“In advertising, the world doesn’t need more ads—it needs smarter ones. What Smartly calls intelligent creative: always-on, always learning, adaptive, and able to run at the pace of consumers and algorithms.” – Laura Desmond

In a market reshaped by AI, the brands that win won’t crank out more creative—they’ll ship intelligent creative that learns in real time. Laura Desmond, CEO of Smartly (and longtime agency leader), explains why AI is the most disruptive shift of her career, how always-on, always-learning creative changes the CMO’s role, and why leadership today is about defining reality, choosing the right mission, and building teams that can move at algorithm speed. From video assembly to privacy-first data models to convening the industry at Advance, this episode explores a practical blueprint for growth in the AI era.

Laura Desmond is the Chief Executive Officer of Smartly, where she leads the company’s end-to-end platform that integrates media, creative, and intelligence. Previously a global CEO at Starcom and a board member/operator across ad-tech and marketing companies, Laura now focuses on helping marketers automate production, orchestrate campaigns in seconds, and scale personalization across social, commerce, and CTV—while developing the next generation of leaders.

Tune into the latest episode or read the transcript below to learn more. Here are some top takeaways:

Why Intelligent Creative Matters

Laura emphasizes that the industry doesn’t need more ads—it needs smarter ones. Intelligent creative is always-on, adaptive, and powered by algorithms to match the pace of culture. She explains that manual workflows can’t deliver personalization and performance at scale anymore, which is why Smartly has built a platform that takes campaigns from idea to execution in seconds.

AI as the Most Disruptive Shift

Looking back on four major industry eras—the internet, mobile, social/commerce, and now AI—Laura calls AI the most disruptive by far. She describes how it accelerates culture, empowers consumers as creators, and forces brands to deliver engaging content across formats. For marketers, this era is both a challenge and an opportunity to create advertising that entertains, informs, and drives growth.

Personalization at Scale With Privacy First

Consumers now expect brands to know them and respect them at the same time. Laura explains how Smartly uses billions of daily creative signals across platforms to train models responsibly while adhering to strict privacy standards. The result is hyper-personalized creative that feels relevant without crossing the line on consent or frequency, setting a new standard for engagement.

Redefining the CMO Role

AI, Laura argues, is redefining the CMO’s job from cost management to growth leadership. She cites examples of how Smartly helps brands expand campaigns across 100+ markets with the same resources by scaling personalization and automation. For CMOs, success now hinges on agility, always-on learning, and delivering measurable growth—not just efficiency.

Building an AI-Everyday Company

Inside Smartly, Laura has instilled two core principles: build AI-first and live AI every day. From video assembly to campaign orchestration, every product is designed with AI at its core. At the same time, employees are trained to use AI daily, ensuring they can credibly guide clients. Laura frames this as an industry renaissance where AI won’t replace creativity but will amplify and accelerate it.

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