2027 trends: The drive to delegation

The AI delegation economy is complex and requires holistic brand building, not just a relentless focus on optimisation. But will customers really put their trust in AI agents to purchase on their behalf? Neil Barrie (21st Century Brands), Alicia Skubick (Trustpilot) and Steve Whiteside join WARC's Anna Hamill to break down 'the drive to delegation', based on insights from WARC's 2027 Marketer's Toolkit.

Guests:
Stephen Whiteside, Head of Content - Americas, WARC;
Neil Barrie, Global CEO/Co-Founder, 21st Century Brand;
Alicia Skubick, Chief Customer Officer & Chief Marketing Officer, Trustpilot
David Tiltman, Chief Content Officer, WARC

Supporting Resources:
The Marketer's Toolkit 2027 (non-subscribers) https://www.warc.com/en/article/the-marketers-toolkit-2027-sample-23d3a5e296c4469eb729624359347df8

Chapters:
00:00 — Intro: 2027 marketing trends from WARC Marketer's Toolkit
02:40 — What the Delegation Economy Means for Marketers
06:07 — Agentic AI Adoption: From Research to Autonomous Purchases
06:38 — The Market Potential of AI-Assisted Shopping
08:12 — Consumer Trust, Privacy, and the Limits of Agentic AI
09:58 — Which Categories Will Shift to AI Delegation First?
13:52 — Brand Strategy in the Age of the Delegation Economy
14:06 — Human Proof: Building Trust Beyond AI Visibility
17:23 — Trustpilot, Reviews, and AI-Powered Discovery
20:47 — Priming and Proving: A Framework for Brands
24:54 — Preparing Marketing Teams for Agentic AI
29:12 — The Future of Brand Trust and Differentiation

For 40 years, WARC has been providing the marketing industry with rigorous, unbiased evidence and expert effectiveness guidance. The WARC Podcast publishes a new episode every Tuesday and Thursday. 

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