This session, led by Gary Vaynerchuk, explored the disruptive changes in marketing driven by social networks, AI, and changes in consumer attention.
Key topics included the shift from traditional creative to social-first strategies, the rise of AI and B2B influencers, and practical tactics for brands—especially in luxury, beauty, and B2B—to adapt.
Q&A with attendees from brands like Tiffany & Co. and Fable & Mane focused on issues such as handle strategy, founder branding, managing negative feedback, and the emerging opportunity in AI-driven influencer marketing.
No explicit decisions or action items with deadlines were recorded, but several open follow-ups and practical recommendations were discussed.
Action Items
None with explicit due dates or owners were mentioned; several recommendations and strategies were suggested for attendees to consider.
Macro Trends & Shifts in Marketing
Social networks are now the dominant channel for consumer attention; creative that works in these environments is central to marketing effectiveness.
Algorithms have shifted, making organic reach a measure of relevance and holding creative more accountable than before.
AI’s rapid evolution will drastically reduce production costs and timelines, transforming content creation economics and effectiveness.
Traditional perceptions of creative craft (e.g. high-cost production for TV or print) are less relevant; consumer-centric, relevance-driven content now wins.
Industry must adapt to an environment where distribution and platforms dictate best practices (Vayner’s PACK: Platforms, Algorithms, and Culture).
Social creative budgets are rising sharply, often surpassing traditional above-the-line creative for many clients.
Luxury & High-End Brand Strategies
Luxury brands, like Tiffany & Co., face increased pressure to treat social posts with the same scrutiny as major ad buys, which is misaligned with the realities of social media.
Suggested "handle strategy": creating separate, more casual social handles to allow for greater creative flexibility without compromising the main brand.
Internal buy-in can be aided by demonstrating the volume and irrelevance of brand-controlled messaging versus organic content about the brand.
Emphasis on shifting from controlling the brand image to maximizing relevance and customizing creative for various audience segments.
Founder Branding & Content Creation
For non-celebrity founder brands, the recommendation is to embrace a clear founder strategy: either fully commit to building a personal brand or don’t pursue it at all.
If committed, founders should consider replicable content formats like hosting podcasts, appearing on others' shows, or streaming to create ongoing, scalable brand content.
Personal branding comes with trade-offs and requires self-awareness about the founder’s strengths and interests.
Consumer Feedback & Social Insights
Actively replying to consumer comments on social, both positive and negative, is critical for building brand value and extracting actionable insights.
Encourage brands to use social engagement not only for customer service but as a primary source of consumer insights, often superseding traditional market research.
Influencer & AI-Driven Marketing
B2B influencer marketing is an underutilized but emerging field, with LinkedIn being particularly underrated for reach.
Current challenge: B2B influencer discovery is time-intensive due to a lack of established databases, but that is expected to change soon.
AI influencers (virtual/CGI personalities) will soon disrupt the influencer ecosystem, allowing brands full IP control, risk management, and even monetization through owned assets.
Early movers in AI influencers will have advantages, though increased supply will eventually dilute impact over time.
Practical Tactics & Recommendations
Use one-second videos on platforms like Facebook to maximize organic reach compared to still images.
Only invest media spend into creative that already performs well organically.
Predict the media/creative budget split to move closer to 50/50 in the near future, as opposed to the historical 80/20 in favor of media.
Decisions
No formal decisions were captured in the transcript.
Open Questions / Follow-Ups
Will luxury brands widely adopt "handle strategy" for more agile social content?
How quickly will AI-driven influencer strategies become mainstream and what best practices will emerge?
What tools or resources will develop for B2B influencer discovery and management, especially on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter?
How will brands adapt internal processes to leverage consumer insights from high-frequency social posting?