In 1956 Chevrolet spent $3m on a musical

In 1956 Chevrolet spent $3m on a musical.

For most of the last century, when a company had something to say, it hired composers, choreographers and actors. Then budgets got tight, video got cheap, and marketing turned into something that was cheap and forgettable but measurable.

Ramp,a fintech company, is trying to change that. They just put on a Broadway musical about accounts payable. One night only, with a full cast and orchestra at the Broadhurst.

Eric Glyman, Ramps co-founder, summed it up well: 'In the 1950s and 60s, Americas biggest companies staged lavish musicals about cars, appliances, and soda. Somewhere along the way, we lost our nerve. We're bringing back the industrial musical.'

This is a company willing to be bold. One of the people who brought it to life was Kendall Hope Tucker, their Director of Creative Experimentation. Most brands dont have that role, most brands would have killed this idea in the first meeting, and put all their money into performance marketing and a sea of sameness.

But I think were about to see a lot more of this. When AI can make anything on a screen, the stuff that happens in a room with real people becomes the only thing nobody can fake.

Brand becomes the only thing that separates you. Real life experiences and third places are all going to come back.

Technology has made us more connected than ever, and more disconnected at the same time. AI takes that even further - you stop trusting whats real and whats fake. Real life matters.

B2B forgets this all the time. The sales cycle is longer, but the buyer is still a human being. Make them feel something.