Avoid paralysis of choice in the crowded AI tool market. Instead of chasing trends, identify the single most inefficient process in your marketing organization—in budget, time, or headcount—and apply a targeted, best-of-breed AI solution to solve that specific problem first.
For AI models to reference your brand, content must be structured in a machine-readable format like JSON. Traditional SEO is insufficient; marketers now need technical skills to ensure content is accessible and prioritized by AI, a fundamental change in growth strategy.
AI requires senior marketing leaders to personally develop technical competencies. Simply delegating AI initiatives is a career-limiting move, as a new generation of marketers will soon combine creative strategy with deep technical 'growth architecture' skills and out-architect their campaigns.
Generative AI changes brand discovery from a budget-driven game to one based on relevance, credibility, and usefulness. This levels the playing field, allowing smaller, more agile brands to compete with larger incumbents who traditionally relied on massive ad budgets.
AI models prioritize and learn from credible, third-party sources like major news publications. A strong PR strategy securing mentions in high-authority outlets is now more impactful for visibility in AI-generated answers than traditional SEO tactics like pay-to-play advertorials.
Marketing leaders shouldn't wait for FTC regulation to establish ethical AI guidelines. The real risk of using undisclosed AI, like virtual influencers, isn't immediate legal trouble but the long-term erosion of consumer trust. Once customers feel misled, that brand damage is incredibly difficult to repair.