With all the talk about AI marketing these days, many are wondering if their jobs will soon become obsolete. AI is not merely a buzzword; it’s a transformative force with an incredible ability to process vast datasets, uncover hidden insights, and aid real-time decisions. After all, new AI models are popping up every day, and considering their abilities, which we didn’t know were possible only a couple of years ago, it’s normal to wonder just how much room will be left for the human touch.
These worries are justified to some extent. According to a Gartner study, by 2025, 30% of outbound marketing messages from large organizations will be generated by AI. McKinsey also has found that this shift will happen in the marketing departments of most industries, such as high-tech, banking, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing. So, what future awaits the marketers of flesh and bone?
Customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering, and research and development could account for approximately 75 percent of the total annual value from generative AI use cases (McKinsey & Company).
In this blog, we will take a look at the intricate dance between AI and marketing in three main areas, dissect the impact of AI tools on marketing jobs, and try to understand how these technologies can change the landscape. But unlike the title, this isn’t a doomsday prophecy for marketing professionals. It’s an exploration of how the industry is changing and the implications it might have for your job. Some jobs will vanish into obsolescence, some will thrive alongside AI, and others will emerge to harness its immense potential.
What is AI Marketing?
For those who are not familiar with the term, AI Marketing, also known as AI-powered marketing, is an approach that leverages artificial intelligence technologies to enhance and streamline various aspects of marketing. It uses AI tools to make automated decisions based on data collection, data analysis, and observations of trends that may impact marketing efforts.
AI in Marketing enables businesses to gain a deeper understanding of customer behavior, preferences, and trends. It can identify patterns, personalize content accordingly, optimize advertising efforts, and even predict future customer actions, significantly improving efficiency and effectiveness.
This not only saves time and resources but also enables marketers to deliver more relevant and engaging experiences to their target audiences, ultimately driving better results and ROI. AI is at the forefront of modern marketing practices, ushering in a new era of precision, personalization, and performance in the digital age.
But, as with any industry disruptor, AI can challenge traditional roles while, of course, creating new opportunities.
Three critical roles in the marketing ecosystem (Direct Objective Consulting)
How Will AI Marketing Affect the Industry, and My Job?
To illustrate the impact of AI marketing on marketing jobs, we need to break down the multifaceted nature of the marketing field into three distinct levels:
1. Strategic Planning
2. Campaign Development, Execution, and Optimization
3. Customer Relationship Management
1. AI’s Impact on Strategic Planning Level
Strategic planning lies at the pinnacle of marketing. At this level, marketing professionals plan the overarching blueprint that drives new clients and, in turn, the brand’s success: identifying the most profitable target audiences, defining the most appealing for them, determining the best channels to reach them, and accordingly building an action plan.
AI’s role in strategic planning is to augment human decision-making with data-driven insights. It empowers marketers with the ability to conduct in-depth market analysis, assess competitors, and create precise customer segments and personas. As a result, roles within strategic planning are evolving into those of data strategists, where human creativity can be empowered by the AI’s analytical capacity.
An example of a role that may be negatively affected by AI at the strategic planning level is Market Research Analyst. Data collection and basic analysis can be beautifully automated and therefore the need for someone in that position will gradually cease to exist and be replaced with an AI-powered tool.
On the other hand, roles such as Marketing Manager or Marketing Director, which require strategic decision-making and leadership, will prove viable. The same will be relevant for the Marketing Strategist role, which requires complex strategy integration, a task that cannot be fully handled in an automated manner yet.
Upskilling Opportunities for Marketers at the Strategic Planning Level
Marketers operating at the strategic planning level can enhance their skill sets by becoming proficient in AI-powered data analytics, market research interpretation, competitive analysis visualization, customer segmentations, and persona development.
2. AI’s Impact on Campaign Development, Execution, and Optimization Level
Campaign development, execution, and optimization constitute the tactical level of marketing. This is where the rubber meets the road. AI transforms this level by automating all or part of tasks such as content creation, audience identification, A/B testing, and real-time data analysis. AI marketing enables us to craft highly personalized campaigns, make data-driven decisions, and continuously optimize our efforts for maximum impact.
