Marketing Vanguard at Cannes: Human Ingenuity Still Runs the Game ft. Dara Treseder

Speaker A: Why are brands still overpaying for ideas that don't travel? In today's algorithmic era, attention is earned, not bought. That's why earned campaigns are 93% more likely to drive major profit gains. At Edelman, we build ideas that earn attention first and use paid media to scale what works. The result is smarter investment, stronger performance, and better business outcomes. Learn more@edelman.com earned one of the things

Speaker B: that I think is so important right now is AI is raising the floor for everyone. But it's really human ingenuity that it's going to vault the ceiling.

Speaker C: Hi, everyone, and welcome to the Marketing Vanguard podcast. Live from Cannes, I'm Jenny Rooney with adweek, and I'm thrilled to be joined by Dara Tresidder. She's the CMO of Autodesk. Dara, welcome.

Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me. It's such a joy to be here.

Speaker C: It's always a pleasure to sit down with you and have a chat. I feel like this is our annual Cannes thing.

Speaker B: I know. It's our thing. It's like our annual meeting, you know, meeting of the minds.

Speaker C: I know. There you go. There you go. Um, but we were just talking about the fact that you've been at Autodesk for four years now.

Speaker B: Yeah, we're coming up. Yeah.

Speaker C: So, like, by the way, four years. Freshman, sophomore, Junior. Senior. Tell me a little bit about what your perspective is on the company. Looking back at the last four years, what have you been able to accomplish? What are you most excited about as you move forward?

Speaker B: So I'm so proud. Coming up on four years here, we have done, I think, an incredible job elevating our design in a category, really building the brand, because so much of the way things are designed and made are done with our software. And that's something that has been true, but it wasn't necessarily a story. We were talking about on, um, the biggest stages. And over the last four years, we've been able to tell our story. And not just our story, but the stories of our customers and the incredible things they've accomplished. So I look back, and I'm proud of it because that has driven a lot of growth for our business.

Speaker C: And by the way, that's your superpower, right? Is sort of. You really are. You did some years at Peloton, for sure, but you have spent time at really major B2B brands, obviously. GE Carbon. You've done some extraordinary things. So this is really in your wheelhouse. Right. The Dara wheelhouse is your expertise in this. As we See here in canon 2026, you know, sort of what's different about the specific, both opportunity but challenge for being a B2B brand right now. And how are you thinking about that as cmo?

Speaker B: I think that it's never been more important for a B2B brand to tell its story and uh, not just follow facts, but follow facts and feelings. I think that for a long time the thinking was, you know, if you're a B2B brand, it means being boring. It means just kind of stating the facts, letting everyone the product specifications. But increasingly B2B buyers care deeply about the impact of what their purchase is going to mean for their business. There's a lot of emotion attached to it. And so the strength of B2B marketing today is that brand to demand. So it's not just following the facts, but following the feeling and making sure that you are building trust with your customers. Trust has never been more important. And the way you build trust is through deliberate actions across the promises you make and the experiences you deliver.

Speaker C: So on the consumer side of course we're talking a lot about and by the way, I don't want to lean too much into that bifurcation of B2B

Speaker B: and B2 cuz it's business to humans

Speaker C: a hundred percent, always.

Speaker B: Even the agents are programmed by humans.

Speaker C: There you go. Exactly. And you're the biggest proponent of that and trying to squash that. However, I do think it's a unique skill set that you uniquely have, but you've always brought, I would argue, a human sort of focus to every brand that you've helmed. Now more than ever though obviously artificial intelligence is changing things so dramatically and I don't want to weigh on that too much. But we hear a lot about AI slop. We hear a lot about certainly on the consumer side just sort of like a hunger and almost a desperation on the part of consumers to feel like they're engaging with brands that are authentic, that really do they really can trust and that they really can frankly I'm

Speaker B: going to say feel yes, 100%.

Speaker C: So how is that reality manifesting for you? And how are you making sure that everything you're doing it maintains that level of authenticity specific to your world.

