I took this and asked ChatGPT-4 to develop four scenarios for the worlds of business, arts, sports, and culture in 2030 that were formulated by a think tank that included Brian Eno, David Beckham, LeBron James, Graydon Carter, Elizabeth Kolbert, and others.
These scenarios formed the basis for building out two 2030 "Days in the Lives of CMOs" - one for McDonald's and one for Waymo.
These marketers inhabit a very different world from today, a world where every marketing piece needs to be verified because there are so many spoofs, which means trust and traceability are key. They run and manage hybrid teams where AI handles the scale and speed, but human inputs ensure tone, context, and emotional authenticity. CMOs operate on a level of high alert; they run war rooms, simulate crises, and turn micro-metrics into compelling narratives. This is how brands survive in a volatile world, where speed, transparency, and precision storytelling are mandatory.
What follows are some of the highlights of the days of the lives of two CMOs in 2030.
A Day in 2030 — Lena Rodriguez, Chief Brand & Menu Officer, McDonald’s USA & Canada
Lena's morning includes an LLM tuning session.
At lunchtime, there's a ride-along (remote camera in a Chicago kitchen). She notes human crew still hand-salting fries—keeps the "Made by People" narrative alive. These all-important imperfect human touches signal authenticity among fully robotic fast-food rivals.
Lena closes out her day with a note to her franchise partners telling them that audible-sizzle ads, which are 30-second ASMR of sizzling fries, are going into test, and she asks for feedback prior to testing. She also mentions that the ad will be watermarked to defend against audio deepfakes. Sound-only ads have proved to be a good way to cut through screen fatigue.
A Day in 2030: Samira Patel, Global Head of Brand Marketing, Waymo (Alphabet)
Wakes up to see a hologram that displays safety data.
Afternoon
Provenance Logging = The coffee equivalent of a "black box" in aviation—every variable that might impact the experience is tracked and can be reviewed.
3 pm- Team picks up a new user-generated video supposedly touting a new Waymo feature. CMO responds with a message that contains a laughing emoji and a link with details on Waymo’s “Ride and Vibe” playlist feature.
Samira closes out her day with a rehearsal for her presentation at the "Urban Mobility Summit," where she will talk about the brand's 10-year-zero-fatality vision and wins for the community thanks to noise reduction and reclaimed parking spaces.
The presentation is co-written by an AI, but Samira adds a personal anecdote about her grandmother finally trusting robo-rides.