Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | MARCH 4, 2024 21 A SMALL BUSINESS GIVEAWAY 2024 One Connecticut small business will win a full page ad in the Small Business Issue of HBJ on May 13 and 12 months of free Cash Management Services from TSB. The winner will be notified around April 1st. PRESENTED BY SCAN HERE TO NOMINATE! NOMINATIONS OPEN | JANUARY 15 - MARCH 15 which is an effort to microtarget specific audiences. The tool uses a proprietary dataset to generate psychological profiles of customer archetypes, before generating both visuals and copy that can specifically target those customers, down to the timing and placement of ads. Dowd sees it not as replacing a human copywriter, but using AI as a way to create genuine value for clients by having upfront information on what approaches will work in particular market segments. It also relieves his staff from the more repetitive and tedious tasks of ad generation, Dowd said. And while generative AI is being widely leveraged in the marketing industry, Dowd said Rebellion's in-house offerings differentiate the company from the competition. "Every AI-powered thing from an agency that I'm seeing is a gimmick," he said. "It's not a valuable tool, it's a look-at-me tool." The challenge, he said, is turning AI-generated content into something a client actually finds useful. Stabilizing operations The embrace of AI extends even further into new business logistics tools that are being piloted by 535 under Chief Operating Officer Bryan Czajkowski. These will offer clients ways to streamline core functions, including hiring, payroll and human resources, which The Rebellion Group hopes can become standalone software companies. Another aim of the restructuring is to stabilize Rebellion's own opera- tions in what continues to be a vola- tile and fast-changing environment. "Many agencies in Connecticut and around the world, if they lose an account, they have to get rid of a huge number of their team," Kito said. "The intent is that, as things shift, if there's a condensing of demand for a specific type of talent or discipline, that this broader network of new relationships, different types of client work will still need the thinking and counsel and services of those folks." Rebellion Group currently employs around 90 people, almost all of them in Connecticut, and the restructuring does not eliminate positions. In fact, the group is currently hiring. Rebellion Group had revenues of $20 million in 2023, and is projecting between $25 million and $30 million this year. Dowd said the company's restruc- ture is already allowing staff more creative freedom. "We're not just building tools or creating content to serve one strategy or one brand. We are flexing and moving with the environment," he said. "We are letting people's passions, their expertise, bring new thinking to the table." BJ Kito is the chief strategy officer of Cheshire-based The Rebellion Group. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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