In order to move from broad segmentation and proclivity modeling into hyper-personalized emails based on one-to-one interactions with the brand, Victoria's Secret brought in the big AI guns. And over time the teams came to trust the AI more and more than they ever anticipated. At this month's Email Insider Summit, Manager of Email Operations Ryan Egle offered one of the best presentations I have seen around implementing AI thoughtfully at an organization. He explores how and where AI has proven enormously effective in delivering literally millions of custom variations on each message and learning from customer interactions with each …

Most marketers chase the elusive concept of "authenticity" without an iota of irony, when most of us understand that if you are pursuing authenticity odds are you just don't' have it to begin with. Meanwhile, the entertainment and toy company Superplastic embraces what they call "Synthetic Celebrity." Its cartoonish stars like Janky, Guggimon, and Daisy live mainly in social memes, as licensed entities, and as dazzlingly priced vinyl toys. The company has marketing partnerships with Tommy Hilfiger and The Weekend. It even launched Superplastic Records this year as a music label for its synthetic Music Group Ghost Kids who are …

The Happy Meal is one of those rare birds in branding, a product idea that becomes a cultural fixture. Since its launch in 1979, McDonald's has amassed several generations of adults with warm memories of being surprised and delighted by the secret treasure in each box. That nostalgia has taken the form of adult-focused meal boxes that call back those memories and are part of a major shift in brand building at the largest QSR - toward what they call "fan truth."

"What a fun industry this is," said Sheena Dougher, Jack in the Box's VP, Marketing Communications as she kicked off a presentation showing exactly that during MediaPost's Brand Insider Summit: QSR last month. Staying culturally relevant, trendy, edgy and fresh is what a good social influencer program like hers is all about. But behind some of the madcap, creator-driven content is a well-structured social listening and strategy team that maps memes and campaigns against the right roster of authentic voices. Hip is no accident. It takes a plan.

Multicultural advertising is more discussed than executed. Knorr recipe mix brand's 'Taste of Home' effort is unique in that it targets the localized Knorr brands to those same populations as they migrate worldwide. This truly global brand recognizes the diversity within diaspora communities and recruited artists from a range of Asian-American/Canadian identities to create murals in select cities. They amplified their work with highly targeted digital media, a docuseries, and eventually a merchandise collection. Lan Trieu, Head of Marketing for Nutrition and Ice Cream at Unilever International explained how "authenticity" in multicultural marketing runs deeper than casting decisions and language …