News & Insights

While it is true that AI is radically transforming our approach to communication, the core process remains the same: market research – big idea – implementation – results – optimisation – repeat. AI has proved that it does in fact have its limits, but we can and should still leverage it to make better decisions and create better campaigns.

GENEVA – The growing importance of AI in marketing, and more specifically in communications, can be pretty scary, and yet some people think AI will one day replace marketing teams entirely. Putting our optimist hat on, we’re taking a look at how AI and marketing teams can effectively collaborate to produce high-quality work.

While AI can seamlessly complement marketing actions, speed up processes, and get clients more value for their money, luckily for us it cannot fully replace a good old fashioned human. Read on.

1. Content Creation

Content Creation tools, such as Chat GPT, Writesonic, and Jasper, are good at drafting content that fit a specific purpose whether that be social media posts, newsletters, blog articles, product pages. Some tools can even identify voice of the customer (VoC) data to determine the content that resonates most with a target audience and generate that accordingly. Image creation tools are also proving extremely useful and are hugely time saving.

We recently worked with the University of Oslo to promote a series of conferences on the topic of energy and environment, with a focus on digital technologies as a critical element in the green energy transition. In collaboration with the animation studio Øyedrops (eye candy in Norwegian), we used AI to generate illustrations and animations, and we developed an identity in line with the UiO framework.

AI-conceived ideas can also enhance the success of your campaigns. This can be through  helping with catchy hooks for your copy, email subjects, compelling YouTube video titles, product descriptions, and more. This will eventually result in higher engagement, stronger bonds, and higher customer loyalty.

What AI is not great at:

Cultural context. While AI can generate great content, it is not so good at grasping cultural sensitivities and regional nuances, ensuring that the content resonates authentically across diverse audiences. It is in these nuances that original ideas lie and where creativity is sparked – something that cannot be achieved with a data driven model. 

2. Automation

AI-powered automation tools enable marketing teams to enhance operational efficiency via specific language and event-based triggers. It drives more efficient workflows by eliminating  guesswork from tasks, such as scheduling social media posts at peak times for maximum impact, or categorising incoming messages. It can also ensure a consistent brand voice in customer communications and it can halve response time using rules-based features. 

Programmatic advertising also simplifies the process of choosing and setting up digital ads for maximum ROI. This makes personalised marketing strategies easier to carry out, and  helps ensure that brand identity is consistently represented across channels.

What AI is not great at:

Building relationships. Personal connections can’t be automated, and this is where human input is invaluable. Networking, understanding client needs, and building positive relationships are all uniquely human abilities that AI can’t replace. When it comes to managing expectations, interacting with customers, and more generally engaging and nurturing a community, humans can build on AI foundations, but certainly not let AI do the job.

3. Audience Insights And Competitive Intelligence

AI and machine learning can provide crucial insights into a variety of aspects from brand sentiment analysis and trend spotting, to data visualisation. Understanding audience sentiment and behaviour around a brand along with tailored recommendations is a massive leg-up in making strategic marketing decisions. 

This is particularly true in a world where we need the flexibility to swiftly adapt and constantly follow evolving trends. AI-powered competitive intelligence tools can also assist you in identifying opportunities to enhance your communications, fill the gaps, and discover clever ways to stay ahead of the curve.

What AI is not great at:

Ethics and culture. Making ethical decisions isn’t about algorithms. Marketing requires navigating complex moral terrains, ensuring decisions reflect societal, cultural, and political values. Cultural context, as we mentioned before, also plays an important role in the interpretation of AI-powered insights. Ultimately, understanding the human psyche isn’t just about data points, therefore human input is essential to translate AI recommendations into relevant activations in the outside world.

4. Online Reputation Management

When it comes to managing a brand’s image, let’s face it, some elements are within your grasp, while others aren’t. Social media has exposed brands to more criticism than ever before and new AI tools have massively changed the way we deal with reputation management. For example, rReal-time monitoring of negative mentions on multiple platforms (including social media, review sites, online forums), and the handling of routine inquiries can all be seamlessly accomplished with AI tools. As a result it is sometimes even possible to preempt a potential crisis before it escalates into a significant problem.

What AI is not great at:

Emotional intelligence. Humans can understand the emotion and interact in a way that AI is far from mastering. Empathy and emotional intelligence remain beyond the scope of AI. When it comes to interaction, chatbots have certainly proven they can do a decent job but they can’t replace the authenticity that comes with human communication.

While it is true that AI is radically transforming our approach to communication, the core process remains the same: market research – big idea – implementation – results – optimisation – repeat. AI has proved that it does in fact have its limits, but we can and should still leverage it to make better decisions and create better campaigns.

After all, communication is about trying to convey a message. Doing so with the help of AI or not doesn’t change anything from the fact that brands will always need human input if they want to stand out and resonate with their audience.

More generally, understanding the needs of a business and translating expectations into relevant actions requires human interpretation and intuition. AI models can’t replicate the gut feeling that often leads to marketing breakthroughs. As such, brands can rely on AI for some part, but agencies and consulting firms will always add enormous value at every stage of a brand’s journey.

Contact

Marie Canova, Digital Marketing & Social Media Consultant at BOLDT: [email protected]