Who Controls the Truth? What Trust Means in a Brand-Led World with Nathalia Sica, Jag Sharma, Jason Kapadia and Matt Webster - E102
When Coca-Cola rolls out an AI-generated Christmas ad, is it innovation or is it the ghost of marketing’s future glitching before our eyes?
This week on Disconnected, Jag, Jason and Matt are joined by a very special guest - Nathalia Sica is a marketing, comms, and PR powerhouse with a keen eye on just how much trust it’s safe to put into big companies…
Tune in for a debate on whether our digital age is selling stories, or just selling out.
This episode of Disconnected covers:
The rise of AI in creative industries, with Coca-Cola’s Christmas campaign as Exhibit A
Why social media and AI bots are taking over as news sources
Storytelling vs. selling; how platforms are leaving traditional brand narratives behind
The impact of tech giants and billionaires on who controls the narrative
Why digital literacy and healthy skepticism matter more than ever in a world where fact and fiction are a swipe apart
Episode Highlights:
“In this relentless pursuit for efficiency, are we outsourcing the very warmth and humanity that made these brand rituals meaningful in the first place?” - 7:00 - Jag Sharma
“If you ask me, is it controversial that Coca Cola is making this ad? No. Does it bother me that there's penguins and stuff? No, not really.” - 11:45 - Matt Webster
“Brands have been obsessed with constantly having to change their ad, to innovate, to show something different, when really, if they create an ad that works, just keep replaying the ad.” - 19:25 - Matt Webster
“People actually don't care about what is true anymore. They want their visions validated.” - 32:45 - Nathalia Sica
“You're putting your trust in a company that has business intentions and can also take out answers that may be true, but they are not in their interests. So will you 100% trust it?” - 37:45 - Nathalia Sica
“Unfortunately, Pandora's box has been opened. This is going to sound really sad, but I think I preferred it when I was more ignorant and knew less.” - 41:45 - Matt Webster
"The savvy brands that actually embrace the reality of this changing digital landscape… Those are the ones that are going to win.” - 53:40 - Jag Sharma
“It's not a case of AI replacing marketers, it's marketers using AI will replace marketers who don't, basically.” - 56:15 - Jason Kapadia
Links & references:
Matt Webster:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwwebster/
Nathalia Sica:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalia-sica/
Jason Kapadia:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonkapadia/
https://www.instagram.com/jasonkapadia/
Jag Sharma: