Observed Signal · Jul 14, 2026 · Partnership · Source: The Drum · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Real-time systems redefine creative marketing
At Cannes Lions, executives from Monks argued that real-time marketing systems — not simply volume-driven generative AI — are reshaping how brands create and optimise creative. Monks leaders (Henry Cowling, Sneha Ghosh, Bonnie Preece) told The Drum that continuous data ingestion, performance learning and tighter integration between creative and data teams produce more relevant, purpose-specific assets. Amazon Ads’ Lauren Anderson framed AI as a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. The article highlights Monks.Flow, which predicts creative performance for algorithmic feeds, and notes Monks’ collaboration with Amazon Web Services and Amazon Ads to build a cloud-based marketing operating system that combines generative creative, infrastructure and precise media delivery. Key organisational challenges remain: breaking silos between data, media and creative, and adopting rigorous testing to convert AI-driven variants into meaningful learning and business outcomes.
Highlights an industry shift toward continuous, data-driven creative optimisation and DCO-style systems; collaboration with AWS and Amazon Ads signals commercialisation of real-time creative operating models, but it's a feature/interview rather than a major platform policy or technical release.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Monks executives Henry Cowling, Sneha Ghosh and Bonnie Preece spoke to The Drum at Cannes Lions about real-time marketing systems.
- Monks.Flow is described as a system that fine-tunes creative for algorithmic ad feeds by connecting data, creative and AI to predict performance.
- Monks is collaborating with Amazon Web Services and Amazon Ads to build a marketing operating system combining cloud infrastructure, generative creative capabilities and precise media delivery.
- Lauren Anderson, US head of Brand Innovation Lab at Amazon Ads, said AI is a tool ("a paintbrush"), not a replacement for creativity.
- Article publication date: 2026-07-14.
Connected Companies & Entities
2 Entities mapped“That thinking was echoed by Lauren Anderson, US head of Brand Innovation Lab at Amazon Ads, when she rejected the idea that AI is replacing ...”
“Through Monks.Flow and its collaboration with Amazon Web Services and Amazon Ads, the company is helping build what it describes as a new ma...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Marketers Now 'Marketing to Algorithms', Says Monks
A sponsored interview on The Drum (June 16, 2026) with Monks leaders Wesley ter Haar and Simon John argues AI is reshaping marketing — from creative production to decision-making — and that the main barrier to transformation is organizational (people, workflows, governance), not the technology itself. Ter Haar and John say many companies remain in a 'post‑pilot' phase of isolated AI tests instead of embedding AI across end‑to‑end workflows. They argue traditional agency operating models are increasingly unfit for an AI‑driven era and describe opportunities for agencies that embrace agility, curiosity and redesigned marketing infrastructure. The piece promotes a longer video conversation about moving beyond pilots, what an agentic marketing ecosystem looks like, and redesigning marketing for AI.
Adobe: AI Redefines Where Creative Value Lies
Adobe marketing leaders Rachel Thornton and Simon Morris told The Drum at Cannes Lions 2026 that AI is not killing creativity but shifting where value is created across marketing. They said AI is reshaping discovery, production, personalization and measurement — for example, marketers must think about brand visibility on new LLM-driven search surfaces. AI is automating repetitive production work and scaling creative variants, enabling creatives to focus on storytelling, strategy and taste. Adobe is using its own marketing organisation as 'customer zero' to test features such as Brand Visibility. Thornton and Morris advised agencies to treat AI as a catalyst for organisational change and skills investment rather than a standalone tool. They cited examples including WPP, Code and Theory, Publicis and Dentsu embedding AI into workflows.
AI Personalization Takes Center Stage at CES 2026
At CES 2026, AI’s role in marketing is moving from theoretical to practical, with major platforms investing in scalable AI optimization tools. Monks executives Chris Wilhelmi and Sneha Ghosh say brands can reinvent legacy data models, measure performance, and target content more effectively using AI at scale. They emphasize that content quality is central to personalization and that agencies are increasingly turning to AI platforms and operating systems to improve results. Monks previously launched Monks.flow at CES 2024, an AI product that uses segmented audience data to automatically generate targeted imagery and social copy. The executives discuss how Monks plans to differentiate its AI-powered offering from competitors and why AI-driven personalization is becoming core to modern marketing strategies.
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