Podcast Summary: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®

Episode #811: Sesimi CEO Andy Baker on Connecting Marketing Strategy with Frontline Execution

Date: February 11, 2026
Guest: Andy Baker, CEO and Founder, Sesimi
Host: Greg Kihlström

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the persistent challenge brands face in translating high-level marketing strategy into consistent, effective execution at the frontline—across local markets, franchisees, or regional teams. Greg Kihlström welcomes Andy Baker of Sesimi, a platform addressing the "last mile" problem in brand-to-customer touchpoints, to explore operationalizing strategy, balancing creative control with local adaptability, measuring success, and the rising role of AI in local marketing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Brand Execution Gap: Diagnosing the “Last Mile”

(00:48 - 04:24)

• The Problem: Even with sound strategic thinking, marketing campaigns often get diluted as they move from central teams to distributed networks (dealers, franchisees, regions), leading to inconsistent customer experiences and wasted resources.
• Personal Experience:

  "All that thinking that went up front...by the time it actually found its way into the distributed retail network, it was being, I don't—I mean I would use the word bastardized—but it was being effectively diluted."
  —Andy Baker, (01:52)

• Sesimi’s Mission: Designed to preserve and enable brand intent by allowing users localized adaptability within strict brand and regulatory frameworks.

2. Democratized Tools: Empowerment or Chaos?

(04:24 - 08:49)

• Accessibility Paradox: The proliferation of design tools (Adobe, Canva, Figma) empowers non-designers, but just because teams can make creative changes doesn't mean they should.

  "Just because you have access to those tools does not necessarily mean that you have therefore the right to be constantly making and changing content."
  —Andy Baker, (04:24)

• Marketers Fatigue Faster Than Consumers: Central teams are often too quick to refresh campaigns, outpacing consumer attention or recall.
• Concept of 'Freedom Within the Framework':

  "Let the user change some elements that are pertinent...But keep it within the boundaries of the brand guidelines...give them access to being able to tailor and edit disclaimers to suit market regulatory requirements...but don't give them access to wholesale changes."
  —Andy Baker, (07:05)

3. Systems Over Campaigns: Building a Scalable Approach

(08:49 - 10:52)

• Shift the Mindset: Treat marketing less as a series of bespoke campaigns and more as a system of templates and layouts, with flexibility in headlines, images, and offers.
• Benefits: Faster speed-to-market, reduced production costs, compliance ease, and greater brand consistency.

  "Systemizing your ad content is a great way to scale...If you are consistent with your layout and you get the refreshed nature...through imagery and headlines...you can scale content really quickly across every single channel."
  —Andy Baker, (09:32)

4. Managing Friction & Rogue Agents

(10:52 - 12:58)

• Anticipate & Plan for Change: Design campaigns and layouts with adaptability in mind from the outset, so later changes are proactive—not reactive.

  "When you are coming up with your campaign at the beginning, think about all the extenuating circumstances...But do it up front. Don't do it as a reactionary piece of added content..."
  —Andy Baker, (11:25)

5. Measurement & Visibility

(15:35 - 20:41)

• Platform Success Metrics:
  • Volume and variety of content generated and distributed via the platform.
  • Analysis of which channels are adopted and where adoption is highest.
  • Feedback loops for both quantitative (impressions, CPM, CPC) and qualitative performance.

  "The measure for a platform such as ours is how much content is actually generated through it."
  —Andy Baker, (16:08)

• Connecting to Core KPIs:
  • Challenging to directly tie content to sales (as advertising is often a lagging indicator).
  • Central visibility enables brands to track content usage, alignment, and potentially correlate with performance metrics.

  "When you can start to build transparency around what's being created...you can start to build a really solid use case for content creation, for particular campaigns, for particular channels and how they start to drive...sales and revenue."
  —Andy Baker, (18:40)

6. The Value and Challenge of Brand Consistency

(19:31 - 20:41)

• Consistency is a core driver of brand equity, yet is difficult to quantify precisely.

  "Brand equity or brand value is really, really important and that is only really driven through consistency of messaging and...the visual and the sound bites..."
  —Andy Baker, (20:01)

7. AI’s Role in Scaling Local Marketing

(20:46 - 22:49)

• Increasing Automation: AI enables faster adaptation—like voiceovers or asset tagging—helping brands distribute personalized, locally relevant content quickly.
• Hyper-Localization Meets Brand Safety: As generative AI improves, hyper-personalized content at scale will be possible, but regulatory compliance and brand control remain paramount.

  "AI is going to be something that is going to be able to create hyper personalized content at scale...and it's going to become, dare I say, eerie for everyone to be getting served hyper relevant ads across every single channel."
  —Andy Baker, (21:17)

8. Balancing Central Strategy with Local Needs

(22:49 - 25:10)

• From Order-Takers to Strategic Drivers: To avoid central HQ merely reacting to local requests, strategists must preemptively design adaptable systems and set clear frameworks.
• Customization by Demographic: Consider the target market—older consumers may need traditional channels, while younger ones are on social.

  "That idea of thinking about how your campaign needs to be executed in advance...as opposed to being really reactive is something that they fundamentally have to do to stop being order takers..."
  —Andy Baker, (23:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Platform Purpose:
  "Sesimi is a brand management solution where users can come in and they can access content and they can execute brand content at a localized level to suit demographic, geographic, stock levels, different regulatory requirements..."
  —Andy Baker, (01:52)

• On Guardrails vs. Freedom:
  "We refer to it very much as, like, freedom within the framework."
  —Andy Baker, (07:05)

• On Systemization:
  "Systemizing your ad content is a great way to scale."
  —Andy Baker, (09:32)

• On Being Brand Safe in the AI Era:
  "Just because I have access to AI tools and the design tools does not make me a designer. Doesn't make me understand the regulatory requirements from the west coast to the east coast across different industries. So I think being brand safe...will be fundamental."
  —Andy Baker, (25:23)

• On Staying Agile as a Leader:
  "I talk to every single person I can in the technology place, whether they're a competitor...but always be open to new ideas. Attend conferences, go to events, jump on webinars, be inquisitive. That's really how our business started..."
  —Andy Baker, (26:40)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:48 - Framing the “last mile” execution problem
• 01:52 - Andy Baker’s background and Sesimi’s purpose
• 04:24 - The risk of democratized tools in content creation
• 07:05 - Balancing guardrails and customization (“freedom within the framework”)
• 09:32 - The power of systemized layouts over one-off campaigns
• 11:25 - Operational planning: Anticipate variations upfront
• 16:08 - Measuring platform adoption and usage
• 18:40 - Linking content activity to sales and performance metrics
• 20:01 - The intangible value of brand consistency
• 21:17 - AI’s expanding role in scalable, localized marketing
• 23:45 - How strategic planning can prevent marketing from becoming a field order-taker
• 25:23 - Future watch: Brand safety in the AI and tech stack era
• 26:40 - Andy’s approach to staying agile

Final Takeaways

• Consistent Execution Scales Value: Brands must bridge the central-to-local gap, using systemized processes that allow measured flexibility.
• Guardrails are Essential: Empowering local teams must come with clear boundaries and compliant frameworks.
• AI’s Dual-Edged Sword: Automation accelerates adaptation and personalization, but demands stricter brand safety protocols.
• Strategic Planning Beats Reactivity: Anticipate local variability—but do so in the initial campaign design, not as a last-minute scramble.

For more insights, connect with Andy Baker and Sesimi (links in show notes). Hosted by Greg Kihlström, The Agile Brand continues to probe the practical crossroads of marketing tech, AI, and CX.