Intelligent Artifice: become a 10X performance marketer

Shamanth Rao
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Welcome to Intelligent Artifice, the podcast that helps you become a 10x performance marketer. Intelligent Artifice explores the cutting edge of the intersection of AI, creatives and performance marketing. Every week, we deconstruct the ad systems behind high-performing advertisers using our in-house semantic analysis system, BruteForce AI , or we sit down with top operators redefining how advertising gets done in a Gen AI world.  Whether you’re scaling user acquisition, leading a creative team, or building a creative engine with AI, this podcast is your unfair advantage. Intelligent Artifice is hosted by me, Shamanth Rao, the founder and CEO of the boutique growth marketing agency Rocketship HQ. Find out more:Work with us: rocketshiphq.com (ideal for advertisers spending $50k+/month on paid social) Website: IntelligentArtifice.net Intelligent Artifice newsletter: https://intelligentartifice.kit.com/

  1. 17H AGO

    This AI video startup founder scaled to 7 figures with more agents than employees: with Romain Torres, Co-founder at ArcAds

    🎙 In this episode: We sit down with Romain Torres, co-founder of Arcads, to explore how they scaled a hypergrowth startup using AI agents, automated workflows, and a data-driven creative engine that produces winning ads at scale. From customer support automation to creative testing with Meta’s ad library, this episode is a masterclass in AI-driven growth. 💡 You’ll learn: How to scale customer support and ad creation 10x using AIWhy “agents” and workflows are the new growth teamHow founders can use automation to stay lean and move fastThe truth about what really works in Meta ad testing🎧 Whether you’re a growth marketer, creative strategist, or startup founder, this podcast gives you the unfair advantage you need in the new AI era. 🔗 Learn more:  🌐 rocketshiphq.com — Growth systems for high-spend advertisers  🌐 intelligentartifice.net — Podcast hub  📩 Subscribe to the newsletter: intelligentartifice.kit.com

    33 min

  2. FEB 10

    I studied 70 ads to deconstruct Duolingo’s 500M-download ad engine

    In this episode, we break down the ad strategy behind Duolingo, the world’s most downloaded language-learning app with over 500 million downloads. Using BruteForce AI, our proprietary ad intelligence system, we analyzed 70 top-performing Duolingo ads to uncover how the brand combines humor, habit-building, and aspiration-driven storytelling to create ads that feel effortless, yet convert at massive scale. From guilt-powered streak culture and playful mascot-led pressure to travel fantasies and research-backed credibility, this teardown reveals how Duolingo turns language learning into a daily habit users don’t want to break. 🔍 What you’ll learn: How Duolingo directly addresses the “I’m too busy” objection with relatable user proofWhy stacking a single authority signal across every ad builds instant trustHow funny guilt trips outperform preachy motivationThe role of travel and life aspiration in selling language learningHow Duolingo makes learning feel free, fast, and frictionlessWhy research-backed messaging reinforces legitimacy without killing funHow Duolingo promotes premium upgrades by framing them as unlocks, not upsellsWhether you’re building a learning app, a productivity tool, or any habit-forming product — this breakdown gives you a repeatable creative playbook you can adapt to your own ads. 🔗 Learn more: 🌐 rocketshiphq.com - Creative for high-spend advertisers 🌐 intelligentartifice.net - Podcast hub 📩 Subscribe to the newsletter: intelligentartifice.kit.com

    7 min

  3. FEB 2

    He wrote the book on AI growth 5 years ago. Here is his 2026 playbook: with Lomit Patel, Chief Growth & Marketing Officer at TYB

    🚀 In this episode, I’m joined by Lomit Patel, a growth executive and the bestselling author of Lean AI. Lomit was pioneering AI automation strategies for user acquisition years before ChatGPT made headlines. In this conversation, he breaks down how his approach has evolved from the era of predictive machine learning to the generative AI landscape of today. Lomit shares his specific, high-level workflows for getting "production-ready" output from LLMs, explaining why he treats AI models like a debate team rather than a search engine. He also gives a counter-intuitive take on why AI is actually increasing the headcount and importance of human designers, rather than replacing them. If you are looking to move beyond basic prompts and build an AI-first growth engine, this episode provides the tactical playbook you need. 🎙️ What we cover in this episode: ✅ Lean AI vs. LLMs: How AI strategy shifted from predictive ML (LTV/bidding) to generative workflows.  ✅ The "AI Debate" Strategy: Pitting ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity against each other to fix average outputs.  ✅ Overcoming the "People Pleaser" Bias: Why LLMs tell you what you want to hear and how to force them to critique instead. ✅ The New Role of Designers: Why designers are becoming "Creative Strategists" and the ultimate QA layer for brand authenticity.  ✅ Due Diligence Acceleration: Using AI to manage investor queries and speed up company exits/acquisitions.  ✅ Executive Efficiency: Automating reporting and analysis to cut weeks of work down to minutes . Whether you're a growth marketer, creative director, or startup founder, this conversation offers a masterclass in operationalizing AI beyond the hype 🔗 Learn more:  🌐 rocketshiphq.com — Growth systems for high-spend advertisers  🌐 intelligentartifice.net — Podcast hub  📩 Subscribe to the newsletter: intelligentartifice.kit.com

