From Kansas City to Campaign-Ready: How Local Feedback Helped Shape Addi

The Backstory

Before Addi became a marketing agent capable of generating polished, personalized video, display, and audio ads in minutes, it was an idea being shaped, tested, and refined with the help of local visionaries. We’re grateful to the dozens of early testers and advisors who offered feedback, ideas, and encouragement in the earliest days of Addi, some of whom are highlighted here.

These leaders, creators, strategists, and innovators are just a few of the talented partners who offered their time, energy, and expertise to help us ask better questions, build smarter tools, and move faster in the right direction.

The Collaborators

✦ Rachel Asaro, i.c.stars Kansas City
Rachel brought sharp insight into nonprofit messaging – and how tools like Addi could support community-focused organizations. She also provided deep feedback on the user experience and sparked ideas for features that could make Addi more impactful and accessible.

✦ Erin Christensen, KC Tech Council
Erin helped us frame Addi in the context of the broader AI and ad tech ecosystem. Her feedback validated our direction and identified gaps that could make or break integration into real-world marketing teams.

✦ Blish Mize-Connor, Blishful Thinking
Blish was one of our very first external reviewers. She saw a rough draft of Addi before most people knew it existed, and still came with thoughtful, practical feedback. Her early reactions helped guide which capabilities we prioritized next.

✦ Michael Hiatt, Steel City Media (Mix 93.3, Q104, 102.1 BobFM, 94.1 KFKF)
Michael and his sales team helped surface real-world use cases where Addi could add value, weighed in with expert guidance on ad quality, and confirmed that even in its early form the tool’s output was strong and effective.

✦ Dr. Michelle Robin and Bayleigh Soza, Your Wellness Connection and Small Changes, Big Shifts
Michelle and Bayleigh emphasized something that’s now core to Addi’s identity: brand voice. Their feedback reinforced the importance of authenticity and tone, as well as voice cloning – which became two of the first things we made sure Addi could capture and scale.

The Impact

Because of these early conversations, Addi’s foundation was built on real needs, not assumptions. Their input helped shape:

⇢ The brand profile structure: Capturing tone, personality, and positioning from the start
⇢ Usability improvements: Removing friction in setup and customization
⇢ Creative direction features: Supporting campaign-level thinking, not just one-off ads
⇢ Roadmap clarity: Ensuring Addi evolves to integrate, not disrupt

The Takeaway

This wasn’t market research. It was community-powered product design.

The Addi you see today – and the one that continues to evolve – is a result of early collaborators and clients, who believed in the vision and took the time to offer their insight. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best way to build smarter AI is to start by listening to real people.

“Addi was built with the KC community, not just for it.”
– Chelsea O’Donnell, Head of GTM at Addi