As predicted, it didn’t take long for artificial intelligence (AI) to become a cornerstone of modern marketing. There’s no arguing that it’s swiftly revolutionised the way businesses engage with their audiences. However, as with most technological advancements, AI has come with its own baggage. Yes, it enhances productivity, but its impact on creativity remains up for debate, particularly in the world of creative marketing.
At networking events with fellow marketers, we often find that there are two very clear camps. Those who love AI, championing it as a “life saver”, and those who will turn their noses up in horror at the mere mention of Chat GPT.
As a sustainable marketing agency, we should also note the negative impact AI has had and will likely continue to have on the environment. While sustainability pioneers are finding more ways that AI can help humanity to be greener (see 9 ways AI is helping to tackle climate change) The excessive energy consumption caused by our increased use of generative AI, as well as other concerning side effects, is proving near impossible to mitigate!
So is AI the hero or the villain? Could it be the muse we’ve all been waiting for, or is it the proverbial spanner in the works of authentic creativity?
Our Saviour in Productivity
First, let’s acknowledge AI’s undeniable talent for boosting productivity. Every good marketer knows, there’s more to ‘going viral’ than good content. To get your content seen, you need to first get through a lot of admin. By automating repetitive tasks like data analysis or customer segmentation, AI frees marketers from mundane chores and allows us to skip to what we love, the creative! Let’s face it, no one ever got into marketing for the love of manual keyword research. This newfound freedom gives creative minds the time to focus on creating fresh, innovative campaigns.
Moreover, AI’s ability to process large amounts of data at lightning speed provides marketers with invaluable insights into consumer behaviour that we may never have got around to before. This all contributes to making sure we’re driving our creativity in the right direction. Understanding audience preferences and trends becomes less of a guessing game and more of a data-driven strategy. All of this means we can target campaigns with precision, which can only be positive for engagement.
For many of us, AI is the key to getting started and overcoming that dreaded creative block! In seconds, we can generate lists of content ideas and, if we’re still struggling after finding the right inspo, entire bullet-pointed outlines. But are we becoming lazy? Are we really “stuck for ideas” or do we no longer even try to come up with any? An even scarier thought is: Are we forgetting how to come up with our own ideas?
The Creativity Debate
However, no one was ever really arguing over AI’s boost in productivity. Slightly alarming data breaches aside, the true debate comes when we consider AI’s role in the creative process. While AI can generate content, design visuals, and even compose music, there is a lingering question: does it truly create, or does it simply replicate? An AI cynic will remind you that it operates based on patterns and data and lacks the human touch. It’s the emotional depth and cultural context that breathes life and relatability into campaigns.
But if we were playing devil’s advocate, we would say: Yes, AI replicates. It takes inspiration from other popular works found on the web, but isn’t that also how the human creative mind works? Vincent Van Gough was inspired by Jean-Francois Millet who was inspired by Jean-Simeon Charidn. Even a meal prepared by the most innovative chef would consist of a fusion of flavours inspired by other cooks.
There is the risk of homogenisation or, in other words, reducing substance. If everyone relies on AI-generated content, at some point, AI will also take inspiration from other AI-generated content and we’ll find ourselves drowning in a sea of sameness. But, then again, is that really a bad thing? A sea of sameness is the perfect environment for true creative minds to stand out. (All the more reason for marketers to keep regularly exercising their creative muscles and not rely so heavily on AI!)
All of this also poses the question, what will this mean for future generations of marketers? As more and more marketing courses integrate AI into their teaching, will there be space to learn the basic principles of storytelling and design or even minor details like grammar? Will they even need to learn these things in a world where these values are no longer required skills?
Striking the Balance
So, where does this leave us? In today’s climate, perhaps AI is best viewed as a tool- an incredibly efficient one- that, when used wisely, can enhance creativity rather than hinder it. By automating the mundane, AI grants us the luxury of time to really innovate.
Instead of relying on AI to produce content wholesale, maybe we can use it to cut down time spent on prep. Things like brainstorming headline ideas, gathering sources, generating outlines, or bullet pointing the arguments ‘for’ so we can bounce off of them with the ‘against’ (which is, coincidentally, how we wrote this article). The rest, storytelling and crafting relatable content, is better left to the human mind.
The best way to approach AI as a marketer is to treat it as your own personal assistant or a junior employee. As the manager, all the decision-making is down to you, the rest, the research, the list-making, the planning, can be delegated. Like any good manager, remember the importance of how you instruct this digital junior. We don’t mean keeping a positive tone of voice and not losing your temper when it’s being slow! We’re giving detailed instructions, prompting and providing constructive feedback to improve the overall output. Without sharing private information, give every instruction context and tell it the answers you’re not looking for as well as those you are.
Is AI the villain of 21st-century marketing? No. But it probably isn’t wise for us to hold it as our creative hero either! It’s a powerful tool that marketers can use to support their creative process. The best campaigns will maintain a balance, optimising the speed of delivery without losing that human touch!
