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Ad Age Marketer's Brief
How LinkedIn is preparing for the future of work and AI disruption, with CMO Jessica Jensen
00:23:09
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- [00:00]
A
This episode is sponsored by Adobe Discover what's next in marketing, creativity and AI at Adobe Summit returning to Las Vegas April 20th through the 22nd. Can't make it in person? Join Summit Online for free to explore Adobe's AI toolkit from magentic AI foundations to AI powered brand visibility. Tune in for keynotes, select online sessions and get a glimpse of future innovations with Adobe Sneaks, co hosted by renowned comedian, actress, writer and producer Eliza Schlesinger. Register for free@adobe.com go adage.
- [00:43]
B
Hi, I'm Brandon Doerr, creativity and media innovation reporter at Ad Age. Welcome to another edition of the Marketer's Brief Podcast, our weekly discussion of news and trends that have the industry buzzing. This week we're joined by Jessica Jensen, Chief marketing officer at LinkedIn. Since joining the platform in early 2025, she's worked to position the platform as a port in the storm for job seekers navigating a tough market. In today's episode, we talk about that work and how LinkedIn took a new, more humorous creative direction in a recent campaign from McCann New York, the agency's first work for the platform. We also talk about how LinkedIn is attracting new users, creators and advertisers beyond its typical B2B target audience, and how LinkedIn is navigating challenges all platforms face as AI content enters users feeds. Here's that conversation now. Jessica Jensen, welcome to the Marketers Brief podcast.
- [01:44]
C
Hey Brandon, thanks. It's great to be with you today.
- [01:47]
B
Hey, it's great to have you here. Thank you so much for joining us. Let's start by talking a little bit about your background to get the conversation started. So you joined LinkedIn in January last year, is that correct?
- [01:58]
C
Yeah.
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B
Before that you had spent some time at. Indeed. Can you just talk a little bit about how you found your way to to LinkedIn leading marketing for the platform?
- [02:07]
C
Sure, yeah. Well, it's been a long and winding road for this lady. Started working on Internet based businesses in 1998. Yes, it is true. And so I've had a number of different roles Apple, Facebook, Yahoo. Booking holdings, and indeed I became a marketer later in life. I started as a, I would say a general manager of digital businesses, but firmly a CMO for about 10 years and elated to have joined LinkedIn about a year ago and oversee B2B, B2C and all sorts of good things. And this is a platform that is super critical to people's lives as workers and we help 1.3 billion people around the world and about 70 million businesses. So it's an honor to get to row the boat.
- [02:57]
B
You know, I was not on the Internet in 1998, but I imagine it was a fun time for a variety of reasons.
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C
It's funny, I think those of us who went through that period in business, now that we're in the AI tornado, we see many parallels trying to steer the ship in very uncertain seas. So it's exciting to get to do it multiple times in my life.
- [03:19]
B
Yeah. Well, let's talk a little bit about steering the ship. So it's been a little over a year now that you've been CMO at LinkedIn. How would you describe, I guess, what your kind of greatest priorities have been over over the year? Which ones do you maybe feel like you've accomplished and which ones are still kind of works in progress?
- [03:36]
C
Oh, yeah, plenty. Plenty of things yet to do, I'll tell you that much. I would say the first thing that has been a priority for me and for our team is to really unify the brand and clarify what we mean for workers and companies. So, you know, certainly I think traditionally people have thought of us for job search or for sharing about their professional careers, which is wonderful and a key part of what we do. But we are positioning ourselves as the network that works for you. Your job, your company, your career, your government, your small business. And the power of our network is broad and deep. We help people imagine new careers and learn skills particularly critical in this AI environment and find jobs and connect with leaders at companies or groups they're interested in. And then of course, we help 70 million companies sell market hire. And so I think historically LinkedIn was a bit disparate in its approach to these various audiences. And we're really trying to build a unified brand platform. And I think we're making some good progress. But obviously this is, as you know, brand building is a long term march.
- [05:03]
B
Yes, no, for sure. These things do not happen overnight. I think a key step, Right. It sounds like in this process was a campaign that LinkedIn released not too long ago last. Last month. I think when this episode comes out, it will have been like about a month clean since the campaign. Can you talk about that work? First one from McCann New York, tell us a little bit about what the goal was and the strategy for accomplishing the goal through that campaign.
