NEW YORK – As marketers grapple with a fractured digital landscape and rising consumer skepticism, John Kahn, chief transformation officer at Publicis Groupe’s Digitas North America, said the key to long-term relevance isn’t just better targeting or AI-generated content. It’s authenticity.
“Digitas is helping advertisers maintain trust and build meaningful connection across platforms,” Kahn said in this interview with Lisa Granatstein, editorial director of Beet.TV. “Really, it starts with the brand truth.”
From truth to trust
The first step in any effective brand strategy is internal clarity, Kahn said.
“Once we’re able to establish what a brand stands for authentically in the minds of consumers, we’re then able to help brands make the right kind of choices in bringing that to life in a relevant way,” he said.
That relevance increasingly hinges on partnerships: both in terms of media placements and technology providers.
“We want to be showing up with partners and in places where consumers are already finding value,” he said. “It’s about choosing the right partnerships that are going to authentically bring that brand truth to life.”
Data that does more
For marketers looking to gain actionable insights without compromising trust or compliance, Kahn sees significant promise in responsibly sourced data.
“The lowest hanging fruit comes down to identifying trusted data sources that are compliant, but also give real insight into different consumer groups,” he said.
Once that data foundation is in place, Digitas employs advanced tools – including AI and synthetic modeling – to accelerate insights.
“We’re able to use technology to synthesize that data and elevate it in an accelerated way,” Kahn said, pointing to tools like synthetic audiences, chatbots and intelligent agents as new frontiers in consumer connection.
But ethical standards remain central, he said.
“The ability to query proprietary data that is going to reveal something about the consumer that’s inherently relevant to a brand,” Kahn said. “That’s a very helpful use of AI, i.e., brand safe, if the data has been responsibly garnered.”
Retail media’s next phase
One of the most exciting developments, Kahn said, is in the evolution of retail media, especially in generating content at scale for audiences most likely to purchase.
“What I’m really excited about is the ability to generate content at scale that is designed for high-propensity audiences,” he said. “The ability to disseminate content that is already informed by true purchase signals and deliver those on-site and off-site from a retail perspective – I think is really exciting.”
A future rooted in integrity
For Kahn, the transformation of media and marketing doesn’t hinge solely on tech. It rests on authenticity, trusted data and smart partnerships.
In his words, “It’s about helping brands show up in ways that feel real, relevant and responsible wherever their consumers are.”
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