For marketers and creators, deep expertise makes a difference, says Nespresso's Jessica Padula

Jessica Padula, Nespresso's chief marketing officer, started her career in social media. Padula told us in an interview at the 2026 Cannes Lions Festival that too many people are forgetting the value of deep expertise in key areas, and are too focused on moving into broader senior positions.

Padula said deep expertise can help marketers spot opportunities others might miss. "It gives you a bit of credibility if you master a craft, if you're really depth-of-expertise in something, and then you're able to see that connective tissue because you know your area so well," she said.

Padula helped create Nespresso's influencer practice, and says they're focused on mining their unique expertise in content. "We've started thinking of creators as 'creators'", she said. "They are best in class at knowing what content works."