Marie Stafford

2 months ago | vml.com | Marie Stafford

Amid tumultuous change, we're holding on to what makes us human. The world converged on Austin last week for the SXSW Festival, an annual celebration of human creativity and of getting in line. And with plenty of big-name speakers in town for the conference (hello, Michelle Obama!) those lines required some commitment. With so much political turmoil, we might have expected some provocation, but most speakers opted to sidestep the drama.

2 months ago | vml.com | Marie Stafford

Five of the best from this year's Festival While it was not a standout year for brand activations at SXSW, a select few pulled out the stops and captured the crowds. Dubai’s Museum of the Future consistently drew lines to its popup blending Middle Eastern art, culture, thought leadership and hospitality. But fewer big spenders made room for smaller or local brands to shine. Here’s our round-up of activations worthy of a shout-out this year. 1.

Jul 11, 2024 | vml.com | Marie Stafford

Luxury brands and retailers put on a show with VR. A new multisensory VR cinema experience has launched, promising luxury brands and retailers an innovative way to deepen consumer engagement through immersive and spectacular storytelling. xydrobe at Harrods is a multi-person VR experience for luxury retail, drawing shoppers inside the creative world of a brand via multisensory storytelling.

Jul 2, 2024 | vml.com | Nina Jones |Marie Stafford |Kyle Chaka |Orlando Wood

AI disrupts, but humanity, heart and humor shine through. As the sun sets on another year of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and the clinking of rose glasses becomes a distant memory, VML Intelligence reflects on the key trends and takeaways emerging from a week of talks.

Feb 13, 2024 | thegrocer.co.uk | Marie Stafford

If there’s one word that will sum up 2024, it might be “human-centric”. Even in an era of ubiquitous technology, people are craving connection and community at scale as they seek a more intentional pace of life. This is being brought to life by a number of distinct emerging behaviours, and driven by innovations that are helping us pursue a better quality of life. For brands, this signals a change in the way in which they can and should connect with their customers.