The Good Comms Edit - Issue #19 - 20.07.26

A Monday briefing on the biggest shifts in PR, marketing and brand storytelling.

If last year was about discovering what AI could do, this year feels like it's becoming about discovering what only humans can do.

That might sound strange given the pace of AI development, but this week's stories all point towards the same conclusion ... that the competitive advantage is shifting again, Not necessarily towards better tools, we all have access to them, but towards better judgement.

1. AI isn't replacing creators - it's changing what audiences value

Adobe's latest Creators' Toolkit Report, based on more than 16,000 creators worldwide, found that 87% say AI is helping grow their business or audience, and 75% now describe AI as an essential part of their workflow, but perhaps the most interesting finding wasn't about adoption at all.

85% of creators said the final creative decision should always remain human.

Why it matters

We've spent the past two years asking whether AI will replace creativity but creators seem to be asking a new question ... "What makes my work unmistakably mine?"

As AI becomes commonplace, originality, judgement and taste become more, not less, valuable.

What I'd be thinking about

Could somebody remove your logo from your content and still recognise it came from your organisation? If not, your biggest opportunity probably isn't in producing more, it's becoming more distinctive.

2. The creator economy has entered its next chapter

One of the biggest conversations continuing after Cannes isn't about influencers per se but rather, i's about creator businesses.

Talent agencies and brands are increasingly treating creators as long-term business partners - building products, companies and intellectual property together rather than simply buying sponsored posts.

Why it matters

This marks a move away from, "Who can promote our product?" to "Who can help us build something people genuinely care about?"

The strongest partnerships are becoming far less transactional and much more collaborative.

What I'd be thinking about

If you're working with creators, are you commissioning content or are you inviting them to shape the story itself? Those are two very different relationships.

3. World Cup campaigns evolved this year

One of my favourite communications stories this week wasn't from FIFA, or even one of its official partners, it came from the brands finding clever ways to become part of the conversation without paying for official sponsorship.

Take Levi's as an example ... Because Levi's Stadium is hosting World Cup matches but Levi's isn't an official FIFA sponsor, tournament rules meant its famous stadium branding had to be covered with large white tarps. Rather than seeing that as a setback, Levi's embraced it, changing its Instagram profile picture to the covered-up logo and even extending the idea into store displays around the world ... the attempted concealment became the campaign itself.

Then there was the wonderfully playful exchange between Norwegian Air Shuttle and British Airways. Ahead of England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway, the two airlines agreed that whichever country's team lost would temporarily swap its Instagram logo for the other's. When England won, Norwegian followed through, changing its profile picture to British Airways' branding for a day. What began as a light-hearted social media bet generated global coverage and drew other airlines into the conversation too.

Why it matters

The brands generating attention weren't necessarily the ones with the biggest sponsorship budgets, they were the ones with the quickest thinking.

For years, ambush marketing was often about finding legal loopholes around sponsorship rights but today's best versions are much more playful and are built around participation, humour and cultural timing rather than confrontation. The result? Brands become part of the story rather than interrupting it.

What I'd be thinking about

You don't have to own the event to earn attention around it. Ask yourself, Where are your audience's conversations already happening? because often, the smartest communications strategy isn't creating a moment, it's recognising one and joining it in a way that feels natural, timely and unmistakably on-brand.

The Pattern

The advantage no longer lies simply in having access to the tools, platforms or moments everyone else can access, it lies in knowing what to do with them.

AI is becoming widely available, creators are becoming established business partners and major cultural events are surrounded by brands competing for attention.

In each case, access is becoming less distinctive and instead, judgement is becoming more valuable. The organisations standing out are the ones able to recognise the opportunity, find an angle that belongs to them and contribute something the audience actually wants. Not more content, better participation.

Karen's Take

The phrase I’ve found myself coming back to this week is ... You don’t have to own the moment to earn a place in it.

You don’t need to be the official sponsor or have the biggest audience and you certainly don’t need to use every new tool simply because it exists, but you do need to understand the conversation well enough to know where your brand can add something.

That might be a distinctive point of view, a creator with genuine cultural authority, or one beautifully judged response to something already happening.

Good communication has never really been about occupying the most space, it’s about earning relevance within it.

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About Everything & Nothing

Everything & Nothing is a PR, marketing and communications studio working with organisations, artists and brands who care deeply about how they show up in the world.

We help people find the signal in the noise shaping clear, credible stories that build trust over time. Our work sits at the intersection of strategy and storytelling, combining sharp thinking with calm execution, and a belief that good communication should feel human, considered and purposeful.

We’re interested in work that lasts, not just what lands loudly, but what lands well.

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