    21 min

  4. 12/19/2025

    How to build(+ sell) future-proof AI apps: with Evelin Herrera, Founder of EHVM Capital

    🚀 In this episode, I’m joined by Evelin Herrera, the founder of Reflect Place and an expert who has seen hundreds of mobile app acquisitions up close. Evelin breaks down the exploding AI app market — what’s working, what’s failing, and why valuations have shifted dramatically in just months. She explains why many AI apps feel like simple “info products with a paywall,” why retention is collapsing across categories, and why buyers are now extremely skeptical of AI products. If you're building AI apps, investing in software, or planning an exit, this episode is packed with real data, blunt truth, and insider perspective. 🎙️ What we cover in this episode: ✅ Why AI apps are collapsing in valuation (Q2 → Q4 shift explained)  ✅ Why AI products are struggling with subscriber retention + usage depth  ✅ Copycat crackdown: Apple App Store’s new anti-clone policies  ✅ Info-product AI design traps (scan-face apps, skin scoring apps, etc.)  ✅ How investors evaluate AI app revenue vs. user base  ✅ Building for exit: which metrics actually raise multipliers  ✅ Why audiences matter more than revenue (in early-stage deals)  ✅ Future-proofing through niche AI + proprietary databases Whether you're a founder, investor, UA leader, or PM — this conversation gives clarity on what it takes for an AI product to survive beyond hype cycles. 🔗 Learn more:  🌐 rocketshiphq.com — Growth systems for high-spend advertisers  🌐 intelligentartifice.net — Podcast hub  📩 Subscribe to the newsletter: intelligentartifice.kit.com

    28 min

  5. 12/10/2025

    🚀I Cracked Babbel's 9-Figure Ad Formula (50+ Ads Analyzed With AI) 🚀

    This language-learning app is quietly dominating the education category, and its ads reveal exactly why. With massive global adoption and some of the highest trust signals in the space, Babbel’s creative strategy is a masterclass in credibility, specificity, and real-world motivation. In this video, we break down the 5 key ad strategies behind their success, based on an in-depth analysis of 50+ top-performing ads using BruteForce AI. What you’ll learn: How vivid competitor analogies (like “rustmobile to Ferrari”) make differentiation unforgettableWhy concrete timeframes like “3 weeks” dramatically increase believability and motivationHow repeating one specific authority credential (“200+ language experts”) builds trust fastThe exact storytelling patterns that make “10 minutes a day” feel realistic in any lifestyleHow reverse-psychology hooks turn benefits into humor, and objections into punchlinesWhether you’re scaling an education app, building credibility in a crowded category, or creating ads that feel personal, believable, and impossible to scroll past, this breakdown is your blueprint. Running ads that need to drive trust, reduce objections, or convert skeptical audiences? Start here. Like, comment, and subscribe for more ad deconstruction deep dives. For the full visual teardown and data insights, check the link below: https://intelligentartifice.kit.com/25d9a22a4f 🔗 Learn more: 🌐 rocketshiphq.com — Growth systems for high-spend advertisers 🌐 intelligentartifice.net — Podcast hub 📩 Subscribe to the newsletter: intelligentartifice.kit.com

    9 min

  6. 11/24/2025

    Using narrative/storytelling with AI to drive 40%+ ROAS lift: with Karen Levy Atias, Director of Creative at Supersonic from Unity

