Rhode to Retail: Queenie Lo Speaks to Vogue Business on Brand Transition
News19 Oct 2026
News / 19 Oct 2026
If you don't understand people, AI won't save you
Writing for The Subthread, Ashleigh Steinhobel, Senior VP Strategy at FutureBrand, explores what this means for CPG brands navigating an increasingly AI-enabled landscape, and why the brands that will lead are the ones using technology to deepen their understanding of people and culture.
“The future will belong not to those brands optimising around what already exists but those brands that understand behaviours, needs and motivations before they become legible in the data are the ones that break through. And the winners will be brands that blend human instinct with the intelligence that data and AI can provide.”
Ashleigh Steinhobel /Senior VP Strategy /FutureBrand
Ashleigh Steinhobel
Senior VP Strategy
FutureBrand
Using Huel’s rise and Danone’s acquisition as a lens, the piece explores why the brands creating the greatest value are often the ones spotting unmet consumer needs before they are fully reflected in the data.
