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A comprehensive review of 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. We’d heard of it, of course, but most of us had little to no first-hand knowledge of it….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, and it might seem that AI has been here forever. 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 it’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, and certainly AI is already making great waves within marketing.
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.
All well and good, but is that really the right approach to marketing in 2024? 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.
First, the positives. 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. For more information, contact us today!
This entry was posted in consultancy, Marketing Strategy
