'Marketers believe generative AI will save them an average of five hours of work per week'. We ask Melanie the important questions on generative AI in marketing.

1) How has Generative AI transformed traditional marketing workflows, and what specific challenges has it addressed in the industry?

Generative AI has revolutionised marketing by leveraging data to create personalised campaigns at scale. The technology allows marketers to generate unique content, including images, videos, and text, fostering innovation and experimentation. It provides deeper insights into consumer trends and behaviours, which enables to inform more effective marketing strategies. My recent webinar, 'Making the Business Case for AI', demonstrates the use of Generative AI to create multilingual, localised content within a faction of the time it took before, showcasing GenAI’s time-saving capabilities for tasks that previously were quite manual and time consuming (Link to webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUt6f4kcN34&t=750s). Marketers can now create engaging, personalised content more rapidly through new AI-enhanced workflows. GenAI has not only improved decision-making through data analysis but also ensures quality and consistency in marketing outputs, leading to increased customer satisfaction, loyalty and advocacy.

2) Can you provide examples of successful marketing campaigns or strategies that have leveraged Generative AI? What were the key factors contributing to their success?

The impact of Generative AI in marketing is best illustrated through successful campaigns from global brands and groundbreaking initiatives. Netflix's use of AI to personalise viewer recommendations exemplifies how technology can enhance user engagement. Similarly, Coca-Cola's personalised packaging campaign has significantly increased brand loyalty. Airbnb's adoption of AI for travel recommendations demonstrates how tailored experiences can boost customer satisfaction and drive revenue. An extraordinary instance of Generative AI's potential is seen with regards to the recent creation of a Spanish influencer, entirely AI-generated, who has amassed an impressive following of 200,000. This virtual influencer, a product of innovative GenAI technology, generates approximately £9,000 monthly for its modelling agency. This example underscores the creative and financial possibilities of GenAI in marketing, showing how GenAI can not only engage audiences but also open new revenue streams.

3) As Generative AI evolves, what skills and competencies do you think marketers will need to stay ahead in the dynamic landscape of digital marketing?

A study by the University of Pennsylvania and OpenAI predicts a significant impact of GenAI on jobs. Marketers must develop data literacy to be able to prepare data to train AI models and to have the skills to interpret AI-generated insights as well as to understand model outputs. Skills in prompt engineering, ethics, and governance will be equally crucial. Additionally, creativity and critical thinking remain vital, as AI augments human ingenuity. Technical knowledge of AI and machine learning processes is also essential for effective collaboration with technical teams.

4) For enterprises considering the adoption of Generative AI, what are the key steps they should take to ensure a successful implementation?

For successful GenAI implementation, organisations should start with a discovery phase to identify high-value opportunities. Rapid experimentation using the DVF (Desirability, Feasibility, Viability) framework helps validate assumptions to understand what consumers want (desirability), what GenAI can do and how it could integrate with existing systems (feasibility) and whether GenAI-driven solutions have got the potential to make or save money (viability). Once the value of GenAI for specific use cases is proven, the next step is to develop functional prototypes and conduct further testing. At this point marketing agencies can decide whether to build, buy or partner. It’s crucial here to consider ethical considerations and to put an emphasis on building responsible GenAI solutions. Deployment and scaling should follow once prototypes have been validated and solutions are free of bias. If you are interested in the tools to help you embark on this journey, my AI-Transformation course provides frameworks for identifying opportunities and leading GenAI adoption, emphasising the integration of technology, people, and processes. (Link to course: https://maven.com/ai-transformation-school/ai-driven-transformation)

5) How do you foresee the future of Generative AI in marketing? What emerging trends could further shape the industry?

The future of marketing with Generative AI is promising, with a focus on personalised consumer engagement. Emerging trends include advancements in voice and conversational AI, robotics and the integration of AI with AR and VR for immersive experiences. Moreover, ethical AI use, emphasising transparency and customer privacy, will be increasingly important. Verification and labelling of AI generated content will be extremely important, e.g. GenAI can already animate images of people, creating video content that looks very realistic. Marketers must be vigilant about privacy concerns and the risk of bias, ensuring diverse training data and inclusive teams.

6.) How can marketers initiate their journey with Generative AI, and what key steps should they consider?

Marketers should begin their AI journey by understanding current AI technologies and identifying where AI can add value in their processes. Collaboration with AI experts and technology providers is key. Experimenting with tools like ChatGPT, Jasper AI, Lexica Art, and others can help understand AI's impact on marketing output and consumer engagement. Structured experiments and continuous learning will enable marketers to harness AI's potential effectively.

Join Melanie and us at the Generative AI for Marketing Summit