Yearly at Cannes Lions, the promoting world takes inventory of itself—what’s working, what’s not, and what it’s pretending to not discover. Autodesk CMO Dara Treseder breaks down the trade’s sophisticated relationship with AI; weighs in on the most popular and most overrated campaigns of the 12 months, together with sharp takes on Nike, Adidas, and Starbucks; and explains why the trail from CMO to CEO is out of the blue essentially the most attention-grabbing profession transfer in enterprise.
That is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by former Quick Firm editor-in-chief Robert Safian. From the workforce behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Fast Response options candid conversations with at this time’s high enterprise leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Fast Response wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you by no means miss an episode.
So what’s the vibe [at Cannes] this 12 months? What are you feeling? Are folks excited? Are folks anxious?
I feel individuals are actually excited, however there’s additionally loads of anxiousness about what’s happening. Some individuals are feeling clear. Some folks really feel like there’s loads of chaos. So it’s a story of two cities.
Is the chaotic feeling concerning the world? Is it about AI and the enterprise? The place’s the chaos touchdown?
I might say the chaos is just a little bit concerning the world, however lots about AI. I really feel just like the chaos round AI is extra rampant than it was final 12 months.
You have been mentioning that you just went to the World Cup along with your son. And since we’re right here, I needed to ask you concerning the World Cup adverts. Is that a part of the dialog you’re listening to?
It’s a part of the dialog. And I’ve to inform you, I’ve been hanging out with some CMOs—some are Staff Nike, some are Staff Adidas.
Sure.
I need to give each manufacturers loads of credit score as a result of how do you enter a dialog in a really culturally related approach? I feel Adidas approached it from a nostalgia perspective, they usually actually nailed it, they usually created a lot that means. They targeted on the semantics. They leaned into, I feel, the misplaced artwork of deep storytelling, and it actually paid off. And Nike took a special strategy. They went just a little extra 360-degree.
Somewhat zany.
Somewhat zany. And so they captured loads of consideration. They drove loads of dialog. So each manufacturers did a very nice job. And within the spirit of heated rivalry on the World Cup, individuals are taking sides.
So that you speak about adverts being related, memorable, and ownable. Now, each of these adverts are undoubtedly memorable, they usually’re related. Are they ownable? Might Adidas have finished the Nike advert, and Nike have finished the Adidas advert?
I truly assume they’re ownable. Adidas did what Adidas does greatest: detailed storytelling. It’s an indicator of the model. And I’ve had the chance to work intently with Adidas. Once I was CMO at Carbon, we had a giant partnership with Adidas. I’ve seen how they assume, they usually perceive what their clients love, they usually leaned into that.
At Cannes Lions, we noticed them win two Grand Prix in the identical day. Even that marketing campaign they did, the Adidas Oasis marketing campaign, may be very related by way of type and ownability, which is: Allow us to lean into authentic storytelling. Let’s not attempt to zag as a result of all people is zagging. Let’s zig and do our personal factor.
And for Nike?
I feel Nike is about marketing on the velocity of tradition. That’s what they do. . . . Take a look at the . . . advertising that Nike did on the Knicks sport, the place they have been capable of take user-generated content material and piece collectively stunning inventive that actually had all people feeling that New York spirit, they usually did it in actual time.
I nearly assume the model embodies that concept that if in case you have a physique, you’re an athlete. They take that elite-athlete mindset by way of how they attempt to transfer and the velocity at which they attempt to transfer. So I feel the Nike work was very true to their model.
Yeah. Though Adidas acquired Timothée Chalamet, who’s a Knicks fan. In order that they each acquired to play there.
They each acquired to play, precisely. And I like me some Timothée Chalamet. I’m a Dune fan. As soon as the adverts began, I used to be like, okay, all proper. Don’t ask me what workforce I’m on. I like each manufacturers, but when I needed to decide, it will be Adidas.
Final time we talked, you spoke a bit about opining with a backbone, and the way essential and efficient that’s. Within the setting of change we’re in proper now in 2026, is that tougher?
It’s dangerous, however the threat is value it when what you’re opining on is core to your enterprise technique, and you may again it up along with your backbone. As a result of there’s a lot sameness. The unlucky factor about what is occurring is AI is elevating the ground, however it’s human ingenuity that’s going to vault the ceiling. And there isn’t sufficient emphasis being positioned on that human ingenuity and human creativity. However I’m a rigorous optimist.
So I feel we’re within the golden age for entrepreneurs and creatives who’ve glorious style, are keen to grasp these instruments, know when to make use of them, however, most significantly, have the discernment to know when to not use them. And I feel when you could have that down, the readability and the peace come within the midst of the chaos.
The dialog final 12 months right here was about how AI goes to crush all of the creativity, or folks have been frightened about that. And this 12 months it’s just a little extra about perhaps AI shouldn’t be utilized to the creativity a part of the enterprise or the product. It ought to be utilized to the method just a little extra.
I feel so. Whenever you’re utilizing AI, it’s working in two dimensions. There’s the syntax and there’s the semantic. Whenever you’re utilizing AI within the syntax, it might probably actually deal with processes and assist. However while you need to deal with that means and the semantic, that’s the place you need to be sure the inventive remains to be in charge of the artwork.
AI is right here to serve humanity. Humanity will not be right here to serve AI. And I feel the manufacturers which can be keen to say that unapologetically are constructing belief with their buyer bases.
The position of the CMO is altering in some organizations. There have been some research I’ve seen lately that present CMOs are extra relied on by CEOs than they was once for high-level selections. The place ought to CMOs sit in enterprise technique?
I feel if you happen to’re a enterprise that desires to achieve success, your CMO ought to have an actual seat on the desk and ought to be empowered to win, since you are completely seeing the most effective firms deal with their CMOs like strategic companions. They’re not seeing them simply as entrepreneurs, however as enterprise-wide enterprise leaders. And you’re seeing that path from CMO to CEO. It’s taking place at a a lot quicker clip than it was even simply 5 years in the past.
And the rationale for that’s as a result of as CMOs our remits are so broad. We’ve to consider every part from the occasions and experiences and the activation at Cannes all the way in which to the go-to-market technique, the income accountability, the pipeline creation, and the expertise stack. We’re on the forefront of the implementation of AI internally. And so having a CMO have an actual seat on the desk provides the C-suite and the corporate a aggressive edge and benefit.
What has tended to occur generally is, when issues don’t go nicely for a enterprise revenue-wise, the CMO will get blamed. And when issues do go nicely, the enterprise unit takes the credit score. How essential is it for CMOs to have management of their very own income for the enterprise?
I feel it’s actually essential to have that income accountability, particularly for areas of the enterprise the place advertising is in first chair, like digital enterprise. For instance, at Autodesk, I oversee our digital enterprise. It is sensible that it sits with me as a result of it begins and ends with advertising.
