This first photo is me sitting on The Edge NYC, 1,100 feet above Manhattan, on t
By Ethelbertwilliams · October 14, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
This first photo is me sitting on The Edge NYC, 1,100 feet above Manhattan, on the 100th floor of Hudson Yards.
A fitting perspective on the AI transformation unfolding across our industry.
As enterprise leaders, we need to see the entire landscape from 1,100 feet up, but also know how to come back down to earth and execute in the trenches.
That’s the challenge heading into 2027. AI is moving fast, but translating its potential into sustainable growth requires more than vision. It demands connecting strategy, people, technology and execution across the enterprise.
That was at the heart of our conversation last Friday as we wrapped up Advertising Week New York, joining Pete Blackshaw and Doug Chavez on a panel hosted by BCG and The Athena Project’s Drew Ianni, Matthew Quint and Rishad Tobaccowala.
The room was full of industry executives, longtime friends, new connections and leaders challenging one another to think bigger about what’s next.
Amazon is bringing agentic AI deeper into advertising and commerce. OpenAI is reshaping how brands engage consumers through conversational experiences. Mastercard is building infrastructure for AI-enabled discovery and transactions.
The answer is becoming the storefront. But is the enterprise ready?
I shared perspectives from building brands, leading commercial P&Ls and transforming digital commerce across consumer health, beauty, food and beverage, alongside lessons from my board and advisory work.
Brand building matters more than ever. As consumers delegate decisions to AI, distinctiveness and trust become powerful defenses against substitution.
Product intelligence is growth infrastructure. Ingredients, claims, reviews, certifications and availability increasingly influence whether AI understands and recommends a brand.
Recommendation Share deserves a seat alongside Share of Search. It’s not just whether your brand appears, but why it’s recommended and whether that recommendation creates incremental demand.
The hardest transformation is organizational. Technology is connecting brand, media, commerce and customer experience faster than most enterprises are connecting their teams, budgets and accountability.
Across my operating and advisory experiences, one lesson continues to resonate—Technology creates possibilities. People, leadership and organizational design turn those possibilities into growth.
That’s where I’m focused heading into 2027. Helping leaders connect the 1,100-foot view with the decisions, capabilities and execution required on the ground.
Grateful to BCG, Drew, Matthew, Rishad, Pete, Doug and The Athena Project team for bringing us together. And equally grateful for the friends, colleagues and new connections who made the program so energizing.
#AdvertisingWeek #AgenticCommerce #AI #AthenaSalon