AI isn't breaking news anymore. It's here. It's growing. It's reshaping how we do stuff.
Like many of our industry friends, we’re interested in the impact of AI in marketing—how the ChatGPTs, the Claudes, the Jaspers, the Midjourneys, and the endless other generative models are changing how we work and make decisions. We want to look beyond all the hype and fear-mongering to understand how AI is really affecting marketing.
The cool, the weird, and the everything in between are all worth exploring, so that’s what we’re doing. You’ll even hear from members of our team to get their firsthand experiences with AI, how it's changing their work, and what they think about its future in the industry.
The Revolution of AI in Marketing
Think about the last time you interacted with a brand online. Chances are, AI played some kind of role.
Generative AI (genAI) has accomplished a lot already, but the truth is, we're still in the early stages. Like an angsty teen, it’s powerful and full of potential, but it's also unpredictable and makes a lot of mistakes. We are all still figuring out how to use it best.
The Good: How AI in Marketing Can Help
With sky-high adoption rates and predictions that genAI will become a trillion-dollar market by 2032, AI’s gotta be doing something right… right? Is it actually making marketing better? How?
Here’s what marketers are saying:
- It can boost efficiency by creating faster (and sometimes even better) output
- It can analyze huge amounts of data to quickly spot patterns and trends
- It can predict outcomes and behaviors to aid in conversions
- It can reduce admin work by automating marketing tasks
- It can help you scale personalization efforts
But where is it being used most? According to Hubspot’s Annual State of AI Report, surveyed marketers are using generative AI tools for content in the following ways:
- 47% use them to create images
- 45% use them to write copy
- 44% use them for quality assurance
That same report indicates that AI is yielding a positive ROI for marketers across all channels including email, social media, and blogs.
The Bad: How AI in Marketing Can Harm
Before the world bows down to the genAI powers that be, we have to acknowledge its very real limitations:
- It’s really, really bad at understanding human emotions
- It’s incapable of true innovation or originality
- It doesn’t always know where the line is when it comes to data privacy
- It perpetuates the biases of the data we feed it
- It can lead to overreliance and deskilling
- Its outputs are sometimes just plain bad (example below, but Google “AI hands” if you want to be triggered further)
Twitter: @weirddalle / Via BuzzFeed News
Insights From the Swank Team
Boots on the ground. Let’s hear from some of our collaborators who are actually using these tools every day.
AI in Web Development
Here's what Swank President and Chief Technology Officer, Manuel Tomasir, had to say about AI in his field:
Q: Million-dollar question. Are you scared of AI?
Manuel: My feeling is this—AI will be whatever we want it to be. If we resist it, sure, it might become a threat. But if we embrace it as a tool, it can really help us, it just depends on how we choose to use it. I think any skilled resource can maintain a good relationship with AI if we don't demonize it.
Q: How is AI impacting web development in digital marketing?
Manuel: From a web standpoint, I think AI is a great tool. In a world where time is money, and AI can save you time, it's a big W for me and my business. Obviously, AI tools are still in their infancy, but they are already showing promise, especially when it comes to cutting work for real people and allowing us to do more with our time. That means we can focus more on the creative aspects of web development.
Q: What are some promising AI tools for web developers?
Manuel: There are already a ton of great AI options for generating placeholder images, placeholder copy, code snippets—even full sections of AI-generated code for websites. I have personally used ChatGPT to compose several things to date. The sky is really the limit if we use them properly.
Q: How do you balance AI efficiency with human creativity?
Manuel: You have to find a way for AI to enhance your work without letting it take over the creative process. AI is great at the systematic stuff. But when it comes to real creativity, that's still very much our domain. We’ve all seen the memes of AI-generated images. Humanoid figures with weird fingers don't sell anything. If you’re overusing ChatGPT for copy, you get to a point where it really sounds like AI (for now), so there always needs to be human tone, inflection, personality, humour, etc. Generic content never wins.
AI also wants things to be perfect. When we're talking about photography or graphic design, sometimes the mistakes of humans are what makes stuff really beautiful. There will always be a place for human intervention and human creativity. There's just something to be said about the "soul" that people bring to marketing and product development.
Wondering what the best content management system is in 2024? Our ultimate CMS guide is a great place to start.
AI in Design & Branding
We chatted with Swank Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Marta Tomasir, about her thoughts on how AI is affecting the design and branding side of things.
Q: How is AI influencing design and branding in marketing?
Marta: I do think it’s cutting down production time and boosting productivity. It already seems to be pretty impressive at generating basic illustrations and photography quickly. That said, there’s still a lot that’s beyond its capabilities, like branding and logo design.
Q: What excites you most about AI in design?
Marta: The accessibility. People without traditional design experience can now produce pretty decent work. I've also found AI to be great for inspiration. It has lessened the time I spend searching for concept or stock images (that never quite hit the mark anyway). I find that playing around with AI fuels new ideas and helps me land on solutions I might not have considered otherwise.
Q: What challenges do you see with AI in design and branding?
Marta: The most glaring has to do with creative ownership and compensation. AI is essentially compiling and remixing existing styles to create new pieces. From a legal perspective, I guess it's a grey area? But it feels like pretty blatant plagiarism. I'm not sure how long this will go unchallenged before we see intense pushback from the creative community.
You also need to be very hands-on with the AI. You need to feed it the right words to get the exact results you want, which isn’t as easy as people think it is. It can get pretty granular. There's definitely a learning curve there.