- [05:27]
C
Yeah, so we're thrilled to get it out in the market. I'd say a few goals. Number one, really clarify and solidify that positioning for as the network that works for you. And the definition of you takes various forms. So we have expressions of the campaign for small businesses. Linux is the network that helps you hire the right talent, leveraging AI and doing it fast and smartly. Market your business, host your business profile and platform on LinkedIn. So there's a set of objectives for the small business audience and then for the member or worker audience, we help you in your career develop skills, find jobs, think about your future. And then I would say that kind of the wrapper around all of that is a dash of humor. So the world of work is crazy and oftentimes ridiculous. And so we are poking fun at a few things and everybody's had a bad boss who tries to rally the troops with some kind of cheesy statements or sloganeering. And so we have one ad about a leader of a company coming out on a Viking ship and trying to get everybody onto the quotes leadership. So we're having a little bit of fun with some of the work things that we all experience. But then landing the plane that LinkedIn helps you navigate that world.
- [06:53]
B
Now I mentioned earlier that this was the first campaign from McCann New York that you guys put out creatively. How did this campaign maybe differ from how LinkedIn has previously gone to market?
- [07:05]
C
Yeah, so I would say that this is really, as I said, trying to bring things together into a comprehensive whole as a brand across audiences, and then secondly injecting some levity. So we don't think that searching for a job is fun and in this environment it is particularly difficult. But we all have had experiences at work that we know are a little bit silly or ridiculous. And so where can we poke some fun into the world of work while still taking the objective of a worker or a small business super seriously?
- [07:42]
B
Got it. At what point did it make sense or did you decide maybe it is time for, for LinkedIn to mix things up in terms of, you know, creatively, it's how it goes to market. And also like the messaging strategy, what you decided to focus on?
- [07:55]
C
Well, I think when I, when I joined, I was definitely given the remit of growing our audience and use in the small business audience. Some people will know that LinkedIn has historically been a very enterprise heavy business and that's wonderful and important, but we have almost 20 million small businesses on LinkedIn and we need to really be seen as a critical business growth driver for small businesses. Again, we offer business presence, marketing solutions, sales solutions, hiring solutions for small businesses. So that was a key remit of mine. And, and then I would say just the broader macro context of what the world of work is experiencing Right. Skills are changing, companies are doing layoffs. What industries will persist and grow, what job should I have or could I have two or three years from now? There's an incredible amount of confusion and challenge in the world of work and so we really need to be seen as a port in the, in the storm for workers and that requires us to be bolder and more on the front foot in our branding and communications.
- [09:07]
B
Now, I know the work hasn't been out for super long yet. Early on, what does performance look like? Can you share anything about how.
- [09:14]
C
Yeah, I mean we're a month out, so I don't think we have any, any stats to share yet. But I would say the response on social has been really encouraging and people sharing their own moments of levity from the workforce. And certainly we've launched a new product line for small businesses. We call it the all in one Suite. And so it's basically you can buy a monthly subscription that allows you to get some hiring, some marketing, some sales, and a package of really, really helpful offerings for small businesses. And we are seeing that take off like a weed. So rather than buying piece parts of what LinkedIn has had to offer, it's a great opportunity for small businesses to get, as the name says, all in one, the goods of LinkedIn.
- [10:03]
B
Coming up next on the Marketer's brief, Jessica talks about how she'll continue evolving LinkedIn's marketing strategy as AI shapes the future of work and the platform strategy to attract unexpected creators and brands foreign.
- [10:24]
A
This episode is sponsored by Adobe Discover what's next in marketing, creativity and AI at Adobe Summit. Returning to Las Vegas April 20th through the 22nd. Can't make it in person? Join Summit Online for free to explore Adobe's AI toolkit from agentic AI foundations to AI powered brand visibility. Tune in for keynotes, select online sessions and get a glimpse of future innovations with Adobe Sneaks co hosted by renowned comedian, actress, writer and producer Eliza Schlesinger. Register for free@adobe.com go adage.
- [11:06]
B
Now I imagine you can't probably talk specifically about like upcoming work just yet, but I am curious, kind of broad strokes, what what are LinkedIn's plans for continuing right and advancing this messaging, especially considering right you want to balance talking about some of these new products and tools that are coming out and then like you said, right, this kind of broader idea about LinkedIn as, as the port in the storm. Can you talk kind of just broad strokes about plans to advance LinkedIn's messaging?
