Why creativity matters more than ever in the age of AI - Adobe CMO, Lara Balazs

Lara Balazs, CMO of Adobe, joins us to discuss what it takes to lead one of the world's most influential creative brands through a period of enormous change. From Adobe's presence at Cannes to the rapid rise of AI, Lara shares her vision for the company and why she believes technology should be used in service of creativity, rather than simply to drive efficiency. We explore why creativity matters more than ever in the age of AI, the skills Adobe looks for in marketers, and the traits that separate the most successful CMOs. Lara also shares the practical leadership principles she uses to run her team, from creating a company plan on a page and harnessing the power of repetition to prioritising progress over perfection and using the “two-way door” approach to make faster decisions. This episode is brought to you by System1. Download their creator effectiveness report here: https://system1group.com/the-creator-effectiveness-playbook Timestamps 00:00 - Start 01:23 - The most surprising thing about Lara 03:11 - How Adobe have stood out at Cannes 05:50 - What makes an influential CMO? 06:59 - How to manage a business through change 09:54 - Lara’s vision for Adobe 13:33 - Finding inspiration from a brand’s history 15:13 - Where AI has been used in service of creativity 18:03 - AI to enhance creativity vs increasing efficiency 20:42 - Why creativity still matters in the AI age 23:41 - What skillsets does Adobe hire for in marketing? 25:22 - The traits of the most successful CMOs 28:55 - The company plan on a page 30:49 - The power of repitition 32:05 - Progress over perfection at Adobe 33:14 - The two way door approach 37:19 - The best advice Lara has ever recieved