Ahead of Possible Miami 2024, The Drum is producing a special five-part series spotlighting top CMOs – and the evolution of their roles. This week, Remi Kent, CMO of Progressive, weighs in on the impacts of AI on the advertising industry and what steps marketers can take to make the most of this powerful technology.
For over a year now, generative AI has been the topic du jour in marketing, occupying a growing role and slowly but surely – if the most evangelical voices are to be believed – revolutionizing the industry.
For Remi Kent, chief marketing officer at insurance giant Progressive, AI doesn’t necessarily represent a creative paradigm shift in itself; true potential is only realized when teams understand how to leverage technology effectively. It’s like a vein of gold sitting in the middle of a mountain, waiting for human beings equipped with the proper tools and, more importantly, willing to dig patiently.
“While the technology is undoubtedly impressive, it still requires a lot of human brain power and work, as well as trial and error to succeed,” says Kent. “Adding skills to your teams to facilitate these types of efforts will be a growing area in our field.”
At Possible Miami later this month, Kent will extrapolate on this pragmatic, learn-as-you-go approach to AI in a live discussion with Rex Briggs, the so-called “founder of Evolution of Marketing” within the marketing trade association MMA Global.
The two will discuss the creative and strategic process that led to the development of AI-generated audio assets for MMA. According to Kent, it started by tricking AI models into creating multiple versions of a text script and accompanying synthetic voiceovers.
Of course, human intervention and oversight were essential to the process. “We were able to produce several versions in a short time, but we also needed a lot of refinement along the way,” she explains. “The first results seem promising and encourage us to continue exploring the possibilities. »
While Kent actively explores the creative potential posed by AI-generated text, images and audio, the “Holy Grail,” she says, will be AI-generated video.
Still in their infancy, text-video models have nevertheless evolved rapidly in recent months. Soraa model revealed by OpenAI in February and yet to be released to the public, has wowed the world with glimpses of its photorealistic video creation capabilities.
Kent believes that the burgeoning video-generating AI technology will prove to be a powerful tool in marketing. “Video production is expensive and complex for advertisers, and if we can streamline this process, it could be a game-changer,” she says.
Recent technological advancements have sparked both excitement and some anxiety in the hearts of many marketers. It can be difficult, in the midst of such accelerated change, for individuals and teams to chart their path to the future.
When asked what steps CMOs can take here and now to adapt to an ever-changing business and technology environment, Kent goes back to first principles. First, she says, CMOs need to have good business acumen, “financial acumen, data savvy and a clear understanding of what drives growth and profitability.”
Second, she suggests, they must be able to “evolve with the rhythm of culture”, that is, to be constantly in tune with the spirit of the times and continually follow “the “rapidly evolving consumer expectations”.
Finally, Kent says, today’s CMOs must have a solid understanding – and the ability to communicate – the “direct link” between a brand’s marketing efforts and its financial success.
And in the age of AI, it encourages a mindset that balances both the technology’s vast opportunities and its shortcomings – essentially keeping in mind what humans will continue to do more effectively than humans. ‘AI. Although AI will supplant many routine mechanical tasks, Kent predicts it will allow marketers to focus on what AI can’t replicate, “like human intuition and authentic emotional expression.”
Remi Kent, chief marketing officer at Progressive, will speak at Possible Miami on Tuesday. April 16 at 2 p.m. to inspire attendees with “AI-powered breakthroughs.” To find out more and book tickets for the event, click here.
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