As the founder of McKenzie-Thorpe, I’ve always said my first love has been marketing. Recently, AI has become a significant part of my life – for good reason! After listening to Zeynep Inanoglu Ozdemir, the CMO of Atlassian, on a recent podcast, I’m more convinced than ever that AI is revolutionising our industry.
When I started McKenzie-Thorpe back in ’87, we couldn’t have imagined the tools we have at our disposal today. Ozdemir’s insights really resonated with me. Did you know that 89% of marketers are using AI regularly? And get this – 62% are using it daily! It’s not just us seasoned professionals either; 95% of marketing leaders are on board with AI.
I’ve always prided myself on my creativity, but Ozdemir’s idea of AI as a “secret creative agency” really struck a chord. She says, “I partner with AI as my secret creative agency and then I actually look at the output and I still modify the output, but it gives me a lot more avenues of creativity to think through that I wouldn’t come up with myself”. It’s a brilliant way to look at it, isn’t it?
Ozdemir gave some great examples of how Atlassian uses AI in marketing. They have a smart AI tool that helps create content directly in your document. This means you don’t have to switch back and forth between different apps – everything is in one place. As someone who likes to make things easier at my company, McKenzie-Thorpe, I found this really exciting.
Another thing that really impressed me was their Customer 360 tool. This tool lets you ask questions about your customers and get quick, accurate answers. It’s like having a very smart assistant always ready to help you.
Looking ahead, Ozdemir predicts we’ll see more personalised marketing at scale. She reckons that within five years, we might be able to deliver truly personalised messages to every single person we’re marketing to. As someone who’s always championed the importance of understanding your audience, this prospect is truly exciting.
Now, I know some of you might be worried about AI taking over your jobs. But after decades in this business, I’ve learned that change is the only constant. AI isn’t a threat; it’s a powerful tool that can make us better marketers.
As Ozdemir puts it, “If you’re not using AI in your marketing, chances are you’re slowing yourself down”. And I couldn’t agree more. At McKenzie-Thorpe, we’re always looking for ways to stay ahead of the curve, and AI is definitely the way forward.
So, my fellow marketers, let’s embrace AI. Let’s use it to enhance our creativity, streamline our processes, and deliver better results for our clients. After all, that’s what great marketing is all about, isn’t it?
Remember, AI is just a tool. It’s our experience, our intuition, and our human touch that will always set us apart. So let’s harness the power of AI and take our marketing to new heights!