AI and Creativity: How Marketers Keep Control

By Katie Hilton, Marketing Manager

“If the robots take over, you’re in trouble,” a colleague joked after watching me interact with ChatGPT. And while the comment was made in jest, there’s an important truth behind it. AI is a powerful tool in modern marketing, but like any tool, its effectiveness depends on how we use it. It’s not here to replace human creativity or strategic thinking; instead, it’s an enabler, designed to enhance what we do best.

That’s why, every day, I approach AI with purpose and clarity. It’s essential to provide AI with specific, direct instructions. I treat it as a valuable resource, guiding it to assist with processes, analyse data, and streamline workflows—but always under human control. AI thrives when it’s given boundaries, and when marketers remain the ones steering the ship.

As Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, explains, “The danger with AI is that it encourages you to go straight for the finished ad, without taking time to explore the quirky, roundabout routes that human creativity often follows.” It’s a pertinent reminder that while AI offers efficiency, the final product should always reflect the human touch. Creativity isn’t linear, and it’s often the unusual or unexpected ideas that make campaigns stand out.

 

The Role of AI in Marketing

AI has undoubtedly transformed the way marketers operate. It can sift through enormous datasets in seconds, offer predictive insights, and even draft content at remarkable speeds. But there are clear limits to what it can do. AI lacks the ability to generate truly original thought, interpret emotional nuance, or understand the broader strategic context that underpins great marketing. These are uniquely human skills, and they’re irreplaceable.

Rather than fearing AI’s growing capabilities, we should embrace it as a tool to complement our expertise. From data analysis to campaign execution, AI allows us to operate more efficiently—but only when we set clear objectives and maintain control.

Here are five tips to help you make AI work for your marketing efforts, while ensuring that creativity remains firmly in your hands.

 

Tip 1: Start with Clear Objectives and Brand Voice

Before diving into AI-powered tools, it’s crucial to have well-defined goals. The most effective use of AI happens when it’s aligned with clear, strategic objectives. Start by setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals for each campaign. While AI can help you achieve those targets, it won’t set them for you. For instance, if you’re aiming to increase customer engagement, you might use AI to identify which segments to target, based on recent behavioural data.

Additionally, maintaining your brand voice is critical. AI can expedite content creation, but it’s up to you to ensure the content reflects your brand’s identity. Provide AI tools with your tone of voice document, offering specific instructions on tone and style. For example, when drafting a social media post about a new product, specify whether the tone should be playful, authoritative, or empathetic. AI will then align its output with your brand, but it’s your guidance that ensures consistency.

AI Prompts:
  • “Create a social media post promoting [product] using a [playful/authoritative/empathetic] tone, aligning with my brand’s voice guidelines.”
  • “Suggest audience segments based on recent behavioural data that would most likely engage with a [specific product or service].”

 

Tip 2: Optimise Campaign Planning with AI

Once you’ve defined your objectives, AI becomes an invaluable resource for refining campaign strategies. One of AI’s strengths is its ability to process vast amounts of data, helping to identify key insights and patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed. For instance, AI can analyse past customer behaviour to predict future trends, enabling you to optimise your campaigns in real-time.

In terms of audience segmentation, AI allows marketers to target high-value leads based on recent interactions, ensuring that efforts are directed where they’ll yield the most impact. Predictive analytics also enables more effective timing for campaigns, forecasting when your audience is most likely to engage.

AI Prompts:
  • “Analyse recent customer interactions and identify key audience segments for the upcoming campaign, focusing on non-sensitive data.”
  • “Provide insights into the best time to launch a campaign based on historical trends and customer engagement patterns.”

 

Tip 3: Streamline Content Creation and Repurposing Across Channels

Content creation is another area where AI offers significant support. AI can assist with idea generation and help marketers repurpose content for different channels, but the creative control should always remain human. For example, after creating a long-form blog post, AI can help adapt it into bite-sized social media updates or video scripts, ensuring that the core message remains intact across platforms. AI is a tool to support you in speeding up these tasks, but it’s your insight that ensures the content resonates.

AI Prompts:
  • “Turn this blog post into a series of engaging social media updates while keeping the original message consistent.”
  • “Repurpose this content into a video script for [platform] while keeping the creative direction in line with my audience’s preferences.”

 

Tip 4: Ensure Ethical and Compliant AI Use

As AI becomes more integral to marketing, ethical considerations and data privacy should remain top of mind. AI thrives on data, but it’s essential to ensure that data is handled responsibly. To remain compliant with regulations such as GDPR, make sure AI systems are using anonymised data, and avoid sharing any sensitive or personal information with AI tools.

Regular audits of your AI processes help ensure that your campaigns remain fair and inclusive. For example, you can use AI to review content for potential biases and adjust it to appeal to a diverse audience. Maintaining ethical standards not only protects your brand’s reputation but also builds trust with your customers.

AI Prompts:
  • “Review this campaign content for inclusivity, avoiding personal data, and suggest improvements to ensure broad appeal.”
  • “Suggest ways to anonymise data in this marketing analysis to ensure GDPR compliance while maintaining campaign effectiveness.”

 

Tip 5: Stay in Control and Lead with Clarity

Finally, always remember that while AI can offer significant advantages, it’s you—the marketer—who holds the reins. AI can assist with data analysis, automate repetitive tasks, and provide insights, but it’s human creativity and strategy that ultimately determine success. The temptation with AI is to go straight for a polished outcome, but you must never skip the creative process. That process is where innovation and fresh ideas emerge.

When using AI, set clear boundaries and provide direct, detailed instructions. This way, you ensure that AI delivers the insights or support you need without taking over the creative direction.

AI Prompts:
  • “Generate a report of key insights from this data to inform my marketing strategy, while I focus on the creative direction.”
  • “Provide examples of creative ideas based on this initial concept, but allow me to refine and finalise the direction.”

 

AI is an Enabler, Not a Replacement

AI offers incredible opportunities for marketers, but it’s crucial to remember that it’s a tool, not a substitute for human creativity or strategic thinking. Use it to enhance your campaigns, streamline processes, and generate insights, but always stay in the driver’s seat. By maintaining control and leading with clarity, AI will support your goals, helping you create marketing that’s not only efficient but deeply engaging and resonant. At Force24, the synergy between cutting-edge automation, AI, and human expertise forms the foundation of our approach. If you’re curious about how we blend innovative technology with dedicated, hands-on support to drive real results, learn more here.

 

Full List of 10 Prompts

“Create a social media post promoting [product] using a [playful/authoritative/empathetic] tone, aligning with my brand’s voice guidelines.”

“Suggest audience segments based on recent behavioural data that would most likely engage with a [specific product or service].”

“Analyse recent customer interactions and identify key audience segments for the upcoming campaign, focusing on non-sensitive data.”

“Provide insights into the best time to launch a campaign based on historical trends and customer engagement patterns.”

“Turn this blog post into a series of engaging social media updates while keeping the original message consistent.”

“Repurpose this content into a video script for [platform] while keeping the creative direction in line with my audience’s preferences.”

“Review this campaign content for inclusivity, avoiding personal data, and suggest improvements to ensure broad appeal.”

“Suggest ways to anonymise data in this marketing analysis to ensure GDPR compliance while maintaining campaign effectiveness.”

“Generate a report of key insights from this data to inform my marketing strategy, while I focus on the creative direction.”

“Provide examples of creative ideas based on this initial concept, but allow me to refine and finalise the direction.”

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