Generative AI - Marketing's latest shiny new toy!

The last few decades in marketing have been a relentless pursuit of the latest advancements and business tools, each hailed as the next big thing before being discarded for the next shiny new marketing toy. From my career vantage point, I’ve witnessed the rise and fall of many such trends. 'Shopper Marketing' was once the heralded saviour of brand growth at the point of purchase, only to be swiftly overshadowed by 'Digital Marketing'. However, as marketers realised that social media 'likes' and 'eye-balls' didn't translate into 'attention' and 'purchase consideration', 'Performance Marketing' became the flavour of the month.

And then there’s 'Growth Marketing'. Let’s be clear: all sales and marketing efforts should inherently be about growth; it is not a separate discipline. It's Sales, people! (A side note: anyone using the term 'marketeer' likely graduated from a Mark Ritson-style e-learning course and now self-identifies as a 'growth marketing expert'). The real challenge here is two-fold: there’s a global shortage of genuine marketing talent and a lack of effective mentorship to develop the next generation of marketing leaders. This is a topic I’ll delve into in a forthcoming article.

Now, we find ourselves on the cusp of another revolution: AI Marketing. The new messiah, that will finally earn CMOs their rightful place on the iron throne (or, at least a coveted seat in the boardroom). Excited marketers everywhere are currently frothing at the bit to become an overnight expert in this new field of Marketing. It's finally their time to shine, again.

My remarks are made for good reason. If you read between the lines of this Marketing Week article from the recent Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity love-in, you can see the problems instantly (read: https://lnkd.in/esMCsgbA). If Coca-Cola are predicting "AI is set to transform the future of the marketing profession" then you'd better get on the AI Kool-Aid pronto, or you'll get FOMO! Such is Coke's global CMO's belief in this new technology they have in place an urgent team objective of 'upskilling in MarTech and next generation AI'. Everyone wants to be a tech company, so it would seem. Even Coca-Cola. Shiny new marketing toy? Here we go again.

I really worry for the Marketing industry as a whole in the digital age. It's in the wilderness. Lost in space. Hopefully this time, with the help of Generative AI, it's finally time to come in from the cold. Again.

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Do these insights resonate with you, or do they provoke a different perspective? Join the debate in the comments below. All views are welcomed and respected.

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