AI is the super-serum for marketing leaders – but just like Captain America, CMOs can’t win this one alone, nor should they have to. To harness their superhuman potential, the real question is: who do you want in your Avengers squad?
Kim Plesner-Jacobson, senior vice-president, global digital transformation at GUT Network
The AI debate has swung between two extremes: hype and fear. Is it a magic bullet or a looming threat? Kim Plesner-Jacobson, senior vice-president, global digital transformation at GUT Network, sees it differently. For him, it’s about augmentation.
“Who wants to sign up to become a superhuman like the Marvel movies? Who wants to be Captain America? That’s what we all should be looking into. How can I become a superhuman?” he explains.
Think about Captain America – he was still Steve Rogers. But with the serum, he became superhuman. That’s what AI can be for CMOs. Not to change who you are, but enhance what you can do.
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It’s the kind of analogy that sticks. The CMO as Captain America: faster, sharper, stronger. But as Plesner-Jacobson points out, even superheroes can’t win battles alone.
The early conversation around AI has been dominated by efficiency. Faster workflows. Cheaper content. Fewer bottlenecks. But that’s missing the point, he says: “If you can become a superhuman, that’s the reality. It’s not about losing jobs. It’s about using AI to become faster, sharper, and more impactful in the decisions you make.”
But that’s only half the story. “CMOs don’t need to become more technical. They need to do what they do best – but make sure they have the right allies to work with on this,” he says.
Just as Captain America needed Iron Man, Black Widow and the rest of the Avengers, CMOs need allies across the business. In our AI Marketing Pulse, just 16% of CMOs say they are personally leading AI transformation inside their organization – with efforts instead being led by innovation leads (36%) and the CTO/CIO (20%). It underscores Plesner-Jacobson’s point: superhuman strength is wasted without the right team around you.
In this conversation, the metaphors didn’t stop at Marvel. “We all have cars. But you want to be the one in the Ferrari. AI is the Ferrari – it’s the tool that takes you further, faster. But you still need the driver,” he says.
Technology delivers horsepower on demand. But speed without strategy is a risk – especially when the pressure to demonstrate impact is so high. Without a skilled driver setting the destination, the Ferrari risks spinning off course.
So what does it mean to be a CMO during this period of rapid AI transformation? For Plesner-Jacobson, the answer is simple: stay human, stay creative, and surround yourself with a squad who can bring your vision to life.
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“The goal is not to become more technical, but more process-oriented, collaborative orientated and co-creation. It’s to double down on creativity, vision and leadership.”
AI can give CMOs the super-serum. But success will depend on the Avengers they assemble – the allies across the C-suite who turn that power into transformation.
Because in the next chapter of marketing, the strongest CMOs won’t be the fastest adopters – they’ll be the ones who build the smartest teams.
Explore more in the AI Marketing Pulse hub.
