AI is Taking Over! Why You Should Embrace It Now | Alisa Jacobs DSH #751

So people don't realize they're made by Starbucks because they don't want you to know it's made by Starbucks, right?

They don't associate farmers market and fresh pressed juices with, you know, the big bad corporate.

And so the design that went into that packaging was really, really thoughtful because it was around almost like hand script and softer and it's very small in the back where it says that it's by Starbucks.

All right, guys, Elisa Jacobs here.

Met her in LA a few months ago.

You were speaking at an event, and I met you afterwards.

Thanks for coming on.

Thank you for having me.

I love the show.

Thank you.

I love you.

Yeah.

Yeah, you never know who's going to come on, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

So you're the co-founder of Loop Marketing Agency, which is a cultural marketing agency.

Yeah, we do strategy, PR, influencer events, but it's really about rooting brands and culture.

Yeah, I've never heard of a cultural agency.

So what exactly goes into that?

So I think that it started anchored in DEI and community and helping big brands enter culture a little bit more ethically and less performatively, if you will.

But it's really expanded into just showing up well and showing up right.

So whether it's a startup starting off or a corporate entity or a big conglomerate that's trying to talk to new communities and new groups,

it's just storytelling.

And so we're called a change agency because it's around transformative change.

But we call it a cultural marketing agency because it's really intentional about culture.

I think it's important because you see sometimes, especially with bigger brands, they lose touch with their customer.

Yeah, and they see them as a customer.

We use words like consumer, which I'm a super nerd, but like the etymology of consumer is to eat up, use up waste.

And so we look at our audience as this like transactional customer instead of building a rapport and a community and an emotional connection.

And I think that's what's shifting.

Yeah, a lot of big companies are obsessed with numbers, right?

All about the profit margin.

And that's when you see these big food companies, they buy out these healthy companies, but then they start cutting the ingredients to make more money.

Yep.

And frankly, the marketing jargon is really detrimental because just like you can have up to a certain number of calories or sugar and it's still zero, there's a lot of language that's really misleading.

So the better for you language doesn't mean it's good for you.

It might be less terrible for you.

Right.

Right.

Sugar-free.

Yeah.

Right, exactly.

What's in there in exchange for that?

Exactly.

Got to look between the lines, which a lot of consumers don't really know about.

Because we're not educated.

And it's the binding ingredients, too, like all the gums and glutens and things.

Like everyone thinks they're celiac or has IBS or all these conditions.

We're just poisoning ourselves.

And the big companies, like you said, need to kind of cut their margins a little bit.

Yeah.

But I think whether it's CPG and food, whether it's tech and transparency, or literally any product, that honesty and that visibility for the consumers become more and more important.

Absolutely.

Because we want to know what we're putting on our bodies, putting in our bodies, signing up for.

This was never never talked about when you're like buying shampoo five years ago, but now I feel like there's an awareness to it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, absorb everything.

I even have an app.

Do you?

It's called Yuka.

I love that app.

Oh, I love it.

Yeah.

Every time I go to Target or Walmart or wherever, scan it.

If it's below, like, I don't know, 50, I won't get it.

Yeah.

And at least you can deduce from what it says.

Like, it's the rankings, but then also like it educates you on what it is.

Right.

It says why.

Yeah.

So if it has a carcinogen, I won't get it.

Yeah.

Sometimes it'll be low because of fat.

Yeah.

Which is debatable, but like, I don't mind that since I'm skinny.

But certain products literally have a carcinogen and it's telling you why would you buy that and put it on your skin.

Right.

Or like fancy words for terrible toxins.

Yeah.

Like high fructose corn syrup, for example.

That's one of the worst things you could eat.

Stuff that's in everything.

People think, or I saw a doctor say high fructose corn syrup, but it's worse than sugar.

Oh, 100%.

100%.

Because sugar is raw cane, right?

Like, it's still a drug, but it's in its natural form.

Anything in its natural form or closest to its natural form is going to be healthier and more holistic and better for you than whatever we come up with in a lab.

And I think that's probably universally true.

Maybe not, don't quote me on that, but it's generally if there's less ingredients, pure ingredients, if you can read them and pronounce them, you're in better shape than the laundry list of maybe.

