Marketing's Early Generative AI Adoption and the Modern Workflow

In the fast-paced world of digital transformation and the generative AI revolution, marketing practices and teams are at the forefront of adopting generative AI - this innovative technology, into their strategies, plans, campaigns, and toolkits. We have already seen brands like Virgin Voyages adopt it with Jen AI, technology companies incorporate it into their marketing platforms and teams are using these tools in a variety of ways. According to Gartner, 63% of marketing leaders are planning to invest in generative AI in the next 24 months. About 70% of BCG’s survey respondents said that their organizations use GenAI, while another 19% are testing the waters. Let’s walk through some of the ways generative AI can and will be used to change the marketing workflow and help marketing teams automate, enhance, and transform their work.

Generative AI isn’t just another tool in the marketer’s arsenal—it serves as a continuous partner, streamlining operations and infusing innovation from ideation to activation. It is catalyzing the modern marketing workflow.

• Strategy + Operations: Generative AI can offer an always-on co-pilot or automated agent. It can help teams ideate, refine, and implement marketing strategies with unmatched precision and speed. It can stay on top of the plan and changing dynamics, so the team can focus on the work. Imagine an eco-friendly shoe brand that wants to launch a new campaign. The AI co-pilot analyses current environmental trends, consumer sentiment, and past campaign performances. Within moments, it suggests a strategy that intertwines a tree-planting initiative with every purchase, optimizing for the brand's ethos and current market demands and turning it into a detailed plan. The team can quality-check the strategy, add/edit the details of the plan, and start to develop it.

• AI-Driven Content Supply Chain: This isn’t just about automation; it’s about a holistic process from content ideation to real-time optimization and delivery, ensuring every piece resonates with the target audience. Imagine a tech magazine, looking to cover emerging trends, that uses generative AI to scan global tech discussions, identify key trending topics, craft initial content drafts, schedule them for optimal engagement, and even suggest real-time refinements based on user interactions. With the pace of content creation at an all-time speed, generative AI can ensure that all assets are created, match guidelines, fit for specific channels, and ultimately expedite the assembly line.

Having seen how generative AI can streamline the marketing process, let's delve deeper into specific areas where it's making tangible impacts.

There are many ways to think about how marketing teams can use generative AI today and into the future. Start with all the content that a marketing team creates - campaign materials, community updates, sales collateral, event swag and so much more! In Hubspot's State of Generative AI report, 90% of marketers who use AI say it's effective for content creation. Additionally, 67% of marketers who use AI are using it to create content faster. Here is a sample of what can be automated, enhanced, and transformed with generative AI.

Automate:

• Content Scheduling: Analyze audience online behavior to schedule posts for maximum reach automatically.

• Audience Segmentation: Conversationally interact with your data and martech stack to quickly segment audiences based on a variety of attributes such as behavior, interests, and demographics, making targeting more efficient.

Enhance:

• Content Creation and Optimization: Create first drafts, be the AI editor, and refine campaign copy and visual content across channels based on segmentation, brief details, etc., and then optimize it in real-time based on performance, ensuring higher engagement.

• Real-Time Personalization: Modify digital content in real-time, tailoring experiences based on user behavior and history and intersecting digital, conversational, and voice experiences with (improving) consistency.

Transform:

• AI Voice Experiences: Beyond mere voice searches or automated messages on a 1-800 call, create immersive voice-activated brand experiences. This can be for agents, customer experiences, concierge services, or even entertainment.

• Virtual Brand Ambassadors: Craft digital brand ambassadors, creating interactive and dynamic brand representation. There are so many avenues here for immersive experiences.

However, as with all major shifts, there are critical factors to consider. While promising, the AI ascent comes with its own challenges. The blend of human creativity and AI prowess will redefine job roles at both agencies and brands. Like with CRM, where you need responsibility over data, technology, strategy, and activation to come together, Marketing teams need shared responsibility with AI to work smoothly, more efficiently, and to create a greater impact. Brands will also need to reassess budgets, weighing AI investments - such as team training, vendor costs, and/or new tools against their long-term ROI.

The intertwining of generative AI and marketing heralds a new era of possibilities and complexities. From acting as an unwavering co-pilot in strategy and operations to revolutionizing content creation and audience engagement, generative AI offers an arsenal of tools for modern marketers. Yet, with these promising advancements come challenges that necessitate adaptation and foresight. While AI isn’t new to marketing, the ability to work directly with genAI tools adds another layer of complexity and a great opportunity. Where are your teams using it today? Where are you finding value? And what do you think is coming next?

Additional References:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2023/04/03/generative-ai-in-marketing-5-use-cases/?sh=756feaa846dd

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/ai-powered-marketing-and-sales-reach-new-heights-with-generative-ai