As AI continues to reshape the marketing landscape, top CMOs have discovered that success lies not in resistance, but in renaissance. At a recent Marketers That Matter® Forum held at Atlassian’s San Francisco headquarters, four noted marketing leaders shared their strategies for harnessing AI’s potential while preserving the human elements that drive marketing success.
Our expert panel included:
- Zeynep Inanoglu Ozdemir, CMO, Atlassian
- Laura Jones, CMO, Instacart
- Dana Marineau, CMO, Rakuten
- Connie Chan Wang, SVP of Marketing, Headspace
The conversation spotlighted how marketing leaders are moving beyond AI hype to create practical frameworks for implementation, team adoption, and measurable results. Here are some of the key themes and tips covered:
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Reframing AI as a Collaborative Force
The discussion revealed a transformative perspective on AI adoption: rather than viewing it as a threat to human jobs, successful organizations are treating AI as a collaborative team member. “Make AI a teammate,” advised Ozdemir, who brings a unique perspective with a Ph.D. in machine learning. “Don’t be scared of it. Embrace it, and make it personal and very useful for yourself.”
Meeting Customers Where They Are
By focusing on how consumers actually think and process information, businesses are using AI to bridge the gap between how companies organize data and how customers naturally communicate. Laura Jones shared how Instacart revolutionized grocery shopping by moving beyond rigid keyword searches: “We can now understand queries like ‘What’s a great lunch for work from home?’ or ‘What’s a nut-free snack to pack for my 6-year-old’ – which is solving consumer problems by moving more towards the way people actually think,” Jones said. This shift from requiring specific keywords to understanding natural language queries with context and intent represents a fundamental change in how AI can enhance customer experiences. Instead of forcing customers to think in terms of individual ingredients or product categories, marketers can use AI to adapt to the conversational requests and real-world needs of their audience.
Emotional Support with AI
The discussion highlighted how AI is evolving beyond purely transactional interactions to engage with nuanced human emotions. This evolution is exemplified by Headspace’s launch of “Ebb,” an empathetic AI companion developed by a team of clinical psychologists and data scientists. “We’ve trained it in motivational interviewing, which is an evidence-based practice that our care providers are also trained in,” said Wang. “The AI is there to encourage you, to validate you, to actively listen, and then importantly, to recommend exercises that help you process thoughts and emotions.” Such tools are expanding access to support services while complementing, rather than replacing, human professionals, demonstrating how AI can be developed to provide genuine emotional support when designed with appropriate clinical guidance and boundaries.
Balancing Automation and Human Touch
The panel emphasized the critical balance between AI efficiency and human creativity, demonstrating how AI serves not to replace but to amplify human capabilities through a thoughtful division of labor that leverages the strengths of both. Rakuten’s Marineau introduced a powerful framework – “human-made, machine-delivered” – that helps teams understand AI’s proper role. “You may be able to deliver faster with machines and AI, you may be able to deliver more proficiently and efficiently, but you still need humans in the mix,” she noted. This approach suggests using AI for tasks such as baseline content creation, data analysis, and routine operations, while preserving human oversight for strategic decisions and creative direction.
Implementation Strategies for Success
The panel shared several approaches for effective AI adoption:
- Start small and build trust. Begin with low-risk pilots that can demonstrate value. “What’s the lowest possible risk tool that you could bring into an organization to start proving out the use case and the dollars saved to then expand more widely?” Wang said.
- Focus on ROI. As many marketing leaders are working within existing budgets without dedicated AI funding, Jones emphasized the importance of developing clear business cases: “It’s a zero-sum game – our marketing budget is our marketing budget,” Jones said. “If the cost of investing in a tool can be offset by the quality of the recommendations and we can get that much more efficiency out of our dollars, then it’s definitely worth investing in.”
- Break down silos. Martineau shared how Rakuten improved results by intentionally mixing teams: “Make the creatives sit with the performance marketing teams and make the brand strategists sit with the search person. When you see a brand strategist partnering with a growth marketer, it’s an amazing thing to watch.”
The Path Forward
Success in this new era requires maintaining curiosity, embracing change, and ensuring that technological advancement serves rather than supersedes human creativity and strategic thinking. As Marineau put it, “AI is the next language of business.” The marketers that thrive will be those that become fluent in this new language while preserving the human elements that make marketing truly meaningful.
Closing Career Tip for Marketers
The participants were also asked to provide one key piece of career advice to fellow marketers. Their thoughtful and candid responses offered unique perspectives on professional growth, resilience, and success in today’s marketing landscape. Here’s what each had to say:
Ozdemir: “Get out of your comfort zone as this has a very high return on your investment.”
Jones: “Stay curious about AI. Make time to play, to experiment and to really view it as a superpower, which is the key to thriving in this new era.”
Marineau: “Lean into mistakes like goldfish. They have no short-term memory and just keep moving forward. We all make mistakes or make a wrong decision. So, like a goldfish, learn from your experience, say it out loud and keep charging.”
Wang: “Find your champions. Whether it’s trying to adopt AI or running a rebrand or trying to figure out what to do next, find your champions who know you and can help you make it all happen.”
About the Participants
Connie Chan Wang, SVP of Marketing, Headspace
Connie Chan Wang is the Senior Vice President of Marketing at Headspace, where she leads a team of marketers across D2C and B2B inclusive of brand, demand generation, lifecycle, product and solutions marketing, customer marketing, web and marketing technology. Connie is passionate about building purpose-driven teams, telling human centered stories, and connecting dots and people to drive impact, while furthering Headspace’s mission to become the lifelong guide to better mental health for everyone.
Dana Marineau, CMO, Rakuten
Dana Marineau is Chief Marketing Officer at Rakuten where she is responsible for elevating the brand and evolving Rakuten into a first stop shopping destination. Dana oversees teams driving brand, creative, member growth, public relations, marketing analytics, and strategic partnerships.
Zeynep Inanoglu Ozdemir, CMO, Atlassian
Zeynep Inanoglu Ozdemir is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Atlassian. Zeynep joined Atlassian in 2023 and is responsible for the company’s marketing functions globally. Her team is focused on driving adoption of Atlassian’s products to unleash the power of teams everywhere.
Laura Jones, CMO, Instacart
Laura Jones is the Chief Marketing Officer at Instacart. In her role, Laura is responsible for shaping a cohesive brand, fueling the company’s growth, and leading the marketing organization. Since joining in June 2021, Laura has led a comprehensive brand identity refresh, launched the company’s first-ever integrated brand campaign, built out its Creative Studio, and developed a full-funnel in-house media team
Forum moderator Kathy Hollenhorst is a Marketers That Matter® Advisor & Chief Community Officer.
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