Agreed.

So how did you get into this?

Were you working at another agency and you saw something you ought to improve on?

You know, I actually I've worked in a lot of different fields and I know that sounds strange in this day and age because everyone's such a multi-hyphenate.

But as I was coming up, you were really like unilaterally in your vertical.

So like you're in this company or that category or this industry.

And I've always been across lots of categories, but also lots of functions.

So I run a marketing agency now, but I actually was an advertising agency for a while on brand strategy and creative.

So I was doing things like the own Your Pretty campaign for Too Faced Cosmetics and Stila and other things like that.

And we actually had CVS as a client at one point when they were launching their first better for you food.

And I am, I mean, I am the worst.

Like I used to get in college, like those Kirkland bags of Trail Mix from Costco.

And it was like a snack pack for me.

It was supposed to be for like a family of six.

But CVS was launching their, I think it was like gold standard or something or standard label, whatever it was, it was this trying to make it a health product and we had to really work with them on you can't say things like that because it's still chocolate in the trail mix, right?

And so yes, these are nuts and mixes and healthier options, but how do we make the creative, the label, the logo, the language all really resonate and still be true?

And I think the most fun I had working on something like that was actually launching with Starbucks the Evolution juice.

You know, the

like juices.

Are those the colorful ones?

Yeah, I've had those.

Yeah, so people don't realize they're made by Starbucks because they don't want you to know it's made by Starbucks, right?

You don't associate farmers market and fresh pressed juices with, you know, the big bad corporate beast.

And so the design that went into that packaging was really, really thoughtful because it was around almost like hand script and softer.

And it's very small in the back where it says that it's by Starbucks.

And I think you see that with absorptions and acquisitions, like like whether it's PepsiCo or Coca-Cola or Nestle or any of the big CPGs, when they acquire these mom-and-pop shops or cool startups or healthier brands, they can't kind of sticker and pray.

They have to like sort of uplift them and let them be what they are.

Yeah, no, for real.

I get upset when one of them gets acquired because I know within three years they're going to remove all the good ingredients and make money.

I will say what I'm really interested in is the tech enhancements now.

So like we have one water client.

I think you actually met him, but they have frequency enhanced water technology.

And so for PerformH2O,

even if fingers crossed, ultimately they were to get acquired, you can't fake the funk with technology.

It's patents, it's copyrights, it's scientists and doctors involved.

And so you might be able to play with the makeup of

certain pH balances or electrolytes.

Yeah.

But when you're magnetizing or working with energy and frequency, that's a different that story you told me about that product was mind-blowing it's insane so you literally i remember you had a tequila shot you took it and it was gross and then you put it on it for what ten minutes five five minutes and then you took the shot and no chaser needed yeah so the technology works on all different things including like apparel other liquids i found it the most mind-blowing on the tequila because i had worked in liquor for so many years like i don't drink much but i know the flavor profiles right so like i'm the person that a cocktail bar, I'll read every, I'm so annoying.

I will read every cocktail almost like I'm reading recipes.

Like I'm so interested in it.

And then I'll be like, can I have water or like mint tea?

Because I really only drink tequila or wine when I drink anyway.

Tequila is a very pronounced flavor profile and especially brands that I worked on.

And I've worked on a lot of tequila brands.

So when he did that demonstration for me, it was the Evolved Coast, the client, I was blown away because I know how impossible that is to manipulate.

So then when you see it on the water and you can kind of feel the benefits of better absorption, things like that, it's fascinating.

But I think technology in general is to enhance, not to replace, right?

Like it's not going to ever

supplant spring water.

Great spring water is always going to be great spring water.

But I think in the same way that like we start bringing in AI technologies or different platforms and protocols for agencies, companies, podcasts.

It's just to make it move better and faster.

Agreed.

And so I think we've been very open to that, at least at our company, like

really integrating that.

It's made my job amazing.

It comes up with questions for guests.

It comes up with...

So whenever I go to a new city, I want to film, right?

So I'll literally ask ChatGBT, hey, I'll be in the city, come up with a list of 50 interesting people that would be a good guest on my show.

Interesting.

