Snickers, Dentsu and Sephora: This Week's Top Marketing News

By Georgia Greetham

September 05, 2026

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Marketing leaders often have a lack of confidence in their data, says Validity. Credit: Getty Images

This week, Marketing Chief covered Snickers's Digital Candy Bar campaign and the news that Jeremy Miller was stepping down from his role as Dentsu CMO

Validity: Marketing Leaders Are Acting on Bad Data

AI adoption for marketing teams is growing – but confidence in the data behind it isn’t growing at the same rate.

Validity has released its 2026 State of CRM Management report, which finds that marketing leaders are acting on bad AI recommendations amidst board pressure to adopt AI.

The survey, which polled 500 B2B and B2C marketing professionals across the US, UK, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand, found that close to 78% of C-suite and 92% of SVPs and VPs have acted on an AI recommendation they suspected was wrong due to bad underlying data.

“Marketers have bad data, and we’ve known that for years. What’s concerning is what happens when we start giving AI permission to act on it,” Guy Hanson, VP of Customer Engagement at Validity, tells Marketing Chief.

“We’re moving very quickly from using AI as a productivity tool to letting increasingly autonomous systems make decisions on our behalf.

“Our research shows that senior leaders are feeling pressure to adopt AI even when their underlying data isn’t ready, and two-thirds of organisations have increased the number of marketing decisions delegated to autonomous AI agents over the past year.”

Who are Validity’s key clients?

Copeland: Validity has supported Copeland’s plan to make its workflow simpler by bringing everything into one platform after juggling marketing campaigns between two tools. The customisation Validity brought in meant the team didn’t have to learn a new tool for building emails during or after the migration, saving at least a week to learn a new tool with minimal interruptions.
Binance: As one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, Binance relies on the email channel to engage and educate their audience. The company partnered with Validity to develop inbox placement insights by mailbox provider and sender reputation and infrastructure monitoring capabilities.
Southwest Airlines: As a major airline, Southwest relies on email as one of its channels to engage with current and prospective customers. The company works with Validity to significantly consolidate its marketing tech stack for design testing and deliverability monitoring.
Air France: Air France relies on its email programme to communicate essential information and drive revenue. However, reaching almost 200 destinations worldwide comes with deliverability challenges. The company used Validity Sender Certification to ensure its messages reach the inbox, enhanced its Sender Score across global markets and partnered with Validity’s team for guidance to achieve its goals.

Snickers has launched the world's first candy bar designed for AI chatbots | Credit: Snickers

Snickers Launches Digital Candy Bar to Feed AI Chatbots

Who knew that Snickers’ iconic “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” slogan could apply to a Large Language Model (LLM)?

Snickers, owned by Mars, is taking a different direction in expanding its marketing segment in a way no other confectionery company has.

Targeting AI chatbots, of course.

Launched 31 August, Snickers Hungr.AI is giving users a digital version of its chocolate bar to feed AI assistants.

Key facts of the week

78% of C-suite and 92% of SVPs and VPs have acted on AI recommendations they suspected were incorrect due to flawed underlying data.
Approximately 6-8% of the world's population use AI every day.
Jeremy Miller is stepping down as Dentsu’s Global Chief Communications and Marketing Officer after joining the organisation in September 2022.
Jo Malone London's Fortnite activation promotes its new Sea Salt & Bergamot fragrance, described by Jo Dancey, Global Brand President, as the brand's largest launch of the year.
The DHL E-Commerce Trends Report 2025 found that 82% of shoppers are influenced by viral trends and 70% have made a purchase through social media.

Jeremy Miller is stepping down from his role as Global Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Dentsu (Credit: Dentsu)

Dentsu's Chief Marketing Officer Jeremy Miller Steps Down

Jeremy Miller, Dentsu’s Global Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, is stepping down from his role.

Commenting on his departure on LinkedIn, Jeremy said he was “looking forward to some genuine rest,” alongside “some real reflection on what's next”.

Following his departure, Manus Wheeler, Chief of Staff, is set to take on the expanded role of Chief of Staff and Chief Communications Officer, where he will be working alongside Jean Lin, the company’s Chief Brand Officer.

“I'm incredibly humbled by the teams and people I've had the opportunity to work with along the way, and grateful to the many clients, press and industry colleagues who continue to show up and support me in every way,” he said.

I'm incredibly humbled by the teams and people I've had the opportunity to work with along the way, and grateful to the many clients, press and industry colleagues who continue to show up and support me in every way."
Jeremy Miller, Global Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Dentsu

Jo Malone London has teamed up with Fortnite, experimenting with in-game marketing, to promote its new fragrance | Credit: Jo Malone London

Jo Malone Drops into Fortnite with Sea Salt & Bergamot Scent

In the world of marketing, audiences may think they have seen products advertised in every way possible. Jo Malone London, owned by Estée Lauder, is proving this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The campaign for its new Sea Salt & Bergamot fragrance is being driven by Jo Malone’s debut in Fortnite, one of the biggest video games worldwide.

It seems an interesting partnership, a perfume brand teaming up with a video game, but for Jo Dancey, it makes sense. Jo comments: “The decision to break into the gaming market follows Jo Malone London noticing the significant change in how people are finding and buying new scents.”

Sephora products will soon be available on TikTok Shop (Credit: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)

Sephora Brings Beauty Retail to TikTok Shop

Fans of Sephora will soon be able to buy the beauty brand’s products on TikTok Shop.

The company has announced that it will be piloting its TikTok Shop presence from 19 September 2026.

Sephora’s Drop Shop experience will – according to Sephora – introduce an “entertaining and inspiring” way for consumers to discover and shop a unique, Sephora-curated collection of beauty products directly through the platform.