Code and Theory

🗞️This week in DECODE: AI personas and synthetic scroll are on the rise, and Head of Code and Theory’s GX practice Dominic Sale shares how the GovCons can build better digital experiences. Get up to speed ↓↓

The Shorty Awards just announced its Shorty Impact finalists and The Code and Theory Network is up for three! Kettle's work with The Legal Aid Society is a finalist in Local Campaign and Social Justice and Instrument's Build Week is a finalist in Special Projects. Vote every day between now and October 21! ▪️ Kettle X The Legal Aid Society → https://lnkd.in/eYGkk8ju ▪️Instrument X Vanport Studio Build Week → https://lnkd.in/gZahuC-g

From launching audio features to developing AI agents, TIME is utilizing AI to completely transform readers' experience in partnership with Code and Theory and Scale AI. TIME's Mark Howard, Code and Theory's Arjun Kalyanpur and Scale AI's Mihir Pandya sat down with Axios's Kerry Flynn at Advertising Week New York to discuss what tech opportunities are next for the brand. "Like any technological innovation, to do nothing or to ignore it is the real missed opportunity," said Kalyanpur.

AI personas are reshaping research and planning, compressing weeks of work into days. But Code and Theory's Karen Piper warns that even though the LLMs may have human-like names, faces and voices, they aren't oracles. "They're tools, not truths," says Piper. She recommends human intervention across points in the persona research process to ensure precision and reliability. Great piece by Sam Bradley at Digiday: https://lnkd.in/eiR4vmhn

93% of executives admit their customer experience is broken. New WSJ Intelligence/Code and Theory research reveals the uncomfortable truth: most companies are leveraging AI to chase efficiencies while leaving the customer behind. And it’s costing them. Leaders who excel at digital customer experiences generate 30% more revenue on average ($1.4B) than laggards. If you’re a CMO, CTO, CIO or CEO — this is your wake-up call. The winners aren’t following traditional best practices. They’re inventing new ones that unlock customer value with AI. —> Download The Experience Gap report (https://lnkd.in/ebPactka) to see why most are falling behind, and what it takes to lead.

The Code and Theory Network just took home 35 w3 Awards, including three "Best In Show" awards for our work with NBCUniversal and National Football League (NFL), and Instrument's work with ŌURA. Here's the work that shaped the digital landscape: ▪️Code and Theory's work with National Football League (NFL), NBCUniversal, Vrbo, Qualcomm, Context lens by RealClearPolitics, Diageo, The Minnesota Star Tribune and TIAA ▪️Instrument's work with ŌURA and Eventbrite ▪️Left Field Labs' work on Snapdragon City and Hasbro Twister Air ▪️Kettle's work with E.L.F. BEAUTY and The Legal Aid Society ▪️Mediacurrent's work with the University of Tampa Congratulations to all our fellow agencies, clients and teams on this honor and thank you to the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts for the recognition!

Calling all makers who thrive at the intersection of design, motion and storytelling. We’re looking for a Social Media Creator to bring vision (with or without eclipse glasses), taste and craft to Code and Theory’s brand. You’ll concept and create assets that not only tell our brand story in culture and on platforms, but also shape editorial content across our core business areas: design, technology, AI and strategy. ▪️ Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gJ_gkN2J and let us know in the comments if you or someone you know would rock this role.

The Agentic AI browser battles are upon us now that Google has begun to “reimagine” Chrome with AI. Code and Theory's Dan Gardner describes this as a new, difficult race for brands to find customers. “Google’s AI-enabled Chrome is the equivalent of another company planting a sales rep directly inside your store, smiling and helpful as it redirects your customers to competitors,” says Gardner in his latest article for Forbes (https://lnkd.in/gxqC874V). The stakes: customer acquisition costs will rise, loyalty will decline and the ownership of first-party data will evaporate. For more about what Dan and others have to say, check out Asa Hiken's excellent explainer piece in Ad Age (https://lnkd.in/gFu4qdYG).

In his latest for The Drum, Craig Elimeliah explains what the iPhone 17 is missing and why a shift in design philosophy is needed to step into the next era of AI hardware.

"By mid-2026, the divide between AI-fluent professionals and those still working the old way will be unmistakable," says Code and Theory Head of Design Transformation Matthieu Mingasson. He lays out a practical framework for using AI to eliminate low-value tasks, accelerate strategic thinking and spark more meaningful creativity. Learn more ➡️ ➡️ https://lnkd.in/grRuPB8m