Substack ads, Storytelling Over Slop, & Kim K. In Fortnite

Sonia Baschez sits down with Hailey Allen (creative strategist at neuemotion) to dissect the marketing wins and fails making waves right now—from AI slop ruining brand perception to why companies are suddenly hiring "chief storytellers." We're talking about: Why McDonald's pulled their AI ad in 24 hours (and why Disney chose the worst week to announce their OpenAI deal) "Slop" being named word of the year and what that says about 2025 Substack launching sponsorships after years of being ad-free—is the dream over? Pinterest Predicts 2026 vs. Pantone's boring white color choice The viral WSJ article about chief storytellers and why AI can't replace human narrative A24's fake engagement announcement and Spielberg's cryptic Times Square billboard Kim Kardashian x Fortnite: actually genius or completely unhinged? Plus: actionable takeaways for marketers trying to cut through the noise. 00:40 – McDonald's AI Ad Disaster & Disney-OpenAI Partnership 03:46 – 2025 Words of the Year (Slop, Rage Bait, Parasocial) 05:12 – J.Crew Pop-Up & the Rise of Experiential Marketing 07:38 – Substack Launches Ads: The End of Ad-Free Newsletters? 19:22 – 2026 Trend Reports: Pinterest Predicts vs. Pantone's Flop 24:30 – Chief Storytellers: Why Companies Are Hiring for "Vibes" 36:30 – Movie Marketing Masterclass: A24's Fake Engagement & Spielberg's Mystery Billboard 41:51 – Kim Kardashian x Fortnite: Genius or Chaos? 49:55 – Marketing Takeaways Recap