Beyond the buzzwords: Generative AI in marketing

The hype around generative artificial intelligence (AI) is undeniable. From AI-generated content to predictive analytics, the potential of these technologies to transform marketing is sky-high. But marketers can't just get swept up in the buzz—you need to take a pragmatic, strategic approach to integrating generative AI into your MarTech ecosystems.

At the recent AntiCon marketing technology conference, industry leaders and experts shared a realistic roadmap for leveraging the power of generative AI. The key is to start small, measure performance, and keep humans central to the strategy.

Integrating generative AI into your marketing toolkit 

Tom Sloan of ICP shared a realistic view on leveraging generative AI. He acknowledged common misconceptions, such as overestimating capabilities and underestimating integration challenges. The reality is that generative AI still has limitations around quality, bias, and transparency.

To harness the technology's potential, Sloan outlined this practical approach:

1. Define clear objectives and use cases: Don't get distracted by shiny new features—focus on the specific business problems you're trying to solve.

2. Assess your data readiness: Generative AI is only as good as the data it's trained on, so make sure your information is clean, structured, and accessible.

3. Start with pilot projects: Test the technology on a small scale before scaling up. Measure the impact on key progress indicators like engagement, efficiency, and return on investment.

4. Scale gradually and continuously measure performance: As you expand the use of generative AI, keep a close eye on the results and be prepared to course-correct.

5. Keep humans central to the strategy: AI is a tool to augment and enhance human creativity, not replace it entirely. Make sure your team is equipped to work seamlessly with this technology.

Sloan also shared successful examples of AI-powered content tagging, personalisation, and creation—demonstrating the technology's ability to boost both marketing impact and operational efficiency.

Building a high-performing marketing organisation 

But as Michiel Dorjee of Optimizely highlighted, true marketing excellence goes beyond just adopting the latest tech. It starts with empowering your internal teams.

Dorjee outlined five essential tenets for any high-performing marketing organisation:

1. Visibility: Achieve transparency across planning and execution.

2. Process: Standardise workflows and create systems, following best practices like Atul Gawande’s The Checklist Manifesto.

3. Risk-taking: Continuously run experiments and iterate.

4. Technology: Thoughtfully adopt AI to optimise both what you do and how you do it.

5. Empathy: Remember Alexi Pappas’ "Rule of Thirds" and cater to the needs of your internal creators.

By prioritising the "marketer experience" first, Dorjee argued, you can unlock the magic that truly delights your customers. It's a holistic approach that aligns the needs of your internal teams with your external marketing goals.

Overcoming barriers to AI adoption 

Are we ready for the AI revolution? According to a presentation by Tim Bond of Ipsos, the answer is a complicated one. While there’s plenty of AI hype, the stats show that OpenAI is used by only about 9% of all UK internet users. The actual experience and engagement with AI technology remains relatively low.

According to the Ipsos’ research data, young Londoners (aged 15-24) are nearly twice as likely to be using AI compared to their peers in other parts of the UK. AI usage drops off significantly in regions outside of London, suggesting that the diffusion of these transformative tools is occurring at a much slower pace in more geographically dispersed areas.

Overall, the tangible use of AI is not keeping pace with the expectation and excitement around it. This may be partially explained by the longstanding cultural narratives around AI—from the fears of existential risk to a lack of trust in our AI “companions.”

Addressing these barriers will require careful positioning and communication. Marketers need to be transparent about the risks around ethics, bias, and privacy—while also clearly demonstrating the practical benefits AI can bring.

Seizing the opportunities, managing the risks 

The potential of generative AI in marketing is undeniable. But to harness that power, we need to take a measured, strategic approach. That means aligning our objectives, optimising our data and processes, and empowering our teams to work seamlessly with the existing technology. It's a lot to juggle, but the rewards are worth it.

Want to create the business case for your organisation or find out how some companies are using this now? Our team of experts is here to help. Contact us today to set up a consultation.

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