As artificial intelligence gains more and more popularity in business, it can be easy for businesses to quickly jump on the AI bandwagon without first considering the pros and cons of doing so. This is especially true for marketing, a department that specializes in creating the company’s brand voice and message in a way that connects with consumers. Would the implementation of AI compromise this specialty?
This is just one of many questions CEOs should discuss with their company’s CMO to determine whether integrating AI into their marketing efforts is the right move. Below, marketing experts from Forbes Communications Council explore 15 more questions CEOs should ask their CMOs, and why it’s crucial to their success.
1. “Can we trust him?”
This is the question to ask first, followed by “Is this worth the risk for our brand?” » There is still so much unknown and unverified about AI that it may not be the best decision to run away and be a pioneer right away. It’s wise to sit back a bit and search smarter to allow other brands to suffer early mistakes instead of yours. – Kathleen Stockham, South College
2. “How will we be different?” »
The advent of AI will lead to more marketing clutter and make it more difficult to get a company’s message across. It will therefore be essential for a brand to present a unique message that resonates with customers. Whether done with AI or with a focus on a craft approach, a company must offer a compelling brand personality to win business. – Robert Neely, Lima A Capital
3. “What is the risk?” »
While AI can provide many benefits, it can also put the organization at risk if used without safeguards. A CEO must understand what processes are in place to combat the tendency of AI to mimic bias in the data it analyzes, to protect customer privacy, and to ensure that a provider’s cybersecurity practices AI are consistent with theirs as a means of protecting intellectual property. – Joe Garber, Axiade
4. “Is it a time saver or an added value?”
Ask: “Are you using AI to save time or provide value, and do you know the difference?” » For example, one of the pillars of our brand is subtle luxury. This doesn’t align well with the massive amounts of AI-generated content. A better use case that aligns with our values is using AI for forecasting. In this case, a CEO might ask, “Are you using AI to ensure campaign success and better understand pipeline contribution?” » – Courtney Austermehle, Builder
5. “What data-driven insights will it provide to help us market to customers?” »
AI should help brands better understand their customers, which will allow their marketing to evolve and revolve around the customer. The goal of Marketing AI is to help scale marketing strategies, improve personalization, and ultimately drive more effective customer engagement. – Pini Yakuel, Optimove
6. “How should we position our use of AI in customer messaging?” »
Much of AI in marketing has focused on improving productivity in research, ideation, or creation. Companies need to do better at positioning and communicating how their products use AI to customers. The claim of being “AI driven” is astronomical and meaningless. CEOs should ask their CMOs: “How should we position our use of AI in our product portfolio and then communicate this to our customers?” – Rekha Thomas, Path Forward Marketing LLC
7. “How will this help make marketing operations more effective?” »
CEOs should ask their CMOs how integrating AI into marketing will help make marketing operations more efficient. Increasing marketing ROI by reducing marketing costs is a goal that CEOs (and CFOs) often focus on. In an era where marketing resources are increasingly under pressure, CMOs must demonstrate how AI integration can maximize marketing ROI. – Kerry-Ann Betton Stimpson, JMMB Group
8. “How does this reflect our willingness to embrace innovation while managing risk?” »
CEOs should ask their CMOs about how their approach to AI in marketing reflects their willingness to embrace innovation while managing potential risks. It is crucial to ensure that AI adoption is not just about jumping on the bandwagon, but rather about making informed decisions that align with the business growth trajectory and brand integrity over different periods. – Kurt Uhlir, Ethereal Innovations, Inc.
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9. “Is our use of AI under control?
AI can be a huge efficiency booster, but it can also get out of control and lead to embarrassing situations, with malicious content leaking out. Every good marketing organization experiments with new technologies, but policies and controls must be in place to ensure that any use of AI in business products is reviewed, monitored and approved before release. – Tom Tréanor, Interactive Snipp
10. “What is the impact on the business and the customer?” »
The use of AI must help the customer. Can we get the information to the customer faster and faster, while helping them engage with the brand and get everything they need? From a business perspective, does this help achieve business goals of customer satisfaction, growth, profitability and more? – Gaurav Bhatia, PenFed Credit Union
11. “What is the marketing department good at and what are its opportunities for improvement?” »
CEOs and CMOs can use the answer to delve deeper into how automation and AI could bridge the gap between “operational” and “exceptional.” For AI to be practical, leaders must approach it with a problem-focused mindset. Otherwise, their AI applications will be impractical and could hinder success. Brett Hansen, Semarchia
12. “How can we use AI to deliver better and faster results?” »
AI-driven marketing gains, whether through in-depth research, content creation, hyper-segmentation, analytics, or anything else, are expected to serve the customer more efficiently and responsibly. Delivering enhanced functionality should not come at the cost of compromising security in the value chain. CEOs should ask their CMOs: “How can we deliver better, faster results using AI to serve our customers in line with our core values?” » – Seema Kalra, The Right Thing in Marketing Communications
13. “How can AI help us improve personalized experiences?” »
Ask: “How will integrating AI into marketing improve our understanding of customer behavior and improve personalized experiences?” » This question is crucial because AI can revolutionize marketing by providing deeper insights into customer preferences and behaviors, enabling tailored, impactful campaigns that drive engagement and loyalty. – Antoine Robinson, Novalnet SA
14. “How can we use AI while maintaining our brand voice?” »
CEOs should talk with their CMOs about using AI to make their marketing efforts more effective while maintaining their brand voice and identity. It’s no surprise that a lot of AI writing looks the same, and while AI can give you a lot of efficiency in writing in bulk, marketers need to go back and edit to make sure that each AI element meets brand standards. – Sarah Lero, AL Huber
15. “Does this improve our production, and at what cost?”
There is a balance between leveraging AI to save resources and continuing to achieve business goals. Particularly in content marketing, there is a lot of time and energy to be saved if teams can use AI effectively. However, if it doesn’t improve the overall quality and outcome of content efforts, it’s not a good use of technology. – Maggie Mistovitch, Text us