And it'll pop out people, and then I'll get an email script from ChatGPT on how to outreach to them, get their email, and it just saves me hours a week.

I actually think it's funny, I'm processing because we had obviously met digitally and were kind of like pen pal friends online and actually hadn't met in person until just a couple months ago.

But it was very organic, right?

It wasn't like a pitch in either direction to come together on this.

I actually think it's an incredible research tool and also a connector.

Like you can find things that you have in common, psychographics, not just demographics, and find ways to connect with people that might be points of affinity or relatability that you wouldn't even know until you get to talk to them more.

Yeah, no, that's true.

Because at our level, there's a lot of mutuals.

Yeah.

So that's important.

And it allows you to not just research and source better, but do your job better.

It doesn't look like we're never going to have ChatGPT write our press releases or like plan our events.

Yeah.

But if I find ways that my team can utilize it to be more efficient, more productive, even just like cross-reference to double check and make sure like even from a content perspective when you're in bulk and batching how to replicate at scale, I don't think it's a scary thing.

I think people that don't understand how to use it are wary of it.

But AI really is just going to enhance and add efficiency and allow for more personalization.

Absolutely.

That's the biggest thing.

And you can use it for personal too.

Like when I travel, it picks my restaurants, it finds me the cheapest flights, finds me good hotels for cheap.

Like it's crazy.

It's like having a little assistant that can like mine the web for you.

With no emotion.

So it's just pure logic.

Yeah.

Sometimes, you know, assistants.

No, I'm just kidding.

Yeah, but I'm a fan.

I think people were scared that it was going to replace them, which might happen, but we'll see.

I think it replaces functions, not humans.

I think that AI can replace some of the admin and ops and grunt work that we all do.

But I think what it's going to unlock is a lot of potential for creatives and creators and operators that would be spending their time differently if they didn't have to be doing database entry or researching or editing every single millisecond, right?

And so I actually think we're going to have another creative renaissance as a result because imagine what all that free time is going to be used for.

Because when we free up time on my team, it's not like,

plus my team, but like they suddenly get ours back and like

for free.

It means we can do more, that we can perform better, that we can move faster it also takes the emotion out of business because if everything's sort of data driven so much of what i do and i think of what we do is it's the humanity of it it's the connection right and so some of that is art and intuition and your experience but when you can back that up with data with science with analytics and really test and learn you move more quickly absolutely you're not going to be failing Slowly.

You're going to fail faster and be better.

Yep, agreed.

It could shorten that window for you.

Because because it took me five years to make a certain amount of money.

And now with AI, if I had AI five years ago, it probably would have taken me half that time.

Yeah.

Which is crazy.

And it's like 20 bucks a month for ChatGPT.

I know.

I mean, it's so affordable.

It's not like

it's gatekeeping information.

No.

It's actually the key.

I literally think like ChatGPT and some of these tools are the key to the lock.

for that gatekept information.

Even financial literacy and infrastructure, like we all learned how to be entrepreneurs by a lot of no's, right?

Like navigating no's, a bunch of failures to get to the wins.

And I think it also helps you have a little bit less of a win-loss ratio.

Yeah.

Right.

Because

you can just shorten, again, you can just shorten the runway.

Yeah.

I used to let the losses get to me, but I think they're necessary in business.

Yeah.

You know.

How would it affect you?

Like if I lost a

client or just, I would be hard on myself.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

I think we're also groomed to believe that any rejection is internalized, right?

So like if you don't like me or I don't like you or a customer leaves or a client leaves, we always feel like we did something wrong.

We're either too much, not enough, something's broken, something's wrong.

And I think, you know, people talk about, you know, rejection for redirection or protection in relationships, but I think that's true in business too.

Yeah.

Where like when I look at the times that I've had any challenges, mostly inexplicable, like it's very rarely that something is just like, I don't want to move forward.

It's these wild like someone goes bankrupt or something happens or like it's always something dramatic.

And I'm like, how do we have these things where we either don't have a renewal or we're having to chase checks or whatever?

Every single time that I have had

physical removal of people, places, or things, it was clearing clutter for something so much greater that I think I'm pretty imaginative.

I think I'm pretty innovative, pretty thoughtful.

We are never dreaming as big as what's for us.