Speaker B: One of the things that I think is so important right now is AI is raising the floor for everyone. But it's really human ingenuity that is going to vault the ceiling. Human ingenuity. And so what is really important and what I'm focused on is not looking at existing processes and the way we do things today and just layering AI on top of it, but instead thinking about what is the outcome we're trying to achieve and what does a new system look like that allows us to achieve that outcome? Exponentially leveraging humans and AI. And that means knowing when to use AI, but more importantly knowing when not to use AI. So I'll give you an example. There's so much AI slop on social media. So if you're just another brand using social media to do AI, you're going to sound like everybody else. In fact, the funniest thing to me was reading a brand post about AI slop that was AI slop. I mean, you can't make this stuff up. And so it's so important that you're very precise about when not to use AI so that you don't break trust. Because trust is so hard. It's one of those things that is earned in drops but lost in buckets and people will forgive an honest mistake. But if you don't take accountability or uh, worse, they feel like you were trying to deceive them, it's going to be almost impossible to regain that back.

Speaker C: Well, especially with a high price decision like B2B software, the stakes are so much higher.

Speaker B: The stakes are so high. You know, I say all the time, if you're buying toothpaste, okay, you get home, the brand didn't work out. Worst thing, you're going to leave a mean review, okay? But think about if you end up making the wrong software decision, that could mean massive things for your division. Your team could get laid off, it could impact the company's performance. Like there are massive implications. So the purchase decision is so important and building that trust. Trust. I can't overemphasize the importance of trust in this era.

Speaker C: So tell me a little bit about what you are doing as far as, I mean, I know the company's had some organizational shifts, changes. Obviously that's the natural evolution of this era that we're living in. How are you thinking about internally resetting or continually resetting the org for optimal success? Integrating AI tools so that you're working in a capacity that is a true like meld of human ingenuity and the latest technology? Because you also sit at a place where you're creating it, you're sitting at it firsthand. So how do you as a CMO kind of navigate through that to make sure that you're making sure that the right tools are being adopted, even as the creativity and the human ingenuity element pervades?

Speaker B: The first thing is I'm actually a big practitioner myself. So I think that one of the things that's really important as a leader today is to be willing to get deep in it, to roll up your hand. So I'm using the same tools as my like, I'm making sure that if there's a software that we're thinking about bringing on board, I'm in there with the pilot users, I'm in there learning how to use the technology so that I can provide the vision and the strategy. I like it, I like it. And it's funny because I'm constantly with my team and then as they're getting better, I'm getting better. And of course they end up superseding me because that's what they're doing every day. But we're challenging each other and that allows me to ensure that the vision I'm painting allows us to hone our craft. Because at the end of the day, we still have to be tastemakers. The brands that are gonna win, the CMOs that are gonna win in this era, you have to be able to have the discernment and the judgment. And how do you get that if you don't actually have practical hand on use of the technology? So being a practitioner is important and this allows me to then design with accurate thinking because my system design is deep, because I have true understanding. I'm not waiting for somebody to fix my problem. I'm not hiring a consultant to tell me what to do. I have the firsthand knowledge. And then of course investing in our people. Our people much that human ingenuity comes from our people. So I have 100% of my team focused on an AI academy. We're upskilling everybody on our team and it is incredible to see the results that are coming from that. Because I think one of the things that we do now is I don't believe AI is going to replace humans. Actually. I think what AI is going to do is it's going to take away certain tasks that allow humans to focus on other tasks. And so it's important to craft that with a thoughtful strategy.

Speaker C: Okay, so I just finished a conversation. It was a roundtable on the human edge of marketing and it was with cmos. It did come up this concept that as cmos it's incumbent upon you to prepare your people because if they, for whatever reason end up not staying with that company either by choice or not, the very least you can do as a CMO is prepare these folks for how to use AI tools and better themselves so that they're frankly marketable and they can go on to a next opportunity as well. That's a real education piece and that's a real hands on learning piece of how do you think about that responsibility as a CMO for both excelling in your organization, but by the way, just making sure folks are going to be okay in the end in the future. Given how much of a state of flux this industry is in right now,

Speaker D: why are brands still overpaying for ideas that don't? Um, travel earned campaigns are 93% more likely to drive major profit gains. Because in today's algorithmic era, growth is earned, not bought. That's why I left advertising, because I truly believe in the power of ideas that people want to spend time with, not paid to spend time with. At Edelman, we build ideas to earn, um, attention first, then use paid media to scale what works. The result is smarter targeting, stronger performance and measurable business outcomes. Learn more@edelman.com slash earned.

