No Algorithm for Emotion: Why Human Touch Still Wins in Global Marketing

“You drive, AI rides shotgun.” Of all the things I expected at Cannes, a reminder to stay human wasn’t one of them, but that’s exactly what Apple led with.

Tor Myhren, Apple’s VP of Marketing, didn’t focus on flashy tech or product specs. He talked about emotion. About intention. About why some ideas land and others don’t.

What struck me most wasn’t the talk of data or tech. It was the reminder that at the heart of it all behind every campaign, product, or viral ad is a human trying to connect with another human.

It made me rethink the role of marketing in a world drowning in automation. Did you know AirPods are now tuned to be clinical-grade hearing aids? He didn't talk about this as a product upgrade flex, but as a step toward democratizing access to human health. That felt huge. It’s not about selling more, it's about listening better. Literally.

Then came the demo. An immersive video, so detailed it didn’t feel like a simulation. It felt intimate. Emotional. And that’s what great marketing should do right? make you feel. Cry. Laugh. Remember.

We’d actually discussed one of the ads he showed - Privacy on iphone; in class at NYU a few weeks ago. Seeing it again at Cannes, it felt good to already be familiar with it, to have broken it down before seeing it in this context.

In a world where AI can write headlines and algorithms chase engagement, what still moves people isn’t code it’s care. The extreme attention to detail, the restraint, the decision to not overexplain. That’s human touch. That’s where brands like Apple, still lead: they don’t just sell; they craft desire. And there’s nothing robotic about that.

As someone who’s worked with my hands - illustrating, designing, stitching; I know what it means to leave a piece of yourself in your work. Marketing, at its best, does the same.

At Cannes, I expected tech. I didn’t expect to be reminded that the most powerful tool in global marketing… is still the human heart.