Industry leaders share a practical roadmap for integrating AI into workflows

More than that, they stressed the importance of considering culture in AI transformation, and why continuous learning and collaboration is key for marketers to keep pace.

Get personal at scale

“AI is helping us achieve what we once thought impossible – scaling innovation,” says Jordan Cuddy, executive vice-president, global head of experience, Monks. She refers to the company’s work with major brands, leveraging generative AI to create customizable brand experiences.

“We’re seeing brands demand AI-driven solutions to maximize their media spend through personalized content at scale,” says Cuddy, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI in crafting unique consumer experiences.

Earlier this year, for example, Monks partnered with wellness brand Hatch to drive product sales with a personalized messaging strategy, implemented at scale with generative AI. Monks augmented the planning and concepting phase of campaign development by using generative AI to identify new personas and have “conversations” with them to understand their lifestyles and preferences to fuel a new ad messaging platform.

The team designed modular ads to personalize both the value props and the aesthetic to each persona, then used generative AI to produce a huge number of variants in half the time of a typical campaign. Once the ads were launched, they’re proving to be resonating with consumers: click-through-rate is up 78% and on-site engagement is up 46%, with strong conversion efficiency to boot.

Augment, don’t replace

AI skills are increasingly becoming a desired skillset that every marketer will have to master - but Dara Treseder, chief marketing officer, Autodesk, is quick to stress that AI should be seen as a tool to augment, not replace, human creativity. By automating menial tasks and processing complex data, AI frees up creatives to focus on strategic, innovative work.

“We don’t need to fear AI taking our jobs; we need to be concerned about the people using AI taking our jobs,” she says. “Our storytellers are still the best at what they do. AI helps by handling the data, so they can focus on the creative, strategic aspects.”

AI should be seen as a digital workforce, adds Marc Mathieu, senior vice-president, AI transformation, Salesforce, predicting a future where much of marketing’s transactional tasks will be automated. “Imagine a world where your job is not just augmented by AI, but where AI handles a significant portion of it; everything that can be automated, will be,” he says.

That’s why marketers need to adapt quickly to embrace AI for productivity gains and creative augmentation. Mastering AI tools will provide a significant competitive advantage. “We’re entering an era where automation will redefine every aspect of our work. The key to staying relevant is to embrace these tools and learn how to delegate to AI effectively.”

Embrace cross-functional AI collaboration

As a major tech brand, Siemens has been working with AI for decades. Early adopters of generative AI as well, Connie Hwong, Generative AI communications, Siemens, explains how leadership is keen to explore how generative AI can make technology accessible to all - from the shop floor and assembly line all the way to the CEO’s office.

Siemens has integrated AI across its operations, not just in marketing but also in automation and manufacturing. This cross-functional adoption underscores the importance of cultural and educational initiatives to help employees embrace AI and leverage it for creative processes.

“Our software developers were some of the first to adopt AI, and this has led to unprecedented collaboration across the company and has unlocked new creative possibilities and efficiencies,” she says. “It’s about meeting people where they are and providing the resources they need to get comfortable with AI.”

The conversation emphasized the need for leadership to normalize AI and make it accessible to every employee, with the responsibility on companies to build responsible AI in the workplace, mitigating bias, ensuring representation, and investing in education.

A practical roadmap for marketing success

1. Embrace AI for personalization: Utilize AI to create personalized content at scale, enhancing customer engagement and maximizing media spend effectiveness.

2. Balance personalization with shared experiences: While personalizing content, also create universal moments that foster a sense of community among your audience.

3. Augment, don’t replace: Use AI to automate repetitive tasks and process data, allowing your creative teams to focus on innovative and strategic activities.

4. Foster a culture of continuous learning: Encourage your team to continuously update their AI skills. Make training resources readily available and integrate AI education into your company culture.

5. Collaborate across functions: Promote cross-functional collaboration to fully leverage AI’s potential. Engage different departments to share insights and develop comprehensive AI-driven strategies.

See how Monks help marketers and AI work together here.