July 31, 2026

Art & Copy: A creative conversation on AI, marketing trends and totally unrelated topics.

As a full-service marketing agency, we spend a lot of time working through media and creative strategies with our clients. But before these strategies make their way out the door, we discuss, challenge and debate them internally. And sometimes (often) go off on a few tangents…

Our creative director (art) Erica Rowe and brand strategist (copy) Sarah Whipkey share an office, creative inspo and belly laughs daily. They also love a good tangent and a good conversation/debate about marketing past and present. Deemed Sarica (get it), this duo has partnered together for 11+ years. The force, and opinions, are strong with these two. Read for yourself.

What are your thoughts on (you guessed it) AI?

Sarah: People treat AI like it’s a creative director. It’s a research assistant. And we all need research assistants.

AI has never sat across from your best customer and heard why they chose you. It doesn’t know the tension between your sales team and marketing. It doesn’t know what makes your founder weird in the best possible way. It doesn’t know the stories your employees tell, the mistakes you’ve learned from or the tiny details that make your company unforgettable.

It knows patterns. And we all know AI knows patterns because these patterns appear in LinkedIn posts, video scripts and bad web copy everywhere. The same recycled ideas wrapped in different overly-used words.

We use AI to research, prep outlines, pull some thoughts together. The concepts, scripts, headlines, copy–even decisions on when to use the blessed em dash–that’s all ours.

Erica: We’ve all seen the eyesores, sorry fliers, and oddly-familiar logos that AI can produce in less than a minute. We’ve also seen the subsequent multitude of hours spent trying to make these files printable, workable to your brand and finally ready for your customer’s eyes. Even big budget marketers are using it. Hello, AI Super Bowl ads! The important thing to note is that the commercials had a very human creative director with a very human creative team guiding the strategy from beginning to end.

The best work still comes from curiosity, empathy and understanding people and what motivates them. Those are human skills.

What should companies focus on when branding or rebranding?

Erica: Build consistency. Every few months there’s a new design trend, color palette or social format. Great brands don’t panic every time the internet changes its mind. They build recognizable systems that evolve instead of reinventing themselves.

Sarah: You’ll hear me say over and over, you need to own who you are. Lean into your story, your quirks, what makes you, you. If your messaging could belong to your competitor by simply swapping out the logo, start over.

What creative trend has worn out its welcome?

Erica: Design that’s beautiful but impossible to use. If people can’t find what they’re looking for, the design isn’t working.

Sarah: The blandness. Bring back the personality! (And I use exclamation points very sparingly. More on that to come.) Marketers are overthinking every word choice and trying to explain too much. Where’s the mystique?

Your brand should be the most interesting person at the cocktail party. Someone you’d actually want to have a conversation with, not a committee that spent three hours approving the word solutions.

Does every company need more video?

Erica: Yes. Video helps people understand your personality (and product/service) faster than almost any other medium. It doesn’t always need to be cinematic. But it does need to feel human.

Sarah: I agree.

What do companies tend to overthink?

Sarah: Trying to be everything to everyone. Your target audience is a 22-year-old female, and your CEO is a 58-year-old female. If the copy and concept are not understood by your CEO, that’s okay. More than okay.

Erica: Perfection. Creative gets better through testing, learning and refining. Waiting until everything feels perfect usually means you’re waiting too long.

What’s one thing companies need to spend more time on?

Erica: Their customer experience. The strongest brands don’t just look good. They make people feel something at every interaction.

Sarah: Their message. It needs to be short and sweet (or sassy) but very strategic. If you can’t explain why someone should choose you within a few seconds, you’ve already lost them.

Best thing you’ve heard or read lately?

Sarah: When graphic designer Paula Scher was questioned about the speed of her Citibank logo design (she sketched it on a napkin during a meeting) and the resulting price tag, she said:

“It took me a few seconds to draw it, but it took me 34 years to learn how to draw it in a few seconds.”

Erica: “Whatever you are, be a good one.” Whatever role you play—designer, marketer, CEO, or intern—commit to doing work that is thoughtful, authentic, and impactful. Excellence isn’t defined by your title but by the care and purpose you bring to your work.

For designers, the quote is a reminder that good design isn’t just about making things look attractive—it’s about solving problems effectively, being purposeful with your design choices in an effort to create experiences and tell a story with every piece you create.

What is your creative pet peeve?

Erica: “Make the logo bigger” or “Can you make it pop?”

Sarah: Too many exclamation points in copy! Stop screaming at me! And “We need some compelling headlines.” As opposed to dull ones.

A favorite, timeless campaign?

Erica: Smart visual solutions that take a strong concept and make it even more impactful are always my favorite. VW “Think Small”, KFC “FCK”

Sarah: So many good ones. VW “Drivers Wanted”, Mastercard “Priceless”, Allstate “Mayhem”

Most overused phrase or image in marketing?

Sarah: “We care.” Do you, though? Tell me something real that makes you different.

Erica: Stock photos that somehow include six people pointing at the same laptop.

What’s harder today: getting attention or keeping it?

Erica: Keeping it.

Sarah: Earning it.

I’ve been told to ask about Keanu Reeves…

Erica: National treasure.

Sarah: (Shakes her head)

TV show (sans Keanu) that you both agree on?

Both: Mad Men and Schitt’s Creek

Creative is, and always will be, subjective. And it works best when you bring different perspectives together to solve the same problem. Sometimes that means debating industry research. Or punctuation usage. Or if dressing should always be served on the side (it should).

One thing we can all agree on, a great creative team makes all the difference. And that is fact. Let’s talk!