Profiles in Persuasion: Jen Rapp
Jen Rapp's marketing career showcases how authentic storytelling and adaptive strategy can drive success across different industries. From writing catalogs as a rock climber to her current role as CMO at Superside, she has navigated complex marketing landscapes in both B2C and B2B sectors. Her journey reflects a remarkable ability to adapt to changing marketing environments, moving from outdoor brands to tech companies while maintaining a core focus on genuine, impactful communication.
Host
Joaquin Dominguez, Head of Marketing at Adzact
Guest
Jen Rapp, CMO at Superside
Marketing Philosophy: Target Market Authenticity
In her podcast interview, Jen shared a core principle that has shaped her career: selecting companies where she is the target market. This approach began during her time at Patagonia, where her background as a rock climber enabled her to create marketing narratives that felt genuine and deeply connected to the audience. Her early experience writing catalogs for Black Diamond, a climbing equipment company founded by the same entrepreneur behind Patagonia, gave her a unique perspective on how personal passion can translate into powerful marketing. By essentially marketing to herself, she discovered a way to build brand stories that not only sell products but also communicate a deeper sense of purpose and lifestyle.
"When you market to yourself, you're not just selling a product – you're sharing a story, a passion, a way of life that resonates beyond transactions and speaks directly to the heart of what people truly care about." Jen Rapp
The Evolving Marketing Landscape
Jen highlighted a significant trend in modern marketing: the increasing overlap between B2C and B2B communication. Traditional boundaries are breaking down, with B2B brands now adopting emotional storytelling techniques more commonly associated with consumer marketing. Her experiences at companies like Klaviyo revealed that B2B marketing is fundamentally about solving complex professional challenges, which requires an equally nuanced emotional approach. She observed that today's B2B marketing is less about selling technology and more about connecting with people's professional aspirations and solving meaningful problems.
Creative as the New Differentiation
One of Jen's key insights is the concept of "creative as the new targeting." As she put it during the interview, "You're not going to win these days because you're really good at campaign targeting or audience building... you're going to win when your creative stands out." In today's marketing environment, where advertising platforms have become increasingly accessible, creativity is the primary way to stand out. She illustrated this point with examples from Superside, showing how innovative creative work can dramatically improve marketing performance. When her team stopped producing fresh creative content, their ad performance noticeably declined, underscoring the critical importance of creative innovation. The democratization of marketing tools means that companies can no longer rely on technical targeting alone; instead, compelling and unique creative becomes the key differentiator.
"In today's marketing landscape, sophisticated targeting is no longer your competitive edge. Creativity is the new currency - it's how you catch an eye, spark emotion, and truly differentiate your brand in a world of endless digital noise."
Jen Rapp
Bridging Creative and Performance Teams
Jen's leadership approach focuses on aligning creative and performance teams around a shared vision. She recognizes the natural tensions between analytical marketers and creative professionals who often think differently. Her strategy involves creating intentional relationships where both teams understand they're working towards the same goal of business success. Drawing from her experiences at companies like DoorDash, she shared an anecdote about a high-performing direct mail piece featuring a flaming burger that challenged traditional brand aesthetics. This story illustrates the delicate balance between performance and brand integrity. She stressed the importance of clear, comprehensive briefs that help creative teams understand exactly what is needed, and encouraged teams to push the boundaries of their comfort zones while staying true to the brand's core message.
Innovative Marketing Tools
At Superside, Jen is driving marketing innovation through tools like the Super Ads platform. This AI-driven technology analyzes ad performance by examining elements such as color, emotion, and call-to-action. The platform helps bridge the gap between creative teams and performance marketers by providing objective insights into what resonates with audiences. It can identify which emotional approaches (like humor, FOMO, or fear-based messaging) perform best, enabling teams to create more targeted and effective content. For instance, Jen noted that humor-based ads performed 50 times better than other approaches, demonstrating the platform's value in guiding creative decision-making.
Professional Mission
Jen's personal mission is to help founders translate their vision into compelling, market-relevant brand narratives. She sees her role as a translator, taking a founder's original vision and making it connect with the target audience. This approach was evident in her work at Klaviyo, where she helped articulate the founder's mission of empowering people to own their data and create their own destiny. Her commitment goes beyond traditional marketing, focusing on creating meaningful connections that reflect the deeper purpose of a company. She believes in the power of understanding a founder's core vision and finding innovative ways to communicate that vision to the market.
Future Outlook
Jen represents a new generation of marketing leaders who understand that success is about creating genuine, emotionally resonant connections with audiences. Her approach suggests a future where marketing is more about storytelling and meaningful engagement than traditional selling tactics. She anticipates continued blending of B2B and B2C marketing approaches, with a growing emphasis on emotional intelligence, creative differentiation, and purpose-driven communication.
Join the Precision Punks Community
Access to the slack community of serious B2B advertisers
Chatham House rules ‘Adzact confidential’ events with peers
Private in-person events in London and New York
Exclusive data & learning resources to build your career
