Is AI overhyped or the biggest development of our lifetimes?

This newsletter comes from the hosts of The Marketing Architects, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

 

This week, we're diving into practical AI applications for marketers. From copywriting to strategy development, AI is transforming how we work. But are we in a trough of disillusionment, or are we just getting started? 

—Elena

 

Every great tech trend has gone through a hype cycle.       

This has been true for new technologies ranging from blockchain to cloud. We get excited and overhype. Then we circle back to realistic ways to incorporate the tech. 

 

But what if AI is the real deal?         

Yes, AI’s gotten a lot of hype. But for marketers, its promise is worth hyping. After all, it’s already transforming how we work. Here is just a sampling of the areas it has impacted: 

1. Copywriting. AI tools like Claude help marketers create on-brand content more efficiently. But don’t settle for generic AI-generated text. Test different platforms and prompts to find the best fit for your brand’s tone of voice

2. Meeting Productivity. Use AI to summarize brainstorming sessions and generate additional ideas, saving time and enhancing creativity. Get started by asking AI to review your meeting notes and suggest anything you might have overlooked. 

3. Image Generation. Tools like Adobe Firefly are streamlining the creation of custom visuals for presentations and ads, reducing reliance on stock imagery. And while we're not quite creating 100% unique, on-brand AI images for all advertising, that’s where AI is headed. 

4. Strategic Planning. AI is beginning to assist in developing comprehensive marketing strategies by reviewing tons of data and market trends. Consider using AI to augment your strategic planning process by having it analyze competitor moves or market dynamics.

5. Customer Service. AI systems can now handle initial customer inquiries and provide real-time coaching for sales representatives. This improves response times and ensures consistency in customer interactions. Look into implementing AI chatbots for basic customer service queries or AI-powered analysis of sales calls to improve your team's performance.

6. Content Simplification. Tools like Google's Notebook LM can transform complex content into easily digestible formats. Try using it to create podcast-style conversations from dense reports or whitepapers

Our main takeaway? The most successful marketers will be those who learn to collaborate effectively with AI, using it to enhance their capabilities rather than trying to compete with it. 

Listen in on our discussion.

 

“AI’s Moment of Disillusionment”       

This InfoWorld article by Matt Asay explores the idea that AI has entered a "trough of disillusionment." While it presents a counterpoint to our discussion, it's an insightful perspective on how we adopt new technologies. Read the article.  

 

 

The future’s already here. Are you ready for it?                      

“The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed." 

— William Gibson, science fiction author