Podcast Summary: Let's Talk Branding — Buckle Up Briefing #9: The Future of Branding Keynote

Host: Stef Hamerlinck
Date: November 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this exclusive keynote screening, Stef Hamerlinck explores the rapidly evolving landscape of branding in the age of generative AI. With his signature “no BS” clarity and wit, Stef paints two contrasting futures for brands: one dominated by mindless, AI-driven content (“slop”) and the other illuminated by creative, “cooking” brands that use AI to delight and engage authentically. He discusses practical case studies, offers actionable advice, and challenges brands to future-proof themselves by being unmistakable, entertaining, and playable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Two Futures of Branding

• Dystopian “Slop” Future:

  • Brands churn out indistinguishable, generic content—a “sea of sameness.”
  • Only 15% of brands are viewed as distinctive by consumers ([02:08] A).
  • The rise of “slop”—AI-generated clickbait that lacks human touch and creativity.

    “Everything just feels similar... only 15% of brands are truly distinctive.”
    — Stef Hamerlinck ([02:08])

• Optimistic “Cooking” Future:

  • Brands become living, breathing entities combining human creativity and generative AI.
  • AI is a tool, not a crutch—enhancing creativity rather than replacing it.

2. Understanding ‘Slop’ and Its Dangers

• Definition:

  • “Slop” is content designed purely for engagement—clickbait, absurd, lacking human input, and based on rehashed IP or memes.

• Current Trends:

  • Over half of web traffic is bots; 40% of video content is estimated to be AI-generated.
  • “Model collapse” occurs when AI trains on other AI, degrading content quality and originality.

• Environmental and Ethical Issues:

  • Toxic AI training practices, environmental impact, and the erasure of original artistry.

  “All these toxic ingredients lead to a cocktail and a sort of tipping point called the sloppening.”
  — Stef Hamerlinck ([04:59])

3. Case Study: Allen’s Brand World

• Allen uses generative AI to extend and reinforce its mascot-driven identity, keeping brand objectives and human touch at the core.

• Example: A recent Allen ad featured authentic storytelling, heavy human creative input, and a strong, cohesive brand world.

  “No, we actually put in a lot of effort thinking about the story, crafting it, designing it and so on.”
  — Stef Hamerlinck ([09:00])

• Slop Fit Check:

  • Not just clickbait, driven by human input, and rooted in Allen’s unique aesthetic.
  • Acknowledges environmental/ethical concerns, encourages industry responsibility.

4. Navigating Audience Skepticism toward AI Content

• Online backlash against AI-generated ads is mostly driven by awareness; when viewers don’t know an ad is AI, they often respond positively.

• Example: Coca-Cola’s AI-generated holiday ad sparked controversy, but scored extremely well in consumer testing.

  “Normal people watching this ad just love it... it really shows that when people see AI content and it’s made like with high quality... most people are just like, ‘That’s kind of cool,’ and that’s it.”
  — Stef Hamerlinck ([13:18])

• The "uncanny valley" remains a barrier for hyperrealistic AI-generated humans.

5. Three Approaches for Brands Using AI

• 1. Be Upfront:

  • Make AI part of the message—transparency can build curiosity or acceptance.

    [14:35] Sample ad: “Don’t worry. This is an AI-generated video about a group of friends on a night out... Real life can’t be regenerated.”

• 2. Embrace the Weird:

  • Lean into AI’s quirks and imperfections, using them to tell unique, compelling stories.
  • Example: The work of P.G. aseturo and other creators who intentionally highlight the oddities of the AI medium.

• 3. Circumvent the Uncanny:

  • Use animals, surreal art styles, stop-motion, or highly stylized effects to sidestep uncanny realism, creating memorable brand worlds.

  “This helps you tell a story without people being overly focused on, like, the ‘humans are not real’ discussions...”
  — Stef Hamerlinck ([18:39])

6. AI as a Creative Superpower, Not a Replacement

• AI makes prototyping and idea pitching faster.

