- Technology should amplify creativity, not replace it.
- Every brand needs to claim one distinct occasion in culture—something it can truly own.
Closing POV
The marketers who stood out in Orlando weren’t chasing hype cycles—they were rebuilding trust. AI will make everything faster, but speed without soul is noise. Culture will keep shifting, but meaning stays magnetic.
Maybe the real takeaway from ANA 2025 is this: The future won’t belong to brands that master data—it’ll belong to the ones that master decision-making.
Because at the end of the day, strategy is still a human sport.
