Brands at the crossroads: adapt to AI or risk oblivion

Brands face a life-or-death choice this year: either adapt to the burgeoning landscape of AI in marketing or risk falling behind in the relentless race for profit and success.

As AI reshapes the marketing terrain, the key to thriving is to experiment continuously and dispel the fear surrounding this transformative technology.

But the human element should not be ignored.  In a world saturated with machine-driven content, a connection to the emotional side of individuals often missing. More than ever brands need to ask how they can change hearts and minds, and not minds alone, and how tech AI can assist.

AJ Storinge, who is EVP/global managing partner and professional services client lead at Universal McCann Worldwide, shared a webinar platform with Blacfox consultancy on this subject. Storinge believes a willingness to experiment and learn from failures is crucial in this tech-driven era: “The power of failure as a learning tool is immense. AI creates an ideal ‘sandbox’ to assess what works and what does not in terms of content and strategy.”

Storinge also highlights the importance of focusing on key performance indicators (KPIs) that drive business growth: “In the realm of testing and learning, it’s essential to distinguish between the vital few KPIs that propel our business and the many that we monitor without basing [our] decisions on them.”

AI is a tool for low-risk, high-volume tasks like generic mailers, whereas content aimed at changing hearts and minds should be crafted by humans. There are nuances in AI-generated content, which often stays in the ‘safe zone’ and leads to emotionally diluted and less valuable output.

AI offers a unique opportunity for organisational transformation. AI not only frees content creators for more innovative thinking, it also provides a chance for businesses to redesign their structures and strategies more effectively.

There is a need for a risk-taking, growth-oriented approach in marketing strategy — don't limit your bets early on. Be prepared to fail and learn multiple times. Encourage your team to experiment with a wide range of content formats, utilising generative AI's speed in content repurposing.

Distinguish a brand, harness the power of content to narrate a powerful story and connect deeply with the target audience.

Approach content strategy as a marathon, learning from mistakes and adapting accordingly. Success should be measured by the impact and reception of your message.

As the landscape evolves, what has become very clear is that brands that embrace AI, experiment relentlessly and maintain a human-centric approach in their marketing strategies will not only survive but thrive in this dynamic era.

Kerushan Govender is the CEO of Cape-based tech marketing agency Blacfox.