Wow.

And so when we're blocking our blessings or we're blocking our space with all this clutter, if you don't do that like purge sometimes, if I had a roster of five clients and I had no space and no scalability and I got my dream client or my dream job or my dream project overnight,

that becomes a opportunity cost.

And so sometimes the space is what allows things to come in.

And none of us want to believe that because we were taught that if you're good at things, everything stays.

Yeah.

That's not how it works.

No, that's good advice.

I was actually on your Instagram before this.

You said the more space you give yourself to be present, the more productive you are in work.

100%.

And it's been a very hard-learned lesson.

Yeah.

Hard-earned and hard-learned.

I am a doer.

Like, I am very much like,

yes, I'm a dreamer, but in business, I'm non-stop.

And I'm also a little older than you, so it was like that team, no sleep, workaholic, never not working.

Yeah.

Caught up.

Yeah.

Well, and it was also glorified.

Like

the way the creator economy and what entrepreneurship in the digital world looks like now, at the time, whether you're an executive or an entrepreneur, it was like if you were sleeping, you were lazy.

Like there was no room for rest.

There was no biohacking conversations in boardrooms.

And now I think that like,

yes, you can be really accomplished doing that, but you don't realize how much more accomplished you can be not doing that until you don't.

Yeah, I agree.

What do you think of the four-day work week that's making big waves in Europe right now?

And people are considering America to.

I love that the four-day work week is like trendy again because this is not a new concept at all.

Really?

No, there was a great book about it years ago.

I think that the reality is, you know, my honest opinion?

Yeah.

My honest opinion is that it's not for everyone.

I think that for me, yes, I would love a four-day work week, but I also know that my creative mind isn't always intentional.

It's whenever it wants to be.

And so I could do a four-day work week, but I'm still going to be creating, thinking, connecting.

So I would say there's sort of this 20% of our time that's also still networking, building.

It's not doing.

So I would say if the four-day workweek were for operations and execution, that you're only doing in business four days, amazing.

I also love the siesta, and I really love to be up late and up early.

Because here's my thing:

I'm a night owl and an early bird, which is not sustainable.

That's rare.

Yeah,

and my dream life, if I had a different schedule, would literally be up until three, up at six, throw away four to eight.

Oh my gosh.

Like,

I don't need it.

But that's not real life, and that's not how the rest of society operates.

So you kind of have to ebb and flow a bit.

But if I was able to consolidate my

doing, my output

in four days, then that extra day to three days, right,

is just that space to create.

And so I've done that to an extent.

Like we try to,

I keep Mondays as sort of like an internal day for the most part.

doing all the stuff that I need to do to be successful for the company and not extra external meetings unless it's like with my team.

Right.

But I think that there's some people that operate better doing a little bit spread out.

Yeah.

And there's some people that do better cramming, even in school.

I'm a crammer.

Yeah, me too.

I would pull all-nighters, all of it.

Procrastinate.

So I think for those of us that like to bulk and batch and like stay focused and then all or nothing, brilliant.

Yeah.

But for folks that are more wired as status quo or corporate kind of middle management lifestyle, it would be challenging.

I do think it wouldn't necessarily increase productivity.

Yeah.

Taking that step into CEO, was it natural?

Was it easy for you, or did it take some time to learn those skills?

As a CEO, I think it came really naturally to me, for better and for worse.

I'm very analytical of authority.

I can take authority.

I've had amazing bosses, but I have to really trust you and trust that you, one, know more than me, two, can lead, and three have good intentions and integrity.

And I would say I'm fortunate enough that most of the bosses I had when I was an employee, most,

there are outliers.

They're watching this.

as they should,

you know, most really did check those boxes, but you're never going to grow and expand an impact

under a certain agenda.

And the agenda might be corporate, the agenda might be someone else's priorities.

So being a CEO for me wasn't about being the boss, right?

It was the freedom and autonomy to lead.

And so I'll say this, I'll have a little brag moment.

So my business partner and I had one-on-ones all this week with the team, team,

basically HR check-ins.

And we hadn't done it in a couple months.

And the most rewarding thing to me was it was not growth planning and it wasn't constructive criticism.

