Unboxing using AI as a creative
Want the whole story behind creative AI implementation? Join Yana Nenadovich and Maru Cabrera on this ‘Unboxing’ episode for all the details on how the Brand and Creative team at Lounge by Zalando works with AI to scale content, test new tools, and unlock creative storytelling.
by Yana Nenadovich, Head of Brand and Creative, Maru Cabrera, Senior Art Director
In this ‘Unboxing’ episode of The Delivery Podcast, Yana Nenadovich, Head of Brand and Creative, sits down with Senior Art Director Maru Cabrera to unbox how their creative team at Lounge by Zalando works with artificial intelligence. They discuss how a lean team balances high-volume production with creative storytelling, where AI fits into the customer journey, and how to cultivate a test-and-learn mindset. Listen to the full episode here.
What has been the breakthrough in applying AI to creative production?
"There is, not only at Lounge but overall in our company, a growing demand to create more content that resonates with our audience and our future customers. Sometimes we have constraints like limits, budget, and resources. What I think has been a breakthrough for us is applying AI to scale the volume of assets we produce, while at the same time challenging ourselves to create more creative storytelling that resonates with our audience."
- Maru Cabrera
Where should AI-generated content sit within the customer journey?
"Being intentional in content creation means placing AI-generated content in the right parts of the customer journey. On organic social media, for example, we minimise AI usage right now because we want content to be authentic, spontaneous, and social - a place reserved for human connections. But when it comes to product-led advertising, customers have different expectations and mindsets. We see that as a good place to use AI content because it requires less storytelling, is product-focused, and makes sense."
- Yana Nenadovich
How do creatives need to shift their mindset when working with AI?
"For someone starting with AI - a question we get quite a lot - first adopt a winning mindset. There's a myth that you get results with one prompt and one click, but that's not the case. It requires testing, failing, and keeping the perspective that you will get there by learning from mistakes. Working with AI is completely different from traditional workflows."
- Maru Cabrera
What advice would you give to seasoned professionals starting out with AI?
"I observe that when people have been professionals for a long time and excel at what they do, it's really hard to be a beginner again. Starting with AI can look scary, and no one wants to feel like they don't know anything. It's like learning to write from scratch or learning to ride a bicycle at 40. My advice is just to start and not be afraid of not knowing things."
- Yana Nenadovich
How do you foster a safe space for innovation and encourage team adoption?
"With innovative projects, what helped our team is that some people are naturally wired to be innovators - and I see you [Maru] as one of those people. To be an innovator, you need curiosity, big-picture thinking, and the skill to act on it. Identifying those team members and giving them the mandate is the easiest way to drive adoption."
- Yana Nenadovich
Episode Transcript
Yana Nenadovich: Hi, I'm Yana. I'm Head of Brand and Creative here at Lounge by Zalando, the online outlet of Zalando. Today we are unboxing AI: how we work with it in our Brand and Creative team, how we think about it, and the mindset within the team.
Maru Cabrera: Hi, I'm Maru, Senior Art Director from Brand and Creative at Lounge by Zalando. When we talk about AI in general, we create content. There is a growing demand across our company to create more content that resonates with our audience and future customers. Sometimes we face constraints like budget and resources. What has been a breakthrough for us is applying AI to scale the volume of assets we produce, while challenging ourselves to create storytelling that resonates with our audience.
Yana Nenadovich: Our team is very lean - a team of 10 people at the moment - and the scope is quite big, with content demand constantly growing. There were certain things we wanted to do in the past but couldn't, like generating voiceovers for certain ads with AI. For us to do this meaningfully across 25 different markets, we would have had to spend over a million a year. But localising and speaking the language of our clients is important to deliver the message. With AI, we are able to become more personal and interact more successfully with customers across different markets.
Maru Cabrera: A year ago, that was not possible. The sky is the limit, and it enables our team to dream big while scaling both asset volume and creative storytelling.
Yana Nenadovich: The important thing is staying intentional about how we use these tools. Being intentional in content creation means placing AI-generated content in the right parts of the customer journey. On organic social media, for example, we minimise AI usage right now because we want content to be authentic, spontaneous, and social - a place reserved for human connections. But when it comes to product-led advertising, customers have different expectations and mindsets. We see that as a good place to use AI content because it requires less storytelling, is product-focused, and makes sense.
Maru Cabrera: Something I love about how we work is fostering a winning mindset toward AI while building a test-and-learn space. You need to know what the tool is capable of so you can direct the creative pillars effectively to succeed.
Yana Nenadovich: And you shouldn't be afraid to fail. We do fail from time to time.
Maru Cabrera: Creatives in general are perfectionists, and AI doesn't allow that. You need to get used to failing and understand that you won't get the desired result on the first click.
Yana Nenadovich: There were areas where I expected fast progress, like copy localisation, but the technology isn't fully there yet. Conversely, we moved surprisingly fast with video creation. It's not just about our approach, but how the underlying technology develops across different aspects. What you expect to be easy isn't always, while complex tasks can happen remarkably fast.
Maru Cabrera: For someone starting with AI - a question we get quite a lot - first adopt a winning mindset. There's a myth that you get results with one prompt and one click, but that's not the case. It requires testing, failing, and keeping the perspective that you will get there by learning from mistakes. Working with AI is completely different from traditional workflows. What would be your advice for someone starting out with AI?
Yana Nenadovich: I observe that when people have been professionals for a long time and excel at what they do, it's really hard to be a beginner again. Starting with AI can look scary, and no one wants to feel like they don't know anything. It's like learning to write from scratch or learning to ride a bicycle at 40. My advice is just to start and not be afraid of not knowing things.
Maru Cabrera: For me, it was super important how you fostered a safe space where making mistakes was okay - not just testing the tool, but how you encourage your team. How do you see that as a senior manager?
Yana Nenadovich: With innovative projects, what helped our team is that some people are naturally wired to be innovators - and I see you as one of those people. To be an innovator, you need curiosity, big-picture thinking, and the skill to act on it. Identifying those team members and giving them the mandate is the easiest way to drive adoption.
Maru Cabrera: I love this. Thank you for trusting.
Yana Nenadovich: Of course. Well, I wasn't wrong.