ADWEEK

After years of debate over whether AI can truly support creative work, Higgsfield put its AI-native creative suite in the spotlight during a Brandweek 2026 fireside chat with ADWEEK’s chief content officer Zoë Ruderman and Higgsfield co-founder and chief strategy officer Mahi de Silva. De Silva argued the platform isn’t meant to replace creatives but to serve as a “new language” for expression, helping teams move from ideation to production faster and cheaper without needing to become prompt engineers, and likened today’s AI skepticism to early doubts about tools like Photoshop. The conversation also introduced Higgsfield and ADWEEK’s Adathon, in which creatives had four weeks to make an AI-assisted ad. In partnership with Higgsfield AI

Social media can still reach consumers at scale, but its role in the purchase journey is shifting, so brands need new playbooks. At Brandweek 2026, TikTok’s “Agencies Doing Cool Sh*t” series featured TikTok's Emily Freed in conversation with agency leaders, including Iced Media founder Leslie Ann Hall, who described helping beauty client Rael launch a microneedling serum in a crowded category by simplifying the science and partnering with mega-creator Mikayla Nogueira. The collaboration sparked broader creator chatter, turning TikTok into a “demand engine” that connected performance media, social commerce, and “generative engine optimization” to drive awareness and fuel omnichannel growth rather than treating TikTok as a single channel. In partnership with TikTok

Over the past year, generative AI has rapidly advanced from a debated experiment to a standard tool in creative production. At a Brandweek 2026 workshop co-hosted with Higgsfield AI's Asil Akbarov and Jasmyn Jarnigan showcased real-time AI-powered marketing and TV asset creation—highlighting how the tech now helps teams ideate, test, and produce content faster and more affordably, while reinforcing that human creativity remains essential. In partnership with Higgsfield AI

When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone? Pinterest continued its campaign to get users offline at the final regular season NY LIBERTY game with the Pinterest Locker Room. The activation allowed guests to put their phones in YONDR pouches through the first half, at which point they could unlock their phones and win a prize. The goal was to invite Liberty fans to trade screen time for real-time fan connection, hopefully inspiring participants to go screen-free and enjoy the world IRL more often.

When viral creator content starts moving faster than a brand can review, measure, or respond, AI is increasingly becoming the way to keep up. At a Brandweek 2026 panel, marketing leaders discussed how AI can help brands manage creator-led commerce at a scale traditional workflows weren’t built for—echoing Henkel’s experience with PRAVANA, after a casual TikTok bathroom video unexpectedly drove sales, sparked a wave of creator copycat content, and helped push the brand toward a bigger bet on TikTok Shop, even as the resulting volume became the next challenge. In partnership with TikTok Thank you for joining us. 👏 Cedric Parsiegla Alex Yang Emily Freed

How a team defines “growth” directly shapes its strategy, so alignment matters. At a Brandweek 2026 session, Ammunition CEO and founder Jeremy Heilpern urged marketers to agree on what growth means—and to weigh it for both short-term wins and long-term sustainability. For Heilpern, Ammunition’s “Growth. No matter what.” isn’t just a tagline but a promise that requires clarity, since “growth” can mean anything from revenue or profit to customer acquisition depending on who you ask. In partnership with Ammunition

In this episode of Adspeak by ADWEEK, host Zoë Ruderman sits down with four business leaders from Microsoft, Pearpop, and AntiSocial: Marie-Laure De Veyt, Beth Everhart, Christopher Franco, and Cole Mason to explore how brands can turn creator partnerships into measurable business results. The conversation examines how Microsoft scaled a campaign to 42 creators and 69 assets in just six weeks while maintaining authenticity, creative quality, and performance.

With higher education competition fierce, colleges and universities are increasingly battling for attention and creative marketing can pay off. At a Brandweek 2026 fireside chat, ADWEEK’s William Bradley spoke with Texas A&M University CMO R. Ethan Braden and IndyCar driver Felix Rosenqvist about the school’s unconventional partnership, highlighted when Rosenqvist—fresh off winning the 2026 Indianapolis 500—raced in a helmet bearing Texas A&M’s logo, linking the university to the story of the event’s closest-ever finish. In partnership with Texas A&M University

Marketing leaders are laying the groundwork to scale AI, but many still struggle to move from experimentation to responsible, measurable decisions. At a Brandweek 2026 fireside chat, ADWEEK's Ryan Joe spoke with Cox Automotive Inc.’s Callie Cogley and Treasure AI’s Rafa F. about how marketers are adopting AI, starting with the need for governance and guardrails. Cogley noted that while teams often move fast and take risks, they should slow down and clarify what they’re trying to achieve and the best way to get there. In partnership with Treasure AI

After 13 straight quarters of declining sales, Dave & Buster's Inc. has hired GUT as creative AOR and Mediaplus Group as media AOR, following a pitch that included incumbents Deloitte Digital and dentsu X. CMO Jeremy Tucker said the goal isn’t a brand refresh, awareness is already around 90%, but to regain cultural relevance and get back into consumers’ consideration set. Gut Toronto CEO Ryan O'Hagan said the work will aim to bring the brand into culture by reinvigorating its iconic heritage, including leaning into moments like families celebrating big occasions at the venue. “Throughout the pitch process, one belief consistently guided our thinking: people don’t just plan a Dave & Buster’s visit, they plan an occasion,” said Tamara Alesi, CEO of Mediaplus, in a statement. “We see an opportunity to expand the occasions consumers naturally associate with Dave & Buster’s and make the brand the natural answer when those occasions arise.”