This is how marketers can win in the age of AI
According to Ipsos , two-thirds of American marketers would fail a basic marketing test. The market research company’s study found that most marketers couldn’t answer even basic questions about the fundamentals of their own profession. Fully 40% didn’t know what “positioning” meant, 54% didn’t know what “above the line” meant, and half didn’t know what “penetration” meant. Not surprisingly, the…
A recent Ipsos study revealed that two-thirds of American marketers would fail a basic marketing test, with many struggling to answer even fundamental questions. This has sparked panic, with numerous articles and LinkedIn posts blaming the decline of marketing fundamentals for various issues. However, this writer suggests a different perspective in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).
AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are producing surprisingly good recommendations when given proper prompts about market conditions and objectives. In fact, these tools may even outperform the average human marketer, especially those who lack knowledge of basic marketing concepts. This has flattened marketing strategy, leading to homogenization as everyone relies on the same AI tools.
While AI raises the floor for strategy quality, it also lowers the ceiling by standardizing approaches. This makes it increasingly difficult for marketers to differentiate themselves. However, the writer argues that execution ultimately matters more than ever. While it's easy to generate a strategy using AI, turning it into reality is challenging.
The writer suggests that in a world where strategies are commoditized, execution becomes the key to creating a competitive advantage. While AI can generate strategies, it's crucial to deviate from the standard playbook and take brave, innovative steps. Marketers should use AI as a guide, knowing when to break the rules and make exploitative strategies that defy conventional wisdom.
Ultimately, the discipline of marketing has been pushed to the sidelines in many organizations due to excessive reliance on data. However, the writer believes that in this new era, brave choices that deviate from data-driven decisions will be rewarded. It's not an excuse to be reckless, but rather a call to recognize that sometimes data can be wrong, and sometimes people have unarticulated desires. This era calls for using execution and intuition to outperform strategies that have become increasingly standardized.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
