Brand Strategy: Through the hype, marketers vie for the human touch
CES runs on two tracks: the show on stage and the deals upstairs. In the Aria, where much of the marketing action sits, companies like Netflix, Google, Instacart, Yahoo, and UTA take over suites for closed-door meetings. Elevator banks turned into bid zones, with paddles waving to snag the right execs. That energy says a lot about where decisions really get made.
AI is loud. Human control is louder.
Lenovo's Sphere keynote stretched nearly two hours and packed in AI news-and visual spectacle. Even Clippy made a cameo during a Microsoft partnership segment, drawing nods and smirks. Wearables took the spotlight too, including glasses and a pendant, with repeated emphasis on permission-based listening and recording. The subtext: consumers are curious but cautious, and trust is the ticket.
"AI hasn't changed the principles of marketing," said Allison Stransky, VP of corporate marketing and CMO, Samsung Electronics America, during a panel on AI and creators. "We're all humans. We're all still consumers, and as the brand, I still want to reach everyone relevantly at the right time. So AI is helping us make that more efficient and easier and faster."
The point lands: AI speeds up connection, it doesn't replace authenticity. "We still love creators for the authenticity, for your connection with your audience, with all of that magic," Stransky added. "Now AI is going to help bring us closer together in a better, more relevant, faster way, but the principles are all still true at their roots."
What this means for your 2026 plan
- Keep the human in the loop. Use AI to cut time-to-insight and time-to-creative, but let people set the strategy and voice.
- Double down on creators. Prioritize long-term partnerships and formats that protect their authenticity. AI can scale variants, not trust.
- Design for consent. Treat permission as a feature, not a footnote-especially if you test wearables or ambient experiences.
- Operationalize AI responsibly. Build approval flows, data governance, and brand guardrails before you scale pilots.
- Measure what matters. Tie AI-assisted work to lift in relevance, speed, and cost-not just novelty or volume.
- Prep for a mega sports year. With the Super Bowl, World Cup, and Olympics ahead, secure inventory, creators, and real-time ops now.
- Choose your rooms wisely. Big stages build buzz; suites close deals. Plan for both if you want attention and outcomes.
Signals to watch from CES
- Stagwell is turning Sport Beach into its own company-smart timing with a stacked sports calendar.
- Yahoo teased new agentic AI capabilities inside its DSP-expect more automation across planning and optimization.
- Lenovo is bullish on AI wearables, with explicit consumer permission messaging baked in.
- Lego debuted smart bricks-another sign that "everything connected" is moving from novelty to norm.
- Spotted at the Aria: Netflix's cafe marquee read, "Mentally, I'm still in the Upside Down." Post-holiday, relatable.
How to brief your team this week
- Update creative and media briefs to include "human role" and "AI role" sections-clarity reduces rework and risk.
- Set a consent checklist for any new data capture or experiential build. No surprises for users.
- Pilot AI-assisted creator workflows (versioning, analytics, translations) without touching the core voice.
- Lock a sports moment roadmap with contingency plans for real-time spikes.
Resources
- CES official site for recaps and session materials.
- AI certification for marketing specialists to upskill your team on practical workflows and guardrails.
Bottom line
AI is the accelerator. The customer is the compass. Keep consent explicit, keep creators central, and use AI to remove friction-so your team spends more time on the work only humans can do.
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