John Maxwell of Sangria: “Taste and discernment is the last moat in our advertising industry”

During the third edition of Latino US Day at Cannes Lions 2026, John Maxwell, CEO of Sangria, emphasized the immense value of spaces that highlight multicultural growth. Participating in the Numatec session, The New Cultural Playbook: Where Creativity, AI & Entertainment Collide, Maxwell underscored the critical role of the Hispanic market. “We need to keep showing up every year to make sure that brands know that we represent a really distinct, unique opportunity for them to continue to build market share and connect uniquely, thoughtfully, genuinely, and—most importantly—authentically with Latino consumers,” he stated during the event hosted by Advertising Week LatAm and powered by PRODU.

Addressing the intersecting forces of technology and storytelling, Maxwell shared a cautionary perspective on the industry’s rapid embrace of AI and automated workflows. While acknowledging that technology and entertainment platforms are valuable, he warned that an obsessive focus on automation could carry hidden costs for the next generation of creative talent. Maxwell expressed concern that the industry might be “inadvertently taking away from the breeding ground and the apprenticeships that young people would come into to learn the very thing that is ultimately the moat of our industry.”

The panel brought forward critical reflections on balancing automation with human intuition. Exploring these dynamics, Giuliano Stiglitz of Numatec: “AI offers unprecedented efficiency, but it cannot replicate the authentic cultural nuance that human creators bring to the table.” For Maxwell, preserving this human element is vital because automated tools cannot substitute the innate creative judgment that shapes impactful campaigns. He emphasized that “taste and discernment” remain irreplaceable assets, describing them as “the last moat in our advertising industry.”

Looking toward the future, the Sangria executive stressed that long-term industry health requires mentoring young professionals through real-world creative struggles rather than isolating them from foundational career experiences. “We need those young people to go through the process and fail, and learn all the wonderful things that our industry has to offer to be able to develop discernment and taste,” Maxwell concluded. He cautioned against prioritizing short-term optimization over long-term capability, warning that “by being more efficient, in the service of efficiency, we may be ultimately doing something that might harm our industry long term.”