Speaker B: Uh, Jenny, you know, of course you would be the one to bring up this question, which I think is one of the most important questions that is not being talked about enough. What are we doing to prepare the current and next generation for this societal disruption that is happening? So internally we are doing the work, investing in our people, investing in access to technology, training, credentialing, making sure that they're ready for the workforce. But more importantly, we're also doing this for our customers. So actually, today we're announcing a, uh, 300 million commitment to prepare the next generation for AI jobs across design and make industries. This is access, training and credentialing.

Speaker C: And who better than Autodesk to do that?

Speaker B: And who better than Autodesk to do that? So not only are we doing it internally, but we're also doing this for the next generation and the current generation, making sure that that workforce development is happening. Because if not us, then who?

Speaker C: So that's very much a part of you too, Dara. Like you're such a passionate marketer. Your ability to sort of weave business growth with frankly what you personally believe most important has always been a hallmark of your career. How have you managed to balance that though? Because listen, at the end of the day, you only have so much time in the day. You have deliverables that you have to execute on a not even day to day, hour by hour basis. But putting something through like that, I mean, you have to make sure that that's a priority. And you, by the way, you have to sell that up. How have you Managed to do that. What can other people learn from your ability to navigate through your purpose, the company's purpose, but also the profits?

Speaker B: I think that the magic happens when you're sitting and living at the intersection of all three, where your purpose, the company's purpose, and the profit is all coming together. And for me, that's where I get my energy from, because then I know that I'm living out not only the company's mission, but my own personal mission. And that energizes me to push through. Because it's not easy. Change is not easy. And I think when change is happening, it's not that people don't like change, it's that people are afraid it's gonna make things worse. And so one of the things we have to do as leaders is create this space to communicate, communicate, communicate. Just when we get sick of saying it is only when it's starting to be absorbed. And we have to do that communication internally, and we have to do it up, down, sideways, and we have to do it externally as well. This is actually where AI has been helpful in time management because I actually have a lot of, um, I use these AI tools to analyze my calendar. I have a beginning of day briefing and end of day briefing. And then I almost have a little recap with myself, like, how did we do today? And then it learns from my mistakes and it helps me be better. So now I'm optimizing how I spend my time, because time is my most precious resource. And I say all the time, my team don't work for me, I work for them. I work for my team. I work for my company. I'm here to serve. And so making sure that I'm using my time in the best possible way to deliver the best result is of uplift importance and optimizing that. It's interesting because I've learned certain things. So one of the things, like I don't have social media apps on my phone anymore. I've deleted them. I download them when I need to, like, post something and then I delete them. Because it was interesting to me, because I always thought, oh, I'm spending like three minutes on this. And I was like, no, that's 30 minutes. That's 30 minutes I don't have. It's interesting the things you learn, right? There's how you think you're spending your time and there's how you're actually spending your time. And it's been fascinating that AI has been an eye opener for me in terms of how I spend my Time. And it's actually. Not only is it helping me be a better executive and a better leader, but time management is helping me show up better as a mother and a wife and a friend.

Speaker C: Oh, my goodness. I'm gonna have to try that.

Speaker B: Yes. I'm happy to send you my prompts.

Speaker C: M. Thank you. I will follow up with you on that for sure. But I think probably people don't wanna see the results.

Speaker B: I'm gonna tell you, it's scary because all your life you've been thinking one thing. You get those results and they're like, like, girl, this is how, uh, this data, right? And so then you have to then follow the fact and the feeling to get to where you want to go.

Speaker C: Oh, my goodness. Okay. So kind of following on that. Everything with Marketing Vanguard is all about the decision making that CMOs have to make. Fundamentally, every day in, day out, uh, you're at every moment of your career, you're making an important decision. You have options. In the last year, what is one or two decisions that you look back on and you say that was pivotal and why?

