Cannes Lions’ battle of the brands: Starbucks’ stumble, World Cup ads, and more
Every year at Cannes Lions, the advertising world takes stock of itself — what's working, what's not, and what it's pretending not to notice. Autodesk CMO Dara Treseder joins Rapid Response live from the festival to cut through the noise. She breaks down the industry's complicated relationship with AI, weighs in on the hottest and most overrated campaigns of the year including sharp takes on Nike, Adidas, and Starbucks, and explains why the path from CMO to CEO is suddenly the most interesting career move in business. Treseder also gets candid about the brand of Elon Musk post-IPO, what Autodesk's $350 million investment in the next generation of workers actually signals, and what separates a brand collaboration that breaks through from one that just breaks.
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Super Bowl ads, Bad Bunny, and the business of cultural risk, with Autodesk’s Dara Treseder
The Super Bowl LX ad blitz was a big budget highwire act — from Anthropic's shot at OpenAI to Lady Gaga's homage to Mr Rogers, and Dunkin's nostalgia-fueled celeb fest. Autodesk CMO Dara Treseder returns to Rapid Response to break down what worked, what didn’t, and what the ads reveal about where marketing is headed next. Treseder unpacks the business impact of Bad Bunny’s halftime show, what it signals for the NFL and Apple, and the lessons every leader can take from the biggest stage in advertising.
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Branding truths and tariff myths, with Autodesk’s Dara Treseder & Flexport’s Ryan Petersen
In a special episode of Rapid Response, we feature two fast-paced, lively conversations from Masters of Scale Summit in San Francisco. Autodesk CMO Dara Treseder breaks down branding and marketing lessons from the most high-profile campaigns of 2025. Treseder shares her unvarnished read on Sydney Sweeney, Cracker Barrel, Taylor Swift, and more. In the second half of the episode, Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen assesses the five biggest myths around trade and tariffs today, advises about avoiding jail, and what he calls "dumb competition."
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Reimagining urban infrastructure with AI and Autodesk
Today on Equity, we’re taking you to Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest, where Rebecca Bellan caught up with Dara Treseder, Chief Marketing Officer at Autodesk, and Mayor Matt Mahan of San Jose, to discuss how technology is transforming urban spaces and building the cities of the future.
The panel dug into how cities today are using AI to improve traffic and safety, why digital twins can help make cities more resilient to climate disasters, and how cities can integrate data centers into the fabric of their urban landscapes, among other topics. It’s a timely discussion, especially in the wake of Autodesk laying off roughly 1350 workers—about 9% of their staff—following a restructuring to focus on cloud and AI initiatives.
Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
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Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. We’d also like to thank TechCrunch’s audience development team. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you next time.
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From Nike to Bud Light to Tubi: Lessons from the Super Bowl 2025 ads, with Autodesk's Dara Treseder
Super Bowl LIX had a clear winner on the field, but victory for brands was more hard-won. Sure, plenty of ad spots were star-studded, from Seal to David Beckham to Ben and Casey Affleck, but to what end? Many aimed for impact, but did they deliver? Autodesk CMO Dara Treseder offers hot takes on this year’s hits and misses from the big game’s ads. She joins host Bob Safian to break down what makes an NBDB (never been done before) moment, why so many brands adopted a “safe” approach, and what trends business leaders should note going forward.
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Rapid Response: Super Bowl ads (Lessons from Beyoncé, J. Lo and Taylor)
The on-field Super Bowl went down to the wire, but the TV ads battle was a rout. That’s what one of the ad world’s most influential leaders, Autodesk chief marketing officer Dara Treseder, tells Rapid Response host Bob Safian, arguing that when brands spend $7 million for a 30-second slot, it’s winner-take-all. She also explains how the Super Bowl sets the tone for the year ahead in marketing, and outlines why three metrics — being memorable, ownable, and relevant — matter most in delivering a positive return on marketing. So… was the winner Bud Light, BMW, Doordash, Verizon, or someone else? Listen in!
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