Up to 90%
less email build work with Knak AI
Company
OpenAI is a leading artificial intelligence research and deployment company, focused on creating and distributing highly advanced AI systems. Serving users and developers worldwide, OpenAI is known for delivering cutting-edge models like ChatGPT that simplify creative and analytical work and support long-term innovation across industries.
Headquarters
California, USA
Industry
Artificial Intelligence
Size
6,500+
Integrations
The Challenge
OpenAI is reshaping technology, but its marketing operations were stuck in the past. Emails came from no-reply@hubspot.com, campaigns took a week to assemble, and everything relied on copy/paste, Slack approvals, and manual HTML edits.
When Jeff Canada became OpenAI’s first Marketing Operations leader, he needed to build a modern martech foundation from the ground up — fast. Knak became the platform that allowed OpenAI to move from duct-tape workflows to AI-accelerated campaign creation.
Why Knak
1. Immediate relief for an unsustainable workflow
Knak eliminated manual edits, back-and-forth approvals, and HTML cleanup — cutting production time from days to minutes.
2. A platform built for the future
Jeff needed a tool that could integrate into AI-driven workflows, not lock OpenAI into a single ESP. Knak’s vendor-agnostic, future-focused architecture fit perfectly.
The Transformation
AI-generated drafts ready in minutes
Jeff used Knak’s AI capabilities to turn briefs and Google Docs into near-final email builds. Knak now gets him 80–90% of the way there on every asset.
Time unlocked for strategy
Instead of spending nights fixing formatting, Jeff can finally optimize for outcomes — testing more, personalizing more, and iterating faster.
Speed without sacrificing control
AI accelerates production, while Jeff applies the same quality checks he would on human-built assets.
The Future Vision
Jeff sees campaign creation becoming a coordinated system of AI agents:
- ChatGPT for planning and alignment
- Knak for creation
- Additional agents for data, audiences, testing, and optimization
- Humans steering strategy
Knak becomes the operational layer that converts ideas and prompts into polished, on-brand, deployment-ready assets.
Results
- Weeks → minutes of production time
- 80–90% complete AI drafts for every email
- More strategic focus, less manual work
- Vendor-agnostic deployment across multiple ESPs
- A foundation for OpenAI’s evolving AI-powered campaign command center
Conclusion
Even at an AI powerhouse, marketing operations needed reinvention. With Knak, Jeff built a modern, scalable, AI-ready campaign creation engine — transforming “we can’t send an email” into a blueprint for the future of enterprise marketing.
