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John Newall is the SVP, Marketing at Smartsheet. His role is to bring the Smartsheet mission to the world in distinctive, compelling ways. Prior to joining Smartsheet, John was an executive at some of the best advertising and marketing services organizations in the world such as Publicis, TBWA, and Live Nation. He was also the President at McKinney – creating unfair attention for brands like Audi, Sony, and Virgin. An ardent advocate for unleashing potential, you might find John teaching at UNC’s Keenan Flagler Business School or at an obscure biohacking conference.
With nearly 30 years of marketing experience under his belt, John Newall has seen countless tech trends come and go. Now as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Smartsheet, he recognises AI as more than just another passing trend: it represents a complete shift in how marketers think.
For John, some of the most exciting changes are happening at the initial ideas stage. AI tools such as Jasper AI, Gemini and Midjourney have the potential to lighten the load for marketers, acting as “a virtual brainstorm partner,” in John’s words. Beyond brainstorming, AI tools can nurture initial ideas by quickly visualising concepts and replacing early storyboards, allowing ideas to be sold internally much faster.
John sees AI fully remodelling how brands can connect with audiences. Over the next few years, he expects “significant advancements in enabling personalisation at scale,” with content that can “adapt in real-time to each user’s behaviour and preferences”.
For all AI’s benefits, though, John doesn’t see it as a silver bullet. “AI still can’t capture the nuance of human decision-making or create something as culturally resonant as Seinfeld or even Love Island,” he explains. To John, the brands that will succeed are those that blend “AI’s speed and scale with genuine creativity and emotional insight”.
With so much theoretical potential for the future of AI, it’s important to remember the long road to get there. So while we wait for the tools to further evolve, we wanted to know how AI has already changed how John approaches digital marketing over the past few years.
AI has really shifted how we approach digital marketing. It’s not just about the tools we use anymore, but about how we respond to the changes AI is driving in research and developing content.
Everyone is still in the early stages of the journey, and different teams are embedding AI in different ways. For example, many companies are using AI agents to solely run SEO, especially smaller businesses that have more streamlined marketing assets. With larger companies, however, it can be a bit more difficult to implement these agents because there’s such a wide scale of pre-existing content that can be challenging to organise. That’s why companies need to explore where AI can make the most impact for them. Across the industry, marketers produce a lot of content, and AI tools like Jasper AI, Gemini, and others can help with deliverables like early drafts so the team can focus its effort where it matters most.
Here at Smartsheet, AI is helping us prioritise and test smarter, whether it’s refining our message for different audiences or identifying new use cases along the purchase journey.
Ultimately, AI has been a game changer in how we think, plan, and experiment with our digital strategy, but we know it’s only the beginning, and I’m excited to see how it will continue to evolve.
We started with content generation using basic LLMs like Gemini, and it’s evolved from there. One of the most exciting things is how AI helps shape early-stage ideas. It can take a rough thought and get you 40–50% of the way towards something ready for market. It’s like having a virtual brainstorm partner. But it’s important to note that AI isn’t replacing creativity. In fact, it’s a great sounding board that helps us marketers build and shape the narrative.
For example, we use tools like Midjourney to quickly visualise concepts or replace early storyboards, which cuts down creative development time and helps get ideas to the point where they’re easier to sell internally.
AI is also helping us explore more personalised customer experiences and faster proof-of-concept work, which is especially valuable in areas where creativity is nuanced and high stakes.
In the next few years, I expect AI to make significant advancements in enabling personalisation at scale. We’re getting closer to delivering customer experiences where ads and content adapt in real-time to each user’s behaviour and preferences.
But with AI generating more content than ever, standing out will get harder. We’ll need to focus on what actually holds attention: useful, informative, and, above all, entertaining content. This mix creates the most engaging content that resonates with audiences.
As AI evolves, the need for real human connection will only grow. AI still can’t capture the nuance of human decision-making or create something as culturally resonant as Seinfeld or even Love Island, for instance. The brands that win will be the ones that combine AI’s speed and scale with genuine creativity and emotional insight.
A common misconception is assuming AI is a silver bullet. When a new technology takes off, it’s easy to get swept up and think it can solve everything, but that’s rarely the case.
AI is powerful, but it’s not nuanced at capturing human emotion. It’s a tool to support creativity, not replace it. Rather than trying to force AI into every part of the process, marketers should focus on where it truly adds value and make sure the human perspective stays front and centre.
Just start. Use AI every day, try it on different tasks, and see where it actually makes a difference. Don’t stop at the basic LLMs and explore what else is out there, from image generation to research tools.
You’ll face some resistance where a tool that works for most may not be what you need, and that’s normal. Don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole. The more you test and experiment, the faster you’ll figure out what works for your team. The key is to stay curious and build familiarity through hands-on use.
As AI becomes more sophisticated, the role of marketers will shift towards higher-level thinking and accountability. AI can generate content and surface insights, but people are still essential for evaluating what’s actually working and whether it aligns with the team’s goals. It can do the heavy lifting for you, but ultimately, you need to take the responsibility of making sure you’re getting the best results you can.
Marketers will spend less time producing and more time guiding AI to save time and resources. Then they can step in to refine, validate, and make strategic decisions. AI is a powerful tool, but it’s the human perspective that ensures the work is meaningful, effective, and on brand.