It was actually the team flooding us with enjoyment in their jobs and appreciating the culture and not taking for granted how remote our structure has really become, but appreciating it and appreciating each other and learning from from each other there was not a single one-on-one that didn't mention a teammate in the way that they had supported them or why it was contributing to their performance wow and I kind of I just I literally you can see I literally got chills saying that but you know I reference this book a CEO only does three things sometimes not because it's the best book I ever read but it's just very simple it's money people culture

And I think when we're so focused on, when I say money, it's not just about making money, but also performing, delivering, doing doing great by the clients, because that's retention, right?

But culture can really fall by the wayside as a CEO when you're in a startup.

And so I'm really proud of that because I talk a lot about wanting more people to be able to do what they love with people they respect or at least like.

And if we're not doing that, it's very hypocritical.

But yeah, I think becoming a CEO is very natural for me.

What was challenging and incredibly beneficial was becoming a co-CEO.

So my business partner and I,

there was periods where I was the CEO and periods where she was the CEO or the managing director.

And she was the one that was very, very vocal and adamant about being co-CEOs and co-founders because even when I didn't,

I won't even say didn't need, didn't even want the title.

I wanted to like kind of be a little more Wizard of Oz with it.

She works really well.

in the trenches.

She works really well like in the paint, right?

And so I think for her, she's like, I don't don't want to be leading this alone nor do you need to be we have very different skill sets she's virgo very organized very detail oriented very pragmatic not emotional about business even though she's sensitive she'll kill me when i say that antoinette um doesn't like anyone to know but she's an incredible collaborator because she's so good at the things that i am good at because I have to be, not because I like to be.

And I'm exceptional at the things that I think she's great at, but she doesn't want to do if you don't make her.

So we we really balance.

But if I couldn't work for a week or she couldn't work for a week or God forbid something happened, we're both 360 competent.

Yeah.

So it's not reliant.

It just allows you to be in your superpowers more.

Good understanding of her.

Does astrology play a role in who you do business with?

No.

We've been friends for, gosh, like almost 17 years.

And so I think in the getting to know each other and we just have really different personalities.

I always joke she's like the wildcat and I'm like the disciplined golden retriever.

But yes, she's very stoic and nonchalant in appearance and things like that.

And I'm so passionate and so creative and so relationships oriented that I'll say that when I was a venture-backed CEO in tech, I actually felt stagnated creatively because I was so focused on operations, performance, money, bottom lines that it ticked a box for me where I felt, okay, I can do this and be trusted to do this.

I won't say I was bored.

I was very busy, but it wasn't fulfilling for me.

So the more that I've been able to do things like this, the more I'm able to educate or coach and mentor on the team and build the relationships.

And also, like, I'm a super nerd.

I need to be able to spend more time in the field and researching to stay as ahead of the data and the trends.

And you can't be a visionary and you can't be a futurist if you're not a historian.

So you have to learn these things.

That's why when you said the four-day work week, I giggled because I was like, it's this like new hot trend.

I promise you guys, any new hot trend on TikTok, this is probably 10 to 20 years recycled.

Wow.

So history does repeat itself.

Always.

That's good to know.

It reiterates.

It shape shifts, right?

But there's almost no such thing as a new idea anymore.

Everything is a rendition or some sort of recalibration.

But there's only seven universal laws of the universe.

So there's only so much that can shift in terms of like just making sense of the world around us now.

And any good invention is just a, I would say, a thoughtful solution to really common problems.

What about AI?

What about it?

Do you think that's like a revolutionary invention?

I think AI is revolutionary, but I don't think it's unique that we have sought out tech solutions to replicate or enhance human performance.

So I think the product itself is revolutionary,

but the motivation and the usage is actually evolutionary.

Got it.

Any emergency,

emerging trends.

Was that a Freudian slip?

Emergency.

Might have been.

Emerging trends, industries you got your eye on right now since you're a historian and studying what repeats itself.

Yeah, I mean, I think that,

so I'm going to back up.

It's not that I see certain trends that I think are so important.

I think that there's a presence that is missing because we've been so focused on what happened and what's coming that a lot of brands, a lot of products, a lot of companies aren't thinking about where are we right now.

