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Marko Djukic
Global Director Brand Marketing at Pullman Hotels & Resorts
Charting the Marketing AI Roadmap: Optimizing Acquisition, Retention and Advocacy
About Marko Djukic
Marko Djukic is a seasoned brand marketing professional working within ACCOR's premium brand team. He oversees the marketing strategies for Pullman, focusing on enhancing brand marketing and positioning. As a gatekeeper of brand equity, Marko is responsible for crafting overarching narratives. His expertise lies in balancing creative marketing approaches with practical, data-driven strategies to drive brand growth and customer engagement.
How are you preparing your team and organisational culture for the integration of generative AI in marketing?
When it comes to implementing generative AI, my suggestion starts with setting realistic expectations. There's a lot of hype around AI, and it's easy to get carried away with creative ideas, especially in brand marketing. However, I believe in starting small and smart.
Beginning with a pilot test, choosing a well-defined project with clear objectives and a specific timeframe. This allows us to assess the risks and potential pitfalls in a controlled environment. It's crucial to involve various counterparts within the ecosystem, even for projects that might seem exclusively related to brand marketing. Input from tech people is needed because their perspective is different and helps maintain a balance between technological capabilities and creative aspirations.
The key is to take those initial steps carefully, learn from the process, and then scale up. This approach helps us manage the hype while focusing on practical applications that can truly benefit on marketing efforts.
"It's all about starting and doing something. You can discuss expertise, you can talk about trends—but unless you see the outcomes in the process, it's hard to really buy in."
How are you leveraging AI in content creation and testing processes?
In the content creation process, AI is actively used, but with a strong emphasis on security and data privacy. Open AI tools like ChatGPT are not used; instead, work is done with secure partners that ensure inputs aren't reused for other clients' learning processes.
AI-driven content creation involves a multi-step process. Starting with AI prompts and initial briefing, setting up how the content should be structured. Various filters are applied, beginning with brand inputs – tone, positioning, and key messages form the foundation. Throughout the process, this base is augmented with ideal customer profiles and additional prompts reflecting different audience segments.
The review process is critical. Five to eight steps might be taken, refining the content to ensure relevance to the target audience. Typically, about 85% completion can be achieved through automation, which then requires human refinement to perfect.
For A/B testing, AI helps us create more reliable and symmetric tests. By setting clear structures and filters from the start, human biases can be minimised and more insightful results generated.
How do you build enthusiasm, alignment, and shared vision across teams for generative AI initiatives?
Building enthusiasm and alignment for AI initiatives starts with identifying tangible actions. While discussing expertise and trends is valuable, actual outcomes make the most impact.
This process begins by creating a well-balanced core team that includes tech experts, brand specialists, strategic thinkers, and a strong project manager. A pilot project is then rolled out, with regular updates provided to different teams. It's crucial to involve all stakeholders, sharing not only successes but also what went wrong and why. This transparency helps stakeholders understand the limitations and potential of AI, making the learning process more engaging and relevant for everyone involved.
"You need to have a short to midterm vision with AI, anchored within one project. But then, you need to break it down into smaller phases, using that pilot test to make it tangible."
What strategies have proven effective in gaining C-suite buy-in for generative AI initiatives?
When it comes to gaining C-suite buy-in for AI initiatives, it all boils down to proving efficiency, particularly cost efficiency. The most effective strategy is to back everything up with numbers, which is why the pilot test approach is so crucial.
For instance, demonstrating that using AI can cut costs by 30%, 40%, or even 60% compared to traditional methods, that's a significant selling point. However, it's equally important to flag potential risks alongside these benefits.
The pilot test allows me to showcase tangible results and opportunities. If I can demonstrate how AI enables the team to shift focus from managing external partners to concentrating more on strategic aspects, this is a significant advantage.
How do you envision generative AI enhancing the customer journey while building customer value?
Generative AI has significant potential to enhance the customer journey, particularly in go-to-market strategies and tactical approaches. Once the strategy and pillars are defined, AI can help us mass-produce messaging content and create an interesting pool for targeting.
One of the most exciting applications is in A/B testing and personalisation. AI can help us deliver the right message to the right customer at the right time, which is crucial in the industry. It also allows us to adjust copywriting and tone of voice to align with the latest trends, making communication more relevant to the audience.
However, it's important to note that AI is not just about selling more; it's about being more relevant to the audience. As AI enables more players to produce more content at a faster pace, the challenge shifts to distinguishing ourselves in a crowded market. This is where human creativity becomes even more crucial – creative minds are needed who can leverage AI-generated content and elevate it to create truly unique and compelling experiences for the customers.
Looking ahead, there's potential for AI to play a significant role in referral marketing and customer profiling. The ability to analyse transaction data, customer behaviours, and demographics is a great approach to identify potential brand advocates and create more targeted marketing strategies..
In essence, AI provides us with a powerful tool to enhance personalisation, increase relevance, and streamline content production. But it's the combination of AI capabilities with human creativity and strategic thinking that will truly transform the customer journey and build lasting customer value.
"Focusing on leading concrete initiatives... The goal is to produce and deliver outcomes to the regions and the hotels"
About Accor
Accor is a world-leading hospitality group offering experiences across more than 110 countries with 5,600 properties, 10,000 food & beverage venues, wellness facilities and flexible workspaces. The Group has one of the industry’s most diverse hospitality ecosystems, encompassing more than 45 hotel brands from luxury to economy, as well as Lifestyle with Ennismore. Accor is focused on driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity, and inclusivity.
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