Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström® - Episode #651

Title: AI and In-House Creative Teams with Jen Rapp, Superside
Release Date: March 17, 2025
Host: Greg Kihlström
Guest: Jen Rapp, Chief Marketing Officer at Superside

Introduction

In episode #651 of The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®, host Greg Kihlström engages in a compelling conversation with Jen Rapp, the Chief Marketing Officer at Superside. The episode delves into the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in augmenting in-house creative teams, exploring strategic shifts, market perceptions, and the evolving dynamics of creative functions within businesses.

Guest Background

Jen Rapp brings a diverse and unconventional background to her role at Superside. Beginning her career as a rock climber and later transitioning to copywriting for Black Diamond Equipment, Jen amassed over a decade at Patagonia. Her journey through various iconic brands, including Arc'teryx, DoorDash, Owlet Baby, and Klaviyo, equipped her with a unique blend of storytelling, brand building, and performance marketing expertise.

Jen Rapp [02:23]: "I started my career as a rock climber 20 years ago and got a job as a copywriter for a rock climbing company called Black Diamond Equipment."

Her switch to technology marketing began at DoorDash, where she honed her skills in performance marketing and data analytics, leading her to pivotal roles at Klaviyo and ultimately Superside. At Superside, Jen oversees a creative powerhouse designed to alleviate creative bandwidth challenges faced by leading tech companies.

Jen Rapp [07:12]: "Superside eliminates all of that. So our biggest customers are like Google, Meta, Intuit’s of the world that need to solve creative bandwidth issues."

Superside's Rebrand and AI Strategy

Jen discusses Superside's strategic decision to embrace AI fully, positioning it at the heart of their rebranding efforts. Recognizing the critical juncture between leveraging AI for efficiency and innovation, Superside chose to integrate AI into their services to enhance creative output and speed.

Jen Rapp [07:43]: "We decided to go all in on AI to bring the efficiencies and the speed and the creative wonderment that can come when you truly embrace AI as a marketing team."

This strategic pivot involved upskilling their 500-strong global creative team in AI tools, enabling them to offer immediate AI-driven solutions to clients. Superside aims to be the go-to creative partner that accelerates clients' transition into AI-enhanced creative workflows.

Jen Rapp [07:43]: "We can be everybody's creative team's shortcut through AI. We can like in a flash bring your marketing team into the AI agent because we've done all the hard work."

Market Perception of AI-Powered Creative Services

The conversation shifts to the varying perceptions of AI in creative services. Jen acknowledges a spectrum of sentiments among marketers—from enthusiastic adopters to hesitant entities concerned about legal and regulatory implications.

Jen Rapp [10:20]: "Some of our biggest customers are a little AI hesitant... that's a blend of marketers that are still way over here kind of hindered back by their legal teams or regulations."

Despite these challenges, there is a noticeable trend towards embracing AI's potential benefits. Jen recounts a pivotal moment at a CMOs dinner in London, where leaders chose to focus on AI's creative opportunities rather than its regulatory hurdles.

Jen Rapp [12:25]: "Let's focus on the opportunity that AI brings to all of us as creative leaders... let's focus on the creative doors this opens."

Marketing Approaches: Products vs. Services

Addressing the difference between marketing products and services, Jen emphasizes their fundamental similarity: both aim to solve customer problems through emotional and aspirational marketing.

Jen Rapp [16:12]: "Products, like whether it's a service or a concrete product, they exist to solve a problem... The way to sell a problem is through emotion."

She highlights that regardless of whether the offering is B2B or B2C, connecting with the human emotions behind customer needs remains paramount.

Jen Rapp [18:09]: "It's still aspirational marketing. It's still telling a story. It's still telling a story of solving someone's problem... you're still selling to that human being."

Storytelling in Marketing Services

Jen elaborates on how storytelling adapts across different contexts, using Superside as an example of effectively narrating service-based solutions through visual and evocative content.

Jen Rapp [18:37]: "At Superside, we tell the story of one of the world's best marketers at Google, who is drowning because they couldn't get all their performance marketing assets made and how we help them solve that problem."

This approach underscores the universal applicability of storytelling in illustrating how services address and resolve specific challenges faced by clients.

Creative as a Business Function

Jen argues for the recognition of creative teams as integral business functions rather than afterthoughts. Historically overshadowed by strategy and targeting, creative now stands as a pivotal element in differentiating brands.

Jen Rapp [20:09]: "Creative is the new targeting. It used to be like the optimizing of the targeting. The only way we really can sell a differentiated story today is through our creative."

She shares a practical example where a lapse in fresh creative content led to a dip in pipeline generation, reinforcing the necessity of continual creative innovation.

Jen Rapp [20:09]: "We saw a dip in pipeline generation... created new ads within one day. We saw the performance coming back up with just fresh creative with like a renewed CTA."

Jen advocates for placing creative at the leadership table, treating it as a growth channel essential for sustained business success.

The Role of AI in Creative Output and Evaluation

AI is portrayed as a catalyst for enhancing creative efficiency and output. Jen explains how AI tools streamline the briefing and ideation phases, enabling faster generation and iteration of creative ideas.

Jen Rapp [23:59]: "AI allows us to do more with less. It's a shortcut to efficiency... our team can bring six ideas for a video and put them in front of me, and I can decide quickly."

She envisions AI not only facilitating efficiency but also amplifying human creativity, allowing teams to explore deeper and more varied creative avenues without the constraints of human resource limitations.

Jen Rapp [25:24]: "AI compounds on human creativity... it allows your team to be more creative so that what you're putting into the market performs better."

Staying Agile in Leadership

When asked about maintaining agility, Jen attributes her resilience to her active lifestyle and self-care practices. Balancing her role as a mother of five and her passion for the outdoors helps her stay motivated and creative, which in turn energizes her team.

Jen Rapp [27:01]: "The way I stay agile in my career is by getting outside and taking care of myself... I invest in myself and I do that in the outdoors."

Conclusion

Episode #651 offers valuable insights into the intersection of AI and creative marketing. Jen Rapp's experiences and strategies at Superside illustrate the critical role of embracing AI to enhance creative capabilities, streamline processes, and drive business growth. Her emphasis on storytelling, creative as a business function, and maintaining agility provides a roadmap for marketing leaders aiming to stay ahead in an evolving landscape.

Greg Kihlström [27:40]: "I'd like to thank Jen Rapp, CMO at Superside for joining the show."

Listeners are encouraged to explore more episodes and resources to deepen their understanding of building agile brands equipped for the future.

Notable Quotes:

• Jen Rapp [07:43]: "We decided to go all in on AI to bring the efficiencies and the speed and the creative wonderment that can come when you truly embrace AI as a marketing team."
• Jen Rapp [10:20]: "Some of our biggest customers are a little AI hesitant... that's a blend of marketers that are still way over here kind of hindered back by their legal teams or regulations."
• Jen Rapp [20:09]: "Creative is the new targeting. The only way we really can sell a differentiated story today is through our creative."
• Jen Rapp [23:59]: "AI allows us to do more with less. It's a shortcut to efficiency... our team can bring six ideas for a video and put them in front of me, and I can decide quickly."

For more insights and updates, visit The Agile Brand.