While some roles, like Media Buyer/Planner, may be replaceable by AI in the short term, others, such as Creative Director, still thrive on human ingenuity and remain valid but reliant on AI tools and technologies. Also, totally new roles, such as Prompt Engineer, can be a real new role in demand within a few years.
Upskilling Opportunities for Marketers at the Campaign Development, Execution, and Optimization Level
Marketers operating within this realm have these opportunities for upskilling through AI integration: mastering AI-powered tools and platforms for content generation, and learning to interpret and act upon AI-generated insights and predictive analytics.
As AI automates routine tasks at this phase, marketers can channel their energy into validating content relevancy and strategic decision-making, ensuring that campaigns align with broader business goals. Cultivating expertise in creative strategy and storytelling remains indispensable, as these skills are at the core of compelling campaigns.
3. AI Marketing: AI’s Impact on Customer Relationship Management
Customer relationship management (CRM) is an indispensable part of modern marketing. This level focuses on nurturing meaningful relationships with customers or prospective clients, delivering exceptional experiences, or driving loyalty. AI-enhanced CRM capabilities, including customer data analysis, predictive lead scoring, personalized communications, and chatbots, are revolutionizing how brands interact with their audiences.
As a result, CRM roles are evolving into CRM strategists and AI integrators. While AI may automate certain tasks, such as email marketing content, the roles of Customer Relationship managers and CRM Analysts remain crucial for developing workflows that will tighten the relationship, establishing authority, trust, and crucial knowledge.
Upskilling Opportunities for Marketers at the CRM Level
To excel in this landscape, marketers involved in CRM can focus on developing expertise in AI-enhanced CRM capabilities, including customer data analysis, predictive lead scoring, and personalized communications. Proficiency in managing and integrating AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can be a valuable skill set besides data interpretation and relationship-building strategies.
Finding the right balance between humans and AI is the key to success (Forbes)
Human-AI Integration and What AI Can’t Do
As you can conclude from the above-given examples, it’s important to keep in mind that AI still lacks a few fundamental traits that humans possess. While it can learn and process information and even create content, it does not actually understand “emotionally” the information. It is devoid of the sensitivity, comprehension, and knowledge of everything that cannot be computed.
Just because generative models are programmed to respond in a conversational language, for example, doesn’t actually mean they can think creatively or emotionally. This is where humans are still irreplaceable. They have deep industry knowledge, emotional intelligence, cultural insights, and the ability to connect on a human level.
It is also necessary to bring up a crucial point: AI is not always 100% correct. Thus, in an ideal situation, humans and AI marketing tools will work hand in hand. AI must be viewed as a tool that employees will use as a base to create effective marketing strategies and content with a high success rate. Humans can fill the gaps that AI can’t fill or comprehend.
One can imagine that companies will start implementing courses on how to work in tandem with AI and to encourage healthy practices. Some of these include, for example, training employees on the utility and value of AI, setting guidelines for the use of AI-generated content, building a culture of transparency around the use of AI tools, and making it clear from the get-go that AI is not a replacement for humans, just an aiding tool like any other.
As technology evolves, humans must adapt, as they have always done. While AI marketing has brought about rapid changes in the industry, people and companies will find a way to harmonize its use and deploy the technology in a productive and constructive manner.
To Wrap Up
To sum it up, one thing is abundantly clear in the ever-evolving landscape of AI in marketing: change is the only constant. Some roles will undoubtedly undergo transformation, and yes, a few may even fade into obsolescence. On the other hand, some marketing jobs are being enhanced and empowered by AI, allowing professionals to focus on high-level strategy, creativity, and human-centered aspects of marketing that technology can’t replicate yet.
The technology game has changed for sure, but as we go forward, there are still fundamental capabilities every organization will need to realize AI’s true potential. In this dynamic landscape, judgment, adaptability, and continuous learning are the skills to success. Marketers who embrace AI as a collaborative ally and seize the opportunity to upskill will not only thrive but also play a pivotal role in shaping the future of marketing.
The AI revolution doesn’t spell doom for the marketing profession; rather, it reshapes and redefines it. Moreover, new jobs are emerging, reflecting the fusion of human expertise with AI capabilities. This will, of course, require companies to restructure and rethink their entire ecosystem to match the emerging requirements of AI marketing.
