Adobe Summit Gets Personal: What You Need to Know and See

by the Code and Theory Experience Transformation Team

March 13, 2025

For over two decades, CMOs, CTOs, CXOs and the like have been chasing the holy grail of personalization: a two-way experience that forges true 1-1 intimacy between brands and customers, not just one-way streets to better targeting. Today we finally have the technology to deliver on this ambition and do it at scale with the integration of AI.

But will marketers fall into the age-old trap of racing to what Gartner calls the ‘false finish line,’ scaling transactional, forgettable, disconnected experiences that are simply a means to an end? Or will marketers step up to this moment to serve the customer, build trust and create experiences that feel like continuous, meaningful conversations?

It comes down to the effort marketers put into training the AI-powered technology they use, not taking for granted the quality, connectivity and totality of the design systems they use to create personalized content at scale.

"After 20 years of false promises, AI has finally made personalization at scale technically possible. But the uncomfortable truth is most brands' design systems were never intended for this new reality,” says Cory Haldeman, Code and Theory’s Chief Transformation Officer. “Without a unified brand system, companies can't scale personalization without the risk of scaling brand dilution."

At Code and Theory, we believe every brand needs a Unified Brand System to mitigate the natural human error and interpretation of design systems in pursuit of personalization at scale that governance models alone can’t solve. A Unified Brand System is the collection of elements and components that allows for the creation of consistent, relevant, meaningful content, including everything from the foundational audience strategy and brand strategy to the brand expression to the scalable design systems to the contextual systems that allow for truly context-aware, personalized experiences.

Code and Theory has developed an approach for assessing the Unified Brand System’s components for readiness and applicability in this AI-driven era and optimizing them. Our approach uses AI and human intelligence, honed over nearly a quarter-century of working with clients at the intersection of creativity and technology.

"We’ve never seen design and systems as separate forces but as one unified discipline,” says Stef Hoffman, Code and Theory, Group Director, Brand Transformation. “Others continue to struggle to bridge the gap yet we were founded on the idea that there is no gap to begin with. Our clients see it and feel it every day. Adobe Summit is where we can show it to the world."

Please make sure to stop by our booth at 1161. Who knows, you might run into Carmelo Anthony and Kelsey Plum.

What You Need to See to Build the Right Foundation

As always, the Adobe Summit in Vegas will feature plenty of content to help you figure out how to level up your enterprise design game. To learn how to build the right foundation, we suggest these sessions:

Building a Brand: What Marketers Can Learn from Basketball’s Iconic Players

When: Wed. March 19, 2025, 1:00-2:00 PM (Lando 4204 | In-Person)

• Creativity and technology are revolutionizing the way brands connect with audiences, turning consumers into passionate communities. Few understand this better than NBA legend Carmelo Anthony and current WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum, who have built influential personal brands that extend far beyond the court.

• In this session with Code and Theory co-founder Dan Gardner, they’ll share how authenticity, creativity and purpose fuel their success and explore how digital tools have helped them engage with audiences at scale. From launching and scaling brands to leveraging partnerships and content in new ways, the panelists will share insights on how creativity fuels business success, drives engagement and builds lasting connections in an increasingly digital world.

• As traditional service models evolve, discover how leading agencies leverage Adobe’s gen AI capabilities to reshape agency-client relationships for delivering greater value and driving innovation for their clients.

• Learn how the integration of Adobe’s creative AI tools enables teams to work smarter, iterate faster and focus on higher-value strategic work — benefits that led Code and Theory and the entire Stagwell Global network to partner with Adobe to deliver the future of the content supply chain.

• Scale Content for Your Brand With Firefly Services & Custom Models, Tues. March 18, 2025, 2:30-3:30 PM

• Driving Marketing Agility and Scale: Transforming Your Content Supply Chain With AI, Tues. March 18, 2025, 2:30-3:30 PM

• How Adobe Uses GenStudio to Supercharge Its Global Marketing Organization, Tues. March 18, 2025, 4:00-5:00 PM

• Adobe’s Top 10 Generative AI Capabilities to Accelerate Your Content Supply Chain, Wed. March 19, 2025, 2:30-3:30 PM

• A Million Creative Assets Later: What We've Learned About Content at Scale, Wed. March 19, 2025, 2:30-3:30 PM

• On Brand, on Time: Three Ways to Scale Content Creation With Adobe Express, Thurs. March 20, 2025, 9:00-10:00 AM

• Unlock ROI: Highest Value Use Cases for Content Creation and Production, Thurs. March 20, 2025, 10:30-11:30 AM

• Adobe GenStudio for Performance Marketing Innovations and Roadmap, Thurs. March 20, 2025, 1:00-2:00 PM

Zooming out beyond the content supply chain lens, here are some of the can’t-miss happenings, including strategic keynotes:

• Elevate and Empower Teams With Agentic AI for Exceptional Experiences, Tues. March 18, 2025, 1:00-2:00 PM

• B2B Reimagined: Transforming Go-to-Market Strategies for Profitable Growth, Wed. March 19, 2025, 1:00-2:00 PM

• Put the Customer at the Center and Build Relationships That Last a Lifetime, Wed. March 19, 2025, 2:30-3:30 PM

This Adobe Summit will feature more than its fair share of star power. Luminaries gracing the mainstage include Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey, JPMorganChase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon and Unilever Chief Growth and Marketing Officer Esi Eggleston Bracey.

This year, actor and comedian Ken Jeong will host Adobe Sneaks, your exclusive first look at the latest and greatest new technology from Adobe Labs.

Meanwhile, for those F1 fans attending the summit, guests of the Summit Bash will be able to take an interactive journey of the new F1 X at Grand Prix Plaza. The party will be capped by a performance from Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and guitarist Gary Clark Jr.

About the Code and Theory Network

The Code and Theory Network is the only technology and creative network with a balance of 50% creative and 50% engineers. Our unique makeup makes us the place where CMOs, CTOs and CIOs come together to drive results for their businesses. We partner with our clients to redefine what is possible to create lasting impact and drive long-term growth. Part of Stagwell, Code and Theory offers a global footprint and the capabilities to work across the entirety of the customer-facing journey, and implement the technology that powers it. The network includes the flagship agency Code and Theory as well as Kettle, Instrument, Left Field Labs, Truelogic, Create. Group, Rhythm and Mediacurrent. Code and Theory clients include Amazon, JPMorganChase, Microsoft, NBC, NFL and Yeti. For more, visit codeandtheory.com