- [11:31]
C
Absolutely. So you know this will be an ongoing campaign that we'll be adding elements to. But then I think we have, you know, other important pillars. So our CEO Ryan Ruslansky is coming out with a book called Open to Work. I highly encourage everyone to check this out and to pre order it. This is a very human centered guide on the world of work that is evolving with AI and how workers can train themselves, reimagine jobs, future, proof themselves. So this is a very, very important publication and a real statement of our ethos of support for workers. Our vision as a company is to bring every worker economic opportunity. And Ryan and all of us at LinkedIn Live that every single day as our reason to get out of bed. And so I think the book is a really important part of that. But you'll see further iterations of this campaign. We also have an economic research group that shares copious amounts of insights and data on labor market moves. So you'll be seeing us turn that up because, you know, enterprise leaders and governments and other people are craving guidance and information on where the heck is work going.
- [12:50]
B
I want to talk a little bit also about creator marketing and LinkedIn's efforts to kind of position itself as a, as a creator platform. I did a lot of my coverage about LinkedIn last year actually was about LinkedIn's some of the tools and products that were coming out to position. The platform is kind of like the go to right de facto place, especially for B2B creators. Can you just talk a little bit about that journey turning LinkedIn into a creator platform? What are the importance of creators to the platform and how do you, I guess, evolve?
- [13:21]
C
So I will say creators on LinkedIn are critical and blossoming. We are seeing an absolute explosion of athlete creators on the platform. I don't know if you follow Snoop Dogg and his coverage of the Olympics on LinkedIn, but I want to tell you it is outstanding. Fernando Mendoza is extremely active on LinkedIn and is a big champion for athletes building their businesses and their entrepreneurship and looking for opportunities on LinkedIn. So we're seeing that athletic cohort just really, really expand and that's super exciting. But I mean, we have over 4 million people who make their livelihood by being creators on LinkedIn. We have a very successful program called BrandLink where we connect quality, quality, top voice creator content with advertisers. We are adding more people and celebrities to that docket all the time. And you know, you will see announcements from us in the not too distant future of some more things that we're bringing. But I mean, we use creators very heavily in our marketing, and we advise all of our top creators customers to do so and play a bit of a matchmaking role between creators and advertisers. So this is a massive and growing part of our business.
- [14:42]
B
Yeah. I wanted to ask actually how you see creator marketing changing and evolving on the platform, because I think right last year when I did a lot of this coverage, a lot of the LinkedIn creators, they were people with corporate backgrounds who could kind of tap into some of that knowledge, but more maybe creators first and foremost. And then we kind of, I feel like, saw it evolve to include like CEOs of companies now kind of stepping into creator roles almost. And now, like you're saying, we're kind of seeing athletes and people outside of the corporate business world kind of step into that.
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C
I think that's ultra. I think, number one, executives are creators and they need to be so. You know, 95% of Fortune CEOs use LinkedIn as their primary social platform. They represent their brands. So do CFOs, CTOs, CPO's, CMOs. I think everyone in the B2B space needs to, to be embracing LinkedIn as a creator platform and sharing your message and doing it on video and doing it in a human and compelling way. And then if you're selling to the B2B landscape, getting in the scrum, so to speak, as a creator and as a consumer of leading creators in your industry is very important. But it's not just limited to that. Right. And you know, we have 1.3 billion people, so athletes are thinking about reaching humans, workers in a B2C context and also doing B2B deals. So, you know, I would say the octopus legs are really spreading out and it's becoming a more robust and exciting landscape.
- [16:21]
B
Using athletes as an example. Right. Is that a type of creator that you purposely target? Right. Do you go and look at athletes and say you actually, you guys have a story to tell that really works for this platform and here's why. Or is that a little bit more of like an example of an organic thing that's happening where non conventional LinkedIn creators are starting to flock to the platform?
- [16:41]
C
I would say it's 100% both. I would say that, that athletes and people in the sporting industry are seeing LinkedIn as a natural place to get their message out and do deals, source deals. And many of these athletes are entrepreneurs, so they're also building their own businesses. But then we are also reaching out to and sponsoring and promoting athletes for our own brand, and then also to and in partnership with Our customer brands.
