CINCINNATI, OH – September 26, 2025 — Brian McHale, CEO and Owner of Brandience, joined a powerhouse panel at the AMA Cincinnati IGNITE! Customer Experience Conference to explore how brands can stay real in an increasingly automated world. The panel, titled “Authenticity & Automation: Vibing with Consumers Online and Off,” was part of the B2C breakout track and focused on how brands can maintain emotional resonance while leveraging AI and automation.

McHale was joined by Shannel Heath (VP, Community Engagement at Chase Bank) and Valerie Jacobs (Founder of Valerie Jacobs Futures), with moderation by Tom Jones of TheWholeJonesGroup. Together, they tackled the tension between machine-generated content and human connection offering insights on how brands can “vibe” with audiences in meaningful ways.

Brian shared how Brandience uses AI to analyze hyper-local community values and scale creative content that resonates emotionally, not just visually. “AI helps us move brands from being seen to being felt,” he said, emphasizing that automation should be a collaborator not a creator. He also warned of the risks of over-automation, advocating for human oversight to preserve brand voice and integrity.

Other key takeaways from the panel included:‍

• Human Signals Still Win: In a sea of machine-generated content, authenticity stands out. Vulnerability, imperfection, and conviction are the human cues that build trust and AI can’t fake those.
• Trend vs. Counter-Trend: While AI drives digital automation, consumers are simultaneously gravitating toward intimate, analog experiences (think vinyl listening rooms and speakeasies). The winning CX strategy? Embrace both. Brands must balance scalable tech with real-world connection to stay culturally relevant.
• Automation with Oversight: AI should be a collaborator, not the content creator. Brian emphasized the importance of human review to ensure brand voice, tone, and emotional nuance stay intact.
• Bias is a Real Risk: AI learns from what it’s fed. Brian stressed the need for intentional prompting and continuous listening to avoid echo chambers and ensure inclusive, real-world relevance.

IGNITE’s theme, “CX Gets Real – Vibe Marketing in the AI Era,” aligned seamlessly with Brandience’s belief that the future of customer experience lies at the intersection of data and humanity. As Brian McHale puts it,

"Gen AI has the power to enhance our capabilities as individuals, professionals, and as an organization, provided we maintain a responsible, human-centered approach."

That philosophy echoed throughout the panel, where the conversation made clear: the most impactful CX strategies, even when tech is used, are authentic, intentional, and deeply human.

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