Sam Kelly, Chief Experience Officer at the Virgin Group, opened MAD//Fest with a message that felt both relevant and inspiring. In an industry currently obsessed with AI, optimisation + efficiency, perhaps the biggest opportunity ahead is simply to be more human.

“2026 is actually one of the most exciting times for us to be human again, precisely because AI can do so much of our routine. Human creativity, empathy, and also connection has become that scarce resource, and that's exciting because the brands that win next won't be the most automated brands. They'll be the most human brands!”

Kelly argued that we have become “really, really busy” and forgotten one of the most valuable things marketers need: the ability to dream.

He traced this back to the pandemic, when remote working and back-to-back video calls made us more efficient but also more exhausted. Seven years on, he believes we have carried that mentality into the AI era. “Efficiency is becoming confused with meaning,” he said, warning that AI could simply give us more ways to fill every spare moment with work.

Psychologists call the creative process that happens when we walk, shower or stare out of a window “incubation”. His message was simple: “Use that time for more humanity.” Let AI handle the reporting, formatting and first drafts, and use the time it gives us back to think, imagine and make connections.

That idea extends into how brands create experiences. Kelly believes the old view that a brand is defined by what it says has changed. “Our brand is in our message. It’s their memory,” he argued. The experience a customer has, rather than the message a brand broadcasts, is what ultimately gets remembered.

This is where efficiency can become dangerous, he argued. Kelly described walking into a social media company where three people sat behind a reception desk, but visitors were instructed to sign in on an iPad. The process was operationally perfect, he said, “but emotionally dead.”

His alternative is not to reject technology, but to be more thoughtful about where it belongs. “Machines should only do what machines do well, and people should do what only people can do.”

In a world where brands can automate more interactions than ever, the moments that feel genuinely human become more valuable, not less. And in a world littered with automation those moments instantly become more meaningful and memorable. 

Kelly summed up Virgin’s philosophy in six words: “Be the reason someone smiles today.”

It’s a simple yet lovely idea, but perhaps a useful challenge for every brand is don’t just ask how you can reach people or convert them. Ask how you can move them, because emotion creates memory, and memory creates loyalty.

All sessions are now on our YouTube channel. Great to watch whilst you’re on the beach, on the train, or at work!  And over the course of the summer and next few months, we'll be summarising and highlighting several of the standout keynotes, so you can have a weekly dose of marketing inspiration!