The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®

Episode #797: Vitam CMO Lisa Avvocato on AI’s Growing Role from Search to Transaction
Date: January 12, 2026
Guest: Lisa Avvocato, Chief Marketing Officer at Vitam
Host: Greg Kihlström

Episode Overview

In this Expert Mode episode, Greg Kihlström welcomes Lisa Avvocato, CMO of Vitam, to explore how AI is transforming marketing, redefining brand discovery, and overhauling customer journeys. The conversation unpacks the existential questions brands face as AI tools, such as ChatGPT, reshape content creation, customer engagement, and operational strategies. Lisa draws on her extensive experience across product marketing, retail tech, and AI training, offering actionable frameworks for adapting to the accelerating pace of MarTech and AI innovation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Shifting Landscape of Brand Discovery with AI

• The AI Revolution in Search & Transactions

  • Generative AI enables customers to discover and purchase from brands without ever visiting a brand’s website.
  • Discovery is “no longer just about who spends the most on ads, but who is the most relevant, critical, credible, and useful in the moment.” (Lisa Avvocato, 03:18)
  • Smaller brands gain unprecedented access to discovery as AI levels the playing field.

• Personalization and Democratization

  • AI has “10x'd” the personalization factor, fundamentally shifting brand discovery away from budget reliance.

2. Content Creation for AI: Structure and Credibility

• From SEO to Structured Content

  • The need is evolving from flooding the web with SEO-optimized posts to creating structured, authoritative content that AI can easily parse and recommend.
  • “Five years ago, if you would have asked me what a JSON file was, I would have told you it was a typo… Now it’s a fundamental part of our growth strategy.” (Lisa, 05:17)

• Third-Party Validation Becomes Key

  • Traditional PR gains new importance: being cited in high-authority outlets (Wall Street Journal, Financial Times) builds trust with both consumers and algorithms.
  • “It’s just taken to another level… These models are actually forming answers from different news articles or interviews you’re doing.” (Lisa, 06:29)

3. Balancing Efficiency with Authenticity—The "AI Slop" Problem

• Operationalizing AI Content Ethically
  • Simply prompting ChatGPT for content produces “AI-generated slop.”
  • True brand voice requires “training your model”—feeding it past content to hone tone and style.
  • “If you’ve spent the time uploading your past 100 LinkedIn posts… My version of ChatGPT is going to learn my voice… But you still have to refine that output.” (Lisa, 07:33)
  • AI detection tools aren’t infallible: “They ran the Declaration of Independence through one of those AI fact checkers and it came back as AI generated.” (Lisa, 08:48)

4. Managing Ethical Risks: Transparency and Trust

• AI-Generated Influencers & Endorsements
  • The blurred line between real and AI personalities on platforms presents major trust and disclosure issues.
  • “There’s a really fine line between efficiency and exploitation. It’s honestly, it’s a little scary.” (Lisa, 10:06)
  • Regulation is inevitable (FTC, lawsuits), but “the absence of regulation doesn’t equal permission.”
  • “Trust is a compounding asset… Some short-term gains from undisclosed AI content risk damaging your brand in the long run.” (Lisa, 11:15)

5. Building Your AI Stack: Pragmatism over Hype

• Cutting Through the Noise
  • The explosion of AI tools is “paralyzing for marketing leaders.”
  • Don’t chase every trend; start with business processes draining the most time or budget.
  • “What I always say is start with a business process that’s draining the most budget, time, or headcount… Start with today’s problems with today’s best tools.” (Lisa, 13:54)

6. Upskilling and Reskilling the Modern Marketing Team

• Learning the New Fundamentals
  • Marketers now need skills once reserved for engineers (e.g., reading JSON).
  • There are no real experts yet, but that will change within 18 months—early adopters will leap ahead.
  • “If you haven’t started yet, that’s what’s going to cost you your career, whether you’re a junior marketer or a CMO.” (Lisa, 17:47)
  • Marketing will blend creativity and technical/architectural skill: “The best marketers are not going to be choosing between storytelling and structure.”
  • Lisa shares, “There were probably a couple days where there were tears involved… but every day got a little bit easier.” (Lisa, 18:02)

7. Getting Started: Advice for Marketing Leaders

• Action Over Analysis

  • “Pick an area and start… Even reaching out to a consultant with a little more AI expertise can help guide you where to start.” (Lisa, 20:09)
  • Early wins build confidence; for Lisa, automating her inbox with AI kickstarted progress.

• Mindset Shift

  • Don’t set it and forget it; “don’t just leave it to your team. Go in, create your own workflow… It just gets easier from there.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Content itself isn’t going away. Content is still king… The biggest change is, it’s not just about the words anymore, it’s about the structure.” — Lisa Avvocato (04:37)
• “The temptation to just jump on this AI train is real, but the brands that are going to win are the ones that balance speed with transparency.” — Lisa Avvocato (11:40)
• “The learning curve is real and it is scary… Every day got a little bit easier, and now I can look at a JSON file and it doesn’t scare me. So that’s exciting, right?” — Lisa Avvocato (17:00)
• “If you haven’t started yet… that’s what’s going to cost you your career, whether you’re a junior marketer or a CMO.” — Lisa Avvocato (17:47)
• “This is the next Internet, this is the next industrial revolution, whatever you want to call it… It's scary. But you will be okay. We will all survive.” — Lisa Avvocato (24:00)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• AI’s Impact on Brand Discovery: 03:18 – 04:08
• Content Structure & Third-Party Credibility: 04:37 – 06:58
• Operationalizing AI Content Creation: 07:33 – 09:23
• Ethics of AI in Marketing & Influencers: 10:06 – 11:56
• How to Build Your AI Stack: 13:54 – 16:29
• Upskilling for Marketers: 16:29 – 20:09
• How Leaders Can Get Started: 20:09 – 22:25
• Looking Ahead (One Year Prediction): 22:38 – 23:48
• Advice for Staying Agile: 23:57 – 24:44

Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is candid, practical, and empathetic—acknowledging the intimidation and emotional hurdles of AI adoption while offering tactical, accessible steps for marketers at any level. Lisa combines humor (“Five years ago I thought JSON was a typo...”), humility, and urgency in urging marketers to start somewhere, embrace discomfort, and prioritize transparency to future-proof their brands.

Summary

Lisa Avvocato, CMO of Vitam, outlines how AI is upending every aspect of marketing, democratizing visibility for smaller brands, and reshaping the customer journey from discovery to transaction. Success depends on not just content quality, but on structured, credible information and the agility to test, learn, and upskill continuously. As the boundaries blur between authentic and AI-generated content, Lisa makes a compelling case for ethical guardrails and proactive experimentation, encouraging leaders to overcome fear, start small, and embrace the learning curve to secure their place in the rapidly evolving marketing landscape.