#NavigatingGenAI Series: Article 2
Mastering the AI technology landscape in marketing: Insights from marketing leaders
Produced by
Henrik Leerberg VP, Global Marketing, Unit4
Maria Liw Global Head of Digital & Content, SimCorp
Ana Laura Zain VP Global Marketing, Crealytics
Tim Bond CEO & Founder, CogniScale.pro
This post roundtable discussion article reveals critical insights for marketing leaders grappling with AI adoption. Key takeaways include the importance of auditing existing MarTech stacks, prioritising AI implementations based on business objectives, addressing cultural resistance to AI adoption, and balancing quick wins with long-term strategic initiatives. Participants stress the significance of viewing AI as more than just a tool, but as a potential team member that can enhance human capabilities and drive strategic decision-making in marketing.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the marketing landscape, organisations are facing the challenge of effectively adopting this transformative technology into their existing processes and strategies. To explore these challenges and potential solutions, TechPros.io recently convened a roundtable of marketing leaders, sparking a lively discussion on the future of AI in marketing.
The challenge: Navigating the AI technology maze
Maria Liw, an experienced marketing leader, kicked off the roundtable by introducing a critical challenge facing many organisations today: how to navigate the plethora of AI tools and technologies available while optimising existing resources. "It's a jungle," Maria noted. "I get so many emails and so many invitations to talk to suppliers, and I accept some, I decline some. But it's a tall task to just get a better understanding of what's out there and where do we really start."
The real challenge, however, lies in identifying the most impactful areas for AI adoption. "If I push this forward in the business, where will we have the most to gain?" Maria pondered. "I don't know that at the moment. I just know that we need to do something because there are some wonderful tools out there."
Auditing existing technologies and identifying quick wins
Henrik Leerberg, a marketing operations expert, emphasised the importance of viewing AI as part of the broader automation landscape. This perspective helps in identifying areas where AI can be seamlessly incorporated into existing processes. Maria agreed, noting, "The first thing is to make a review. What do we have today? Are we really using it to its best capabilities? Some of the tools we are using, like for example, we have an SEO tool called Bright Edge. They've just added AI functionality as part of that."
Aligning AI initiatives with business objectives
Ana Laura Zain stressed the importance of aligning AI initiatives with overall business goals. She suggested, "I think the way I would tackle this, since it looks super big and overwhelming, is to define Objectives and Key results (OKRs) by quarter." This approach helps in prioritising AI implementations that can have the most significant impact on key business objectives, such as brand awareness in specific regions or engaging target accounts more effectively.
Addressing cultural resistance and fostering innovation
An interesting point of discussion was the potential resistance to AI adoption within marketing teams. Henrik Leerberg noted, "As we've moved forward, there's been resistance within the organisation, especially in marketing teams, because they see AI becoming so smart that it might replace what they do."
To address this, participants suggested fostering a culture of experimentation and innovation. Maria shared her approach: "I made it a fun thing initially because we weren't sure what we were getting into. Now, we compare how we do prompts because some are showing much higher quality outputs, again emphasising the importance of the input provided."
Practical steps for AI implementation in marketing
The roundtable participants shared several practical approaches for incorporating AI into marketing workflows:
Process mapping
Tim Bond suggested, "My first recommendation would be to look at all the processes you and your team perform. Document these and ask whether they could be facilitated by AI."
Experimentation time
Maria noted the importance of "establishing dedicated time for experimenting" with AI tools and technologies.
Learning and development
Tim recommended resources like podcasts to stay informed about AI developments in marketing: "There's a great podcast I recommend to everyone if you're not already listening to it, previously called the Marketing AI podcast, now known as the Artificial Intelligence podcast."
Strategic tool selection
Ana advised, "If brand awareness is a goal, what's the tool selection from the ones we're already using, or the ones we want to incorporate? This could be a goal, understanding which are the main tools that your team could be adopting or using for the specific goal."
Measuring ROI and impact
Participants acknowledged the challenge of measuring the return on investment (ROI) of AI adoption, especially in industries with long sales cycles. Ana Laura Zain suggested, "Something interesting but probably hard to implement is incremental lift, comparing before and after, which isn't very accurate, but it's something to consider."
Tim Bond added that AI can actually help in measuring marketing impact: "AI does make it somewhat easier because it brings in automation and efficiencies that are quantifiable."
Conclusion: Embracing AI as a strategic asset
As organisations move beyond viewing AI as just another tool and start seeing it as a potential team member or digital human, the key lies in strategic implementation and cultural adaptation. The discussion highlighted the need for a balanced approach that leverages AI's capabilities while preserving human creativity and strategic thinking.
As Maria aptly put it, "It's not just about all the tools out there and what we can do, but about prioritising what's important for the business right now. How can investing in AI truly be a game-changer?"
As the AI revolution continues to reshape marketing, many organisations find themselves at a crossroads. The insights shared in this roundtable provide valuable guidance for navigating this complex landscape, emphasising the importance of strategic thinking, experimentation, and a willingness to adapt and learn.
Need help with your Marketing AI roadmap? Network Sunday, helps you fast-track your AI marketing journey. Our approach begins with a customised on-site workshop, followed by ongoing support through regularly updated online courses and a library of AI marketing use cases. Our workshops are led by Tim Bond the Founder and CEO of Network Sunday and TechPros.io, and draw on experience from 4,000 C-level interviews and content assets, plus intensive AI experimentation and deployment since March 2023. While we start with content creation, the workshops introduce broader applications of generative AI in marketing. The training focuses primarily on mastering AI-powered content creation for B2B marketing, resulting in increases in content production speed by 4X while maintaining or exceeding quality. Participants gain hands-on skills in prompt engineering and AI-integrated workflows, creating their own AI-assisted content. Post-workshop, participants complete a practical task and access ongoing online courses, ensuring continued learning and application of AI marketing skills.
Contact taryn.breetzke@techpros.io or call +44 (0) 1273 102 811 to discuss a workshop and begin your journey to AI-powered marketing excellence.
Get in touch
+44 (0)1273 102811