- [17:12]
B
I was going to ask how you continue to evolve this process. Right. Getting more and more different types of people to join the platform as creators. Do you, do you target specific, like groups of people and go, actually these guys have a business related story to tell.
- [17:28]
C
Yes.
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B
I'm just curious about the volume.
- [17:29]
C
Yeah, we're looking at particular industries that we want to grow. We're looking at specific creators that we think have a voice or an expertise that we can help support. And then for creators with their own audiences and followings and strong points of view, we will bring them into our brand link program.
- [17:52]
B
Now, so far we've mostly talked about users, right? Getting users on the platform. Obviously, LinkedIn has an ad business as well that is very popular amongst B2B advertisers and brands. What is, I guess your role in getting advertisers and brands to join the platform as well? Late last year, for instance, I covered that more B2C brands were actually starting to launch LinkedIn campaigns. Is this also part of like a conscious effort, right, to get different types of brands who don't Normally think about LinkedIn advertising on the platform as well?
- [18:22]
C
Absolutely, yeah. I mean we, you know, we do robust advertiser acquisition all over the world, up and down the chain, giant, giant companies and tiny small businesses. So we are definitely purposefully working with, I would say all, if not, you know, Most, the largest B2B enterprise companies in the world and mid market. We are expanding our small business coverage and offering in the ads market. And we do have a small but important consumer ads business. And if you want to reach targeted professionals, where we have the best data available on what they do, where they work, what level, et cetera, you know, that's extremely lucrative information and targeting for advertisers of all stripes.
- [19:14]
B
Jessica, I had one last question in mind for you. It's kind of a broad one. What would you say are the biggest challenges facing platforms right now and how is LinkedIn working to address those challenges?
- [19:29]
C
Well, I think you won't be surprised to hear the letters AI come out of my mouth. There's a lot of slop being created. A lot of, I mean, I think every single social platform is dealing with this and a lack of trust in a lot of platforms because of AI slop and privacy violations, et cetera, et cetera. I think we are very fortunate that we are a platform where people use their real name and they are attached to a professional reputation. So I think we have generally higher quality content in General. We have 100 million people verified on LinkedIn and growing all the time. That being said, we fight AI on our platform as well. We've just done a post about AI commenting on the platform being a problem and something that we're leaning into. We absolutely want to prioritize real content from real human beings attached to their real name. We think AI is a great assist in writing. It should not be a crutch or a replacement. So we are very focused on keeping LinkedIn the most trusted, safe platform with real humans. Sharing with real humans.
- [20:49]
B
One thing I'm really curious about, I think, you know, some of the more contentious, like posts and comment sections I see sometimes. Right. Are related to AI and AI usage on LinkedIn. Are those conversations that you wade into. Right. Like through marketing, or do you find that there are other channels that are better suited for getting some of these communications across?
- [21:07]
C
I mean, we do. We do video posts from product leaders on these issues all the time. I do posts about them. We talk to our customers about it. But certainly the I, you know, for members more broadly, we really, really encourage people. Get verified. Go through the verification process. It takes about seven seconds. And the quality of the content, you will get your performance in job search like it is helpful to you as a human. It's helpful to the platform. It's helpful to people hiring. There are so many fake jobs and fake job applications now. Verification really matters. So that is a core thing we tell people. But we're tuning the platform in the feed all the time. And so we try to communicate through our channels to people what are we doing about AI in the feed and in comments. And we'll continue to do that because it's a dynamic environment every day.
- [22:10]
B
All right, Jessica, I think we could probably have another separate podcast episode. Like literally just talking about this. Yeah. Sadly, I believe that is all the time we have today.
- [22:19]
C
It was a delight. These are.
- [22:20]
B
Yeah.
- [22:21]
C
So nice to talk with you and thank you for helping people understand how to get the best out of LinkedIn.
- [22:27]
B
Thanks so much for joining us here on the Marketers brief. That was Jessica Jensen, Chief marketing officer at LinkedIn. I'm Bryn Doerr, creativity and media innovation reporter at Ad Age. I'd like to thank our producer, Lauren Giardio, and invite you to subscribe to the Marketer's Brief podcast. Wherever you get your podcasts, we promise to keep it brief. Marketer's brief listeners get $40 off an AdAge.com subscription, sharpen your marketing edge and visit AdAge.com brief for your disc.