#23 - AI in CPG Marketing: Creative Speed and Scale Transformation with Elena Espinoza

About this episode

Join us for an illuminating conversation about how AI is revolutionizing creative development and marketing in the consumer packaged goods sector with Elena Espinoza, Marketing Director at Lipton ICE-T Latam. With 17 years of experience across CPG and pharma industries, Elena shares how she's leading AI-driven marketing transformation through the PepsiCo-Unilever joint venture.

In this episode, Elena reveals how her team transformed creative development from week-long agency processes to just five minutes using ethically-trained AI tools like Adobe Firefly and Copilot. She discusses moving from traditional agency workflows with multiple layers to direct in-house collaboration with creative teams, using AI for storyboarding, talent casting, and pre-production planning.

Key Takeaways:

• Speed in Creative Development: Moving from week-long briefing and agency processes to creating concepts in minutes with in-house teams trained on AI tools
• AI in Production: Using Firefly to create final storyboard images, identify talent characteristics, and plan shoots—Elena's team completed a Latin America campaign where casting was done based on AI-generated images
• Campaign Results: In one Brazil campaign, using only six assets over eight weeks, the team delivered their targets in reach, engagement, and frequency three weeks early because the assets performed so well with the algorithm
• Quality Over Quantity in Digital: For Meta campaigns focused on awareness and reach, fewer optimized assets often work better than many assets, with proper attention to wear-out monitoring
• Human Necessity: AI is a tool and resource, not a replacement—humans are still needed for insights, human truths, passion, and the feeling behind brands. AI answers can feel "cold" without human refinement
• Multi-Market Reality: AI helps with standardization and translation, but local teams are essential for adapting language, slang, and cultural nuances across different Spanish-speaking countries and Brazil
• Learning Approach: Start by trying AI tools on non-critical tasks first, access internal training if available at your company, and be curious about embracing change

Perfect for marketing leaders, brand managers, creative directors, and executives in CPG, retail, or any consumer-facing industry looking to implement AI-driven creative workflows.

Elena also shares resources including internal Copilot and Firefly training at PepsiCo and Unilever, "She Runs on AI" community addressing feminine perspectives in AI, and free resources available on YouTube, Spotify, and platforms like Sector.

"AI is a tool, is a resource that we have. It's not someone that's replacing my creative design team or my agency or the managers that work with me, because we still need humans to be behind the human truths, the insights, even the feeling that you get and the passion." - Elena Spinoza