Hollywood & AI: Reese Witherspoon, Spencer Pratt, CMO Fatigue + Spotify
Sonia sits down with Robin Simon Wood, SVP of Production at New Motion, to break down how Hollywood women are talking about AI, why CMO fatigue is real, and Spencer Pratt's clipping campaign for LA mayor. The big thesis: if you're going to take a stance, figure out what you're actually trying to say, and stick to your guns.
Demi Moore spoke at Cannes and said AI is inevitable, so we should work with it instead of fighting it. Reese Witherspoon posted an Instagram video about making smoothies and said women need to learn AI because their jobs are three times more likely to be automated, yet only 25% of women use it. Both got backlash for being vague and not explaining what they're actually suggesting Hollywood do. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan chairs the DGA's AI committee and talks about protecting craft while negotiating AI use. Ben Affleck went on Joe Rogan and said AI writing is shitty, framed it as a tool like visual effects, and called the existential threat narrative bullshit. The lesson: women in Hollywood need to get specific about what they care about and how AI fits their brand, not just say it's inevitable.
Brian Chesky went on TBPN and said CMO might be the highest turnover job in Silicon Valley because once something works, it becomes stale. The battle against being stale is exhausting, and marketers are expected to keep innovating week over week, campaign to campaign. The best way to stay fresh is learning from different industries and remixing ideas for your brand, not just copying trends.
Spencer Pratt is running for LA mayor with a paid clipping campaign and AI-generated videos. The FCC is miles behind where marketers are in terms of clipping and AI-generated videos, and most people can't tell the difference between AI and real footage. The lesson: political campaigns are changing, and clipping farms and AI-generated content are the new playbook. Users need to be more discerning about what's a political ad versus authentic testimonial.
Spotify launched a feature letting you see all your listening data since you first joined but it's not enough to feed data back to users in an interesting way anymore. You need to make them do something or get them interested in what you're working on.
We're talking about:
Demi Moore at Cannes saying AI is inevitable and we should work with it, Reese Witherspoon promoting AI to women, and why both got backlash for being vague
Christopher Nolan chairing the DGA's AI committee and talking about protecting craft while negotiating AI use
Ben Affleck on Joe Rogan calling AI writing shitty, framing it as a tool like visual effects, and calling the existential threat narrative bullshit
Why men in Hollywood are getting positive reactions for talking about AI
Brian Chesky on TBPN saying CMO might be the highest turnover job in Silicon Valley
The battle against being stale: learning from different industries and remixing ideas for your brand, not just copying trends
NFL schedule release videos using paint mixing creators and slime scooping, and why they're going viral
Anchoring yourself in human principles, not trends, and building a team of specialists who can execute without burning out
Spencer Pratt running for LA mayor with a paid clipping campaign and AI-generated videos
This last Spotify Wrapped and the 20th anniversary feature not hitting as hard, and people having grander expectations
Spotify could have gone deeper with IRL activations like nostalgia concerts featuring bands from 20 years ago
Plus: Why Spotify gave up on their disco ball logo, and why the chase for perfection leaves room for everyone to grow
Timestamps
00:00 Hollywood women on AI: Demi Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Christopher Nolan, and Ben Affleck
20:00 Brian Chesky on CMO fatigue and the battle against being stale
35:00 Spencer Pratt's paid clipping campaign and AI-generated videos for LA mayor
50:00 Spotify's 20th anniversary feature and hyper-personalization