    🚀 In this episode, I’m joined by Karen Levy Atias, the Director of Creative at Supersonic from Unity. Managing creative strategy at a massive scale for global hit games, Karen has navigated one of the biggest shifts in the industry: the transition from hyper-casual to hybrid-casual. She’s not just talking about AI efficiency; she’s actively using it to produce hundreds of high-performing ads a month without growing her headcount. 🎙️ What we cover in this conversation: ✅ The "Hybrid" Shift: Why the old playbook of chasing the lowest CPI is dead—and how to optimize for ROAS and retention instead.  ✅ The Power of Storytelling: How a single narrative-driven ad (captured 20% of spend and drove massive ROAS uplifts.  ✅ AI Efficiency at Scale: How Supersonic increased creative output by 5-10x without adding new hires.  ✅ The "Human in the Loop": Why AI still lacks "taste" and why human judgment is the ultimate competitive advantage.  ✅ SDK vs. Social Testing: How to adjust your creative cadence and volume for different channel algorithms. Whether you’re a user acquisition manager, creative producer, or game developer, this episode offers a masterclass in balancing data-driven testing with the emotional depth of storytelling in the AI era. 🔗 Learn more:  🌐 rocketshiphq.com — Growth systems for high-spend advertisers  🌐 intelligentartifice.net — Podcast hub  📩 Subscribe to the newsletter: intelligentartifice.kit.com

    38 min

  7. 11/19/2025

    Building defensible AI apps: product loops, retention & data flywheels: with Phil Carter

    🚀 In this episode, I’m joined by Phil Carter, the Founder and CEO of Elemental Growth. A former growth leader at Quizlet and Faire and a Stanford GSB grad, Phil has actually done the work: scaling world-class subscription apps from the inside and building frameworks that last. 🎙️ What we cover in this conversation: ✅ The "Subscription Value Loop": Phil's framework for building an enduring business. ✅ How to build a defensible AI product, not just another commodity "wrapper." ✅ The "Tourist Effect": Why AI hype drives traffic but kills your retention (and how to fix it). ✅ The new unit economics: How to manage high LLM costs and stay profitable. ✅ Scaling acquisition with AI tools without creating "AI slop" that floods channels and fails to convert. Whether you’re a founder, product manager, or growth marketer, this episode will give you a clear framework for building an enduring AI business. This is about creating real, defensible value, not just riding the hype cycle. 🎧 Whether you’re a growth marketer, creative strategist, or startup founder, this podcast gives you the unfair advantage you need in the new AI era. 🔗 Learn more:  🌐 rocketshiphq.com — Growth systems for high-spend advertisers  🌐 intelligentartifice.net — Podcast hub  📩 Subscribe to the newsletter: intelligentartifice.kit.com

    41 min

  8. 11/18/2025

    🩸 Deconstructing Flo’s ad engine: humor, relatability, and candidness 🩸

    Flo is a mobile app for women that’s redefining how femtech brands earn trust and scale fast. With over 3 million downloads and $2M+ in monthly revenue, Flo’s creative strategy is a masterclass in empathy-driven marketing. In this video, we break down the 5 key ad strategies that helped Flo dominate the market, based on an in-depth analysis of 80+ top-performing ads using BruteForce.ai. What you’ll learn: 1. Why leading with uncomfortable truths builds trust 2. How simplicity and emotional ease drive conversions 3. The power of first-person testimonials in sensitive categories 4. Why reassurance beats urgency in taboo verticals 5. How emphasizing privacy unlocks user honesty and action Whether you’re scaling a subscription app, experimenting with identity-driven messaging, or looking to leverage emotion as a conversion driver-this breakdown is your playbook. Running ads that need to inspire, transform, or connect emotionally at scale? Start here. Like, comment, and subscribe for more ad deconstruction deep dives. For the full visual teardown and data insights, check the link below: https://intelligentartifice.kit.com/190cd90b41 🔗 More Resources: 🌐 intelligentartifice.net 🌐 rocketshiphq.com #FloApp #FemtechMarketing #CreativeStrategy #MobileGrowth #AdStrategy #EmpathyMarketing #SaaSMarketing #UserTrust #PrivacyMatters #BruteForceAI

    6 min
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About

Welcome to Intelligent Artifice, the podcast that helps you become a 10x performance marketer. Intelligent Artifice explores the cutting edge of the intersection of AI, creatives and performance marketing. Every week, we deconstruct the ad systems behind high-performing advertisers using our in-house semantic analysis system, BruteForce AI , or we sit down with top operators redefining how advertising gets done in a Gen AI world.  Whether you’re scaling user acquisition, leading a creative team, or building a creative engine with AI, this podcast is your unfair advantage. Intelligent Artifice is hosted by me, Shamanth Rao, the founder and CEO of the boutique growth marketing agency Rocketship HQ. Find out more:Work with us: rocketshiphq.com (ideal for advertisers spending $50k+/month on paid social) Website: IntelligentArtifice.net Intelligent Artifice newsletter: https://intelligentartifice.kit.com/

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