Jonathan Lo is Fractional CMO at Salt Foundry, a Utah-based strategic marketing firm that provides part-time chief marketing leadership and custom strategies for e-commerce and consumer brands. He has over 15 years of experience leading digital marketing efforts at startups and multi‑billion‑dollar companies, managing more than $50 million in annual ad spend across millions of products. At Salt Foundry, Jonathan partners with leadership teams to define KPIs, lead internal teams, and execute high-impact campaigns with measurable results.

The world of marketing is moving faster than ever, with AI tools promising to revolutionize strategy, execution, and content creation. But as automation ramps up, many marketers wonder: how do we keep our campaigns effective without losing the human spark that connects with real people? Can we truly blend tech and empathy for scalable success?

According to Jonathan Lo, a seasoned marketing strategist and AI product leader, marketers can readily harness AI to enhance, not replace, their creative and strategic abilities. He highlights that the right AI tools can help teams move faster and more effectively by getting them 80% of the way toward a strong strategy or deliverable — the real power comes from the human insight applied in that final 20%. He also emphasizes the role of authenticity and trust in a post-AI world, where founders and influencers are often more persuasive than polished ads.

In this episode of the Response Drivers podcast, host Rick Rappe sits down with Jonathan Lo, Fractional CMO at Salt Foundry, to discuss how AI tools can support smarter, more human-centered marketing. They explore the balance between automation and creativity, how empathy drives performance, and why strategy frameworks matter. Jonathan also shares how brands can stay trustworthy and effective in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.