AdExchanger asks whether the industry has lost the pulse of consumers

James Hercher's column argues the ad industry's AI obsession is compounding a long-standing relatability problem, quoting John Mulaney's Dreamforce line: "You look like a group who looked at the self-checkout counters at CVS and thought, 'This is the future.'" A useful counterweight to the week's automation optimism. Published: 14 Oct 2026, 20:46 CEST. URL: https://www.adexchanger.com/advertiser/has-the-ad-industry-lost-the-pulse-of-american-consumers/