Agencies & Marketing — Why Big Brands' Return to Craft and Context Signals a Market Correction in Marketing Strategy

Agencies & Marketing · 2026-03-19

OPENING This week's marketing moves by major brands reveal a fascinating countertrend to the AI-everything narrative dominating industry discussions. While artificial intelligence reshapes marketing workflows, global giants like Kraft Heinz, Patrón, and Coca-Cola are doubling down on deeply human, contextual marketing plays that speak to craft, culture, and authentic consumer connections.

The convergence of these seemingly contradictory forces – automation at scale and return to craft – isn't accidental. It reflects a maturing understanding of how to balance technology's efficiency with marketing's essential human elements. Take Patrón's innovative partnership with Guillermo del Toro, marking the acclaimed director's first foray into TV commercial direction. This isn't just another celebrity collaboration; it's a masterclass in aligning brand craft with creative craft, understanding that premium spirits marketing requires the same attention to detail as premium filmmaking.

Meanwhile, Kraft Heinz's new NFL partnership arrives at a crucial moment as the company reconsiders its structural strategy. This isn't merely a sports marketing play – it's a bid to reconnect with American cultural touchstones at a time when brand trust and familiarity carry increasing premium. The five-year commitment signals confidence that long-term brand building still matters, even in our short-attention-span economy.

Perhaps most telling is Coca-Cola's approach to the World Cup, embracing what they call "de-averaging at scale." This perfectly encapsulates the industry's current challenge: how to maintain mass-market reach while delivering increasingly personalized experiences. It's a strategy that acknowledges both the power of global platforms and the necessity of local relevance.

The emergence of new marketing infrastructure and AI agents, as highlighted in recent coverage, isn't at odds with these human-centric approaches – it's enabling them. By automating the mundane, these tools are theoretically freeing up resources for more meaningful brand building. However, the real story is how brands are choosing to invest that freed-up bandwidth: not in more automation, but in deeper cultural connections.

WHAT TO WATCH Keep an eye on how other major brands respond to this balancing act between automation and authenticity. The next month should reveal whether this week's moves represent isolated cases or the beginning of a larger market correction. The brands that will win aren't those that simply deploy the most advanced AI tools, but those that best understand how to use technology to amplify human creativity and cultural relevance. The real innovation may not be in the tools themselves, but in how we use them to make space for more meaningful marketing moments.