We're so lost in the now and then.

And so what I'll say is I think that what's trending, whether it's technology or IRL, is connection.

We, and authenticity, thank God.

Podcasts are taking off.

Yeah.

But the podcasts that are doing well are the ones that are, we don't have talking points.

Like, this is a conversation, right?

The podcasts that are doing well are because you're relatable and likable and you're not perfect.

I'm not perfect, right?

I think 10 years ago, polished, packaged, precision was what.

Yeah, talk shows killed it 10 years ago.

When we wanted to admire, right?

If we were going to aspire to be you.

Now I think inspiration is even more important than aspiration, and relatability is more important than even admiration.

Because yes, I want to do it like you because you have achieved this or that, or you have this number of followers or made this much money.

But beyond one episode or beyond one purchase, what's going to create like longevity if I don't actually connect?

And I actually think that what happened with the pandemic, what's happened at a global scale with world affairs, and just the

dissolution, at least domestically, right?

Like in the U.S., we're really fragmenting and in silos as communities right now.

And it's really a tough time, I would say, socially.

But that means people are desperately desiring connection.

And so, if you talk about a company produces a brand,

that's not real.

A company produces a product.

People make brands.

Brands are emotions.

Brands are storytelling.

Brands are affinity and connection.

So you can have a great product with an audience.

You might have millions in your audience, but is that going to convert either to sale or to ongoing engagement if there's no foundation there?

We like followers, but we are not really understanding fans.

And fans are advocates, evangelists, they participate, they engage.

Followers, audience, listen, and that's great.

And for the ego, it's wonderful because it's this big audience that wants to hear you.

But they also need to connect in community.

And I think, like, even when you talk about AI,

I think it's 91% of customers desire personalization or are more inclined to buy if it feels customized or personalized.

Wow.

AI can do that for anything without scaling a company overnight with good prompts.

Absolutely.

You think about the creator economy, it's like, I'm going to get the numbers wrong, but I think it's like $156 billion economy right now.

Jeez.

On track for over 30% increase by 2035.

It's crazy.

It's insane.

But what makes a creator have an audience that stays with them during that period is like not sales funnels and migrating traffic and transactional deals, it's connection, it's community, it's the giveaways and the freebies, it's the incentives, it's the conversation, it's rewards, right?

It's the gamification of the experience and things that are different or new or exclusive.

And I think a lot of companies are getting better about it and creators too.

But I think there's a lack of intentionality sometimes.

And I would just add that like

community

matters.

And I think we don't always know what that means though.

But I think it's something around like 23% of companies that have like true community

increase in over, sorry, or more 23% more valuable or 30% more valuable in revenue.

Wow.

Yeah, because of repeat orders, right?

Engagement.

Look at Lululemon.

I mean, they got cult audience.

People love their products.

They rave about it.

I just bought some pants.

Did you?

Yeah, and they used to be like a brand for females like five, ten years ago.

Yeah, I mean, and I think they figured out what do you all like.

One thing I think is really interesting is we talk about building communities a lot.

And I love that.

I think at the end of the day, you do have to have a destination, and if you build it, they will come or go to where they are.

But I think facilitating communities is more important because it's not just about how I connect with you or how I connect with my consumer.

It's how do they connect.

So I think like a Lululemon or any of these Aloe sports companies, et cetera, they are helping the consumers connect.

They're creating meetups, experiences, digital groups where it's like-minded, like-spirited, like-gold, even like-souled people sometimes that want the same things, like the same things.

So I don't always have to be in the belly of the beast.

You don't have to be the figurehead of your community even.

You just need to have a value to offer them.

A lot of times it's each other.

Absolutely.

Well, Lisa, it's been fun.

Where can people find your agency and more about you?

Thank you.

We are at www.loopstudios.com.

That's L-O-O-P-S-T-U-D-I-O-S.

You can find us on Instagram and anywhere else at loop says, L-O-O-P-S-A-Y-S.

And I'm Ginger Jacobs on everything.

So

G-I-N-G-E-R, J-A-C-O-P.

Don't forget that.

We'll link it below, guys.

Thanks for watching.

Thanks for coming on.

Thanks, Sean.

See you tomorrow.