Our London studio, in collaboration with The Marketing Society, recently hosted a panel discussion at WPP’s Sea Containers London campus, examining AI and the lessons brands have learned over the past 20 years.

Joined by Tati Lindenberg, Vice President of Marketing at Unilever Dirt Is Good, Daniel Hulme, Chief AI Officer at WPP, Matt Boffey, Chief Strategy Officer and Tom Gilbert, Group Executive Creative Director at Design Bridge and Partners, and hosted by Dino Myers-Lamptey, Founder of The Barber Shop, the conversation delved into emerging technologies, the enduring value of human connection and creativity, sustainability as a macro trend and how brands can adapt to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

The Evolution of Brand Ownership and Consumer Empowerment

Today, consumers actively shape brand narratives through content creation, social media and direct engagement. The accessibility of AI and digital tools has lowered the barriers to entry, allowing individuals to create their own brands or even challenge existing ones.

This shift presents both opportunities and risks — brands that fail to adapt may lose relevance, which brands that embrace co-creation can build deeper trust and loyalty. The challenge is to strike a balance that gives consumers a voice while ensuring the brand stays strategically consistent.

AI’s transformational role

The role of AI is rapidly reshaping the marketing landscape, from content creation to audience analysis and decision-making, and AI-driven hyper-personalised campaigns. This automation comes with risks — over-reliance could erode a brand's unique identity or create ethical dilemmas.

As AI becomes a fundamental part of marketing, brands need to be proactive in setting AI principles and use cases that align with their values, audience expectations, and long-term brand equity. The most successful brands will be those that blend AI efficiency with human-led creativity to leverage AI without sacrificing brand effectiveness.

The Future of AI and Brand Discovery

AI is not just a tool for marketeers, it’s also changing how consumers discover and choose brands in the future.

The rise of AI-driven personal assistants and decision-making agents creates a new challenge for brands: the need to appeal not only to human emotions but also ensure their products and services align with AI-driven decision-making criteria.

Understanding how AI “think” and makes choices will be critical for future brand visibility and customer acquisition. We might also see brands strengthening direct customer relationships and mental availability outside AI channels to encourage customer AI queries referring to them by name.

Sustainability buzzwords

Sustainability is no longer an optional brand value - it’s a business imperative. Consumers are increasingly sceptical of brands that only talk about sustainability without tangible action. As a result, companies are moving beyond marketing sustainability to redesigning products, services and supply chains in ways that genuinely reduce environmental impact.

Emerging brands, built from the ground up with sustainability in mind, are putting pressure on industry giants to innovate and embed sustainability into their core strategy rather than treating it as a marketing tactic.

The enduring power of emotion and human creativity

While AI can generate content, insights and efficiency, consumers still crave authentic, emotionally driven brand experiences that resonate on a deeper level. Brands that solely rely on AI-generated content may lost their human touch, while those that blend AI capabilities with human creativity will stand out in an increasingly automated world.

In the future, brand differentiation won’t come from AI itself – but from how creativity brands use AI while maintaining their human essence.

To learn more about the insights from this event, please contact Anna Bouriak, New Business Director, anna.bouriak@designbridge.com