Adam Morgan has spent much of his 30-year career at advertising agencies and major technology brands, exploring how creative ideas build emotional connections with customers and drive business results. As VP of Brand at Twilio, he brings that perspective to a question facing marketing leaders: What makes a brand stand out when AI gives everyone more power to create?
Morgan believes the answer lies in the vision, ideas, and human understanding behind the work. That conviction also shapes his approach to leadership, from focusing on empathy to encouraging teams to experiment without waiting for permission.
Named to our Marketers to Watch list, Morgan shared how his team uses AI, the thinking behind a billboard campaign that challenges fears about technology, and why he expects brand storytelling to become even more important in the future.
What book or podcast do you recommend to marketing leaders?
I believe that you must read to lead, so picking one book is challenging. Here are a few that have made an impact on my career: Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull, Jump Start Your Brain by Doug Hall, The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, and The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek.
As for podcasts, if you believe in creativity, I host a podcast called Real Creative Leadership, and for seven seasons we have dug into all the deep topics of what it takes to lead companies with creativity.
How are you and your team currently using AI?
We have many use cases for AI on the brand team at Twilio. Most of them are around content creation. We use it to help with writing, from blogs to long-form content. We use it to help us create illustrations faster. We use it to adapt video backgrounds for different regions. We use it to create system shortcuts for our brand elements. We use it to build product wizards on our website. We use it to adapt sound, words, pictures, data, and information in many, many ways. But we always infuse it with humanity, taste, vision, and purpose.
What’s a prediction you have for marketing over the next few years?
I’m seeing a trend where brand is becoming more important. The last era was all about performance marketing and using digital to create tight measurement and tracking. But with AI, now everyone can make experiences with higher production values. So now brand stories and emotional moments make you stand out beyond the AI production machine. My prediction is that brand will matter even more as AI does the grunt work. It will come down to vision and ideas that will drive more performance.
What’s the most innovative or exciting project you’ve worked on recently?
We recently launched a series of billboards that play off the fears of new technology. Using historical footage and historical news articles, we show how AI isn’t something to fear because the future is all about what you do as a builder or creator. So don’t fear technology; build the future.
What’s the most pressing business challenge you’ve faced in the last year and what have you done to solve it?
This past year, the biggest challenge was the unknown about AI and the fact that all CEOs were reading the same doomsday articles on X and threatening to fire all writers, designers, and developers because AI would do the work faster. Then reality hit, and now they are all realizing that it’s better to 10x every person with AI than to try to replace them. The challenge was helping folks not freak out and let things settle.
What leadership muscle is most important for marketers to exercise?
I believe that the leadership muscle that most think they are good at, but that all of us can use some practice with, is empathy. That means truly thinking about your employees in a personal way. Same with customers. What do they care about, believe in, and really want? Then it’s about being able to find a win-win with business plans and people’s dreams.
What’s the most game-changing piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
I feel like too many people are waiting for permission, feeling like they can’t take action without someone else approving it, especially in enterprise organizations. We need more of a startup attitude: to just experiment and try something. Build it, then present it. If you have a good pitch, leadership will likely love it. But initiative is severely lacking in many. So just look in the mirror and say, “Why not me?”
What gives you energy and inspiration outside of work?
The thing that gives me the most happiness is people. Friends, family, just people. I am an extrovert, and since the pandemic, I have been trying my best to plan events and moments with people.
Marketers to Watch is a recognition series that spotlights highly innovative and forward-thinking marketing leaders in the community. If you have someone you’d like to nominate for the series, apply here.
