Doug McColgin, Director of Marketing Strategy at UScellular, says that AI tools aren't enough to build an effective marketing strategy. As more and more companies adopt AI, the playing field will be leveled when it comes to productivity gains. But McColgin thinks AI can be used in more creative ways to differentiate from your competitors. He explains the tests his organization has done, and how two foundational frameworks—Clay Christensen’s Jobs-to-be-Done and Eliyahu Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints—can shape smarter, more strategic AI adoption - focusing on problems, not products. 

For Further Reading:

Jobs to Be Done Theory: https://www.christenseninstitute.org/theory/jobs-to-be-done/

Theory of Constraints: 

https://www.tocinstitute.org/theory-of-constraints.html#:~:text=Eliyahu%20Goldratt,with%20infinite%20sales%20or%20profit

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Jen Kattula, CMO at Microsoft Advertising, has been testing out ways to improve the jobs of marketers through AI - while at the same time trying to improve organizational effectiveness. She shares use cases from Microsoft, how she thinks about agents and human intervention, and the hurdles around getting people trained up and in the habit of using AI. 

For Further Reading:

More about the AI Agents Hackathon from Microsoft: https://microsoft.github.io/AI_Agents_Hackathon/

Navigating AI and Marketing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oKvEZCW_V0

3 Ways Marketers Can Accelerate Their Creativity with AI: 

https://www.adweek.com/sponsored/3-ways-marketers-can-accelerate-their-creativity-with-generative-ai/

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of Marketing AI Institute and Smarter X, left his agency world behind and now spends his days training marketers on how to better use AI to move their organization forward. When it comes to AI adoption at marketing organizations, there’s still a wide range of adoption - and Roetzer shares what he’s seen in terms of what trips people up, and where they should be putting their resources. Plus, how the agency model is changing, and some of his favorite tools and tricks. 

For Further Reading:

Check out Paul’s podcast: 

https://youtu.be/qu74v4zBDjQ?si=69DTuXfVUapXHnsI

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Sadie Thoma, director of US B2B marketing at Google, and Derek Rodenhausen, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group, say that artificial intelligence is having a major impact on marketing - especially when it comes to the consumer journey. They partnered on new research that shows that the four main consumer behaviors today are streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping - and that they are often done in tandem. Thoma and Rodenhausen share more insights from their research that can influence marketers across industries as they reshape their organizations in a world of AI. 

For Further Reading:

The Blueprint for AI-Powered Marketing

It’s Time for Marketers to Move Beyond the Linear Funnel

How Tombras used Google’s Gemini to create over 6,000 hyperlocal ads for PODS

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Michael Lacorazza, CMO of US Bank, and Mike Barrett, Founder and CSO at Supernatural AI, set out to break the mold: to partner together on an advertising campaign for the large financial institution using innovative AI methods and achieving fast results. If you’re interested in how to partner with AI agencies to take your work to the next level, listen to this case study about “The Power of Us” campaign, and walk away with lessons for your own organization. 

For Further Reading:

U.S. Bank CMO: Relationships Fuel Marketing Transformation

Inside the Campaign: How US Bank Used Artificial Intelligence to Fast-Track Its Latest Ads

Nate B Jones Substack

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Shiv Singh, co-founder of AI Trailblazers and the author of Marketing with AI For Dummies, knows that there’s still a huge range of adoption in the marketing space when it comes to artificial intelligence. He shares tips for those still early in their journey, and predictions for 2025 when it comes to how the marketing industry will be further upended by the technology. 

For Further Reading:

Check out Shiv’s substack

2025 AI Predictions You Can’t Afford to Miss

Marketing With AI for Dummies

Consortium for AI Personalization

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Abhay Parasnis, founder of Typeface, is making a big bet on where artificial intelligence will truly reshape the marketing industry. After experience at Adobe and other large organizations, Parasnis ventured out on his own in 2022 to work on a tool to solve the fundamental problem in marketing today, the “content paradox.” He explains why there’s a gap between data and cloud technologies, and the ability to use those to effectively make and distribute content. He walks Greg and Rex through some of the cutting-edge functionality that Typeface offers its partners. 

For Further Reading:

Abhay Parasnis showcases Typeface on CNN “De-coded” w/Host Anna Stewart

Adobe Alum takes AI-enables marketing beyond the prompt

Transition from solo acts to a complete symphony with AI

Abhay Parasnis Keynote at VivaTech 2024

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Shelly Palmer, Professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and CEO of The Palmer Group, reports on the AI marketing trends he is most excited about coming out of this year’s Consumer Electronic Show in Vegas. He talks about what’s over and underhyped - from superautomation and agents to content creation and beyond. And we’ll hear predictions as to how AI in marketing is evolving in 2025. 

For Further Reading:

Read Shelly’s blog from CES: https://shellypalmer.com/2025/01/ces-2025-ai-everywhere-all-at-once/?mc_cid=9308fe7c89&mc_eid=6a852a63e9

Subscribe to Shelly’s newsletter: https://shellypalmer.com/subscribe/

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Ashok Kalidas, Chief AI Scientist at Kantar, helps Fortune 500 companies think about the cutting-edge technologies they need now and the best ways to implement new AI and ML tools into their organizations to take their marketing strategies to the next level. He explains the technology behind some of Kantar’s latest use cases and where he thinks the industry is going next. 

For Further Reading: 

Learn more about Ashok: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashokkalidas/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=in

AI at Kantar: AI at Kantar

Kantar’s AI Innovators Summit: https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/ai-innovators-summit

A webinar on Kantar’s research revealing the strong correlation between brand penetration and consumer attitude: Unlocking Brand Growth: New Insights from the Fusion of Attitudes and Behaviors

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755

Jacqueline Woods is the Chief Marketing Officer at the software company Teradata. She has a unique vantage point as both a CMO herself and as someone who works with other companies every day to better leverage technology, data, and artificial intelligence. She explains how companies can think more strategically about their AI implementation, where personalization is heading next, and the most effective use cases for impacting customers. 

For Further Reading: 

Learn more about Jacqueline: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-woods-361477/

Trust Me I’m a Robot: How AI Can Improve Brand Stickiness (Fast Company): https://www.fastcompany.com/91194920/trust-me-im-a-robot-how-ai-can-improve-brand-stickiness

Customer Complaint Analyzer Demo Video: https://www.teradata.com/insights/videos/customer-complaint-analyzer

Listen on your favorite podcast app: https://pod.link/1715735755