Mel McVeigh is no stranger to FLOW. After her keynote at FLOW: Europe 2024 (see her past session here!), she’ll be back again for FLOW: Europe 2025. Outside of FLOW, Mel works as a consultant and digital advisor, helping media companies and visual-first scale-ups transform how content and commerce connect. Previously VP of Consumer Product at Condé Nast, she reimagined the Met Gala and Vogue World as digital livestreams, launched Vogue’s Storefront, and built platforms for Architectural Digest and Condé Nast Traveler.
Alongside her product leadership, Mel is also a visual media artist and Trustee of Photoworks_UK, exploring intimacy, algorithms, and storytelling through photography, GenAI, and computational art.
So what did we learn from Mel’s episode? Well… a lot, actually! From the way media and commerce are colliding, to how brands should approach multi-platform content, to where AI fits in the mix, Mel shared a lot about where the industry is heading at the moment.
Takeaway 1: Adopting a Media Mindset
The walls between media, retail, and social are blurring and blending faster than ever. Consumers no longer separate shopping from entertainment or storytelling; it’s all happening in the same scroll. Think TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram, where a product video and images can be equal parts ad, inspiration, and entertainment.
“If you’re a brand, you’re not just selling products anymore. You’re a media company.” –Mel McVeigh
For brands, this shift is both a challenge and an opportunity. It means moving beyond static campaigns and rethinking how you show up in people’s feeds. A PDP or shop window is no longer enough. Content has to play like media, meaning visual-first, cross-platform, and designed to inform, inspire, and engage, not just push for conversion. In Mel’s view, adopting this mindset is the only way to build long-term trust with audiences and customers who expect more than a transaction; they expect stories, connection, and a brand that feels alive.
Takeaway 2: One Story, Many Platforms
Gone are the days when every channel needed its own bespoke campaign. The world is multiplatform and multidimensional. The strongest brands now start with a unified, powerful story and then cut, reshape, and distribute it everywhere — from PDPs to TikTok, from long-form YouTube videos to bite-sized Instagram reels.
“Think about how a single piece of content can live everywhere” –Mel McVeigh
This strategy goes beyond efficiency; it’s about impact. When one story threads across multiple touchpoints, it creates coherence and recognition that strengthens the brand. But it requires more collaboration than ever before. Creative, marketing, and data teams need to work in sync: deciding what story to tell, experimenting with how to tell it, and learning in real time what resonates. Mel compared this to how media companies operate, creating with distribution in mind, and then tailoring formats for each platform. For e-commerce brands, this turns campaigns from one-off activations into ongoing conversations with their community, backed by reusable playbooks that can scale across the business.
Takeaway 3: Human Creativity Still Leads
Yes, AI is transforming workflows. From image generation to automated editing, it’s accelerating how fast teams can create and scale. But speed doesn’t replace soul, and Mel is clear on this point: the role of human creativity is irreplaceable.
“AI will become part of the process, but human storytelling is irreplaceable.” –Mel McVeigh
Consumers still crave connection. They want to believe in the stories they’re told, to feel authenticity in the visuals they see, and to trust that what they’re engaging with is real. AI can support this by taking on the repetitive or time-consuming tasks, freeing creatives to focus on the work that sparks emotion and builds relationships. But it can’t invent intimacy. It can’t replace the instinct and vision that come from human imagination.
Mel sees the future belonging to professionals who can bridge worlds: those who understand content, product, and data, and know how to connect the dots between them. These cross-disciplinary creatives will not only survive in the age of AI, but they’ll also define it.
Mel closed with a reminder: the most valuable skills aren’t about mastering every new tool. They’re about understanding how to adapt, how to connect the dots, and how to build teams that can thrive no matter what new wave of technology comes next.
Links from Mel: CH4 Doubles Down on YouTube
Catch the full conversation in The FLOW Show on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.