• Increasingly powerful creative controls (annotation, style transfer) let creators move from rough sketch to mockup at unprecedented speed—but final products still require human craftsmanship.

• The best brands continue to invest in handcraft (ex: McDonald’s recent handcrafted ad), while AI democratizes creativity for smaller brands.

  “The real power is still human creativity.”
  — Stef Hamerlinck ([20:36])

Core Rules of Future-Proof Branding

Rule 1: Be Unmistakably You

• Iconic assets make a brand ‘AI-promptable’ and instantly recognizable.
• Most memorable brand assets are not logos—it's characters, jingles, and sonic cues (“living, talking, singing assets”).

  “If we look at the data, the most recognizable assets is not your logo... it's actually characters, it's jingles and it's sonic devices...”
  — Stef Hamerlinck ([22:54])

Rule 2: Be Highly Entertaining

• Showmanship and creative entertainment are declining—brands must regain these skills for long-term growth.

• Framework for standout creative:

  • Shock and grab attention
  • Build intrigue
  • Provide payoff/resolution
    (“F*ck, What, Cool” framework)

• Generative AI enables more people to experiment with showmanship.

  “If you do that properly, you get more bang for your buck. And let’s face it, it's a very hard environment out there.”
  — Stef Hamerlinck ([25:46])

Rule 3: Be Playable

• Embrace the remix era—fans want to interact, remix, and play in brand worlds (not just passively observe).

• Most traditional IP brands resist fan remixing (“Ghiblification”), but smart brands create sandboxes for co-creation (ex: Doodles, Allen's “healthy wishes” postcards).

• The next era is “distributed brand era”—brands become open, participatory, and interactive.

  “Fans want to play with it, want to engage with it, don't just want to be a passive observer. And so I think this is a bit of an interesting playbook...”
  — Stef Hamerlinck ([30:42])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Are we cooked or are we cooking?” (Final call-to-action; [37:22])
• Marcel, the brand mascot, makes disruptive (and self-aware) cameos:

  “Sorry, sorry, Marcel. Marcel, stop. It’s okay, it’s okay... As I warned you, Marcel can get a little bit weird and he loves some good old slop.” ([07:21])

• Real-world applications: From Allen’s mascot to Microsoft's Micro Assistant—brands are embracing “living, breathing” interfaces.
• Campaign metrics: 27,000+ user-created postcards in Allen campaign ([33:37]).

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00] – Introduction & Stef’s background
• [02:08] – The “sea of sameness” and only 15% of brands being distinctive
• [05:00] – Defining “Slop” and contemporary content malaise
• [09:00] – Allen’s AI-powered brand ad example (“Slop Fit Check”)
• [13:18] – The reality of audience pushback and Coca-Cola’s AI ad
• [14:35] – Approach #1: Be upfront about AI (“Don’t worry. This is an AI-generated video...”)
• [16:29] – Approach #2: Embrace AI weirdness (examples, P.G. aseturo)
• [18:39] – Approach #3: Style and circumventing uncanny valley
• [20:36] – Creative controls, prototyping, and the enduring importance of craft
• [22:54] – Rule #1: Brand assets beyond the logo (Heinz/DALL·E example)
• [25:46] – Rule #2: Showmanship, entertainment, the attention crisis, and creative frameworks
• [30:42] – Rule #3: Making brands “playable,” fan sandboxes, and the remix era
• [33:37] – Allen’s interactive user campaign (healthy wishes postcards)
• [37:22] – Final recap & concluding “Are we cooked or are we cooking?”

Conclusion

Stef Hamerlinck’s “The Future of Branding” keynote is a dynamic, insight-packed journey through branding’s possible futures. It’s a wake-up call for marketers and brand builders to avoid the “slop” trap of generic AI content and instead harness generative tech to build iconic, entertaining, and participatory brand worlds.

Final words:
“Are we cooked or are we cooking?”

For more, explore Stef’s newsletter at letstalkbranding.substack.com.