Axios Live: The biggest takeaways from Communicators Live NYC

NEW YORK – Axios held its fourth annual Communicators Live event on Dec. 4 in New York City, where Axios communications strategist and writer Eleanor Hawkins spoke with several industry leaders about how they are shaping communications strategy and trust in a rapidly changing world.

• The event was sponsored by Allison Worldwide.

What they're saying: As transformations driven by shifting consumer habits, media platforms and AI tools pose new challenges for those in the communications field, these industry leaders are adapting to build consumer and employee trust in their brands.

Catch up quick: Here's what we learned …

1. "The consumer is shopping on a number of channels" from in-person to Instagram, said Meridith Webster, The Estée Lauder Companies' chief communications and public affairs officer.

• "We're not walking away from department stores, they're still super core to our business, and they're core to our discovery," she said, "But I think also we are going where the consumers are."
• The company is showing up on platforms like Amazon and TikTok, where people are shopping. "I think that's a change for us, and making those decisions a lot faster," Webster said.

2. Fragrance is seeing a surge in popularity, and it is an opportunity to tell a brand story, Webster observed.

• Jo Malone, a brand under The Estée Lauder Companies, launched an AI scent advisor.
• "Fragrance is core to the company … we have fragrances across almost all of our brands," Webster said. "But fragrance is having a moment, and we're capitalizing on it."

3. The product is the format in media, said daily talk show TBPN co-host Jordi Hayes. Differentiating their product is what allowed TBPN to break out early, he said.

• "By introducing a new format, you're introducing a new product, and people were listening to more podcasts than ever, but everyone just kept launching the same exact format," Hayes said.
• The format is 15-minute interviews live for three hours Monday through Friday.

4. When Adobe's acquisition of Figma fell through in a regulatory challenge, resetting expectations was an effective messaging strategy to move forward, Figma chief communications officer Nairi Hourdajian said.

• "I think the key for navigating that inflection really was about keeping our focus and momentum as a business during the deal review process. We kept operating like normal. We were as transparent as we could be with our employees throughout the process," Hourdajian said.
• "We also at the coda of that process pulled everybody together and reset expectations, and I think it's so important to be direct and real about, here's what that means."

5. The messaging coming from Anthropic leadership on the risks of AI is absolutely not a marketing strategy, said Anthropic chief communications officer Sasha de Marigny.

• "We feel like we need to be transparent about what this technology is capable of," de Marigny said.

• The regulation the company wants to see "all comes down to transparency," she said.

Content from the sponsored segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, HarrisX managing director Dom Bartkus and Allison Worldwide executive chair and Stagwell vice chair Ray Day spoke about the rising prevalence of AI in the communications function.

• "95% of organizations say they use AI in communications function, and 96% of those report positive impact. And actually 30% of companies say that [the] majority of their comms work within their organization is already being done by AI. So it's really time to get on that train and not be left behind, but understand how you can still add value as a business leader," Bartkus said.