In the latest installment of Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast, industry leaders from NBCUniversal, IBM, State Farm, Autodesk, and Coinbase engage in discussions on marketing, technology, and consumer trends with Todd Spangler, Variety business editor. These dialogues were captured between June 22-25 at the Canva Creative Cabana space during the Cannes Lions international festival of creativity.
Dara Treseder, the CMO of Autodesk, along with Cat Ferdon, CMO of Coinbase, exchange insights on how they connect with audiences and leverage the capabilities of AI in their forward-thinking digital enterprises.
Treseder points to research showing that a significant 82% of individuals “are comfortable using AI in their general lives — perhaps a bit too comfortable, as we don’t need AI to be our therapist — yet only a third feel at ease using it professionally. Meanwhile, job postings requiring AI skills have more than doubled, creating a disconnect between job seekers and available roles. Autodesk recently committed $350 million to prepare the next generation and job seekers for AI-era roles across fields like architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, and media and entertainment.”
Ferdon describes how Coinbase has emerged as a major player in the nontraditional finance and banking sector, with AI being integral to its operations from the beginning. She noted,
“Coinbase has been proactive in adopting AI, with our CEO and founder [Brian Armstrong] being very open about it. We’ve integrated AI into our processes for over a year, optimizing everything from marketing,” Ferdon says. “At Coinbase, we firmly believe that while AI can accelerate achieving creative outcomes, it’s not a substitute for human creativity.”
Jonathan Adashek, IBM’s Senior VP of marketing and communications, shares insights from one of Big Tech’s stalwarts, emphasizing their focus on aiding large organizations in maximizing AI investments. IBM’s transformation began with adopting AI in its workflows, Adashek explains.
“Our creatives spent 80% of their time on repetitive tasks, limiting their creativity. By reducing that to about 40% and falling, we’ve transformed their roles,” Adashek says. “In Las Vegas, we turned the Sphere into a giant fishbowl using AI for design and concepting, achieving it in two days instead of the expected 15-16 days. This sparked more ideas among our creatives. At IBM, AI and automation, coupled with process improvements, have cut $4.5 billion from our annual spending over the last three years, with plans to reduce another $1 billion this year.”
Mark Marshall, NBCUniversal’s chairman of advertising partnerships, and Kristyn Cooke, State Farm’s chief agency sales marketing officer, reflect on their longstanding business relationship. Cooke discusses the strategic importance of events like NBCU’s BravoCon fan gathering for State Farm in connecting with the next generation of consumers.
“It’s about building connections around shared interests and passions, which BravoCon facilitates,” Cooke says. “The audience is the story, highly engaged, and we’ve learned a lot. Initially, we created branded spaces at BravoCon, evolving into memorable experiences that allow fans to interact and be present in the moment. BravoCon has been highly beneficial for us.”
With the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles approaching in two years, Marshall discusses NBCU’s ambition to enhance its coverage beyond the accomplishments of the Paris 2024 Summer Games with a local event.
“The last U.S. Summer Olympics occurred in Atlanta [in 1996], where NBC broadcasted 186 hours of programming. We aim for nearly 8,000 hours in ’28,” Marshall states. “Now, fans can personalize their Olympic experience, watching any sport live on Peacock, or listening to Mike Tirico’s soothing voice recounting the day’s events and background stories. We’ve found that fans not only enjoy watching sports but are captivated by the stories of how athletes and teams reached their goals. We’re incorporating this narrative strategy across all our broadcasts, including NBA, MLB, and NFL on NBC.”
