How To Thrive In a Visual-First World With Mel McVeigh

"What happens when media, commerce, and technology all blend together? Visual-first multipltaform world we live in. Together wth Mel McVeigh - interim Chief Product Officer, digital advisor, and former VP of Product at Condé Nast - we dive head first into what it means for e-commerce and creatives.

What can we learn from media and broadcasting, why you, as a studio manager, need to talk to your data and product teams, and why video will become even more prominent form of content - we discuss it all.

We (obviously!) also talk about AI, its role and place in workflows and content creation, and what skills will be in demand and which ones will become obsolete in the next few years. If you're a creative or studio leader, this episode is full of sharp insights and inspiration to help you stay ahead of the curve.

Links to the video Mel mentions in the episode about Channel 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78okh1F5-A0 "

Top takeaways:

Takeaway 1: Adopting Media Mindset

Mel McVeigh highlights how traditional media, social platforms, and retail are blending into a single digital experience. Consumers now engage with content, shop, and seek entertainment all within the same apps—whether it's TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram. For brands, this means adopting a media mindset, creating visual-first, multi-platform content, and treating storytelling as an essential part of the customer journey.

Takeaway 2: One Story, Many Platforms

The world is not only visual-first but also multidimensional and multiplatform. Mel emphasizes the power of having a unified content strategy that repurposes one piece of content across multiple platforms, from PDPs to TikTok. This approach requires close collaboration between creative, data, and marketing teams and a product mindset focused on testing, measuring, and iterating continuously.

Takeaway 3: Human Creativity Still Leads in the Age of AI

Despite rapid advancements in generative AI, Mel believes that human creativity, trust, and visual storytelling remain irreplaceable. AI can streamline production and enhance workflows, but people still want authenticity and connection. The future belongs to creatives who understand both content and data and can work across disciplines - those are the skills that won’t become obsolete.

About

Mel is a consultant and digital advisor to media companies & visual first scale ups. An interim CPO leading digital transformations blending content and commerce.

In her previous role, she was VP Consumer Product at Condé Nast. She led the digital portfolio across nine brands and was responsible for the e-Commerce Platform - Retail Media, Storefront, and Affiliate.

In her role, she reimagined the Met Gala and Vogue World as a digital livestream experiences, launched Vogue’s new Storefront, Architectural Digest Designer Directory, and Condé Nast Travelers’ website and booking platform.

Mel is also a practicing visual media artist and Trustee of Photoworks_UK. Her work interwines between human and machine, algorithms and storytelling. She works across photography, GenAi, computational art, mashing up narratives and stories through staged images. Her work explores intimacy in our interconnected digital interfaced world.