To set the stage, let’s first look at some common uses for gen AI among marketing and creative teams. Robert Half research shows more than 4 in 10 managers in these fields report using — or planning to use — it for:
1. Data analysis and reporting (47%): Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT can generate insightful reports in natural language and analyze complex datasets. This allows marketers to quickly draw useful conclusions from vast amounts of customer data, campaign metrics and market trends.
2. Email marketing (44%): Gen AI can craft email subject lines and body copy tailored to individual recipients. Some specialized marketing tools can generate multiple versions of a message and automatically test which ones get the most opens, clicks or responses.
3. Forecasting and predicting performance (43%): AI models are increasingly skilled at predicting future trends and outcomes. Tools like Google’s BigQuery ML or Amazon Forecast allow professionals to create sophisticated predictive models without extensive data science expertise. These generative AI tools for marketing and creative teams can forecast everything from campaign performance to customer lifetime value (the total worth of a customer to your business over the entire course of your relationship).
4. Content creation (41%): While AI isn’t replacing human creativity, it’s becoming a valuable collaborator for content generation and brainstorming. Platforms like Claude and Google Gemini can help marketing and creative teams produce first drafts of blog posts, imagery and social media posts. This allows professionals to focus more on refining and strategizing rather than starting from scratch.
After you’ve taken stock of your marketing and creative team’s gen AI know-how, it’s time to start filling in gaps with targeted upskilling. Here are a few key areas to focus on:
1. AI-assisted data analysis: Train your team to use AI tools to dig into large datasets, spot trends and identify meaningful insights. This skill helps turn raw numbers into smart marketing strategies and fresh creative ideas.
2. Prompt writing: This is the art of crafting specific instructions (known as “prompts”) for generative AI tools. For instance, instead of simply requesting, “Write a blog post about coffee,” a skilled prompter might ask, “Give me some ideas for a 500-word blog post about the health benefits of moderate coffee consumption, targeting busy professionals aged 30-45.”
3. AI-enhanced design: Help your creatives harness AI-enhanced design software to whip up and refine concepts quickly. The goal is to use AI as a launchpad for creativity, not a stand-in for their artistic eye.
4. Ethics and AI: As AI use grows, so do ethical concerns. Your team should understand issues like bias in AI, data privacy and the fact that current generative AI tools might sometimes “hallucinate” (i.e., invent) convincing-sounding facts.
5. Tool-specific training: Provide hands-on training with the AI tools relevant to your field, whether ChatGPT for content ideation and creation or Midjourney for generating visual concepts.