Speaker B: So I'm really proud of the decision that we made to become the official design and make platform of the LA28 Olympic Paralympic Games and Team USA and lean into sports marketing. So we're also the official designomic platform of the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots. And it's interesting because this isn't something typically like a B2B brand like ours would do and we weren't doing anything like this before. But. But Jenny, we had earned the right. I like to say our walk track is our talk track. We do the work, then we talk about it. We had earned the right. Our software has been used to design stadiums all around the world. Our software has been used to design and make several Olympic Games, but we had never told the story. And there's so much interest in how things are designed and made. So much interest in the behind the scenes. In fact, I was speaking to someone today who was telling me about how her daughter is so passionate about all of the behind the scenes of the stadiums. There's so much interest in this. And this wasn't something we were leaning into or even talking about or the amount of athletes that are using our software to design to make equipment or prosthetics that they're using in the Games. And so to start to tell that story and to see the massive impact it's not only having on the business and business growth, but it's having on our customers, on the ecosystem has Been incredible. It's exceeded my wildest dreams.

Speaker C: That's awesome. And it's those kinds of big swings that I think is also something you're known for. I love that the company itself is going through kind of some exciting news that just recently came out. Its biggest acquisition in its timeline. Maintain X is the name of the company. Talk a little bit about that and how as a cmo that affects your world, how you think about that navigationally and how you're thinking more strategically around the corporate brand when a company goes through an acquisition like that.

Speaker B: Yeah, so it's very, very, very exciting for us. We are a design and make company and when we think about the full life cycle of design and make operations is a huge piece of that. Owners are increasingly. And so with this acquisition, we are better able to serve our customers and, um, provide them a holistic solution across the entirety of the life cycle. So it's very exciting for us because it's a fulfillment of our category. Also, when we think about how we are helping our customers, we bring data, we bring context, and we bring expertise. And this is an expansion of that, again, to allow us to better deliver outcomes for our customers that they are passionate about. And so, you know, with every acquisition, when we bring them in, first of all, the most important thing is learning. So right now I'm like a sponge, just like learning, getting to meet the team, getting excited, because it's gonna inform the story. It's gonna inform the story and then we figure out what is the best way for us to continue to accelerate the growth that they're already on, while also bringing them into the fold to deliver better value for our customers. So it's an exciting journey.

Speaker C: It's a very exciting time. We'll watch that closely. That'll be fun to see. We're here in Cannes. You've come for many years. First of all, coming out of this, what do you think are going to be some of the headlines of this can? What do you want the headlines for Autodesk to be? And what will a successful can look like to you?

Speaker B: So, you know, for me, the headline for Autodesk, I really wanted to be focused on how we are not only using AI to raise the floor, but we are also helping our customers bring their human ingenuity to vault the ceiling. And we are investing in making sure that we're helping the current and next generation workforce be upskilled. And when I think about what's really important right now, with all of the changes happening in society, I mean, you're seeing layoffs happening, disruption happening, trillionaires be made right. Our society has never had more friction. And I hope that the headlines are about what we as brands are doing to help make sure that we are leaving the world better than we found it, in addition to delivering for our shareholders. Because I think you can do well and you can do good at the same time.

Speaker C: Last quick question. Is AI a, uh, creativity threat? Because again, we're at Cannes, a festival of creativity historically, or do you think it's an enhancement and something that can truly drive not just creative output, but creative thinking?

Speaker B: I think it's an enhancement because I think that what AI is doing is it's creating this floor, like I've said, that we can all operate on. But then it is the human ingenuity that's going to be the differentiator. So actually, if you're a great creative with excellent taste. Taste, and you know how to use AI, you're going to rise because you're going to know when to use AI, uh, and most importantly, you're going to know when not to use AI. And so you are going to just thrive. I think this is the golden era for the creatives who master AI and know when not to use it.

Speaker C: And with that, I just want to thank you for being here. It's always a pleasure, it's always inspirational, and I hope you have a great Cannes Week. I'm just excited that you were able to stop by here and the start of your week.

Speaker B: Thank you. This is such a great start. I love our, uh, like, annual tradition. This was lovely.

Speaker C: I know. I love it. Awesome. Thank you for being here.

Speaker B: Thank you for having me.

Speaker A: Thank you for listening to Marketing Vanguard, part of the Ad Week Podcast Network and Acast Creator Network. You can listen and subscribe to all of Adweek's podcasts by visiting adweek.com podcasts. Stay updated on all things Adweek Podcast Network by following us on Twitter and at Adweek Podcast. And if you have a question or suggestion for the show, send us an email@podcastadweek.com thanks for listening.