Don’t Let the AI Buzzword Get in the Way of a Good Strategy
Have you played the AI drinking game yet? In PR, we take a shot every time a company uses the terms AI, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in a press release. (Joking, but it would be a good one…)
While AI may be something that feels new, in the broader business community, in Advertising and Media, AI (or more precisely Machine Learning) is a staple. Companies throughout the supply chain have taken large swaths of data, analyzed and made decisions based AI-driven insights for years. These decisions are driving billions in ad-spend.
Now, with AI now crowned as an imperative, how can companies effectively communicate their AI expertise in a marketplace that is becoming a bumper-to-bumper thought leadership traffic jam? How do you gain the awareness and drive an audience to take action when everyone is “AI”ing everything?
1- Your AI Product Needs to be Differentiated - If you aren’t first, aren’t completely unique in your approach, your new AI product announcement night as well be wallpaper. Challenge your product market team to get out of the ‘sea of sameness’ and to truly differentiate. I always recommend showing your product vs. just talking about. Use video and images when possible.
2- Have a POV … a real one…. Who is doing it right? Who will win and who will lose in this AI battle. At the same time, if you don’t feel equipped to deliver authentic and differentiated insights, find the white space elsewhere.
3- Know what the market movers are doing and don’t be afraid to comment. How are decisions that OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and others are going to have a downstream impact? What will those impacts be? And…what is YOUR recommended response?
4- Don’t be an armchair expert - Don’t dip your toes in and then run away because your opinion isn’t embraced. Commit to your position. Keep your conversation alive on LinkedIn, X, with relevant influencers and reporters.
And most importantly: Don’t talk about AI just because everyone else is.
AI has real potential to change many industries and businesses. If yours isn’t one of them, that’s okay. As saturation continues, the fakers from the makers will become even more apparent.