Q: Do you think AI will replace human designers?
Marta: Maybe. Some roles might change, especially for illustrators and photographers doing very custom work. I think that’s why it’s important to embrace the latest technologies and adapt alongside them. To get ahead, designers might have to start working with AI to produce images faster, while adjusting them along the way to make the final product truly theirs.
Learn about Manuel and Marta’s journey creating Swank and what the Collective is all about.
AI in Copywriting
Last but not least, our copywriter, Krista Fabbro, shared her thoughts on how AI is reshaping her specialization.
Q: Has AI changed your approach to copywriting?
Krista: In some ways, but not in the ways most people probably think. I think people forget that in a pre-ChatGPT era, writers were already using AI tools every day, like Grammarly. The "new” genAI models that everyone is so hyped about are fantastic at the grunt work I was never excited to do anyway, so that’s great. But it also sucks at a lot of stuff. For example, I find it can pump out a better blog outline than most writers can in a fraction of the time, but good luck prompting it to give that blog an interesting POV.
One of the biggest changes for me is that AI has basically eradicated my writer’s block. Even if the output is horrendous and I scrap most of what it generates (which is usually the case), it always gives me at least a solid jumping-off point.
Q: What are AI's limitations when it comes to copywriting?
Krista: There’s a lot, but the most obvious is that it's not human. The best copy sounds human, meaning it carries the nuance of natural, layman, conversational language. AI-generated content almost always lacks this because it tries to be too perfect and polished. That’s why it’s usually easy to pick 100% AI content out of the bunch. It just doesn’t connect on a human level.
Its output also just isn’t really that accurate right now. If you’re copy and pasting AI content without fact-checking, it’s not only going to read super subpar, but you run the risk of misinforming your audience and hurting your credibility.
Q: Are you worried about AI replacing you?
Krista: I feel like I get this question literally every day! My answer has been the same since day one—nope. Not even a little bit. I built my freelance copywriting business amidst the initial surge of ChatGPT. Two years later, I’m happy to report that business is still a boomin’.
I think to be fearful of AI replacing me would be giving “the machine” way too much credit. AI isn't replacing me—it's making me more efficient. It's handling 80% of the work that's important but that no one really cares about—the planning, formatting, outlining, etc. That frees me up to focus on the 20% that really matters—the point of view, the prose. The stuff that actually makes a piece of writing unique and engages readers.
Q: How do you see the future of AI in copywriting?
Krista: Well it’s sure as heck not going anywhere. I think we'll continue to see a pretty definitive split in the copy community—writers who fight against it and claim “100% human” and writers who accept it for what it is and incorporate it into their workflow. Both will continue to be successful, but I do think the writers who embrace the cyborg approach are going to have a serious edge.
Q: What are your favourite ways to use AI in your work?
Krista: Aside from the boring brainstorming stuff, I've got a few!
- Confirming the reading level of my writing. Generally, I like to keep my copy at a seventh or eighth-grade reading level, and AI is a super quick way to make sure I’m hitting it.
- I use it daily to double-check that my copy is in Canadian English.
- I love using it to summarize long briefs or simplify complex topics.
How to Integrate AI into Your Marketing Efforts
After hearing from our team, it's clear that AI is a powerful tool in marketing. Keyword, tool. It’s not magic.
Here’s how you can effectively work with AI in your marketing efforts:
Know Where it Shines (& Where it Doesn’t)
AI excels at data analysis, automation, and repetitive tasks. It can crunch numbers, generate initial drafts, or create outlines all day, every day. But when it comes to creativity, strategy, and human connection, that’s better left to the humans.
Use AI as a Collaborator, Not a Replacement
The fear of AI replacing jobs is real, but as our experts highlighted, it's more about evolution than replacement. AI is super smart, super capable, and there to help you work faster. It can help YOU be better. But it still needs your handholding and expertise to produce truly great work.
Keep Learning & Adapting
AI tools are evolving non-stop. What's unbelievable today might be old news tomorrow. Invest time in understanding these tools. Stay curious and keep experimenting. The marketers who thrive will be those who continuously adapt their skills to work alongside AI.
Maintain Your Human Edge
While AI can generate content or designs quickly, it can't replace human creativity, empathy, or strategic thinking. It often lacks the nuance and personality that connect with audiences. Your job is to bring that human touch to make sure your efforts resonate with people. Blend AI efficiency with human originality and compassion.
Use AI Responsibly
As we continue to integrate AI into marketing, we need to be mindful of ethical considerations. This includes:
- Being transparent about AI use when appropriate
- Fact-checking AI-generated content
- Considering the potential biases in AI systems and working to mitigate them
Stay True to Your Brand
While AI can help with many aspects of marketing, you want to make sure your brand voice and values stay consistent. AI might be writing some of your copy or generating design elements, but it's up to you to ensure everything aligns with your brand identity.
New to marketing jargon? Check out our foolproof branding terms guide.
So, Where Does This Leave Us?
First off, it's clear that AI is here to stay. It's making us faster, smarter, and more efficient in ways we couldn't have imagined just a few years ago. But it’s not replacing human marketers anytime soon (at least, we don’t think so!). If anything, it's making human creativity and strategic thinking more valuable than ever.
After all is said and done, marketing is still about connecting with people. And that's something AI can help with.
But it definitely can't do it on its own.
Speaking of faster and smarter, Swank is your solution to better, more efficient marketing solutions. Contact us today for your next project.
