HEINEKEN vs Henkel

LePub's Marie Poumeyrol on Judging Great Advertising

Marie Poumeyrol, global group creative director at LePub Milan and jury president for The Drum Awards' Advertising category, discusses what defines great advertising today. She emphasizes 'culture hacking'—brands authentically weaving themselves into cultural conversations rather than chasing trends. She highlights the importance of reactivity, citing the KitKat heist response as a standout example. Poumeyrol notes 'AI fatigue' among professionals and argues for human creativity first, with AI as a tool. She advocates treating creators as partners, not mere executors. For juries, she looks for work that evokes emotion, raises industry standards, and impacts culture beyond business metrics. She advises entrants to be simple and concise, warning that craft without substance fails. The interview covers industry trends and her judging philosophy ahead of The Drum Awards Festival starting November 30.

• Marie Poumeyrol is global group creative director at LePub Milan and jury president for The Drum Awards' Advertising category.
• She works with clients including Heineken, Bottega Veneta, Desperados, and Diesel.
• Poumeyrol highlights 'culture hacking' and reactivity as key trends in advertising.

Stanley Tucci Skips Commercial Shoot for Birra Moretti Ad

Lucky Generals created a new Birra Moretti commercial that cleverly subverts expectations by showing Stanley Tucci skipping the lavish Tuscan shoot to instead send in candid phone footage of himself enjoying lunch with friends. The ad blends high-production aesthetics with authentic, shareable content, reinforcing the brand's 'Enjoy Life's Simple Pleasures' platform. The campaign spans film, social, PR, creator content, and out-of-home, with Tucci actively living the brand philosophy rather than merely endorsing it. The advertisement highlights the power of authentic brand representation over polished production values.

• Lucky Generals created the latest Birra Moretti commercial.
• Stanley Tucci appears via phone footage instead of attending the shoot.
• The campaign includes film, social, PR, creator content, and out-of-home.

Heineken CMO on Fandom, Experiences and AI

Alison Payne, chief marketing officer at Heineken USA, discusses how the brand balances evolving consumer behaviors with its core purpose of improving social moments. In a Speed of Culture podcast episode with host Matt Britton, Payne explains Heineken’s experiential approach across the consumer journey (before, during and after events), the brand platform 'Fans Have More Friends' that leverages fandom to create social connection, cautious experimentation with AI to accelerate idea generation, and the role of non-alcoholic options (Heineken 0.0) in changing drinking behaviors. She emphasizes strategic discipline — saying no to distractions — and protecting creative work inside complex organizations.

• Alison Payne is the chief marketing officer at Heineken USA.
• Heineken’s marketing platform 'Fans Have More Friends' is designed to use fandom to create social connection.
• Heineken experiments with AI to accelerate creative ideation and testing while avoiding manufacturing inauthentic human moments.

Henkel celebrates 150 years with employees around the world

Henkel marks its 150th anniversary on September 26, 2026. Anniversary events for employees take place around the world. Around 18,000 guests expected at an employee festival at the headquarters in Germany. Additional day of vacation for all employees and attractive benefits through Henkel’s employee share program. Henkel expands its global “Researchers’ World” education initiative and plans additional STEM learning opportunities.

AI Helps Henkel Manage Creator Commerce at Scale

During a Brandweek 2026 panel co-hosted with TikTok, marketing leaders from Henkel and Boost Engine discussed how AI and agentic workflows are helping brands manage creator-led commerce at scale. Henkel's Pravana brand generated around 60,000 pieces of content this year, far exceeding traditional production volumes. Boost Engine uses AI for creator discovery, content analysis, and compliance review, augmenting human capabilities. Henkel is exploring TikTok-first launches and seeing success with TikTok Shop, which also appears to drive incremental sales across other channels. The panel highlighted a shift from manual reporting to strategic decision-making, as AI automates repetitive tasks.

• Henkel's Pravana brand generated ~60,000 content pieces this year vs 300-400 traditionally.
• Boost Engine uses AI and agentic workflows for creator discovery, outreach, and compliance.
• Henkel is exploring TikTok-first launches for new products.

Henkel showcases solutions at ALUMINIUM 2026 and SICAM

Henkel Adhesive Technologies will showcase resource-efficient pretreatment and finishing solutions at ALUMINIUM 2026, and new adhesive solutions for furniture and component manufacturers at SICAM.