Business News
MD ’ s comprehensive review of AI and the role it plays within marketing
Andrew Scott , founder and MD of full-service marketing agency Purplex , explores the phenomenon surrounding AI and the role it plays within marketing .
Less than 18 months ago , the term ‘ AI ’ was still largely confined to the pages of science fiction and the pixels of the big screen … until ChatGPT landed , and with it a demonstrably effortless way to generate millions of words of content from just a few simple prompts . Overnight , it seemed , AI was just a click away for everyone .
A year or so on , as a means of rapidly creating content , video and imagery for a market in which fast turnover of material is all , it looks unstoppable . Already , governments and tech companies are examining ways of regulating AI in the hope that it doesn ’ t become an out-of-control monster . And while the jury is still out on that one , the rest of us are playing catch-up with a technology that is growing exponentially .
What does this mean for the marketing industry ? Firstly , it means that marketeers absolutely need to keep up with what ’ s going on . While its ’ s not always easy to predict the direction AI is travelling , nor its destination , there is no doubt it is on an upwards trajectory and that its progress will be marked by momentous change . This is arguably scary but also compellingly exciting .
For instance , there is a great rush among companies of all stripes to investigate the power AI potentially holds over their marketing operations . ChatGPT and other AI-based content generators have been harnessed to create blogs , press releases and images that are then uploaded to web pages within seconds of their generation .
There is no doubt that rolling over to AI-generated content will shave a great deal from the marketing spend , but to what cost ? That is the key question as firms grapple with the implications of AI on their day-to-day business .
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AI is an excellent complementary tool in the marketeer ’ s armoury , but it can ’ t replace intelligent , bespoke copywriting and image-making by humans
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AI can certainly save time and money , it can spur on human creativity by suggesting ideas , it can generate high quality imagery and video and as it grows in popularity its overall quality is on a parallel track . There is no need for any marketeer to shy away from AI – it ’ s a truly fascinating , flexible and groundbreaking tool .
And a tool is what it is . An extremely useful tool , but a tool nonetheless . While it might turn out content at a rate of knots , that content is regularly subject to inaccuracy , misinterpretation and unreliability . And when you consider that marketing is about growing and maintaining brand reputation , you ’ ll understand that truth , accuracy and honesty are cornerstones of this . AI cannot get everything right , nor can it do nuance particularly well . Often it lacks the specific knowledge previously acquired by marketeers who ’ ve established good human relations with clients . And this is the point : AI is an excellent complementary tool in the marketeer ’ s armoury , but it can ’ t replace intelligent , bespoke copywriting and image-making by humans with in-depth and personal knowledge of their subject .
Also , AI can ’ t replicate the kind of professional relationships honed over time , and of the kind that generate top-quality content . The companies who will thrive in the AI-dominated landscape of the future are the ones who use technology alongside the human mind without seeking to replace it . Reputable marketing companies like us are already seeing the effects that inaccurate AI-generated content is having on brands that have gone all-in with it , and in terms of brand reputation it ’ s not at all pretty .
Far better , then , to work with a creative marketing agency that understands the value in building long-term professional relationships with its clients AND incorporates the latest advances in AI without misusing it or allowing it to cut unnecessary corners .
As an agency , we are fully embracing AI and have our own taskforce who are studying it very closely and assessing how it can be incorporated into both our activity and our client ’ s strategies without losing that vitally important human touch .
Ultimately at Purplex , we are fully behind the principle that AI is not here to replace , but to improve ; for us AI will enhance our capability to develop and implement robust marketing strategies which improve reputation , increase brand awareness and generate a steady stream of leads .
www . purplexmarketing . co . uk
68 MARCH 2024 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM