...And it probably isn’t coming.
I was chatting with a friend over the weekend about work, AI, and how it’s affecting our jobs, workflows, businesses, everything. We talked about how incredible the technology is, but also how strangely quiet and uneasy the industry feels right now.
Why AI images don’t stick
There’s a strange phenomenon happening in the age of AI-generated imagery.
We’re seeing more images than ever before, beautiful, surreal, highly detailed, and yet most of them vanish the second we scroll past. They don’t stick. They don’t cut deep. They don’t go viral in the way you might expect. Other than a few early hits (thinking Pope in the puffa jacket with mutant hands), most of this synthetic output just… evaporates.
I was asked recently who I’d rate as disruptors or innovators in the Irish spirits space (from a brand and packaging perspective) and it got me thinking...
I work with a lot of founder-led brands, particularly in the Irish spirits space, but also in food, beauty, product and beyond. And there’s a pattern I’ve noticed over time:
Here’s a thought…
While many brands are still racing to the top of the whiskey market, chasing age statements, prestige packaging, and increasingly niche releases, I think maybe the real opportunity right now sits at the bottom.
You can spot them a mile off.
The brands that burst onto the scene with a bold voice, a fresh look, and a sense of knowing exactly who they are. They get noticed. They get talked about. And at first, they’re not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, in fact, they lean into it. They’re disruptors. Originals. Unignorable.
Look perfect, sound insightful, be endlessly productive, inspirational, visionary, and whatever you do, don’t let the mask slip.
‘Personal branding’ is starting to feel a lot like the old beauty magazines.